Fr. Alex sx
Reflection on the readings of the 5th Sunday of Easter, Year A.
Presently, we are all anxious and afraid, looking forward to the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. The covid-19 has made everyone across the world fearful, because it has taken away our freedom in all aspects, for example, in the religious practice, in the educational, social, economic life. But God is giving us an opportunity to find a new system to express and transmit our faith through new technologies, to continue his great work of spreading the good news. Also, in the educational field we are forced to find new teaching methods. In today's Gospel we hear Jesus who is preparing his disciples for the time when he would no longer be with them. He says to them: Do not let your hearts be distressed. Have faith in God; "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And after I go to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, so that you also may be where I am. ” (Jn 14:1-3) Every now and then we all experience fears, worries, anxieties. We now experience anxiety from this covid-19 virus. If severe, it can even affect the sleep and appetite of those who become infected. We are all bound to experience fear, anxiety and worries; it is not surprising that many times the Gospel and the Bible throughout encourage us not to worry. Why does God in the Bible keep telling us not to worry? Because our faith is weak and instead of looking at God to find help, we spend more time concentrating on our problems. If we prayed more, I am sure we would see God coming to our help. If we tried to be close to Jesus in our lives, we would have less fear, less worries, and anxieties. We would still have problems: God never promised that we would be free of them. Jesus himself had a big test, he was sentenced to death as a common criminal. But Jesus conquered death and he will help us to conquer all our problems also, because, as the second reading says, Jesus is the "living stone, rejected by his enemies but chosen and precious in the sight of God" (1 P 2:4 ). If we try to live without Jesus, life will not go as well for us as when we would have Jesus at the centre of our lives. We can overcome problems much more easily with Jesus in our lives than without him. If we turn our back on Jesus, how can we hope to succeed? Let us focus on Jesus and not on our problems. Again, as the second reading says, "Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a cornerstone, chosen and precious, and whoever believes in me will not be ashamed." (1 P 2: 6) When we have problems, we need to turn to Jesus, who is always waiting for us. In the Gospel today, Jesus says “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith in me also. "(Jn 14:1) The Lord speaks to his disciples of hope and gives them the courage to continue to believe in him. As he speaks to us, about the many rooms awaiting for us, He becomes our guide and clarifies our doubts in difficult times. Have a nice day. Fr. Alex sx.
Reflection on the readings of the 5th Sunday of Easter, Year A.
Presently, we are all anxious and afraid, looking forward to the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. The covid-19 has made everyone across the world fearful, because it has taken away our freedom in all aspects, for example, in the religious practice, in the educational, social, economic life. But God is giving us an opportunity to find a new system to express and transmit our faith through new technologies, to continue his great work of spreading the good news. Also, in the educational field we are forced to find new teaching methods. In today's Gospel we hear Jesus who is preparing his disciples for the time when he would no longer be with them. He says to them: Do not let your hearts be distressed. Have faith in God; "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And after I go to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, so that you also may be where I am. ” (Jn 14:1-3) Every now and then we all experience fears, worries, anxieties. We now experience anxiety from this covid-19 virus. If severe, it can even affect the sleep and appetite of those who become infected. We are all bound to experience fear, anxiety and worries; it is not surprising that many times the Gospel and the Bible throughout encourage us not to worry. Why does God in the Bible keep telling us not to worry? Because our faith is weak and instead of looking at God to find help, we spend more time concentrating on our problems. If we prayed more, I am sure we would see God coming to our help. If we tried to be close to Jesus in our lives, we would have less fear, less worries, and anxieties. We would still have problems: God never promised that we would be free of them. Jesus himself had a big test, he was sentenced to death as a common criminal. But Jesus conquered death and he will help us to conquer all our problems also, because, as the second reading says, Jesus is the "living stone, rejected by his enemies but chosen and precious in the sight of God" (1 P 2:4 ). If we try to live without Jesus, life will not go as well for us as when we would have Jesus at the centre of our lives. We can overcome problems much more easily with Jesus in our lives than without him. If we turn our back on Jesus, how can we hope to succeed? Let us focus on Jesus and not on our problems. Again, as the second reading says, "Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a cornerstone, chosen and precious, and whoever believes in me will not be ashamed." (1 P 2: 6) When we have problems, we need to turn to Jesus, who is always waiting for us. In the Gospel today, Jesus says “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith in me also. "(Jn 14:1) The Lord speaks to his disciples of hope and gives them the courage to continue to believe in him. As he speaks to us, about the many rooms awaiting for us, He becomes our guide and clarifies our doubts in difficult times. Have a nice day. Fr. Alex sx.