Daily Gospel Reflection for May 18, 2015

Today's Gospel: John 16:29-33

Optional Memorial of Saint John I, Pope and Martyr

In today’s gospel, the apostles affirmed their faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus reminded them that it was easy to believe in Him then. I’m assuming He said this because it was a moment of tranquility and peace where it was easy to believe and trust in Jesus. He informed them that an hour would come when they would all scatter and leave Him alone. Although Jesus is never really alone because he is in perfect communion with the Father and Spirit, we know what He meant. Those who claimed to have strong faith in Him abandoned Him when they were afraid.

Christ did not rebuke them. Instead, He reassured them that trouble would come, but there was never a reason to fear because He already conquered the world.

What does that mean that He conquered the world? It’s hard to grasp this as we live in the present moment with all its troubles. How is it that Jesus can talk in the past tense about something I am experiencing today?

This is when we have to remember to take Him at His word. This is where the rubber hits the road, and trust and faith come into play.

It is true that the world has already been defeated in the past tense. It is true that those who trust and remain faithful, no matter what troubles they pass through, will be victors. Right now seems so doggedly burdensome, doesn’t it? But this moment is a blink of an eye compared to eternity. When we consider that eternity and God are outside of time, it makes it easier to understand that our troubles are, indeed, behind us.

Ponder:

Are you burdened right now? Do not turn your back on God out of fear. Do not stop trusting in Him out of fear either. Where else can you go? Who else can you trust? Hang in there.

Pray:

Take this scripture verse to heart. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28

We thank our friends at The Word Among Us for providing our gospel reflection team with copies of Abide In My Word 2015: Mass Readings at Your Fingertips. To pray the daily gospels with this wonderful resource, visit The Word Among Us.

Copyright 2015 Victoria Garaitonandia Gisondi