THURSDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT - Gospel (John 8:51-59) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
- NHA CHUA CHA
- Apr 11
- 3 min read
“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” (Jn 8:51)
FIRST READING - Gn 17:3-9
A reading from the Book of Genesis
When Abram prostrated himself, God spoke to him:
"My covenant with you is this:
you are to become the father of a host of nations.
No longer shall you be called Abram;
your name shall be Abraham,
for I am making you the father of a host of nations.
I will render you exceedingly fertile;
I will make nations of you;
kings shall stem from you.
I will maintain my covenant with you
and your descendants after you
throughout the ages as an everlasting pact,
to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
I will give to you
and to your descendants after you
the land in which you are now staying,
the whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession;
and I will be their God."
God also said to Abraham:
"On your part, you and your descendants after you
must keep my covenant throughout the ages."
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Jn 8:51-59
From the Gospel according to John
Jesus said to the Jews:
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever keeps my word will never see death."
So the Jews said to him,
"Now we are sure that you are possessed.
Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say,
'Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.'
Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?
Or the prophets, who died?
Who do you make yourself out to be?"
Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing;
but it is my Father who glorifies me,
of whom you say, 'He is our God.'
You do not know him, but I know him.
And if I should say that I do not know him,
I would be like you a liar.
But I do know him and I keep his word.
Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day;
he saw it and was glad."
So the Jews said to him,
"You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?"
Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I AM."
So they picked up stones to throw at him;
but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.
THURSDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT - Gospel (John 8:51-59)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear people of God,
Today's Word of God teaches the Jews and people that: Anyone who believes and keeps the Word of Jesus Christ will never die.
The Word of Jesus teaches people to go deeper and deeper into eternal life in the future. He said: the eternal life of a person will never die again. And He revealed to people about His own identity and life originating from God the Father. He is the Eternal One who has existed since the beginning, from all eternity.
He continues to reveal to people about His existing life. He existed before Abraham was born. But with limited intelligence, along with the arrogance of mortal people, they did not recognize the Word of Jesus Christ as the Word of truth. This truth has also been revealed in the Bible that the Jews have studied, and they themselves have also confessed that they only believe in and worship God as their Father. Jesus pointed out their weak and sinful nature, He showed them that when they confess that they only worship one God, they must certainly believe in the Words of Jesus Christ, the Second Person of God who came to earth and became a human, and they must believe that: those who believe in God, their soul life created by God will never die. Today, it is because people lose faith in the afterlife that has led people to despair, seeking death because they consider death to be the end. They are mistaken and are going astray.
Therefore, there are many people who go down the path of sin, there are too many souls falling into the hands of Satan, when they do not have faith in the eternal God, no longer believe in the immortal soul that there is an afterlife. God calls: those who are thinking and following the wrong way, to return and believe in God, believe that: humans have a soul and a body, and the soul created by God will always be immortal.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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