Sanctified – Reflection on John 17:11b-19 or John 17:11-19 When my mother was unexpectedly dying, we had a lifetime of conversations in one phone call that we should have had since my youth. Among the many topics that melted my heart was when she said how grateful she was to the…
Author: Jerry
John 15:9-17 Reflection – Christ’s joy
Christ’s Joy – Reflection on John 15:9-17 Continuously holding the mystery of Jesus as our friend in our hearts strengthens our ability to treat everyone like friends. With Jesus’s all-embracing and unconditional love, our human weaknesses will melt away, making room for Jesus’s love to flow to others. Lord, we…
John 16:29-33 Reflection – Peace and Courage
Peace and Courage – Reflection on John 16:29-33 There is always more than meets the eye when Christ speaks to our hearts. Deep prayer incorporating contemplation, such as within Lectio Divina, helps unwind His living words. In this passage, Jesus plainly tells us of evil’s true intent: to scatter and separate…
John 16:23b-28 Reflection – Leave Worldliness Behind
Leave Worldliness Behind – Reflection on John 16:23b-28 If we embrace an interior life, there is a constant up-and-down cycling. We have moments when Jesus may seem dramatically present, and then feelings of abandonment might surface. Sometimes, faith seems distant, but often, without notice, a flood of faith inspires the…
John 16:20-23 Reflection – The Sheer Grace
“Ah, The Sheer Grace” – Reflection on John 16:20-23 To quote John of the Cross, “One dark night, fired with love’s urgent longings, ah, the sheer grace!” as nothing seems to get in the way of joy. John of the Cross also speaks of times during these nights of sense…
John 16:16-20 Reflection – A Little While
A Little While – Reflection on John 16:16-20 As we more deeply understand how to let Jesus rise within us, the greater we can know the joy that fills us. Necessary in this cycle is an internal processing of our inner strengths that we will need to deal with the…
John 16:12-15 Reflection – Declare to You
Declare to You – John 16:12-15 Reflection Are you willing to bear the truth about your brokenness and the world with the Holy Spirit’s help? Further, have you dared to believe and accept that the Spirit hears your inner self speak? If we allow it, the Spirit can transform us…
John 16:5-11 Reflection – Fullness of Christ
Fullness of Christ – Reflection on John 16:5-11 When we hear the word advocate, we think of someone who can help represent our voice and support us. Our advocate, the Holy Spirit that consoles and helps us, can also expose the rawness of our participation “in the world” if we…
John 15:26-16:4a Reflection – Moment of Surrender
Moment of Surrender – Reflection on John 15:26-16:4a As a teenager, I came close to stumbling into spiritual gluttony, nearly reducing Spirit, Christ, and Father to the point of separation. Fortunately, I realized this was a disruption of an integrated life. I now wear a Trinity Cross as a reminder…
John 15:18-21 Reflection – Help Reveal Christ
Help Reveal Christ – Reflection on John 15:18-21 The signs we are in rather than of the world are evident, such as needing to walk away from some conversations, decreased need for recognition, and preferring daily solace in prayer. For even the strongest Christians, a complete exit from of the…