God is eternal. He is without beginning or end. There is nothing that happens that He does not already know, see or foresee. This truth may cause us to ask, “If God already knows everything, and if He can see the effects of sin, catastrophes that happen in acts of nature, or the disruption and death caused by illnesses such as the Coronavirus pandemic, then why does He not simply move to prevent them from happening?” If we knew the answer to that question, then we can count ourselves equal to God. Jesus is the only person who ever claimed to be equal to the Father. In today’s gospel, He says that “before Abraham came to be, I AM” (Jn. 8:58), a direct connection to God, the I AM, who sent Moses (Ex. 3:14). Jesus knows the Father (Jn. 8:55), and confirms this statement with His words, “The Father and I are one” (Jn. 10:30). The identification of Jesus with His Father makes Him fully divine. But His words such as, “Of the day of the Lord, no one knows” (Mk. 13:32), or His prayer, “Remove this cup from me” (Mt. 26:39) makes Jesus fully human. If Jesus, ‘consubstantial with the Father’, is willing to trust the Father, and yield to His Father’s will to allow all things to happen - even death on a cross - how much more should we also trust our God? The lesson is clear: Jesus surrendered to the Father’s designated plans, therefore so should we. Lord Jesus, You are the epitome of love and humility in allowing Your Father to have His way in Your life with His plans. Teach us how to surrender as You did. Amen.

READINGS

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/040220.cfm