Scripture:
Reflection:
One of my teachers once said to me that he found John’s gospel good for meditation and hard to preach.
Perhaps there is some truth in that, although it is possibly tempered by one’s personal preferences and sense of how one wishes to receive and savour the ‘good news.’
Nevertheless, today’s reading from John tends towards an interpretation that favours the ‘good for meditation’ axis.
It is a rich tapestry of imagery and truth blended together into one of the discourses of Jesus. It has a myriad of ‘word images’ that nourish our faith and open doors to deeper contemplation and insight into the divine.
We are invited to contemplate being emissaries who ‘testify’ to the truth that is Jesus Christ.
We are invited to contemplate the possibility of seeing ourselves as a burning and shining lamp, albeit one that is far dimmer than the true source of light itself – Jesus Christ
We are invited to contemplate ‘hearing’ the voice of God, not in any supernatural way, but by listening to the Word of God.
We are invited to contemplate our relationship with Jesus, to “come to him.” Openly and wholeheartedly in order that we might have life itself.
We are invited to contemplate seeking Jesus above all, above the messages of the witnesses and scriptures that preceded him, and challenged at the same time to believe all that Jesus has revealed to us – that is, to believe his words.
Fr. Denis Travers, C.P., is the Provincial Superior of Holy Spirit Province, Australia.