The Verb Of God

“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The power of God is fortified in three distinct expressions, but never divided, and never apart. Trinitarian love, authority, power, and grace flows through each one of us in perfect unity and balance. This relationship is a verb and this verb moves through those that believe because believing is our response to grace. We place ourselves in the middle of the verb of God each time we surrender our will to this love that is constantly wooing us, forever calling our name, and gently inviting us in. When we cooperate with this verb, this movement of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit within us, we release love, mercy, joy, kindness, generosity, tenderness, peace, goodness, and harmony into the world. Raise your hand if you think the world needs any and all of these things. 

Jesus reminds us in today’s gospel, “Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for what he does, the Son will do also. For the Father love the Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed.” “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life.” Jesus shows us who the Father is in action, word, and works. The animation of God in the Son is the Holy Spirit, which breathes life and love into his every expression. This same relationship also lives in each of us and wants to breathe life and love into our every expression. We need to cooperate and Jesus tells us how: “hear my word and believe in the one who sent me.” Time spent in the Word, hearing the Word, and believing that the Word comes from God, which is love, will unite us to eternal life in the center of that very love. Again, it all comes down to time and relationship with Jesus. Jesus is our way into the very heart of God. When we are with him and not against him, our lives take on the verb of God and become the expression of that harmony between the three in one. 

Jesus needed to remind the Jews of this because they were so busy splitting hairs and worrying about religion that they forgot about eternity. Eternal life should be at the forefront of our minds and Jesus reminds us today that he is the way to get there free of condemnation. Jesus establishes his unity with the Father today so that we can also operate in relationship with. We are not meant to do this alone and love is a verb. Jesus shows us and the Holy Spirit moves us and the Father loves loves loves us. When we stand under this light, all that is needed will be revealed, all that needs purging will be purged, all that needs healing will be covered, and all that needs doing will be done. This is the kind of compassionate judgment that Jesus Christ offers us when we respond to grace. I encourage us to spend time in the Word today so that God can woo us, call our name, and gently invite us into the center of love. It is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 IS 49:8-15

Thus says the LORD:
In a time of favor I answer you,
on the day of salvation I help you;
and I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people,
To restore the land
and allot the desolate heritages,
Saying to the prisoners: Come out!
To those in darkness: Show yourselves!
Along the ways they shall find pasture,
on every bare height shall their pastures be.
They shall not hunger or thirst,
nor shall the scorching wind or the sun strike them;
For he who pities them leads them
and guides them beside springs of water.
I will cut a road through all my mountains,
and make my highways level.
See, some shall come from afar,
others from the north and the west,
and some from the land of Syene.
Sing out, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth,
break forth into song, you mountains.
For the LORD comforts his people
and shows mercy to his afflicted.

But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me;
my Lord has forgotten me."
Can a mother forget her infant,
be without tenderness for the child of her womb?
Even should she forget,
I will never forget you.

Responsorial Psalm PS 145:8-9, 13CD-14, 17-18

R. (8a)  The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.

Verse Before The Gospel JN 11:25A, 26

I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;
whoever believes in me will never die.

GospelJN 5:17-30

Jesus answered the Jews: 
"My Father is at work until now, so I am at work."
For this reason they tried all the more to kill him,
because he not only broke the sabbath
but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.

Jesus answered and said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own,
but only what he sees the Father doing;
for what he does, the Son will do also.
For the Father loves the Son
and shows him everything that he himself does,
and he will show him greater works than these,
so that you may be amazed.
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life,
so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes.
Nor does the Father judge anyone,
but he has given all judgment to the Son,
so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.
Whoever does not honor the Son
does not honor the Father who sent him.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word
and believes in the one who sent me
has eternal life and will not come to condemnation,
but has passed from death to life.
Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here
when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God,
and those who hear will live.
For just as the Father has life in himself,
so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself.
And he gave him power to exercise judgment,
because he is the Son of Man.
Do not be amazed at this,
because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs
will hear his voice and will come out,
those who have done good deeds
to the resurrection of life,
but those who have done wicked deeds
to the resurrection of condemnation.

"I cannot do anything on my own;
I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just,
because I do not seek my own will
but the will of the one who sent me."