GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to John

Jn 5:31-47

Jesus said to the Jews:

“If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true.

But there is another who testifies on my behalf,

and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true.

You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth.

I do not accept human testimony,

but I say this so that you may be saved.

He was a burning and shining lamp,

and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.

But I have testimony greater than John’s.

The works that the Father gave me to accomplish,

these works that I perform testify on my behalf

that the Father has sent me.

Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf.

But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form,

and you do not have his word remaining in you,

because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent.

You search the Scriptures,

because you think you have eternal life through them;

even they testify on my behalf.

But you do not want to come to me to have life.

 

“I do not accept human praise;

moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you.

I came in the name of my Father,

but you do not accept me;

yet if another comes in his own name,

you will accept him.

How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another

and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?

Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father:

the one who will accuse you is Moses,

in whom you have placed your hope.

For if you had believed Moses,

you would have believed me,

because he wrote about me.

But if you do not believe his writings,

how will you believe my words?”

The Gospel of the Lord

 

By a mile.

It’s true that Jesus, being the Savior, being the Son of God, practically does not speak about Himself. You would have thought that it is the most important, given that our faith is Christ-centred and we are saved by being in Him. Despite of that, He does not testify of Himself. He is completely centred away from Him and focused on the Father and on us, like the groom that is in love and only has thoughts for His Bride.

 

Applied to Married Life:

Marcos: I took a notebook and started listing the times I think about myself, in another list, the times I think about you, and the last list, the times I think about the Lord. And you do know what the result was?

Claudia: What was it?

Marcos: My list won by a mile. Furthermore, from the list I made about you, I classified the good things I thought about you and the not-so-good things. And the result is worse because of the number of times I have negatively thought about you.

Claudia: Wow, that is not good. I thought you loved me.

Marcos: I love you and I want to love you more. That is why I have decided to pinch myself and hurt myself every time I think about myself or think poorly of you. I have a lot to heal, Claudia. Because You are the best thing God has given me.

Claudia: Okay, Marcos. Well, to avoid complaining, I’ll do the same. I’ll make my own list, because I might be surprised and my love for myself will win by a mile too.

 

Mother,

May we be witness to Him and may He be witness to us. How ugly it is to go around defending oneself and “selling” one’s own image to others. We prefer to look to the Lord and to the love of our life: our spouse. Praise be to God.