Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 8, 31-42
Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him,
“If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham
and have never been enslaved to anyone.
How can you say, ‘You will become free’?”
Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.
A slave does not remain in a household forever,
but a son always remains.
So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free.
I know that you are descendants of Abraham.
But you are trying to kill me,
because my word has no room among you.
I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence;
then do what you have heard from the Father.”
They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.”
Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children,
you would be doing the works of Abraham.
But now you are trying to kill me,
a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God;
Abraham did not do this.
You are doing the works of your father!”
So they said to him, “We were not born of fornication.
We have one Father, God.”
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me,
for I came from God and am here;
I did not come on my own, but he sent me.”
You will become free
1. You will be free. It’s important to understand that we can’t be tied to something or someone in our life. When you become dependent on a person or a situation, your life becomes an ordeal. Because when you tie yourself to a person or your affection binds you to someone, it’s as if you lost control of your life and you only respond to what the other person asks for. And that’s when you choose more out of necessity than a goal for your life. That’s when your life becomes dependent and constantly lacking.
2. Slaves. I’m sure you and I have a certain slavery, something we can’t let go of or don’t want to give up, or someone we don’t want to let go of, and we know that this is the key point that makes us suffer. When you become enslaved it means that you lose your independence and that means not achieving anything for yourself, but for others. That’s why today you have to take a hard look at yourself in order to live independently and not at the expense of others or dependent on others.
3. My word has no room among you. When you’re enslaved, you’re often shut in on yourself, and when you’re closed to an idea or a person, or obsessed with a person, you end up even more deeply enslaved. That’s why slavery and closed-mindedness are two sides of the same coin. Don’t close yourself to others or other people’s ideas – open yourself to listen to them. That’s the challenge, be open to what’s new and different. Don’t withdraw into someone or something, so that it doesn’t end up absorbing you.
Always remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
