Saturday, May 01, 2021

“Doing His Works” By Melanie Rigney


“Doing His Works” By Melanie Rigney 

Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter

“For so the Lord has commanded us, I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 13:47) 

All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God. (Psalm 98:3cd)

“Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.”  (John 14:9-10) 

Piety

God, open my ears that I might hear Your words. Use my tongue so that I might speak them.

Study

Philip wanted a God moment. 

You know, the kind where Moses took the elders to see the God of Israel, and they briefly saw with their very own eyes some aspect of the Almighty.

Small wonder Jesus became a bit exasperated. How much time had He spent with Philip and the others? How many meals shared? How many conversations held? How many healings seen? 

And yet those were not God moments enough?

Apparently not. 

While Jesus the Man may not be with us in the way He was with the disciples, Jesus the Son of God is with us constantly—in the hair stylist’s story about caring for her mom. In the gentle correction a loved one provides about our damaging behavior. In a friend’s phone call that begins, “I know we haven’t seen each other for a long time, but you’ve been on my mind. How are you?”

And if those are not God moments enough for you, consider reading today’s Gospel out loud. The Almighty dwells in all of us, and has love for us to share through words and actions. We need only open our mouths and hands to have and to share God moments.

Action

Say the words. Do the works.

 

Image credit: Jacob de Wit

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jacob_de_Wit_-_Moses_elects_the_Council_of_Seventy_Elders_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg.

 

 

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