Daily Gospel Reflection
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May 28, 2022
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.
Until now you have not asked anything in my name;
ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
“I have told you this in figures of speech.
The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures
but I will tell you clearly about the Father.
On that day you will ask in my name,
and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you.
For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me
and have come to believe that I came from God.
I came from the Father and have come into the world.
Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
When I was in high school, my father always knew how to help, but he also always said, “You will never remember this particular day of your life unless you attempt the spectacular and celebrate the effort.” I had no idea what he meant then. I was worried about my SAT scores and who to ask to the prom. I wanted answers, not a quote from a needlepoint wall-hanging.
Years later, I am a father with kids who need answers, and my father’s advice is on the tip of my tongue. It all makes sense now. He knew that I would never remember the specific answer to my problems. But, I would remember a general theme against which I could measure my difficulties. He knew having faith would lead my mind to wonders beyond my expectations while still working hard in whatever process.
Jesus does this for the disciples and us in today’s reading.
The disciples have many questions and are frustrated with Jesus’ lack of specific answers. But before his ascension, he gives them the ultimate theme upon which they can guide their lives in hopes that they will eventually be with him in Heaven.
Jesus begins with “Amen, Amen, I say to you …” In Aramaic, leading a statement in this way is a claim to first-hand knowledge of infallible truth. He then states that he is ascending soon to be one with the Father and that if we continue to seek Jesus, we will see the Father too.
We may be facing difficulties today. Answers may not be clear. We must take a deep breath and ask Jesus for guidance. We must seek the Father through the Son. And then? Be silent. Wait. A path forward will be revealed like a whisper in the wind. It may not be the path we want. Trust. Believe. This takes effort, but we will find resolve. I know it.
Prayer
In your gentleness, O Lord Jesus, you never give us more than we can bear. You never ask us to do something without at the same time giving us the needed grace. We thank you for your presence in our life through the Spirit, and pray that we may be a blessing and a life-giver to all whom we meet this day. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Bernard of Montjoux was a saint of great hospitality who not only welcomed travelers crossing the Alps to visit Rome and the Holy Land—in many cases, he saved their lives.
He was born in Italy in the tenth century, and after his ordination to the priesthood he was appointed to a position that entailed caring for small village communities in a region of the Alps. This area included two of the most accessible passes through the mountains that were used by pilgrims traveling from northern Europe to Rome and the Holy Land.
The pilgrims traveling through the Alps through these passes faced many dangers. The temperatures in the mountains could easily freeze a person, and some did not expect to confront the snow that they had to trudge through in higher elevations, not to mention the threat of avalanches. In addition, robbers would frequently take advantage of the isolation and narrow pathways to ambush travelers and take their resources and gear.
Bernard assembled a patrol of civilians and cleared the mountain passes of these robbers. He also established two hospices at the summits of both passes, which welcomed travelers of any background and continue to do so today. The group of people who joined Bernard to staff the hospices fell into a regular community life together, which was formalized into a monastery. That community still exists to serve travelers in that region.
The famous large-breed rescue dogs that are named after St. Bernard were first used to rescue stranded travelers by the hospice communities founded by the saint. St. Bernard is patron saint of mountain climbers and skiers.
St. Bernard spent 42 years as a priest serving the people of this region. In addition to serving travelers, he founded schools and reformed parishes throughout the area. He lived to be 85 years old and died on this date in 1081.
St. Bernard of Montjoux, you saved pilgrims in the Alps from avalanches and robbers—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Bernard of Montjoux is in the public domain/available for use under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Last accessed March 11, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
