The Gospel of John Chapter 7

As our family sat by my mother-in-law's bedside the days before her death, I'm sure that we all thought more than once, "Dear God, just let her go." Watching her suffer with the breathing treatments and the obvious pain her body was enduring from the leukemia, congestive heart failure, and other complications; it was hard to witness her so broken. Marilyn was a woman of high energy and endurance, someone at her funeral service described her as the energizer bunny. As a matter of fact, for many years previous to her passing, Marilyn had undergone routine blood treatments to control her leukemia. She would receive blood transfusions which literally served to recharge her energy levels, much like recharging a battery. So, staying true to her nature until the very end, Marilyn did not give up on life without a fight. The days watching her sluggish final breaths felt like time had been suspended. As each breath faintly rose and fell, it was a miracle when yet another would gradually follow.

Jesus said to His disciples in the Gospel of John, chapter 7, verse 6, "My time has not fully come." He knew that His life on Earth was growing short, but Jesus was not ready to give up on His people until his time was complete. He had learned that the Jews from Judea were seeking to kill him, so He had to be extra careful not to call attention to Himself as he entered Judea for the Jewish feast of Tabernacles. Instead of following His disciples into the city, Jesus chose to enter alone without an entourage. When He arrived, He continued His teaching in the temple. He caused such a stir among the people that the chief priests and pharisees sent officers to arrest Him, but Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little longer, and then I go to him who sent me (John, chapter 7, verse 33)."

Jesus was teaching up to the end. Every corner of the countryside was a place where He could spread the message that the Messiah was indeed among them. He didn't stop until His final breath. I think of my mother-in-law Marilyn in the same way, she didn't stop her work here on Earth until she took her last breath. She was a gift-giver. Her whole life was spent giving to her loved ones. She made every holiday, birthday, and milestone a reason to honor those whom she loved with a gift. Special occasions were not even necessary, gifts would appear on our doorsteps because Marilyn was simply thinking of us. Evidence of her benevolence was scattered throughout her home. A few days before her passing, we went to her apartment to put together an outfit for her burial. As we opened her closets, we discovered rolls and rolls of gift wrap, bows, and ribbon. In a corner of her dining room, it was clear by the stacks of presents both wrapped and some unwrapped that she was busy in her Santa's workshop right up until she was admitted to the hospital. Even in the hospital, she was giving. As family and visitors came and went, Marilyn asked about us, about our lives. She continued to give with her concern and her interest despite her observable physical suffering and impending fatality.

Like Jesus, did my mother-in-law know that she would only be with us "a little longer?"  And, if we choose to believe in the signs we are given, like Jesus', was her life meant to be a lesson to us whom she loved, to remember that until our own time has fully come, we must continue our intended work here on Earth. Whether it be gift-giving like Marilyn or teaching, nursing, waitressing, ministering, counseling, etc., we have all been endowed with some talent or gift to give our love to others. We are expected to continue to serve until our time is complete. Jesus reminds us in verse 33, that we are all only here "a little longer." Pablo Picasso said it so beautifully in his quote, "the meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away."

The Gospel of John Chapter 6

The ancient ruins of the bread maker in Pompeii, Italy. 

"In the beginning was the Word, and Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made." The transcendent wisdom of John's words in Chapter one of his gospel are necessary in order to understand the whole, especially and including chapter six.

After Jesus had become known as a great healer and teacher, a crowd began to follow him. He was a Biblical times equivalent to an idol or a celebrity. During one event, John explains, multitudes gathered to hear Jesus speak. They estimated the number to be around five thousand people. His disciples, knowing that they could not possibly feed everyone (there were no concession stands back then) with only five loaves of bread and two fish, were concerned. If we remember here John's Gospel introduction, Jesus was in the beginning with God, and  the Word was made flesh, we understand then with just a spoken word how Jesus could provide twelve baskets of food with only the fragments or leftovers of what they had eaten. Jesus who has all knowledge of the universe and is that knowledge should never be questioned. We have no questions thoughtful enough to contest His wisdom!

