4TH WEEK OF LENT

The Son cannot do anything on his own.

Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus doing some amazing things: controlling the weather, walking on water, healing diseases, feeding thousands of people with a few loaves and fishes, and even raising the dead! And yet twice in today’s Gospel, he claims that he “cannot do anything on [his] own” (John 5:19, 30, emphasis added). He can only do “what he sees the Father doing” (5:19).

Think about what this means for us. Just as Jesus, in his human nature, kept his eyes fixed on his Father, how much more should we if we want to bear fruit that will last!

The truth is, we often try to do things on our own, without looking to our Father for guidance or help. But when we let him lead us instead of trying to go our own way, we become more peaceful and find courage to face our challenges. That’s because we don’t feel so much pressure to be perfect and get everything right! Confident that the Lord is always by our side, we try our best and then leave the results in his hands. And even when those results aren’t exactly what we had hoped for, we can still trust that he is guiding us and helping us.

However, admitting our dependence on the Lord doesn’t mean that we are just puppets or robots taking orders from him. We still need to use our free will to choose to cooperate with him; we still need to put forth our effort to do what he is asking us to do.

Of course, there are times when our pride can coax even the best of us into doing what we want without seeking God’s wisdom or guidance first. Following our own will instead of his may seem like the easier path at first, but in the long run, it only makes our lives more difficult—and less satisfying as well, since it leads us away from him.

So welcome Jesus into the situations of your life! Admit your need for him, and tell him that you don’t want to do anything without him. Let him guide you and help you and, yes, correct you when you need it. He wants nothing more than to empower you to do his will!

“Jesus, teach me to imitate your humility. Lord, I need your grace for everything I do!”

Isaiah 49:8-15
Psalm 145:8-9, 13-14, 17-18
John 5:17-30