Your grief will become joy
REFLECTIONS TODAY
Jesus is known for teaching in parables (Hebrew meshal), events from ordinary life that reflect how the Kingdom of God operates in life and history. In the Synoptic Gospels, mashal often takes the form of a story: e.g., the parable of the Prodigal Son, the parable of the Good Samaritan, etc. In John’s Gospel, mashal takes the form of paroimia or “comparison,” usually without the expression “is like…”: e.g., shepherd and sheep, lambs and wolves, vine and branches.
Today’s Gospel speaks of a woman in labor who forgets her pain when she has given birth to her child. Because of the pain of childbearing (traced to Eve’s sin in Gn 3:16), a woman might swear not to bear a child anymore, but she would afterwards change her mind because of the joy of intimacy and then of motherhood. This compares with the disciples who, after bearing grief and sense of defeat when Jesus is “taken away” from them, will “forget” the pain in seeing Jesus risen from the dead, now having the form of the glorious Messiah.
In the light of Jesus’ victory over sin and death, doubts, fears, and anxiety vanish. Every trial is seen as mikron (little, puny) in comparison to the joy that is given to the faithful in this life and in the next. St. Paul writes, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us” (Rom 8:18).
First Reading • Acts 18:9-18
One night while Paul was in Corinth, the Lord said to him in a vision, “Do not be afraid. Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you. No one will attack and harm you, for I have many people in this city.”
He settled there for a year and a half and taught the word of God among them. But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him to the tribunal, saying, “This man is inducing people to worship God contrary to the law.”
When Paul was about to reply, Gallio spoke to the Jews, “If it were a matter of some crime or malicious fraud, I should with reason hear the complaint of you Jews; but since it is a question of arguments over doctrine and titles and your own law, see to it yourselves. I do not wish to be a judge of such matters.” And he drove them away from the tribunal. They all seized Sosthenes, the synagogue official, and beat him in full view of the tribunal. But none of this was of concern to Gallio.
Paul remained for quite some time, and after saying farewell to the brothers he sailed for Syria, together with Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had shaved his head because he had taken a vow.
Gospel • John 16:20-23
Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy. When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. On that day you will not question me about anything.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.”
Source: “366 Days with the Lord 2024,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.