“This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.”

 

Scripture readings for todays' reflection can be found at Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church | USCCB

In the gospel for today we see that the crowd has already developed a loving relationship with Jesus because of the signs he performed for the sick. Because of the care and concern that Jesus showed towards them, along with the healings they experienced, they were able to develop that relationship with God that they never knew or felt before.  And, in his compassion, Jesus was able to bring them food when they were hungry through this wonderful miracle of feeding so many people at one time. They felt the love of God for them through Jesus Christ.

Further, we see that, after Jesus blessed the food and gave thanks to God the Father, He had the disciples distribute it to those who were hungry. In this way, Jesus was able to have the apostles involved in this wonderful miracle. Jesus was working through the apostles to help those in need to get the nourishment they needed. We are to learn from this example of God’s generosity towards all. This miracle reveals the heart of God, who cares about our every need. God also expects us to come to the aid of one another.

Through his actions Jesus reveals how God is towards us: nourishing, caring, lavish, and concerned for all our needs. With this in mind, God also expects us to come to the aid of one another, and to share what little we have. Saint Teresa of Calcutta said about Jesus, “He uses us to be his love and compassion in the world in spite of our weaknesses and frailties.” 

Jesus feeds us spiritually at every Holy Mass with the Eucharist: His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. As we leave each Mass we attend, strengthened by our Lord in the Eucharist, let us, like the boy in this Gospel with the food, and the apostles distributing the food, bring Christ’s love and concern to those around us that they, too, may develop that loving relationship with Christ. In this way they will know of the salvation that comes through Him: Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior.  

The disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.”

 

The scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Friday in the Octave of Easter | USCCB

In our gospel from St. John for today, we hear of the third time Jesus appears to the disciples after rising from the dead. In chapter 20 of the Gospel, we hear of Jesus rising from the dead on Easter Sunday Morning, and Him appearing first to Mary Magdalene, then twice in a week to the apostles in the upper room.

In the first appearance of Jesus in the upper room, Jesus breathes on them, and they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the power to forgive sins. In John 20:23 we hear our Lord say to the apostles: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Then in the 2^nd appearance, 8 days later, we hear of St. Thomas, the doubter, not wanting to believe in the resurrection of Jesus unless he placed his fingers into the nail prints and wound on His side. Jesus complied, and Thomas responded, “My Lord and my God.” (John 20:28). Then Jesus responded, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John20:29).

Then in today’s gospel, after these beautiful experiences of the Risen Lord, they seem to have forgotten that Jesus has risen from the dead and start going back to their former way of life of fishing. But Jesus came to remind them that He is still present in their lives. First, he commands them to throw a net on the right side and, as a result, catch many fish. With that John proclaims, “It is the Lord.” Peter, anxious to see the Lord, swims to shore to great the Lord. Jesus, always concerned about his disciples, prepares them breakfast.

All throughout our lives, we have experienced the risen Lord during special times in our lives, such as a wedding or a child’s baptism, or in any other special occasion that may bring us closer to God. But then there are those times when we may feel the Lord is not near to us. It may be in those ordinary routines of our life where we are just doing what we need to do that we don’t feel the Lord’s presence. We may not feel the Lord’s presence in our simple day-to-day existence, but today’s gospel reminds us that the Lord is always present to us, no matter what we may be going through in our lives. He’s there waiting for us to rush to Him, as Peter did, and to reach out to Him to be part of our day-to-day existence, even when we may not feel Him present. He’s there just waiting for us to say, “It’s the Lord.”

Let us, like St. Peter, rush to the Lord every day of our lives, and show Him the love and adoration that he deserves. And, like St. Thomas, let us say, “My Lord and my God.” Amen.

The Father is in Me and I am in the Father

 

Scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent | USCCB

In our gospel for today, we see the continued refusal of the Jews to accept Jesus as the Son of God. In their view, Jesus is just a man and is making himself out to be God. All throughout his ministry, Jesus was showing and teaching that he was true God and true Man. With the miracles he performed, the exorcisms he did, and the healing of the many people that came to him, he showed that he was more than just a miracle man. Further, earlier in the gospel of John, chapter 8, verse 58, Jesus tells the Jews, “…before Abraham came to be, I AM.” This phrase of “I AM” was used by God for Moses to use when he went to the Israelites. Moses told the Israelites that God’s name is: I AM. So, in the minds of those who were listening to Jesus, it seemed obvious that Jesus was making himself equal to God, something they considered blasphemy since they viewed Jesus only a man.

Jesus, in word and action, showed that he was indeed the long-awaited Messiah. Further, He was not afraid to speak the truth and to share the fact that he was indeed God. Because of this perceived blasphemy the Jews were ready to stone Jesus to death. As time went on, Jesus would eventually be crucified for what the Jews considered blasphemy.

There will be times when we need to share the truth of what we believe: that Jesus is Lord and God. There will be times when those in our lives will give us a hassle for this belief. They may accuse us of being fanatical. Following Jesus and accepting him as Lord and Savior will not always be easy but it is what we are called to do. We need to remain steadfast in our belief that Jesus is true God and true Man, even when it means facing issues and problems with those in our lives that may not see Jesus the same way we do. We are called to always live out our lives in relationship with Jesus according to His teachings, even when it seems contrary to what society is teaching. We are called, as Christians, to love God with our whole heart and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. By living out our lives in this way, we are showing that we are followers of Jesus Christ. There will be those in our lives that may not accept and share our beliefs, but we are called to bring Christ to the world that needs to know that he is indeed to Lord and God. We are to always to share this truth with all we meet, whether by word or by action, even when it’s not easy to do.

Lord Jesus, help us to be faithful in our belief that you are our Messiah, and help those in our lives to come to know you as we do: true God and true Man. Amen.