As humans, we fall prey to the needs of the physical. Of course we need to eat! Although Jesus as man was not immune to physical needs; He still was "God" in flesh, a fact that no other man could or ever can claim. Being of the Word in the flesh, Jesus was not chained to this world like us. He knew that this world is finite. This is not to say that He did not understand our anxieties and needs. He knew that in order for five thousand people to hear His teachings, they must be fed. Jesus, despite His own freedom from bondage to fleshly concerns, was compassionate to those who were confined by their physical and mental limitations. Regardless of his own lack of need, He helped those who needed what He could do without! What a great lesson we learn in this passage! To give to others what we can so easily do without!

John includes another great miracle in Chapter six. The miracle of Jesus walking on water is a Bible school favorite. Storytellers compound the drama of the story as Jesus walks on the waves through a strong wind to unite with His followers on their boat. The men are frightened when they see Him. I think of my own encounters on the water when the wind has changed and a sudden storm has threatened our safety, and it is quite an experience in and of itself, but to see Jesus walking on the white capped waves and pushing through the heavy winds, I would also have been spooked! Of course, the disciples took Jesus aboard and were glad to find themselves immediately ashore, but they still did not get it. Jesus had shown them two great miracles in only a day's time and they still wavered in their faith.

Arriving in Capernaum, Jesus speaks to His followers in the synagogue. He reveals himself entirely to them with what was surely a startling statement for many. In Chapter 6:35, He says, "I am the bread of life." The Jews were stirring with resentment at these words, mocking them as sacriligous, but Jesus faced them head on. In verse 43 he responds, "Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day... Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except him who is from God; He has seen the father...I am the bread of life."

Not only the Jews, but many of the disciples of Jesus had a hard time accepting this shocking revelation. Even though they had just witnessed the miracle of Jesus feeding thousands and the miracle of Jesus walking on water, there were those who still did not believe. In verse 64, we again harken back to the beginning of John's Gospel, "In the beginnning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" when John writes, "Jesus knew..." He knew! He knew from the first that there would be those who would not believe and those who would betray Him. After Capernaum, many of disciples refused to follow Him, only twelve of them stayed, and of them "Jesus knew" that one would betray Him.    

Jesus knows all. It is written in Chapter 1:2-3, "He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made." Does Jesus know what we will do next? Yes, He does. Does Jesus know what we will do last? Yes, He does. We can only hope that when confronted with His presence either next or last, we will know Him. We must pray that we are one of those whom Jesus explains in Chapter 6:39, those given to Him by His Father who will be raised up on the last day. Those who when they see the Son, believe in Him, and who will be given eternal life. Right now, we must have hope and walk on faith that someday we will share with our Savior heaven's glory.

Gospel of John Chapter 5

Read this amazing story: http://blog.womackai.com/2013/04/20/chapter-5-if-common-sense-were-so-common-there-would-be-oh-no-change/ 

"Damned if you do and damned if you don't." This cliche comes to mind when I read John 5. Jesus, in this verse, is accused by the Jewish leaders of working on the Sabbath when he heals a lame man. Since when is an act of kindness considered work? I'm sure Jesus never thought in our human plaintive terms of work when he incited the decrepit man, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk!" Although Jesus defends his actions before the Jewish leaders in verse 17 by saying, "My Father is always at work to this very day, and I  always working," it only makes the men even angrier, and Jesus cannot win for losing! 

If it sounds a bit ludicrous that healing the sick on the Sabbath was a crime, the Jews add more insult to injury and accuse Jesus of calling God His own Father, making himself an equal to God! The leaders are appalled when Jesus compares himself to the Almighty One. What gall, the men thought and condemn Jesus even more when He answers their accusations with a very perceptive response.

Jesus then does some finger pointing of his own, basically calling the men hypocrites. He tells them that they read their sacred Scriptures diligently each day thinking the words will give them eternal life, but lack the love of God in their hearts. He tells the Jews that He indeed is the one who is spoken of in Scripture by Moses, the one who will come and truly give them life, but they refuse to accept what the words say about Him. He also reminds them that His testimony has support; John, whom they had sent to, testified in His favor. However, it probably incites more anger in the hearts of these Jews when Jesus announces His inheritance. He has been entrusted by His Father with the authority to judge, so that anyone who honors the Father, He says, must honor the Son. They or anyone who hears His words and chooses to believe, he adds, "will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned."  I'm sure Jesus knew that He wasn't going to win these men over with this revelation; I'm sure He knew that sometimes the one who tells the truth is destined to hurt the most.

