Daily Gospel Reflection
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May 1, 2021
Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you know me, then you will also know my Father.
From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said to Jesus,
“Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
Jesus said to him, “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.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,
or else, believe because of the works themselves.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,
and will do greater ones than these,
because I am going to the Father.
And whatever you ask in my name, I will do,
so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”
Today’s gospel teaches us an important lesson: we must do the will of the Father.
But this is hard to grasp. When Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father, Jesus seems almost offended. “How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?,” Jesus responds to Philip. “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?” When I put myself in Philip’s shoes, I would have probably asked the same thing. How can I know the will of the Father if I can’t see or know or understand the Father? I am fundamentally wrapped up in my own will and I struggle to see the world in any other way than from my own perspective. I try to do what I think is best, but doesn’t that mean that I am really just doing what is best for me? How can I make decisions as if I knew the eternal will of God the Father?
This is always a challenging question for me. Reading this gospel made me think of a prayer by Thomas Merton. It goes, “…the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road…”
In the end, we can’t have the eternal perspective of the Father, we can only have a human perspective. Luckily, God became human to show us the way. Jesus says, “whoever believes in me will do the works that I do.” If we do what Jesus did, we do the will of the Father. This is still a tall order, but at least we have a human example to imitate. I pray that I will alway have the desire to please him.
Prayer
God of all wisdom and grace, fill us with zeal to proclaim the truth of our faith wherever your Spirit leads us. Give us courage and determination to live out our faith in a challenging world. May our lives reflect your radiance as you lead us into your promise of everlasting life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
For centuries, May 1, known as May Day, was celebrated as a traditional springtime festival date in Europe. As the Industrial Revolution changed the face of society, May 1 also became a date on which unions and political activists organized activities to advocate for workers. This day became known as International Workers’ Day, and is especially popular in communist states.
St. Joseph has a traditional feast day on March 19, but for a time, the Church had also honored Joseph during the second week of Easter. In 1955, this feast was transformed to the feast of St. Joseph the Worker and moved permanently to May 1 to highlight Joseph’s patronage of workers and craftsmen.
When pondering Jesus, it is easy for Christians to focus on his divinity and forget the ways in which Jesus shared our humanity. Joseph was a carpenter, and our tradition tells us that Jesus was formed by his foster-father in this same trade, which meant hard work, an attention to detail, patience, and diligence.
Joseph provided for his family as a craftsman who did not earn a lot of money. When they went to the Temple, for example, Joseph offered two doves, which was an allowance for those who could not afford a greater sacrifice. Nevertheless, Joseph was filled with faith—he responded immediately to the promptings of angels in his care for Mary and Jesus, even when he did not understand why. He was also filled with love—he had tender regard for Mary, even when it appeared she was unfaithful to him, and he loved Jesus as his own son.
Relics of St. Joseph rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, including parts of Joseph’s robe and pieces of Jesus’ crib, which would have been made by Joseph. He is depicted in many places around campus, including in today's featured stained glass image from the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame's campus, and statue from the chapel in Breen Phillips Hall.
St. Joseph, patron saint of workers, you exemplify the dignity of human labor—pray for us!