Reading I
Ex 32:7-14
The LORD said to Moses,
“Go down at once to your people
whom you brought out of the land of Egypt,
for they have become depraved.
They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them,
making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it,
sacrificing to it and crying out,
‘This is your God, O Israel,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt!’
The LORD said to Moses,
“I see how stiff-necked this people is.
Let me alone, then,
that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them.
Then I will make of you a great nation.”
But Moses implored the LORD, his God, saying,
“Why, O LORD, should your wrath blaze up against your own people,
whom you brought out of the land of Egypt
with such great power and with so strong a hand?
Why should the Egyptians say,
‘With evil intent he brought them out,
that he might kill them in the mountains
and exterminate them from the face of the earth’?
Let your blazing wrath die down;
relent in punishing your people.
Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel,
and how you swore to them by your own self, saying,
‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky;
and all this land that I promised,
I will give your descendants as their perpetual heritage.’“
So the LORD relented in the punishment
he had threatened to inflict on his people.
Gospel
Jn 5:31-47
Jesus said to the Jews:
“If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true.
But there is another who testifies on my behalf,
and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true.
You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth.
I do not accept human testimony,
but I say this so that you may be saved.
He was a burning and shining lamp,
and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.
But I have testimony greater than John’s.
The works that the Father gave me to accomplish,
these works that I perform testify on my behalf
that the Father has sent me.
Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf.
But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form,
and you do not have his word remaining in you,
because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent.
You search the Scriptures,
because you think you have eternal life through them;
even they testify on my behalf.
But you do not want to come to me to have life.
“I do not accept human praise;
moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you.
I came in the name of my Father,
but you do not accept me;
yet if another comes in his own name,
you will accept him.
How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another
and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?
Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father:
the one who will accuse you is Moses,
in whom you have placed your hope.
For if you had believed Moses,
you would have believed me,
because he wrote about me.
But if you do not believe his writings,
how will you believe my words?”
Meditation: John 5:31-47
If you were on trial, wouldn’t you want to have solid evidence in your favor?
Of course you would! Jesus, who is challenged here by the Jewish authorities, calls on the best possible witnesses to show that he is acting on God’s behalf. There is the testimony of John the Baptist, the testimony of his own teaching and miracles, and Scripture, whose every word testifies to him (John 5:39). Yet for all that, the religious leaders still won’t accept him. What more can Jesus do to convince them?
The answer, as we already know, is the most convincing proof Jesus can give: his own life, offered as a sacrifice. It’s the testimony of divine love, which fulfills all the laws that the Jews had honored and sought to fulfill for centuries.
In the Eucharist, we have absolute proof of Jesus’ commitment to us. But sometimes we still need to be convinced, especially when trials chip away at our hope. We need to remind ourselves that at every Communion, we receive the completion of all Jesus did and taught. The readings can give us Jesus’ words and reveal his life to us. The homily can explain his words and open our minds to his truth. During the prayers of the liturgy, we can ask him to intercede for us. But at Communion, we receive him.
What would you say to Jesus if you knew he was closer than your next breath? Well, that’s how close he is during Communion. He knows all your hopes and dreams. He knows all your challenges, too. And he wants to have a role to play in all of them. But most of all, he wants to convince you that his love is more real than anything else in this world. So take the time after Communion to sit with him. Try to feel his presence in you, just as you can feel the love of your closest friend. Tell him what’s on your heart, but also make sure you listen to what’s on his heart. Let his presence dispel your anxieties and give you a new vision for your life. Let him bear testimony to himself—right there in your heart!
“Lord, thank you for the awesome mystery of your presence in the Eucharist. May I never forget the price you paid for me and the love you are always ready to share with me!”
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