In John Chapter 5, there are three parties involved, first, Jesus, the accused; second the Jews, the accusers; and third, the bystanders, those who stood by and did nothing. In our own lives, we have all been a member of each party at one time or another. Sometimes we are the accused, sometimes we are the accusers, and sometimes we stand by and do nothing. In this scripture Jesus tells us what will happen to those who believe the word of the accused, they will have life; He also tells us what will happen to those who do not believe the word of the accused, they will perish, but He doesn't say what will happen to those who do nothing, who neither believe Jesus or not believe Him.

There is no reference to anyone supporting Jesus in Chapter 5, withstanding John who was not actually present at the time. Even the lame man that Jesus healed doesn't come to His support. Nonetheless, I try to picture the third party member in the crowd of men standing around Jesus and imagine how I would feel if I did nothing. I think I would be frightened, probably concerned that I didn't want to be drawn into the argument. I would also be engrossed, however, standing just far enough away from the squabble that if I perked my ears up, I could hear enough to have fodder for gossip, so I could tell my neighbors all about what I heard in Jerusalem at the temple. John doesn't identify for us in this chapter about how the third party will be judged, but He does say that He is the judge. In verse 30, he says, "I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just." Jesus hears all we say, even the unmentioned words of the third party - the gossip, the blatherer, the rumormonger. How will He judge them?

In this chapter is a great lesson. If we placed a percentage by the amount of time we have spent as members of the first, second, and third parties during the events in our lives, how many of us would have spent most of our time as members of the third party? We are challenged every day to become an accused or an accuser, but most of us sit by and do nothing. In small talk we gripe about things, but most of us never face the problems in our personal lives, communities, or world head on. Our children are in crisis, our cities are crumbling, our government is in shambles, our basic rights are in jeopardy, but how many of us still remain a third party!!! John shows us how Jesus stepped out of His comfort zone and spoke the truth, knowing it would inevitably condemn Him. Let His actions give us the strength to make a difference. Don't be afraid to be accused for doing something that is right, but also, don't be afraid to accuse when something is clearly wrong. If God's love is in our hearts, our actions will lead us to the only place we need to go, to Him. Just, "Get up! Pick up your mat, and walk!"

Gospel of John Chapter 4

THE WOMAN AT THE WELL; LIVING WATER

In the Gospel of John, Chapter 4, we travel from one setting to another where we watch as Jesus leaves an impression on the many different people he meets. In each place there is a lesson to be learned, but relating to all of the situations is one imperative message, "surrender to self and place your trust in Jesus."

Most likely on foot, Jesus leaves Judea and the angry Pharisees for a journey  to Galilee. His route takes Him through Samaria. On His way He passes through the historical fields that once belonged to Joseph, son of Jacob. (I wander if there was a road sign, "You Are Now Entering the Historical Fields of Joseph Son of Jacob Established 2000BC"!) On the property, Jesus stops by a well and meets a Samaritan woman. Being Jewish, it was not customary for Jesus to speak to a Samaritan let alone a woman. But as Jesus is known to do, He throws proper etiquette to the wind and in John 4:7 commands the woman, "Give me a drink." Not, "Hi, my name is Jesus. It is so nice to meet you. Would you mind if I bother you for a drink from your well." No, He just says, "Give me a drink." She's surprised by His boldness, not in the question itself, but of the mere act of His speaking to her, a woman. As a conversation ensues, the woman discovers that the water she has to offer Jesus is in no way as refreshing as the living water He has invited her to drink. Not to mention, she is stunned to learn that Jesus knows her past in such detail, especially the fact that she is living with a man who is not her husband. The nature of their dialogue becomes even more personal as it leads to the topic of faith. When Jesus advises the woman that the hour is coming to worship the Father in the spirit and truth, she says to Him in verse 25, "I know the Messiah is coming." What an impact it must have made on the woman when Jesus looked deep into her soul and answered, "I who speak to you am He."

Jesus left Jacob's fields and the woman and moved on through Samaria. Meanwhile the woman's news about Jesus spread throughout the area quickly, and soon many gathered  to listen to Him. They invited Jesus into their homes and understood with their own eyes and ears what the woman had told them. In John 4:42, they said to the woman, "It is no longer because of your words that we believe, we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world."

