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COLLECT SERIES
COLLECT
Almighty ever- living God,
You constantly accomplish the Paschal Mystery within us,
That those you were pleased to
make new in Holy Baptism
may, under Your protective care,
Bear much fruit and come to
the joys of live eternal.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ
Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit,
One God for ever and ever.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
In making this prayer tangible
for during the week, the following reflection questions emerged:
1.What does the Paschal
Mystery mean to me?
2. How has God accomplished
the Paschal Mystery within me during my life up to this point?
3. How will God accomplish the
Pascal Mystery within me during this coming week?
4. What does Holy Baptism
provide throughout my life? Why not
spend some time this coming week reading either Compendium of Catholic Church
and/or Catechism of Catholic Church to understand more about the gift of Baptism.
5.Consider how God has
protected You in my life. Have I acknowledged this protective care and said
thanks to God?
6.What fruits will I bear this
coming week?
7. Why do I want to come to
the joys of life eternal?
8 How can I live the joys of
life eternal this coming week?
GOSPEL REFLECTION
Here is a Gospel reflection
for the 5th Sunday of Easter (Year A), based on John 14:1–12: “I am the
Way, the Truth, and the Life”
In
this Gospel, we find ourselves at a deeply intimate moment. Jesus is speaking
at the Last Supper. The atmosphere is tender, but also heavy. He has just told
the disciples that he is going away. Understandably, their hearts are troubled.
And
Jesus responds not by giving them a detailed plan… but by giving them himself.
“Do not let your hearts be
troubled.
Believe in God; believe also in me”.
1. The Heart of the Passage:
Relationship, not Roadmaps
Thomas asks a very human
question:
“Lord, we do not know where
you are going. How can we know the way?”
He is essentially saying: “Just
tell us what to do.”
But Jesus does not give
directions. He says: “I am the Way.”
This is a shift that can
unsettle us. We often want clarity, steps, certainty.
Jesus offers something deeper — relationship over control.
- The Way is not a method — it is a
person of Jesus.
- The Truth is not information — it
is a living encounter with Jesus.
- The Life is not just future
salvation — it is a present participation in God’s life now in our daily
lives.
Living
This Gospel
Let’s bring this down into
daily life.
1. When we feel uncertain, the
key is to stay close to Jesus but not in control. Give the control to Jesus.
We often say: “I just need to
know what to do.”
But this Gospel invites a
different response:
- Sit with Christ asking Him for His
solution to the problem
- Pray even when there are no answers. This
can be tough but even when we think there are no answers, there are graces
to receive in the no answer phase. For example when we have no answers, we
need to ask whether we have been given an answer and the answer is not
what we want or thought. It is still the best answer because Jesus gives
it to us. Maybe in this time of
seemingly no answers, we thank God for the answers He does gives us and
ask for the grace to submit to His way not ours.
- Trust that walking with Him is already the
way. We walk with Him when we spend time with Jesus in prayer, in
meditation of the scriptures, through the sacraments especially and by
committing our daily lives to be under His reign.
Simple practice:
Before making a decision,
pause and say:
“Jesus, be my way in this moment”.
2. When your heart is troubled
→ Return to trust
Jesus does not deny that life
is difficult. He says: “Do not let
your hearts be troubled”. That is
not a command to suppress emotion rather it is an invitation to anchor your
heart in trust. It also makes psychological sense because when our hearts are
troubled, our mental and emotional capacity is diminished. When we feel
troubled, small problems can feel like big problems. Things can be distorted to
the reality
Practical step:
- When anxiety rises, name it honestly
- Then gently redirect:
“Jesus, I trust that you are
with me here”. I do not need to be troubled.
Then breathe in the breath of the
Holy Spirit.
3. When faith feels
abstract → Look at Jesus
Philip says:
“Show us the Father, and we
will be satisfied.”
And Jesus replies:
“Whoever has seen me has seen
the Father.”
This is profound.
If you want to know what God
is like:
- Look at how Jesus speaks
- Look at how he forgives
- Look at how he suffers and loves
Practical step:
- Take one Gospel scene each day
- Ask: “What does this show me about
God’s heart?”
4. “You will do greater works
than these”
This can sound overwhelming —
or even unrealistic.
However, notice: Jesus is not
talking about greater power or the power that the world understands as power. He
is speaking about the spread of his love through us.
Because:
- He goes to the Father
- He sends the Spirit
- And now we become his presence in the
world
Practical step:
Choose
one small act of love each day: It might
be stopping and being with someone and providing them with a kind word. It
might be being patient when it is really difficult or it might be showing up
for someone quietly
These are not “small” in the
Kingdom. Any action which imitates Jesus is how Christ continues his work through us. We have countless opportunities to be like
Christ but we need to make that choice and ask Him to act in us each day.
This Gospel is not asking you
to figure everything out.
It is asking you to:
- Walk with Christ
- Trust him when the path is unclear
- Let your life reflect his love
Because in the end, the
Christian journey is not about mastering the way. It is about walking with the One who is the
Way.
.
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