First reading 1 Corinthians 15:1-8
The Lord appeared to James, and then to all the apostles
Brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, the gospel that you received and in which you are firmly established; because the gospel will save you only if you keep believing exactly what I preached to you – believing anything else will not lead to anything.
Well then, in the first place, I taught you what I had been taught myself, namely that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; and that he was raised to life on the third day, in accordance with the scriptures; that he appeared first to Cephas and secondly to the Twelve. Next he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died; then he appeared to James, and then to all the apostles; and last of all he appeared to me too; it was as though I was born when no one expected it.
Responsorial Psalm 18(19):2-5
Their word goes forth through all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
The heavens proclaim the glory of God,
and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.
Day unto day takes up the story
and night unto night makes known the message.
No speech, no word, no voice is heard
yet their span extends through all the earth,
their words to the utmost bounds of the world.
Gospel John 14:6-14
To have seen me is to have seen the father
Jesus said to Thomas:
‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
No one can come to the Father except through me.
If you know me, you know my Father too.
From this moment you know him and have seen him.’
Philip said, ‘Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied.’
‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip,’ said Jesus to him ‘and you still do not know me?
‘To have seen me is to have seen the Father,
so how can you say, “Let us see the Father”?
Do you not believe
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words I say to you I do not speak as from myself:
it is the Father, living in me, who is doing this work.
You must believe me when I say
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me;
believe it on the evidence of this work, if for no other reason.
I tell you most solemnly,
whoever believes in me
will perform the same works as I do myself,
he will perform even greater works,
because I am going to the Father.
Whatever you ask for in my name I will do,
so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask for anything in my name,
I will do it.’
_______________________
With God, I lack nothing
“Lord, show us the Father and then we shall be satisfied”. Philip’s words echo our deepest desire to be in the presence of God and be satisfied. The world tells us that satisfaction comes from having material possessions, gaining peoples’ approval, accumulating wealth, etc. However, true satisfaction comes from a relationship with God because His presence in us makes our lives complete. As St. Teresa of Avila said, “Whoever has God lacks nothing, God alone suffices”.
God alone is enough. We can surrender to Him because we know in faith, not feelings, that He sustains and cares for us. When we hold onto God, we start to recognise that the good things we have and the people around us are gifts we receive from Him. Our greatest challenge is to believe in the truth that we are loved and cherished by God, especially when we face problems in life. The truth is that God alone is enough, and His love is the foundation where we stand firm.
Reflective question:
Do I find my joy in God alone?
Do I find my joy in God alone?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year A” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
