REFLECTIONS TODAY From the Gospel reading we know that not all experiences of peace are the same. There is the peace that the world gives, and the peace that only Jesus can give. From a worldly perspective, peace is the absence of conflict. Where there is no conflict, there is no suffering. And yet...
REFLECTIONS TODAY As the solemnities of the Ascension and the Pentecost draw near, we feel more intensely the tender tone of Jesus’ farewell conversation with his disciples. Entering deeper into the spirit of the readings, we see how relevant they are in our spiritual life. The assurance Jesus...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In anticipation of the Lord’s Ascension, we read part of Jesus’ last conversations with his disciples. The context is the Last Supper. Judas has just left to betray him. Jesus knows full well that his hour has come. He speaks about his glorification, which for John refers to...
REFLECTIONS TODAY We start to read the farewell speech of Jesus contained in chapters 14-17. These readings prepare us for the solemnity of the Ascension, the last day of Jesus’ physical presence on earth. Gathered with his disciples in the upper room during the Last Supper, Jesus talks about his...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Chapter 12 ends the first part of John’s Gospel called the “Book of Signs.” The miracles Jesus performed are signs that testify that he came from the Father. To accept them is to accept Jesus in faith and the Father who sent him. Before this Gospel passage, John says that...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The Jews interrogate Jesus about his identity. But no matter what Jesus says, their ears are closed and they refuse to listen because they do not belong to his fold. Jesus’ sheep hear his voice and follow him. He protects them and gives them life. His interrogators reject his...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus compares himself to the “gate” through which the sheep go out and enter. Like the sheep gathered within the sheepfold, those who belong to Jesus find rest and security. They “will come in and go out and find pasture” (v 9). The shepherd of the sheep enters through...
REFLECTIONS TODAY One of the most beloved figures of Jesus in the New Testament is the Good Shepherd. The popular depiction of Jesus in arts as Good Shepherd—with staff and carrying a lamb in his arms—is, however, not inspired by today’s passage but an image from Isaiah: “Like a shepherd he...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Today’s Gospel completes the chapter on Jesus’ self-revelation as the Bread of Life (Jn 6). John ends by noting that many of Jesus’ disciples “returned to their former way of life and no longer walked with him.” This is because Jesus refers to himself as the Bread of...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Listening to Jesus, the Jews argue among themselves: How could he possibly give them his flesh to be eaten and his blood to drink? Who would even think of eating human flesh and drinking human blood? This is hard teaching for anyone who takes it literally. John wrote these words...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus’ communion with the Father is so deep that he is the perfect way to the Father. In the same way, this close and intimate relationship makes the Father “drawer” of people toward Jesus. It is impossible to be a disciple of Jesus without developing a profound relationship...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus uses the image of “bread” to tell the crowd that he is the food that gives life. The people had set the context for the bread symbolism by asking for a sign from Jesus, equivalent to Moses’ provision of manna in the wilderness. Jesus instead refers them to the...
