by Fr. Francis Martin

John 5:33-36a:³³ "You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth. ³⁴ "I do not accept testimony from a human being, but I say this so that you may be saved. ³⁵ He was a burning and shining lamp, and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light. ³⁶ But I have testimony greater than John's.”

Jesus, out of love for his adversaries, appeals to another testimony: that of his precursor, John the Baptist. By this means he hoped to lead them to the truth. John spoke of his own ministry as that of “baptizing with water,” a conversion rite he used to bring people to renew their commitment to God and be prepared for the One who would “baptize in the Holy Spirit.” This expression of John’s would evoke in the minds of his hearers all those places in the Old Testament which referred to the definitive act of God on behalf of his people as a “pouring out of the Spirit.” Recall, for instance, the words spoken by St. Peter on that first Pentecost as he quoted the prophecy of Joel (3:1): “Then afterward I will pour out my Spirit upon all mankind. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions…” And there are so many similar prophecies and promises. All of these prophecies point to the need for special divine aid in responding to God’s loving initiative. At Pentecost the Father, by pouring out the Spirit of his Son, brought this promise to a reality. Every generation needs this same outpouring, as Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI reminded us in his remarks after reciting the “Regina Coeli Prayer” with the crowds on Pentecost 2008. On that occasion he spoke of the grace of an experiential faith: “Let us rediscover, dear brothers and sisters, the beauty of being baptized in the Holy Spirit; let us recover awareness of our Baptism and our Confirmation, ever timely sources of grace.” This recovery of awareness of the foundational graces of our Christian life is at the heart of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s call to the Church to be renewed through a personal encounter with the living Christ.

Jesus, let the deep recesses of my heart echo your desire to have me know you better, love you more faithfully, and make you known in the world. Amen.

by Fr. Francis Martin

John 5:41-44: ³⁹ ”I do not accept human praise; moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I came in the name of my Father, but you do not accept me; yet if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?” ”

Our Lord Jesus calls his opponents (and us) to look at the source of their resistance to him, namely, egoism. Accepting Jesus means accepting his offer of salvation; accepting Jesus’ offer of salvation means acknowledging that we need it; acknowledging that we need salvation means that we are not self-sufficient. Here Jesus uncovers the source of our self-centered rigidity: we do not really trust Jesus and his offer of salvation, so we make up a “salvation” of our own and we try, using our own resources, to achieve this self-styled salvation. This can be money, power, popularity or even “good works” like large donations, serving on the boards of charitable organizations, etc. These are good things, but they are meant to follow our self- surrendering act of faith, our acceptance of the gift of salvation. All the praise and adulation in the world does not replace a simple act of faith and an acceptance of this gift.

That is why St. Thomas Aquinas’ first question concerning human happiness is whether or not it consists in honor. He answers that this is impossible because honor lies in the one honoring, not in the one being honored. If someone honors me, that is a credit to him. The honor may or may not be deserved, but it cannot create my happiness since honor is in the one honoring. Excellence is in the one honored – if the honor is deserved. That is why Jesus points to the inevitable uneasiness and frustration of seeking happiness in being honored: “How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?” Let us risk our self-protecting attempts at religion and accept instead the praise that comes from God himself.

Blessed Father, protect me from my instinct to stay clear of you rather than accept your gift and the freedom that follows from it. Amen.

by Fr. Francis Martin

John 5:39-40: ³⁹ ”You search the scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf. ⁴⁰ But you do not want to come to me to have life.”

Jesus challenges the notion that one can have eternal life through the scriptures. They are not the source of eternal life: they are witnesses to its source, Jesus. In order to have the life to which the scriptures witness, we must come to Jesus. In John’s gospel, the word “come” often indicates an act of belief in Jesus. Jesus promises the first two disciples who ask where he abides: “Come and (you will) see” (Jn 1:39), and Philip promises the same to Nathanael (Jn 1:46). Later in chapter 6, Jesus states on three occasions that coming to Him is a work of the Father (Jn 6:37,44,66). In this passage Jesus is challenging his audience to act on the witness of the scriptures and believe in the One who can give them life.

This is not to imply that the sacred scriptures cannot bring life. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said in his homily at the opening of the 2004 Synod: “Only the Word of God can profoundly change man's heart, so it is important that individual believers and communities enter into ever increasing intimacy with his Word.” St. Thomas once said that for those who study the scriptures with an open heart, there are “unspeakable delights.” This occurs when believers go to Jesus with a desire to learn about him and to learn from him.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is our model. We read of her that, “she kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19). Then too, St. Paul speaks of the word at work in us: “And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly, that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us, you received not a human word but, as it truly is, the word of God, which is now at work in you who believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13-14).

Lord, you are the divine Word who works in us with power. Please make us active disciples. Amen.

by Fr. Francis Martin

John 5:45-47: ⁴⁵“Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father: the one who will accuse you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope. ⁴⁶For if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me, because he wrote about me. ⁴⁷But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

In order to understand these words we must think of other Jews who, in their faith and trust in God, pondered the words of Scripture and began to understand the contours of God’s plan for Israel and the world. Think of Simeon who was awaiting “the consolation of Israel, and the holy Spirit was upon him.” When he took Jesus into his arms he blessed God, saying: "Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word… for my eyes have seen your salvation… a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel" (Luke 2:25-32). Think especially of Mary who, in the light of the Holy Spirit, was prepared to understand what was being asked of her at the Annunciation, because here as well, “the holy Spirit was upon her.”

Notice in our Johannine text that Jesus says: “if you had believed Moses you would have believed me.” Observe that in the two resurrection appearances recorded by St. Luke, the risen Jesus leads the disciples to an understanding of the Old Testament Scriptures. The two disciples on the way to Emmaus exclaimed: "Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?" (Luke 24:32). In regard to the disciples huddled in the upper room in Jerusalem: “Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures” [the Old Testament of course]. And he said to them, "Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:45-47). St. Peter says of this gift of Old Testament prophecy: “You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).

Jesus, Son of God, please open my mind to the understanding of the Scriptures. I want my heart to burn with delight in your presence. Amen.