REFLECTION

Gospel

Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way."

Thomas said to him, "Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, I am the way and the  truth and the life.No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him."

Philip said to him, "Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.

The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves.

Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.”                        John 14: 1-12 

Reflection 

“Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do.” - John

As I thought about the “works that Jesus did,” I found myself going to the gospel scene where Jesus saved the life of a woman accused of adultery by telling her attackers to cast the first stone if they had never sinned. After they dispersed, he both comforted and admonished her.

It’s just one of many episodes that teach us how to live the central message of today’s gospel: “Whoever believes in me will do the works I do.”

Many of the works that Jesus DID like performing miracles are beyond us but there’s hardly a day where we don’t have the opportunity to treat someone on the margins with the compassion that Jesus showed. Many of these people are part of our lives already but we find ways to reject or avoid them because they annoy us.  

This hit home as I was working on this reflection. I took a walk with my friend and a lonely woman who talks non-stop to EVERYONE – latched onto us.

I was struck by the irony of writing a piece with this message and my response was to  think about how Jesus sought out contact with social rejects. At times we may look the other way when we see people we’d prefer to avoid ,including strangers like guys on street corners asking for money. 

On the reverse side, I think of a woman who takes her friend’s widower to concerts even though he rambles non-stop about people she doesn't know or the nun who accompanied a former colleague with Alzheimer’s who repeatedly introduced herself to people she had known for decades. 

It takes only a little effort to touch such lives with the compassionate acceptance that Jesus showed to people on the margins.

Just see who’s sitting alone at your church,  neighbourhood or cafe and invite them to join you. There are many lonely, isolated or disadvantaged people all around you. So open up, find such people who need you and you will be “doing the works I do.”

Julie Leonard Religious Education Leader/Wellbeing Leader