Pondering

“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.” Raise your hand if you want to go to heaven. Then look at Jesus and believe what he says! I feel like ending this reflection with that one sentence, but I think we all know that I might have more thoughts on the matter! Jesus is the Way. We learn the Way on the way, to quote a friend of mine (who may or may not read this blog). Walking with Jesus is also walking to Jesus and it is in the walking with that we learn the where we are walking toward. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. It’s so simple, friends, but we somehow want to complicate it with lots of practices, and routines, and scorecards, and check lists for getting into heaven. EVERYONE who sees the Son and believes will have eternal life. So how do we see him? How do we increase our faith in him? These are great things to ponder today. Someone just told me that my middle name is “pondering” and yep, that’s right. Pondering is our starting point and we can learn this gift from Mary who often pondered God’s mysterious ways in her heart. If we move these things into our heart, they become roommates with Jesus who dwells there, and eventually our "ponderings" will start to emulate and resemble their roommate and we will be able to recognize Jesus in a world that tries to hide him. 

I’ve always loved the Victor Hugo quote from Les Miserables, “To love another person is to see the face of God.” Why don’t we all start there in our pondering and we will start to see Jesus in the distressing disguise of our loved ones, co-workers, friends, and yes, in ourselves too. I know for me, I see Jesus every day in my sweethearts in memory care, and I guess I have realized that they also see Jesus in me, and in that seeing they somehow believe that they are loved and cherished. “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.” Sometimes we might be the only face of Christ they will see and the only expression of Christ’s love they will believe. So it goes both ways today, friends. Look for him, and look like him. Believe in him, and give others an opportunity to believe in him through your love, compassion, kindness, and peace. It is well with my soul. 

Until It’s Time

By Jennifer Lyn

Theirs is not the end, but the very beginning.

They stand on the threshold of heaven and 

I get to push them closer everyday. 

I get to serenade their walk.

I get to dance with them until their Dad cuts in and 

spins them into the arms of eternity.

I get to hold their hand until they feel ready. 

I get to play with them and pray with them until it’s time. 

Until it’s time is my daily mantra.

Until it’s time, I get to have them as mine. 

Not only are they mine, but I am theirs 

and eternity also peeks in at me 

through their eyes, 

through their touch, 

through their singing, 

through their dancing, 

through their hand holding. 

They push me and I push them and 

we stand on the threshold of forever,

We stand until it’s time. 

Reading 1 ACTS 8:1B-8

There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem,
and all were scattered
throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria,
except the Apostles.
Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him.
Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church;
entering house after house and dragging out men and women,
he handed them over for imprisonment.

Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.
Thus Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.

Responsorial Psalm PS 66:1-3A, 4-5, 6-7A

R. (1) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, "How tremendous are your deeds!"
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
"Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!"
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia SEE JN 6:40

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Everyone who believes in the Son has eternal life,
and I shall raise him up on the last day, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelJN 6:35-40

Jesus said to the crowds,
"I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
But I told you that although you have seen me,
you do not believe.
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
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."