What is YOUR Focus?

Today we ask this question: " Who do You listen to?" 

Isaiah 4:9:8-15

Thus says the LORD:
In a time of favor I answer you, on the day of salvation I help you;
and I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people,
To restore the land and allot the desolate heritages,
Saying to the prisoners: Come out!
To those in darkness: Show yourselves!
Along the ways they shall find pasture, on every bare height shall their pastures be. They shall not hunger or thirst, nor shall the scorching wind or the sun strike them; For he who pities them leads them
and guides them beside springs of water.
I will cut a road through all my mountains, and make my highways level.
See, some shall come from afar, others from the north and the west,
and some from the land of Syene. Sing out, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth,
break forth into song, you mountains. For the LORD comforts his people
and shows mercy to his afflicted.

But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me."
Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.
 

The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all, and compassionate toward all his works.
The Lord is gracious and merciful.
 
Verse Before the Gospel, John 11:25a, 26
“ I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;
whoever believes in me will never die.”
 

Gospel, John 5:17-30

Jesus answered the Jews: "My Father is at work until now, so I am at work."
For this reason they tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.

Jesus answered and said to them, "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.
For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he himself does,
and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed.
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes.
Nor does the Father judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son,
so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.
Whoever does not honor the Son, does not honor the Father who sent him.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation,
but has passed from death to life.
Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here
when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself.
And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man.
Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds
to the resurrection of condemnation.

"I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just,
because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me."

Ꚛ

    Today our readings call us to reflect on the importance of trusting in the Lord to achieve eternal life and salvation. This reflection is divided into two main parts based on the liturgical readings.
    The First Reading from Isaiah emphasizes that God never abandons or forgets His children, comparing his love even with that of a mother. Look at the responsorial...

“The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all, and compassionate toward all his works.”

    And WE – you and I – are Gods works!
    To us, God promises comfort, mercy and help to the helpless.

    In the Gospel of Saint John, Jesus explains his intimate union with the Father, assuring that He does the will of the One who sent him, and not His own.
    It is emphasized that whoever hears the word of Jesus and believes in the Father has eternal life.
    We must therefore strive to achieve that same relationship. However, when we falter and sin, that does not hurt God, because God is love and incapable of holding it against us. We see that in the reading from Isaiah. Rather, it is WE who turn away from God's divine love with our sinful actions.
    Obviously, then, we are invited to maintain a dynamic relationship of love with God in order to receive His grace, protection and eternal life.

    The relationship between the Father and the Son is defined by a dynamic of reciprocal love, obedience, and shared power.

The aspects of this dynamic are:

• Total Obedience abnd Unity: The Son works in harmony with the Father, doing only what he sees the Father doing and following His will completely.

• Reciprocal Love and adoration: The Father loves the Son and manifests all His works to Him, while the Son adores and recognizes the Father.

• Shared Authority: Because the Son recognizes the Father's power, the Father grants the Son the authority to act, specifically the power to give life and to judge.
  And because God love us in the same measure He loves the Son, this also applies to those who believe and approach God through Christ, i.e., if we work for God, He works for us.

    Another element of the dynamic between the Father and the Son is defined by a specific relationship regarding judgment between the Father and the Son, which directly applies to how believers should interact with God:

• Authority to Judge: The Father does not judge anyone directly; instead, He has given all judgment to the Son.

• Purpose of Judgment: This authority was given to the Son so that all may honor the Son just as they would honor the Father.

• Just Judgment: Jesus states that His judgment is just because He does not seek His own will, but the will of the Father who sent Him. It is the same justice that God has always maintained.

• The Reward: Those who hear Jesus' word and believe in the Father have passed from death to life and will not be condemned in the judgment.

    This judgement and reward does NOT apply only to those who have passed away - “the dead.” They are included, but later Saint Paul will assure us that it also applies to us who were dead in sin before we heard the word of Christ. After that, we are changed and come into a “new life” through our obedience and works that follow His commands.
    
    So what of sin? Are we to assume that once we have a “personal relationship” with Jesus, we are covered thereafter.
    No! Some imagine as much, but that is just wishful thinking created in the minds of men. Instead, we have to always remember that we are human and that we are prone sin. St. Paul clearly tells us as much, in fact, in Romans 7:15-19. He famously writes, "For I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do" (Romans 7:19), describing a profound internal struggle between wanting to do right and committing sin anyway.

    And we're not just talking about capital sins like willful murder or adultery.
    Really, “everyday” deliberate acts like lying or holding onto hatred, or judging others, or acting out of pride, obstinacy, anger, prejudice against your fellow man are also sins that affect our heart and corrupt it.
    For example, you will find it very common among some Facebook “Christian” groups to loathe those of another faith – Protestants vs. Catholics, for instance. But focusing our attention there, with everyone watching, while following that path of loathing and prideful superiority over others is still a sin. And it damages our connection to God.
    But sin does not offend or wound God, because His love is perfect – it's not based on whether we sin. On the contrary, sin creates a barrier that separates US from that love. WE create that barrier through our own actions.
    God also does not punish us for sinning or send us tests; Jesus told us that. This idea that suffering and punishment were tied to sin was common among the Jews before Christ. But Jesus makes it clear that God is perfect love, and the individual punishes him- or herself by choosing to move away from God through sin.
    So what we should be doing instead of things that damage our connection to Christ and God is focusing on God's tasks - because that creates a dynamic relationship of mutual care.

    The core idea is this: if you occupy yourself with God's things, then God will occupy Himself with yours.

     This dynamic offers:

• Reciprocal Action: By doing good works and working for the Lord, God in turn works for you.

• Focus on Love: This relationship is defined by acting with love, kindness, and mercy.

• Avoiding False Idols: Focusing on God prevents us from turning to "other false gods" that lead to pride, criticism, and disobedience.

    In the Gospel, in fact, Jesus makes several promises to those who do works according to His words and believe in the Father:

• Eternal Life: Those who listen and act accordingly are promised that they eternal life is theirs and and will not face condemnation.

• Resurrection: Jesus promises that a time is coming when those who have died will hear his voice and have acted accordingly in this life will live eternally.

• Righteous Judgment: For those who did good works in Christs name, the promise is life..., while those who did evil will face condemnation

    In conclusion, it should be clear that your FOCUS is what matters.
    If YOU think are nurturing your connection to God by pointing out the faults of others, or condeming them by your own esteem or what some preacher told you – God will find you, well..., lacking.
Sin is sin, and its fruits are death.
    Instead, just do as Christ would do – believe and listen to Him who acts in the name of the Father, and do the good works for which He set the example. In that way, life is in you...now and for eternity.