Thursday, April 07, 2016 2nd Week of Easter
1st Reading: Acts 5:27-33 Gospel: John 3:31-36
Jesus said to Nicodemus, “He who comes from above is above all; he who comes from the earth belongs to the earth and his words, too, are earthly. The One who comes from heav en speaks of the things he has seen and heard; he bears witness to this but no one accepts his testi mony. Whoever does receive his testimony acknowledges the truthfulness of God.
“The one sent by God speaks God’s words and gives the Spirit without measure. For the Father loves the Son and has entrusted ev erything into his hands. Whoever believes in the Son lives with eternal life, but he who will not believe in the Son will never know life and always faces the justice of God.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the
Assimilated Life
Experience)
Today’s Gospel reading says, “The Father loves the Son and has entrusted everything into his hands”. Spread across John’s Gospel are references to what the Father has entrusted to Jesus. These are as follows: judgment (5:22-27), life (5:26), power over all flesh to give life (17:2), his followers (6:37; 10:29; 17:6), what he says (12:49; 17:8), the divine name (17:11-12), and glory (17:22).
The Father has entrusted all followers to his Son. No wonder Jesus’ love for all followers bears the mark of the Father’s love! Jesus carried out to perfection the mandate to take care of all followers. “Of those you have given me, I lost not one” (John 18:9). It appeared that Jesus was always aware of this entrustment by the Father as when he said, “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day” (John 6:39).
The reference to the resurrection on the last day in John 6:39 reminds us that “losing none of those entrusted to him” means giving all followers eternal life. He did so by dying on the cross. “He gave his life as a ransom to many” (Matt. 10:45). By his death Jesus conquered death and gave us life. “O death, where is your sting; O death where is your victory!” (1 Cor. 15:55).
This is good news to all followers. Discipleship already assures one his salvation. But it is not a walk in the park! “If anyone wishes to come after me”, Jesus said, “he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me” (Matt. 16:24). The cross is scary and self -denial can be as painful as death itself.
Discipleship is such a challenging thing, and it belongs to the sincere of hearts, not to the half-hearted ones. Nonetheless, those who persevere in discipleship are in good hands. Jesus will take care of them as a good steward of the Father. —Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail.com.
May comment ka ba sa column ni Father Dan? May tanong ka ba sa kanya?
I-type ang BANDERA
REACT <message/ name/age/address> at i-send sa 4467.