As Jesus died and rose again, God will raise those who died in him. And as all die in Adam, so all in Christ will have life.

 

First Reading: Job 19,1.23-27

Reading from the book of Job – 1Job took the floor and said: 23“I would like my words to be written and engraved in an inscription 24with an iron pointer and with lead, stuck in the rock forever! 25I know that my redeemer is alive and that he will finally rise from the dust; 26and after they have destroyed this skin of mine, in my flesh I will see God. 27I myself will see him, my eyes will behold him, and not the eyes of others.” - Word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm: 26(27)

I know that I will see the goodness of the Lord / in the land of the living.

1. The Lord is my light and salvation; / Who will I be afraid of? / The Lord is the protection of my life; / before whom will I tremble? – R.

2. From the Lord I ask only one thing, / and that is all I desire: / to dwell in the sanctuary of the Lord / for all my life; / savor the gentleness of the Lord / and contemplate him in his temple. – R.

3. O Lord, hear the voice of my call, / answer out of compassion! / It is your face that I seek. † Do not push away your servant in your anger, / you are my help! – R.

4. I know that I will see the goodness of the Lord / in the land of the living. / Wait on the Lord and have courage, / wait on the Lord! – R.

Second Reading: Romans 5:5-11

Reading of Saint Paul's letter to the Romans – Brothers, 5Hope does not disappoint, because God's love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit given to us. 6Indeed, while we were still weak, Christ died for the wicked at the appointed time. 7Hardly anyone will die for a righteous person; by a very good person, maybe someone will be willing to die. 8Well, the proof that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. 9Much more, now that we are justified by the blood of Christ, we will be saved from wrath through him. 10When we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son; how much more now, being reconciled, will we be saved by his life! 11Moreover, we glory in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is through him that, from the present time, we receive reconciliation. - Word of the Lord.

Gospel: John 6,37-40

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.

This is the will of those who sent me: / that I should not lose any of those he gave me, but that I should resurrect them on the last day (John 6:39). – R.

Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to John – At that time, Jesus said to the crowds: 37 “All those whom the Father entrusts to me will come to me, and when they come, I will not drive them away. 38For I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should not lose any of those he gave me, but should raise them up on the last day. 40For this is my Father's will: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life. And I will raise him up on the last day.” – Word of salvation.

Reflection:

Jesus speaks words of comfort and hope. We are not abandoned, alone, aimless, without a master, without a shepherd. Jesus is the giver of life; he does not reject anyone, for he came down from heaven for us: “I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And the will of him who sent me is that I should not lose any of what he gave me.” Jesus and the Father want abundant life for everyone. Jesus' only and indispensable requirement is that we believe in him. Believing is not simply feeding good thoughts or saying “I believe” outright. Faith requires the practice of works of justice, fraternity and mercy. So, yes, we can be assured of eternal life: “I will raise him up on the last day.” Salvation will only be complete with the resurrection.

​