March 14, 2018

Gospel: Jn 5:17-30*
Jesus replied, “My Father goes on working and so do I.” And the Jews tried all the harder to kill him, for Jesus not only broke the Sabbath observance, but also made himself equal with God, calling God his own Father. Jesus said to them, “Truly, I assure you, the Son cannot do anything by himself, but only what he sees the Father doing. And whatever he does, the Son also does. The Father loves the Son and shows him everything he does; and he will show him even greater things than these, so that you will be amazed. As the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son gives life to whom he wills. (…) Whoever ignores the Son, ignores as well the Father who sent him. (…) Truly, the hour is coming and has indeed come, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and, on hearing it, will live. For the Father has life in himself, and he has given to the Son also to have life in himself. And he has empowered him as well to carry out Judgment, for he is Son of Man. Do not be surprised at this: the hour is coming when all those lying in tombs will hear my voice and come out; those who have done good shall rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. I can do nothing of myself. As I hear, so I judge, and my
judgment is just, because I seek not my own will, but the will of him who sent me.

Reflections
CAN A WOMAN FORGET THE
BABY AT HER BREAST AND HAVE
NO COMPASSION ON THE CHILD
OF HER WOMB?
Jesus often uses the example of a mother to show the greatness of love. This quotation is one such example. It is really awesome when one comes to think of it that the baby is for nine months really and literally one with its mother. Whatever the mother drinks and eats becomes a part of the baby. A mother is the only one in the whole world who can say, looking at her child: THIS IS MY BODY, THIS IS MY BLOOD! It is impossible for a mother to forget the child who lived in her body for 9 months and to whom she gives birth suffering the greatest pain. That is why there is a saying:”He /she has a face only a mother can love. When one visits the death row, inevitably mothers will be the one found visiting their children condemned to death. Now let us go to the next sentence of Jesus which says “But even if a mother does forget her child” God will not forget. That is how much God loves us — with an unconditional love.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2018