Jesus only stayed for two days in Samaria, insisting in John 4:44, "...that a prophet has no honor in his own country."  This line perplexes me but also draws me in. In my own reading of it, I instantly made a connection with my own life. God has blessed me, as with many, with talents, gifts, that at the age of 54, I still struggle to find a place that honors them, allows God to use them for the greater benefit of all. It makes me think that like Jesus, I too may need to leave my present place, surrender all and allow Him to lead me to my Galilee, wherever that may be?

When Jesus does finally reach the Galilee of His day, His first stop is Cana (the place where He once turned water into wine!). There, the news of His arrival generates rapidly throughout the region. To the north in Capernaum, a wealthy man whose son is near death hears of the supernatural deeds of Jesus. He goes to Cana and begs Jesus to return home with him to heal his dying boy. Jesus was not budging, but instead told the man to have faith, "Go, your son will live," John 4:50.

Before the man reached his doorstep, his servants met him with the miraculous news, "Yesterday, at the 'seventh hour', the fever left him. Your son will live!" John 4:52. The man must have wept openly in relief and gratitude, praising the name Jesus when he remembered that, indeed, the seventh hour was the exact hour when Jesus has said to him, "Your son will live."

How many seventh hours have I had in my lifetime? Looking back, I have had more than my share. Was it a coincidence when my husband's grandmother who wished for so long that I would have a child should die and within a week of her death I became pregnant? Was it a coincidence that Our Lady's voice came to me once while I was teaching catechism and firmly said, "You will teach them to read," and years later I became a reading specialist? Was it a coincidence when many years ago I was awakened by a voice urging me to pray and in the morning I discovered that at that very hour when I heard the voice a friend of mine was in a car accident? Was it a coincidence that on the eve of my husband's heart attack my son had just finished a week of CPR training at school and recognized his father's symptoms? Was it a coincidence that this beloved son in that same year on a 9th grade field trip visited St. Vincent College, a campus with a religious monastery, and knew instantly that he would find his future on its grounds?  Was it a coincidence that I should visit cities the likes of Rome, Sienna, and Fatima, holy lands where I would have never traveled if my daughter had not been married to a military officer. There are no coincidences. I can go on and on with my litany of seventh hours, in my private journals are my personal records of them. The point is, our seventh hours are gifts, truly they happen daily if we only recognize them. Some are earth shaking and some are gentle winds, but all seventh hours are meant to sever the loose threads that still connect us with this earthly world.

"Surrender to self and place your trust in Jesus." This message ignited a fire in the souls of many during the times of Jesus. From a simple woman at a well, to a group of Samaritans who were hated by the Jews, to a wealthy official who probably had no business fraternizing with a man who was suspect by religious leaders, Jesus made an impression wherever he traveled. In this life that we travel, we can make impressions, too. We can ignite fires and reach souls just by surrendering self, leaving our bodies and allowing Jesus to take our place, by letting Him work through us without interfering in His purpose. 

Gospel of John Chapter 3

Our Backyard, January 4, 2014: photo by Tammy C. Smith

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." (John 3:16-18)."

This passage in John states very clearly why God sent His Son Jesus into the world: so that we may have eternal life. Jesus tried to explain this fact as candidly as possible to Nicodemus, a pharisee. "Are you not a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this?" Jesus replies to him (John 3:10). It is really very simple, that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit; choose the Light or choose the darkness, believe or don't believe. Once a person is introduced to the reality of Christ, the decision to accept Him is imperative for life in heaven.

John the Baptist repeats this message again at the end of John 3, "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him." 

Every day I become aware of events that happen in the news, in daily life, and in conversation with others that boggle my mind. Each time I hear that someone has been murdered, a home has been robbed, a child has been abused, a city has been terrorized, a bomb has exploded, a leader has fallen to sin, a teen has succumbed to drugs, ... my soul is shaken. But the stories of the atrocities of man are no more unique than they were in the time of Jesus. The news reporters love to make the most of the worst. People do not make headlines for acts of random kindness or for living holy lives. Giving up the flesh for the Spirit is not front page news for this world, but who can say what the headlines are in eternity? When one soul on Earth chooses Jesus Christ as their Savior, I believe there are angelic choirs in heaven rejoicing, bells resounding, parades of saints marching, and stars dancing in shows of brilliant light.

