CRACK IT OPEN

We have a very powerful statement in today's 1st reading which should make us think hard about the issues we face in our lives. Considering that even the stubborn Sanhedrin was persuaded and laid the issue to rest. Sometimes we are like the Pharisees or the stubborn Israelites who struggle so much about a lot of things without realizing that we really don't have to. For if God is for us nobody or nothing could be against us. Everybody has their own problems and concerns in life and each one of us after doing what is needed and required to the best of our abilities, to the full extent of our capacities and knowledge and as far as the time, condition and situation permits should lay everything to rest at the foot of Jesus. There are times when we are at a loss and unsure of the things we have to do. In moments like these we really have to pray hard first and foremost and do our best to discern the right course of action. Especially in extreme cases when we are confronted with so many problems, difficulties and oppositions just like the apostles in today's 1st reading. When we have done everything and entrusted to God all our cares and worries it is time to just be confident in the truth that God will fight for our cause. They strived hard to spread the good news about Jesus but the Pharisees just didn't want to stop fighting them. We too may encounter our own Pharisees in our lives it may be a person, place or thing that just make things difficult for us. If we find ourselves in a similar position and situation then we can hold on to this bible passage below for as long as we make sure we are engaged in endeavors coming from God. But most often, the problem lies within us when we like the learned and respected Pharisees fail to identify or simply refuse to accept which of these things are of human origin or coming from God. This made me remember Frances Hogan when she discussed the Gospel of John in one of EWTN's shows entitled, "For God so Loved the World". The more we wanted to follow the will of God in our life the more difficult things may become for us. God is Infinite and we can not contain everything in our minds. It is just like looking into a prism where light passes through creates different colors. We can not just pick one color but have to consider each one of them. Jesus is Divine and comes from heaven and came down to earth. When Jesus speaks, He is speaking from His own Divine level. Signs and symbols are very important to John as it is to us. God is from above and we are from below. From our human level it is very difficult for us to grasp the meaning of things in our life in relation to God. The Gospel of John is well known for its 7 signs and several other things like the numbers 3 and 10 which all hold different meanings. Let's take for example a bus with the number 3 is going somewhere different from bus #7. They are going to different directions. In the bible we can find the same thing when we read about all sorts of signs and symbols like numbers that could say a lot of different things. In the gospel of John we can find the #3 in different scenarios. Much of them tells us about Jesus who delayed for 2 days before arriving on the 3rd day. The resurrection of Jesus which happened on the 3rd day. And in 2 Peter 3:8 "But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard "delay,"..." The #3 as the #7 symbolizes perfection since it means completeness as in the mystery of the Holy Trinity. We have to look beyond the physical and understand them better as we go beyond the surface into its deeper meaning. The same is true in our relationship with God, the more we know about Him the better we understand the things in our life. We can look into the things happening in our life and find meaning in it. It becomes symbolic in a sense that God has communicated to us, making us more inclined to do things that are divine. Amen. Hallelujah! Acts 5:34-42 ...For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. 39 But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” They were persuaded by him... Brothers and sisters, if we are confident that we are where w are supposed to be and the Lord allowed things to happen in our life the way they are happening right now then we should be still and know that God is in control. We need to understand the mysteries of our faith in order to appreciate it better. We have to go near as much as possible to the Word of God and experience it come to life and see His glory shining on us. As we go near Him we see his face and feel His love as we dwell in the house of the Lord. Amen. Hallelujah! Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14 R: One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord. 1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?...Wait for the LORD with courage; be stout-hearted, and wait for the LORD. Today's gospel is taken from John and according to Frances Hogan, it was John the youngest of all the apostles who really wrote the gospel. The person behind the gospel have seen and heard Jesus first hand. He came to Jesus as a teenager and seems to know the heart of Jesus instinctively. It was to John that Jesus gave His mother on the cross. John was taught by God's beloved mother, Mary. As I have mentioned earlier, the book of John is known as the book of signs. (Jn 1:19-12:50) The seven signs are miraculous deeds of Jesus that reveal his true identity. They show Jesus bringing different types of people to believe in Him while at the same time provoking many among the Jews to hostility. The author interprets them for the reader by various reflections, narratives and discourses. Many Jews were provoked to hostility on account of the declarations of Jesus which they could not accept. (Jn 8:58- Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM."; When Moses saw God for the first time and asked God His name, He said, "I AM".; Jn 10:30- The Father and I are one." The Jews again picked up rocks to stone him.; Jn 6:51- I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." ; 6:55-56- For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. ; The bread here is not just like bread on the table and just drink in a cup. Jn 5:17-18- But Jesus answered them, "My Father is at work until now, so I am at work." For this reason the Jews 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. The gospel of John holds numerous meanings that we can choose to be like Sherlock Holmes looking for clues to crack open the mystery behind it. God has always wanted us to become the best persons we ought to be. Our lives should be a testimony of God's glory. He wants us to be always focused on this goal and if things are not turning toward this direction then it is time to realign ourselves to God's agenda and not be carried away by the enticements and false assurances of this world. The gospel specifically said that Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee and went up on the mountain. It hit me in the sense that it is somehow telling us to go across the Sea of Galilee and elevate ourselves to a higher level. This invitation is t for all of us. Sometimes we get too comfortable doing the old thing and whatever we have gotten used to. It is time for us to go past it and take the challenge of climbing a higher level for the greater glory of God. Amen. Hallelujah! John 6:1-15 1 Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. 2 A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish feast of Passover was near. 5 When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” 6 He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people recline.” Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted. 12 When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.” 13 So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. 14 When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, “This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.” 15 Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.