Gospel: John 16:29-33
The disciples said to him, “Now you are speaking plainly and not in veiled language! Now we see that you know all things, even before we question you. Because of this we believe that you
came from God.” Jesus answered them, “You say that you believe? The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have told you all this, so that in me you may have peace. You will have trouble in the world; but, courage! I have overcome the world.”
Reflection:
"Stay in His presence."
Recently I read The Escape Artist, the account of the first two Jews to escape from Auschwitz. The fervent wish of Walter Rosenberg and Fred Wetzler was to communicate the horror of the camp to Jewish leaders so that those in Czechoslovakia would flee before being rounded up and transported on the trains. However, they were astonished to find that although they had presented a detailed report, many people still refused to believe them. They used plain words, and yet the message still did not penetrate. In the Gospel the disciples say that they finally believe that Jesus really has come from God because he is “speaking plainly,” but Christ is not convinced. Just as Walter and Fred realized that many people can’t absorb a message that is too great or too shocking for them, so Jesus already points this out to the disciples. “You say that you believe? The hour is coming, … when you will be scattered, … and you will leave me alone.” Hearing the message of Christ is not enough to believe. We need to stay in his presence in prayer to grow in our knowledge and love of him. If that love grows strong our faith will remain, even in times of suffering or challenge.
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