John 5:17-30

Isaiah 49:8-15

Psalm 145:8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18

John 5:17-30

Jesus answered the Jews:

“My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.”

For this reason they tried all the more to kill him,

because he not only broke the sabbath

but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.

Jesus answered and said to them,

“Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own,

but only what he sees the Father doing;

for what he does, the Son will do also.

For the Father loves the Son

and shows him everything that he himself does,

and he will show him greater works than these,

so that you may be amazed.

For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life,

so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes.

Nor does the Father judge anyone,

but he has given all judgment to the Son,

so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.

Whoever does not honor the Son

does not honor the Father who sent him.

Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word

and believes in the one who sent me

has eternal life and will not come to condemnation,

but has passed from death to life.

Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here

when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God,

and those who hear will live.

For just as the Father has life in himself,

so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself.

And he gave him power to exercise judgment,

because he is the Son of Man.

Do not be amazed at this,

because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs

will hear his voice and will come out,

those who have done good deeds

to the resurrection of life,

but those who have done wicked deeds

to the resurrection of condemnation.

“I cannot do anything on my own;

I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just,

because I do not seek my own will

but the will of the one who sent me.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are at work bringing all creation to its consummation. You work

through your Son and Spirit so that I may share in your eternal rest and divine life. Help me to

do the good deeds, empowered by your grace, that lead to the resurrection of life.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Work of God the Father: In the Gospel, Jesus refers to a debate among the First-century rabbis. It wasn’t clear from the Book of Genesis whether the Lord God continued to rest after the seventh day of creation or continued to work. Both sides of the debate had good points. Jesus aligns himself with one of the sides and holds that “God the Father is at work.” What, then, is the work of God the Father after the great work of creation? Jesus points to three continued works of the Father. The first work is that of loving the Son and showing the Son greater works than the ones the Son has worked. In the Gospel of John, these greater works are the Sacraments of the Church. For example, changing water into wine and multiplying bread is surpassed in the Eucharist, in which wine becomes the Blood of Christ and bread becomes the Body of Christ. The second work of the Father is to raise the dead and empower the Son to give life. This means that the Father is involved in recreating the world. The third work is to empower the Son to judge all men and women at the end of time. This means that God the Father is involved in the work to bring all things to their final consummation.

2. The Work of God the Son: The Son is the Word through whom God the Father created all things. Jesus declares that not only is God the Father at work, but also that he, the Son of God, is at work: “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” The signs Jesus accomplishes in the Gospel of John point to the efficacious signs of grace called the “sacraments” of the Church. Many of these signs take place during the Jewish feasts. Thus, Jesus shows that he is obedient to the Law of Moses, goes on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the feasts, and brings those feasts to their fulfillment in the New Covenant. The work of the Son also includes his teaching and words: “Whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life.” The Son was sent not to condemn the world but to save it and give it new life (John 3:16-17). At the end of time, the Son will one day return in glory to judge the world and separate those who have done good from those who have done evil. Those who have done works of charity empowered by grace will merit the resurrection of life. Those who have neglected these good works and committed evil will merit the resurrection of judgment.

3. The Work of God the Spirit: The Gospel and the First Reading do not explicitly highlight the work of the Holy Spirit. The work of the Spirit is detailed by Jesus later on in John’s Gospel at the Last Supper (John 16:4-15). When the Spirit is sent by Jesus after his death and resurrection, the Spirit will “convince the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment” (John 16:8). This means that although Jesus was condemned as a criminal, the Spirit will convince the world that Jesus was righteous. The Spirit will expose the work of Satan and those who reject Christ will face judgment. “The mission of the Spirit … shows that while he acts as an advocate or defense lawyer for the disciples, he is also a prosecutor who indicts the unbelieving world” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Old and New Testament, 1920). Second, the Spirit will guide Jesus’ disciples into all the truth (John 16:13). Third, the Spirit will glorify Jesus. All three persons of the Holy Trinity are “working.” The divine persons mysteriously work together and uniquely in creating the world, redeeming it, and bringing it to its consummation.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are coming to judge the world. You know our weaknesses and struggles. Be merciful to me when you judge me. Help me to repent and turn from sin as I journey toward you and your Father.

Living the Word of God: What good deeds or works of charity am I called to do today? How can I feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, or visit the sick today? How can I counsel, instruct, comfort, and forgive today?