GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to John 8:51-59

Jesus said to the Jews:

“Amen, amen, I say to you,

whoever keeps my word will never see death.”

So the Jews said to him,

“Now we are sure that you are possessed.

Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say,

‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’

Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?

Or the prophets, who died?

Who do you make yourself out to be?”

Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing;

but it is my Father who glorifies me,

of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’

You do not know him, but I know him.

And if I should say that I do not know him,

I would be like you a liar.

But I do know him and I keep his word.

Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day;

he saw it and was glad.”

So the Jews said to him,

“You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?”

Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,

before Abraham came to be, I AM.”

So they picked up stones to throw at him;

but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.

The word of the Lord

 

To Remain in the Truth

We have a beautiful Eucharistic hymn (Adorote Devote) that says:

“…When judging of You, sight, touch, and taste are all deceived; but only by hearing can one believe with certainty. I believe all that the Son of God has spoken: nothing is more true than this Word of truth…”

Because of the hardness of our hearts when we hear the word of God, we insist on seeing, feeling, and tasting in order to believe what He tells us. Yet it should be enough simply to hear, believing firmly with the heart that sees, feels, and tastes inwardly. The Gospel may seem always the same to us, but when we pause even briefly each time we read the same passage, the Lord speaks to us and reveals something new on every occasion.

Through His word, God first spoke to us about the union between man and woman, and later Christ directs us back to the beginning, emphasising the importance of the Word, His unity with the Father, and confirming marriage as an indissoluble sacrament. We may find many answers, but none of them is valid if it leads us away from the will of God.

 

Applied to married life 

Mary: I’ve just heard that Marta and Roberto want to separate. It seems things haven’t been going well for them for quite some time.

Albert: Maybe it’s better for both of them. Better to separate and be happy than to stay together just for the sake of it.

Mary: Do you really think that? I married you convinced it was for life, no matter what happened.

Albert: Yes, me too — but we’re not Marta and Roberto.

Mary: It would be good to try talking to them. We can’t just look the other way as if nothing were happening, don’t you think?

Albert: You’re right. I’m sorry — I don’t know what I was thinking, speaking like that. The Lord has given married couples the grace to overcome any situation, however uncomfortable it may seem.

Mary: Now that’s the husband I married. I’m going to call Marta so we can meet today without fail.

Albert: But tell her the four of us should meet. We need to be a light for them and encourage them to come out of the situation they’re in, however difficult it may seem to them.

Mary: If you agree, let’s pray for a while before we see them, so that in the light of the Gospel the Lord may give us the words to help them and shed light on their marriage.

Albert: You’re absolutely right. What better truth than the one we receive through the Word of God. I’ll get the Gospel and we’ll start straight away.

Mother,

Help us to find and to share the message of love of your Son through the word of God. Praised be God.