The winter scene in my backyard this morning after a night of freshly fallen snow was about as beautiful as it gets here in Western Pennsylvania. I have two bright red Adirondack chairs sitting under a towering butternut tree, now bare with white coated outstretched arms. The contrast of the stark red wood surrounded by the crystal white snow was picture perfect. As the sun streaked through the tree branches, the landscape was  illuminated in long graceful sweeping rays of light. The red chairs were ablaze in a fiery brilliance; searing under a diamond blanket of snow. The scene reminded me of the saving power of Christ, no matter how raw or how inflamed we are inside, we can be washed clean and healed by the luminous Light of the World. No wound, no scar, no sin, and no transgression is beyond the healing strength of Christ. He shines within us if we let Him, sanctifying us with His mercy each and every day!

Gospel of John, Chapter 2

Island of Ischia, Italy; photo by Tammy C. Smith 2011

Reading through the social network Facebook  today, New Years Day 2014, I am overcome by the reflections people have posted. 2013 was a year of struggles, a year of pain, a year of heartache for so, so many. My heart truly goes out to each and every soul. My 2014 was also a struggle; so I sincerely can empathize. It is so much easier to talk about our pain once it has passed, or once we have found a way to live with or manage it. For all of those who are still tormented and dealing with life's conflicts, allow me to share a very contemplative message with all of you. It comes from the daily meditation God Calling. I have mentioned this book in past blogs. God Calling came into my hands twice through what I believe are two very miraculous incidents and it has been an uncanny source of inspiration in my daily life ever since I acquired my first edition in the early 90's. The meditations in this book were compiled by A.J. Russell. They are messages from apparitions received by two women who call themselves "The Listeners." The Listeners received the apparitions from Jesus Christ himself. Narrated in the first person, Jesus speaks to us all and individually through His words recorded in God Calling:

January 1 - Between the Years

I stand between the years. The Light of My Presence is flung across the year to come - the radiance of the Sun of Righteousness. Backward, over the past year, is My Shadow thrown, hiding trouble and sorry and disappointment.

Dwell not on the past - only on the present. Only use the past as the trees use My Sunlight to absorb it, to make from it in after days the warming fire-rays. So store only the blessings from Me, the Light of the World. Encourage yourselves by the thought of these.

Bury every fear of the future, of poverty for those dear to you, of suffering, of loss. Bury all thought of unkindness and bitterness, all your dislikes, your resentments, your sense of failure, your disappointment in others and in yourselves, your gloom, your despondency, and let us leave them all, buried, and go forward to a new and risen life.

Remember that you must not see as the world sees.  I hold the year in My Hands - in trust for you. But I shall guide you one day at a time.

Leave the rest with Me. You must not anticipate the gift by fears or thoughts of the days ahead.

And for each day I shall supply the wisdom and the strength.

Today in Chapter 2 of the Gospel of John, I find the verses to relate quite profoundly to beginning a New Year. Chapter 2 begins with the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee. As the bridegroom had run out of wine, it was Mary, the mother of Jesus, who told the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Jesus then performed his first miracle by turning the water the servants brought to him into wine. This wine Jesus created wasn't just any old wine, it was better than the previous wine, it was "primo" wine. So just as Jesus transformed plain water into a fine, extraordinary wine, he can do the same with us. We just have to trust in Mary's words to do whatever He tells us. In 2014, we must let "The Light of the World " do His will in us and allow Him to be our guide, one day at a time.

Jesus does not want us to forget, however, the valuable lessons He taught us in 2013. As he says in today's message of God Calling, "Store only the blessings from me." Those blessings are what we have learned through our pain and suffering. These lessons will provide us with a foundation of wisdom for facing the next trial in our lives. In John 2:23-25, we see that Jesus deeply understands the hearts of men, "He knew all men and needed no one to bear witness of man; for he himself knew what was in man." He knows of our weaknesses and faults more than we know them ourselves, therefore, He implores us to trust Him, to "hold the year in" His "hands." He will light the way through the New Year and the rest of our days on this Earth. 

Finally, as a resolution not only for today this first day day of the New Year but also for Our Lady on the holy day of her Solemnity, let us heed her words, "Do whatever He tells us." Totus Tuus, All for you, Mary. 

Reflect on Mary's loving words by watching and listening to the following video:  "Mary" by Patty Griffin