In Faith Your Grief Will Become Joy

Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy. When a woman is in labour, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. On that day you will ask nothing of me. Very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.

When I was reflecting on today’s reading and doing research on the text the words ask in the last sentence have two meanings, let’s look at them and see how they influence our understanding of the Gospel.

‘On that day you will ask (erotao) nothing of me. Very truly, I tell you, if you ask (aiteo) anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.’ Paraphrasing this we could say, “When you see me again you won’t be full of questions, you will be doingsomething: you will be interceding with the Father in my presence.”

Have you ever been part of a discussion on religion and see how it begins to disintegrate into a debating society, and further into a shouting match. It is much easier to talk about something than to take it to heart or to do it. Talking is often a substitute for doing ent?

A Prime Minister, “We won’t call names”, once remarked, on hearing a sermon, “Things have come to a pretty pass when religion is allowed to invade the sphere of private life.” One way to avoid the challenge of religion is to keep it out there in the public sphere, along with ceremonies like the inspection of the protective services at an Independence parade. Another very successful way, paradoxically, is just the opposite, and it seems to be the preferred one today: make it so private that you no more need to give an account of it than you do of your breathing.

But the Faith is something you do in the first place, and afterwards talk about it if you must. “I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day.” An adherence to the Faith that is not also an adherence to prayer – Liturgy and informal prayer – and to the service of others, is only talk. Faith must be lived. It is easy to preach the word of God……. to live it is another thing.

Oscar Wilde said that talking was the only form of exercise he ever took. Spoken like a Christian! Have a great weekend and exercise your Faith.

Gospel – John 6: 20 – 23

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn,
while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.
When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived;
but when she has given birth to a child,
she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy
that a child has been born into the world.
So you also are now in anguish.
But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you.
On that day you will not question me about anything.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.”