Seek To Please God, Not Self

 Note:  This is our 4,500th slice of Daily Bread!

 

John 5: 17-30 

By Myself I Can Do Nothing

¹⁷ In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” ¹⁸ For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

¹⁹ Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. ²⁰ For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. ²¹ For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. ²² Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, ²³ 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.

²⁴ “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. ²⁵ Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. ²⁷ And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

²⁸ “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice ²⁹ and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. ³⁰ By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.

 This passage not only explains the relationship of Jesus with his Father, but also reminds us that we are here not to do our wills, but like Jesus, to do the will of the Father.  In so doing we find life here and pave the way for eternal life after death.  Headlines of earthquakes and ferocious storms, political turmoil, war and moral decay can scare us, but Jesus reminds us that our life reaches its maturity in our relationship with Our Father, a path he followed faithfully...to the cross and resurrection.  Our "SELF" gets in the way all the time, but our Lenten meditations and sacrifices can serve as effective medications to free us from self-centeredness, to joy-filled service to one another and thus to God.

Bro. Rene

Father in Heaven, we stand before you today and ask for the grace to do your will. We await the hour when you will call out to those in the tombs, and for the dead to hear your voice. Breathe new life into us, that we may hear your voice, and act in accordance with your will. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 Rev. Mr. Andrew Fritz, C.S.C.