Daily Gospel Reflection for March 30, 2017

Today's Gospel: John 5:31-47

These words from Jesus are hard to hear. Like those in the passage, I, too, am seeking Him - is it possible that He is speaking these words to me? He is, but what can He mean? Jesus is shining light on my worldliness and inviting me to seek Him not just with my eyes, but to allow my heart to be transformed by His grace and truth. It is easy for me to believe when I have proof in front of me, but He is inviting me to grow in such humility as to believe what I cannot see, what cannot be proven by man - He invites me into His very heart.

Jesus relinquished His place in Heaven in order to take on flesh and suffer for us. He leads the way to the Father in humility - that I might ask Him to reveal my unbelief and ask Him to replace it with a deeper trust in His love for me. Sometimes I’ve fallen into the habit of seeking affirmation for my actions - I want my husband and children to notice the work I do to take care of them and our home, or my pastor to notice the good things I’ve done for others through various ministries. I want to be regarded as holy, as worthy.

What Jesus challenges me to do in this Gospel passage is let go of my attachments to what others think of me and do the will of the Father in the same quiet way He did. He invites and then leads us to join Him in the heart of the Father and it is our choice to cooperate by allowing our own hearts to be transformed by humility.

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Ponder:

What are the worldly things that prevent me from letting God alone be my motivation for love? You might consider looking up the Litany of Humility if you need help thinking of something.

Pray:

Lord, I ask you to continue to show me the ways I hold back from giving you full permission to change my heart. Help me today to let go of one of those ways, that you could have that space in my heart to help me to grow closer to you.

Holly Novotny is a wife and mother of two teenage daughters. The Lord’s mercy and grace radically changed her life as a young adult and she threw herself into service of the Church. She is a Lifetime Marian Servant of Divine Providence and as a graduate of the Cenacle School of Spirituality, offers spiritual direction in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.