TRUE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD - 05/28/22 (Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter)

John 16:23b-28

Jesus said to His disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have not asked anything in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. “I have told you this in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures but I will tell you clearly about the Father. On that day you will ask in My name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you. For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have come to believe that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052822.cfm

Blessed Saturday! Tomorrow is the Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus. Our Lord Jesus told His disciples that there would be a time when He would no longer speak in figures to them, but He would teach them clearly about the Father. It was after the Ascension of our Lord and the Descent of the Holy Spirit that they received gifts from the Spirit of God to proclaim the good news of salvation. Jesus Christs wants us to have true knowledge of God. The Holy Spirit is with us, and He is always guiding us to have a better understanding of our Lord. But, how can we obtain a deeper knowledge of God? 

Some of us may think that reading the Bible for the sake of knowing more information on the life of Christ is enough to have more knowledge of Him. Although knowing more information is good, God wants us to do something more than that. It's not enough to just know about God by knowing many facts about Him. Rather, we should spend more time listening to the voice of the Lord in the Scriptures for us to meditate on His Word, apply what we learned in our lives, avoid sins and persevere in holiness. If we are inspired to pray many Catholic prayers and novenas, these deeds are pleasing to God. At the same time, it is important to have the disposition to beg for God's graces in order to avoid our tendencies that make us fall to sins and offend God. 

We can obtain true knowledge of God if we choose to always love Him. This is why our Lord tells us that His Father loves those who love Christ. This doesn't mean that He does not love those who commit sins, even grave sins. But, it is by loving God that we can open our hearts to His infinite mercy. It is by loving Him that we can receive Jesus, the Wisdom of God. To possess Jesus in our hearts is infinitely more than all of the knowledge in the world. Do we really know Jesus if we say negative things to other people? Do we love Him if we blame others instead of humbly taking responsibility for our mistakes? We cannot do this on our own strength. As we remember the many blessings and graces God gives us, we should recognize the times when we may not be grateful, and when we choose to do what we only want for ourselves instead of obeying Him.

Our Savior reminds us of the importance of asking in His name in our prayers. Our recognition of our weaknesses should lead us to depend on His mercy alone. When we choose to read the Word of God, let's beg for His wisdom, guidance and graces to reflect on His Word and know God's will. At the moment of temptations, let's immediately ask for help and protection from Jesus in our prayers. This will lead us to more and purer knowledge of Jesus even more than doing research or reading books. And, may we never forget the importance of rosary in our spiritual life. Our Mother Mary had a very deep knowledge of her Son because she loved God throughout her whole life. By praying the rosary, we do not just ask help from Jesus, but we also seek the intercession of Mary who desires to bring us to heaven to be with our Lord. It is through the mercy of Jesus and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary that we will receive heavenly wisdom. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic