A WORD FOR TODAY 24 MAY 2020

A WORD FOR TODAY

GLORIFY THE LORD WITH YOUR LIFE AND WORK

“Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work which you gave me to do; and now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory which I had with you before the world was made." (John 17:1-5)

Jesus in the gospel reading of today asked the Father to glorify Him as He has glorified the Father here on earth. He also prayed for His disciples who are still here on earth that they will keep the faith alive until the end of time. This is an act of love from Him to us and even after He had ascended into Heaven, He is still showing us love and is always speaking for us before the Father.

Jesus came to the world to mediate between God and man who has fallen and needs to be redeemed. He showed the world whom the Father is (To have seen me is to have seen the Father..John 14:9). He gave everything in Him to save humanity on the cross and through his death and resurrection, He restored man to his lost glory. When it was mission accomplished, He asked the Father to glorify Him. When we finish our work we shall receive praise and reward if we do it well, but if we fail to do it well there will be no reward of glory for us.

The apostles of Jesus and some disciples including our Blessed Mother were gathered together at the upper room as we have in the first reading of today. They were there in obedience to the command of Jesus, so as to receive the Holy Spirit that will empower them to witness for Him and to glorify His name with their work. They will believe in God and in our Lord Jesus Christ and that simply means eternal life and this life they will share with those who come to them. They stayed together in prayer until the promise of the Father (The Holy Spirit) came upon them. We must learn to stay together in unity in God's presence always.

If we are going to share in the glory of Christ on the last day, we must be ready to share in his sufferings here on earth, because after pain comes joy and after the cross, comes the crown. St. Peter tells us that when we are reproached for the name of Christ we should rejoice because the spirit of the glory of Christ rests upon us. However, it is better to suffer for doing good than for committing evil.

Our life here on earth is limited, therefore, waste no time any more, begin to make meaningful use of the life God has given you to glorify His name. Do good in His name, show some love in His name, forgive in His name, Proclaim God's kingdom in words and deeds and let the world see God's light in you, so that when it is time to return to the Father, you will be ready to receive the crown of glory. Do good with the life God has given you and stay away from evil and in that way you shall be prepared like Jesus to receive the glory that God is preparing for you.

The Holy Spirit will help us to live well for God and to do the things that will please Him. We will definitely suffer for His sake, but in our pain and sorrow our glory will come and what we suffer for the Lord's sake now can never be compared to the glory that we shall receive in the end. Therefore, glorify the Lord in your life now and be ready to be glorified by the Lord when your earthly existence comes to an end.

Good morning dearest one. Smile😊as you do your work and do have glorious Sunday. May Jesus help you to glorify the Lord in your life and work so that God's reward of eternal glory will come to you in the end. And may the Almighty God bless you: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Meditation: Acts 1:12-14/Psalm 27:1,4,7-8/1 Peter 4:13-16/John 17:1-11

Watch-Word: Father, the hour has come; glorify your son that the Son may glorify you.

Work hard now to serve God well when you have the energy and time and God will definitely reward you with the glory of eternal life in the end.

(Seventh Sunday of Easter. Cycle A)