Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter

"A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me." So some of his disciples said to one another, "What does this mean that he is saying to us, ´A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me,´ and ´Because I am going to the Father´?" So they said, "What is this ´little while´ (of which he speaks)? We do not know what he means." Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, "Are you discussing with one another what I said, ´A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me´? Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I need your strength to keep my Christian fight up. Don’t allow me to give in to my weakness of will and laziness. I offer you my diligence and hard work of this day.

Petition: Lord Jesus, stay with me always!

1. Seeing Jesus: Jesus is talking about leaving his disciples and, of course, this causes them great sorrow. They have spent three years with their Master, listening to him preach, being astounded by his miracles and, no less importantly, growing in friendship. The presence of Jesus meant everything to them, so naturally, the thought of his departure filled them with sorrow. What would they be able to do on their own, without his leadership and guidance? They would have to learn that Jesus is present through the Holy Spirit. With faith, we continue to see him.

2. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask: The apostles are somewhat hesitant to bring their heavyhearted question to the Lord. We need to be open with Jesus and never hold anything back from him. Perhaps we will not always receive the answers we are looking for, but we can always be sure that he will reaffirm his love and his commitment to always be with us.

3. Having the Last Laugh: “You will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.” Ultimate victory will always be had for the follower of Christ. The disciples would learn this in a graphic way that would leave them marked forever. They would experience the most incredible reversal in all of history, going from the darkest experience of Christ’s death with all the sense of doom and disaster that that traumatic event brought, to the glorious joy of the resurrection. If we persevere with Christ, we will experience the joy of his love—starting right now and then through all eternity in heaven.

Dialogue with Christ: Lord, keep me on the right path. Help me to seek a deeper faith, to never be content with a superficial prayer life. If I keep close to you, I will not fall away.

Resolution: I will lift up my mind frequently to God during the day.