The Catholic Calendar for Saturday, May 13, 2006
Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Our Lady of Fatima

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Acts 13:44-52
Psalm 98:1-7
John 14:7-14

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

"If you know me, then you will also know my Father."

There it is, in plain English! How do we come to know God the Father? By knowing Jesus! If we know Jesus, we have seen the human face of the Father. If we know Jesus, we know the heart of God because Jesus is the Love of God, who is all love, brought into life for our good and the good of all the Earth.

But He also teaches here the most important path to follow -- self-emptying. He notes that His teaching is not His own, His words do not belong to Him, the things He does, He does not do, but the Father does in Him.

So it is with us. St. Thomas Aquinas teaches us that the only thing that human will can do all by itself is reject God. Everything good that is done in us and through us, is done with the aid of God's grace. We cannot begin to take a step in the right direction without God's help.

The great news is that God is always there to help. Jesus is always at our side, and His grace is sufficient -- nothing else is needed. Often when we fail to do what we think God wants, it is because we are relying on ourselves and putting thoughts into God's head. Indeed, when we trust, when we give ourselves over entirely to Jesus and when each of our actions begins with "Jesus, for Your sake, and for the sake of the Father, with the help of the Holy Spirit, let this action be for Your glory," God will accomplish in us all that need be done.

- JuandelaCruz
(sriddle415 at yahoo dot com)