A reading from the gospel according to John 12:44-50:
44 Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me believes not only in me
but also in the one who sent me,
45 and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me.
46 I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.
47 And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world.
48 Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day,
49 because I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak.
50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. So what I say, I say as the Father told me.”
Reflection: Believe and be happy
1. Our gospel reading shows us that Jesus is now at the end of His earthly life. He was sent by His Father to save the world. To do this, He preached the truth about how people must repent and believe in Him. Yet the Jews remained to be hardhearted even after showing them many signs. That is why Jesus was literally crying out for them to believe in Him and in His Father.
2. Jesus is the light. If we believe in Him, we will no longer live in darkness because we will see our path so that we will stumble. We will also know the truth and the dark cloud of confusion will go away. When we live in the light, we will have confidence because we can see our surrounding. More importantly, we will be guided towards our destination.
3. His word is our judge. It is true that Jesus does not condemn but He has spoken the truth of our salvation. It is up to us whether to accept it or not. Therefore, reading, reflecting, and obeying His words as written in the bible are necessary for us to remain in Him and not perish.
4. His commandment is eternal life. That is man’s real purpose why He was created – to be with God forever in love, joy, and peace. This world is not our permanent home. We were made to be happy in paradise for all time. This is something we must always remember. Our suffering, our worries, our unmet desires will end at any time. If we believe in Jesus, we will truly be happier.
