SEEING JESUS BRINGS US JOY - 04/26/23 (Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter)

John 6:40

“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.” 

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042623.cfm

Blessed Wednesday! Our Lord Jesus told the crowd that those who would see Him and believe in Him would have eternal life. But, why did our Lord say this to them when He knew that the crowd could look at Him physically? It's because the people were looking at our Lord with their physical eyes, but they were not seeing Him with their spiritual eyes. They were unable to see Jesus as their Lord. In the first reading, Saul (also known as Paul), before his conversion, was leading the persecution of Christians. He's involved in the act of killing those who would follow Jesus Christ. This is what happens when we are unable to see Christ in our lives with the eyes of faith. People will remain blind which will lead them to commit grave sins. Unfortunately, this spiritual blindness is prevalent in our society. Many people are no longer concerned in the commandments and teachings of God, but they are more interested in entertainment and worldly things. Prayer and virtues are frowned upon because for other people, these actions don't help them to be "successful." Some may choose to degrade and belittle the poor, especially those who are in the streets, instead of providing some help even though some have the finance to do so. When we commit grave sins habitually, not just that we won't see Christ, but we also endanger our possibility of seeing eternal life in heaven.

Despite the imperfections of the crowd, our Lord Jesus still gave them numerous opportunities for them to repent and believe. This shows the mercy of God for us. It's because of His love that He offers us the gift of eternal life and glorious resurrection when we choose to see Him and believe in Him. Do we see the presence of God in our lives everyday? Let's not be discouraged when we realize our faults. Instead, let's turn to prayer and see the goodness of God for us. God is so good that He continuously gives us the grace to come to Jesus. Our Savior offers everyone the chance of salvation. When we come to Him and turn away from our sins, He will not cast us out. Jesus will embrace us and clothe us with His grace and majesty. If we commit mortal sins, let's go to the sacrament of confession and here, we will see the infinite mercy of Christ that will purify our hearts from all sins. May we persevere in our prayer life and in our spiritual life by being gentle at all times, by rejecting temptations and by living out the Catholic faith. And, let's remember that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. He wants us to come to Him, to see Him, and to believe in Him. Let's make an act of faith that we really believe that Jesus is present in the Holy Eucharist. May we come to Him during the Mass. Let's also not neglect to show reverence to Him by kneeling with our right knee when we pass the Tabernacle. And, let's turn to Jesus in the Adoration, whether in the Adoration Chapel or Online Adoration in YouTube. The more that we see Jesus in the Eucharist, the more that we will grow in our love for Him. It's because in the Holy Communion, we become united to our Lord Jesus in this life, and this gives us the hope of being united with Him in our glorious resurrection. Seeing Jesus truly brings us everlasting joy. 

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

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth