Daily Reflection for Wednesday April 14, 2021
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners!
We encourage you to reflect on Wednesday’s readings at this link:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/041421.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: Acts 5:17-26
Responsorial: Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Gospel: John 3:16-21
Our reflection on Wednesday’s readings:
“"God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. (John 3:16)
Happy Easter! He is Risen! Alleluia!
It feels so very good to sing that praise again. I have been walking around with the Hallelujah chorus in my mind and heart.
In this mountain top moment when my heart is singing and my soul rejoices, I long to hang on to this feeling! He is Risen, there is hope! There is a tomorrow with a promise of God’s presence with us! This passage from John is so very well known and so very well published. It is captured repeatedly in various occurrences: signs in the hands of those at public events, songs being sung, billboards along the highway, and speeches being delivered.
The message is clear, simple, and direct. The call to live in the Light of Christ and to share that Light with others is hard to overlook when you read this passage. So, too is the reality of the dark side of our world. There are those who would choose to snuff out light and prefer darkness.
The concluding passages of this Gospel, while simple in context and presentation, are at times the hardest to live. “Whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.” The heart of the message here is living the truth, staying in the present, and bearing witness to God by taking the light off myself and placing it on those He calls me to serve or on the works that I might do which help others to know God better.
How do I know when my life speaks truth? I find that doing a “gut check” of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is useful. Do I know peace, joy, love, understanding, wisdom, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord? If so, then I find and feel evidence of my relationship with God. It is then my hope and prayer that any works stemming from these gifts are truthful and therefore recognizable as God’s, too.
May this Easter season bring you joy and truth in new ways to let your light shine before all.
In Heartfelt Joy,
Lynne Brennan