“Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own,
but only what he sees the Father doing;
for what he does, the Son will do also.”

John 5:19

John 5:17-30

Reflection

Jesus tells the Jews that the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees his Father doing. If people do not honor the Son, they do not honor the Father who sent him. Jesus seeks to do the will of the one who sent him.

Jesus speaks of his relationship with God the Father, stating that he does the will of the Father in all things. While the Son and Father are both God, they are separate persons in the Holy Trinity; therefore to go to the Father, one must first go through the Son. Jesus is clear that a person must accept him first – honor and believe in him before truly knowing God the Father.

Christ reveals his heavenly Father to us through his actions, for that is the will of the Father. We can become closer to God our Father by following Jesus closely and listening to him. If we seek to do the will of the Father, we must do the will of the Son. Ask the Holy Spirit for the grace to accomplish God’s will in every moment.

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Saint of the Day

St. Cyril of Jerusalem: ca. AD 315 – 386

“The Bread of Heaven came down on earth that He might feed the hungry.” St. Cyril of Jerusalem