Join Msgr. Don Fischer as he reads and delivers a short reflection on today’s gospel, followed by 3 1/2 minutes of contemplative music and a closing prayer. Msgr. Don hopes that today’s reflection on the gospel will empower you to carry the Word in your heart throughout the day.

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Gospel
John 7:40-53

Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said,
"This is truly the Prophet."
Others said, "This is the Christ."
But others said, "The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he?
Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David's family
and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?"
So a division occurred in the crowd because of him.
Some of them even wanted to arrest him,
but no one laid hands on him.

So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees,
who asked them, "Why did you not bring him?"
The guards answered, "Never before has anyone spoken like this man."
So the Pharisees answered them, "Have you also been deceived?
Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?
But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed."
Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them,
"Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him
and finds out what he is doing?"
They answered and said to him,
"You are not from Galilee also, are you?
Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee."

Then each went to his own house.

Reflection

Jesus still today creates division. Different faiths have different ways of seeing His way of life. People accept parts of him without accepting other parts of him. It's natural. We have our own little world, and I'm struck by the last words of this passage. Then they all went to their own house, their own tradition, their own way of seeing life. And house is also a beautiful image of the church.

The church is a house for believers, believing in the one God with the one message of redemption that gives life to everyone. Let us work to create one house, one church, one belief in one great gift, God's presence within us.

Closing Prayer

Father, help us never to be caught up in judgment of others who think differently than ourselves. Let us simply seek your truth with the most open heart we can have, meaning that we long to be shown things that we don't yet know. It’s clinging to the past that gets us in trouble. Give us the freedom to become something new. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.