Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 5, 17-30
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.”
Work
1. Work. Work gives you dignity, and it also makes you feel useful and alive. There’s a difference between life purpose and the meaning of life. Purpose is about what you accomplish externally —your career, what you’re passionate about, and what inspires you because you are doing good for others. On the other hand, the meaning of life is internal; it’s what leads you to discover the “why” behind your existence. One is outward-facing, and the other is personal, but you need to strive for and live out both.
2. To kill. When you take action, you’ll inevitably face criticism and anger from others. Don’t let those who attack you distract you—instead, keep moving forward. Anyone who actually gets things done is always in the eye of the storm. Making mistakes is part of the journey, but those who do nothing can end up harming others. So, stay active and keep working even when you’re criticized, because those who don’t contribute tend to spend their time criticizing and bringing others down.
3. Life. Being united with God gives life, and your motivation comes from the spiritual. If your life is nothing but nonstop activity and you work just to check off boxes without a spiritual foundation, everything can fall apart. Make sure not to neglect your spiritual life. Protect your time for prayer and create space for spiritual growth, because if you become just a machine for work, eventually things may shatter or break up into fragments.
Never forget that something good is on the way!
God bless you and guard you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
