Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.
Today's Gospel: John 16:20-23
Do you ever wonder if God works in your life? I know I’m always looking for signs of Him around me. One day, I told a friend that I needed to be more joyful in my life and avoid the distractions that were getting me down. The words flowed from my mouth as I walked out the door to attend Mass that Friday morning. Lo and behold, God had a message for me.
The Gospel reading at Mass was John 16:20-23. When I read the Gospel, my focus was pulled to John 16:23,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.”
Here was what I needed to hear, or so I thought. In his homily, my pastor instead centered in on John 16:22, “no one will take your joy away from you.” As soon as he pointed out this verse, I was stunned I hadn't noticed the word joy, especially in light of my conversation that morning.
Father John told us that our joy is a gift from God. Joy is different than mere happiness. Joy comes from knowing God is triumphant, from knowing He is working in our lives. Joy doesn’t mean a life without difficulty, pain, or strife, but we have Joy even when things aren’t going well because God is always with us.
And no one can take that joy away from us.
When I started my morning, I thought the answer to my problems was to ask God for what I thought I wanted. But instead, God showed me through the scriptures that the answer was joy. He wanted me to know that He is with me always and always working in my life.
Ponder:
How do you recognize God working in your life?
Pray:
God, thank you for the gift of Your love and everlasting presence. I ask today for Your help for me to recognize You working in my life.
Copyright 2022 Lisa Henley Jones
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