Day 28: The Father’s Work of Mercy

Scripture Reading:

John 5:17–30

Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, and I also am working.” For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He was not only breaking the sabbath, but was also calling God His own Father, thereby making Himself equal to God.

Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. The Father loves the Son and shows Him all that He Himself is doing… Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever He wishes… I can do nothing on My own. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I seek to do not My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.”

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Reflection:

As we continue through the Gospel of John, L He speaks openly of divine intimacy, of love and obedience, of authority and life. “My Father is still working, and I also am working.” What work is this? It is the work of mercy. The work of healing. The work of calling the dead to life.

So much of Lent is a return to that core relationship: Are we living in the Father’s love? Are we cooperating with His mercy? We do not live this life of faith on our own. Like Jesus, we are invited to see what the Father is doing—in us, around us, and through us—and join Him in that mission.

This takes prayer. It takes surrender. It takes discernment. And it often takes courage. Because the will of God will almost always lead us deeper into communion with others, deeper into compassion, and deeper into the mystery of love that sacrifices for the sake of the other.

St. Ignatius of Loyola offers us a practical lens for this:

“We must make ourselves indifferent to all created things… so that we desire and choose only what is more conducive to the end for which we are created.”
(Spiritual Exercises, Principle and Foundation)

We are created to love, to serve, and to return to the Father. The Son reveals this. And Lent renews it.

The Desert Father Abba Isaac taught:

“Do not say that God is just. God is love and mercy manifest in justice. He is not the rewarder of good only but the merciful restorer of the fallen.”
(Conference 1, Cassian)

This is what Jesus reveals—God is not only a judge, but a Father who brings life out of death, mercy out of failure, and grace out of dryness.

So today, let us ask ourselves: where do we need to see the Father at work in our lives? And are we willing to say, like Jesus, “I seek not my own will, but the will of Him who sent me”?

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Reflection Questions:

1. Where in your life is the Father gently inviting you to trust more deeply?

2. What “work of mercy” is God calling you to join in—perhaps with someone who is hurting or isolated?

3. How can prayer help you discern and follow the will of God more freely?

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Closing Prayer:

Father of Mercy, Your Son did only what He saw You doing. Help me to open my heart to Your work in my life. May I not act on my own, but seek to cooperate with Your will through prayer, humility, and trust. Lead me by the hand of Jesus, and fill me with the Spirit that I too may bring life and healing to others. Amen.

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This reflection is written by Kris McGregor of Discerning Hearts®. The Scripture passage is taken from the Jerusalem Bible (1966 edition), used with permission. No unauthorized use or reproduction is permitted without prior written consent.