Catholic Men’s Daily Devotional and Bible Study – Fourth Week of Easter – Wednesday – John 12:44-50

The daily Gospel reading from the Mass for Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter is John 12:44-50.

Having healed and preached extensively throughout Galilee and Judea, Christ prepares for His Passion in Jerusalem during Holy Week by offering a summary of His Gospel. Christ, the Son of Man who is forceful and passionate about the salvation of souls, exhorts His disciples with a highly charged and emotional exhortation.

Christ confirms His authority in the unity with the Father in the Trinity.  Christ has been sent by His Father. He proclaims that He is so unified with the Father that those who see Him in the flesh are also seeing the Father; the Father and the Son are One. Unified, but separate Persons of the Trinity, Christ reaffirms that He has been sent by the Father to proclaim the Gospel and speaks with the full authority of God the Father. With the Father, Christ has power over life and death.

Based on His Identity, unity with the Father and authority from the Father, Christ proclaims the reality of the fates of men. The world is a place tormented by the darkness of sin. Christ reveals the light of truth, that God desires that men come to Him, believe in Christ, live in the light and to be saved. Men must hear and live out the truth Christ proclaims through actively “keeping” His sayings. All men will be judged by the standard of Christ’s Word; those who keep Christ’s commandments will have eternal life and those who fail to keep Christ’s words will be condemned on the judgment of the last day.

Awed by Jesus Christ – Person of the Trinity, Christ is unified with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Son of God, Christ has been given exclusive authority by the Father to proclaim the truth and to save men from the darkness. Divine Judge, Christ does not come to condemn the world, but through His Word, given by the Father, proclaims the standard by which men are judged.

Being a Heroic Catholic Man

1) The Son of Man, Christ is the best man, compelling, charismatic and passionate about His mission. Reflect on the opportunity to build a relationship with the greatest Man.

2) Christ asserts the necessity of faith in Him. During Easter, strengthen your understanding of the Characteristics of Faith (CCC 153-165) and pray for Christ to give you the grace to grow in faith.

3) Christ reveals that His word is the standard for the coming judgment and that men must keep His word for eternal life. During Easter, renew your understanding of the Creed’s To Judge the Living and the Dead (CCC 678-682) and seek Christ’s guidance and grace to keep His Word in your daily life.

Spiritual Practices – Include in Today’s Prayers

Sacred Mystery of Rosary – The Glorious Mysteries

Daily Devotion – Saint Joseph

Virtue of the Day – Temperance

Corporal Work of Mercy – To visit the imprisoned

Spiritual Work of Mercy – To comfort the sorrowful