First reading Isaiah 65:17-21
Be glad and rejoice for ever at what I am creating
Thus says the Lord: Now I create new heavens and a new earth, and the past will not be remembered, and will come no more to men’s minds. Be glad and rejoice for ever and ever for what I am creating, because I now create Jerusalem ‘Joy’ and her people ‘Gladness.’ I shall rejoice over Jerusalem and exult in my people. No more will the sound of weeping or the sound of cries be heard in her; in her, no more will be found the infant living a few days only, or the old man not living to the end of his days. To die at the age of a hundred will be dying young; not to live to be a hundred will be the sign of a curse. They will build houses and inhabit them, plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
Responsorial Psalm 29(30):2,4-6,11-13
I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.
I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me
and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O Lord, you have raised my soul from the dead,
restored me to life from those who sink into the grave.
Sing psalms to the Lord, you who love him,
give thanks to his holy name.
His anger lasts a moment; his favour all through life.
At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn.
The Lord listened and had pity.
The Lord came to my help.
For me you have changed my mourning into dancing:
O Lord my God, I will thank you for ever.
Gospel John 4:43-54
Go home: your son will live
Jesus left Samaria for Galilee. He himself had declared that there is no respect for a prophet in his own country, but on his arrival the Galileans received him well, having seen all that he had done at Jerusalem during the festival which they too had attended.
He went again to Cana in Galilee, where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a court official there whose son was ill at Capernaum and, hearing that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judaea, he went and asked him to come and cure his son as he was at the point of death. Jesus said, ‘So you will not believe unless you see signs and portents!’ ‘Sir,’ answered the official ‘come down before my child dies.’ ‘Go home,’ said Jesus ‘your son will live.’ The man believed what Jesus had said and started on his way; and while he was still on the journey back his servants met him with the news that his boy was alive. He asked them when the boy had begun to recover. ‘The fever left him yesterday’ they said ‘at the seventh hour.’ The father realised that this was exactly the time when Jesus had said, ‘Your son will live’; and he and all his household believed.
This was the second sign given by Jesus, on his return from Judaea to Galilee.
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Walk home first
In the reading from Isaiah, God declares: “I am creating new heavens and a new earth,” reflecting His desire to renew what is broken. He wants us to experience joy instead of sorrow, security instead of fear, and hope instead of despair. Let us trust that God is still creating something new in our lives, even when we feel stuck or burdened.
In the gospel, a royal official seeks Jesus to heal his dying son, hoping for a miracle. Jesus challenges him, saying: “So you will not believe unless you see signs and portents!’ The turning point comes when Jesus simply says, “Go home, your son will live.” The Gospel tells us: “The man believed what Jesus had said, and started on his way.” Before he sees the healing, he believes and walks back home with trust in his heart. And in that act of trust, something new is happening. Often, we want God to fix our problems immediately. Jesus sometimes invites us to walk home first, to trust first before we see. May we learn to let go with trust and let God create something new in us and around us.
Reflective question:
Where in my life is Jesus asking me to trust His word even before I see any sign that things are changing?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year A” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD
