Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 5, 17-19
Jesus answered the Jews:
“My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.”
For this reason they tried all the more to kill him,
because he not only broke the sabbath
but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.
Jesus answered and said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own,
but only what he sees the Father doing;
for what he does, the Son will do also.
For the Father loves the Son
and shows him everything that he himself does,
and he will show him greater works than these,
so that you may be amazed.
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life,
so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes.
Nor does the Father judge anyone,
but he has given all judgment to the Son,
so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.
Whoever does not honor the Son
does not honor the Father who sent him.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word
and believes in the one who sent me
has eternal life and will not come to condemnation,
but has passed from death to life.
Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here
when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God,
and those who hear will live.
For just as the Father has life in himself,
so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself.
And he gave him power to exercise judgment,
because he is the Son of Man.
Do not be amazed at this,
because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs
will hear his voice and will come out,
those who have done good deeds
to the resurrection of life,
but those who have done wicked deeds
to the resurrection of condemnation.
“I cannot do anything on my own;
I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just,
because I do not seek my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.”
Union
1. Work. Today you must remember that your daily work sanctifies you. Putting up with your boss is a means to sanctity, just as getting up at 5 a.m. to get ready for work and then getting the kids up to take them to school. Cooking meals for your family is a path to sanctity, as is making a meal for 6 out of one that really serves 3. Washing and ironing, struggling to make ends meet are also paths to holiness. Whatever you do with love and for the greater good sanctifies you. Offer it to God, and make whatever you do, sacred. And that is enough.
2. Union. In Jesus we see a complete union with his Father God. He reminds us that we are children of God and that we must work for the remainder of our time on maintaining a dynamic and close connection with God. I’m referring to a relationship that accentuates the real encounter between two people and not an empty devotion boasting mere fulfillment. Today, seek your daily encounter with God, who fulfills you, gives you life and fills your heart with peace.
3. Authority. You and I are called to save souls in this world. Each one of us is free, God does not force you to do anything. One of the greatest gifts that God gives you is freedom. Defend that freedom granted to you by God but also shape your freedom with your conscience and love of God, so that your freedom doesn’t turn into iniquity. Remember that there are limits in life, and limits educate us. Learn to accept that you are a limited but free person.
Never forget that something good is on the way!
