We Are One
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
John 10:22-30 - The feast of the Dedication was taking place in Jerusalem. It was winter. And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me. But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“The Father and I are one.”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
St. John, more than any other writer in Scripture, speaks of the relationship of the Persons of the Blessed Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells the Jews: “The Father and I are one.” Certainly, any listener can grasp the basic meaning here, but as Christians we should deeply ponder the inner Life of the Blessed Trinity. The Three Divine Persons are each distinct Persons, but they are not separated from each other. They are bound together in a unity of love. St. John, in one of his letters to his churches (John 1), says that God is love.
The clearest image we have of this invisible reality is in something we see every day. God made mankind in His image (Genesis 1). This doesn’t mean that we look like Him, but it does mean that we can understand something about Him by observing ourselves. God made mankind male and female– the first of these were Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve, themselves two distinct people, joined themselves together in love in a bond of marriage, and (as Genesis 2 tells us) “the two became one.” Marriage is the great image of the Holy Trinity, a community of Persons who, though distinct, are not separate. They are bound together, as one, in love. In prayer, reflect on how our marriage and our family beautifully reflect God’s inner Life in the Trinity. How can we better reflect the love of the Trinity in our life?
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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