John 6: 37-40
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and
I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not
to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of
the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but
that I should raise it (on) the last day. For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I
shall raise him (on) the last day."
* * *
Introductory Prayer: Lord, thank you for your unconditional
love for me. You never give up on me, even though I have sometimes kept my
distance in following your plan for me.
Petition: Help
me to realize that I always need to approach you especially when I feel
unworthy or uncertain.
1. Entrusted
to Christ: God has chosen to use us as his
instruments to help bring his salvation to others. He knows us perfectly and is
well aware of all our frailties. At the same time he also knows the talents we
were given to help us fulfill the task. That is why Jesus taught us to approach
the Father with confidence. Sometimes we can mistakenly get the idea that
Christ is our merciful intermediary who saves us from the fiery wrath of the
Father of Justice. Yet we see here that the Father is paternally protective of
us and in fact is the one who takes the initiative and sends us to Christ.
2. In good
hands: The Marines pride themselves to the fact
that they will leave no man behind on the battlefield; that they will surrender
no man’s body into the hands of the enemy. God the Father gave Christ similar
orders. When a Marine risks his life to rescue the dead corpse of his buddy, as
edifying as it is, one is tempted to ask, “Is it really worth it?” Christ gave up
his life to save our eternal life and gives us all the grace we need to keep
our souls from the clutches of the devil. Could we not also ask, “Was it really
worth it?” “Is my life really worth all that much to him?” Christ answers with
a definitive “Yes! Absolutely!” We could confidently state that God is more
interested in my salvation than I am? If so, what plans might he have for me?
3. On a
mission: It is amazing that in his plan of
salvation, God the Father would entrust his Son into the care of his creatures,
Mary and Joseph; and equally astounding is the share of responsibility he
entrusts to every Christian in the salvation of many souls. Just like a
soldier, a Christian without a clear idea of his mission is ineffectual. Christ
wishes to leave no man behind. This is clear not only by his death, but also by
the extremes he went through in his life to save sinners. Am I aware of the
many souls Christ has put in my hands? Have I already surrendered over some
souls to the enemy because they seem hard to work with?
Conversation
with Christ
Lord, help me to see the value of a single soul. Show me how to love the
souls entrusted to me with a personal love. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of
your love. If I had not discovered your love, I would have remained a slave of
my own whims and desires. But knowing your love helps to put aside my
self-centeredness and to love others.
Resolution:
I will make a special sacrifice today for all the
souls entrusted to me.