Gospel (Jn 5,31-47) - At that time, Jesus said to the Jews: «If I were to testify about myself, my testimony would not be true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony he bears about me is true. You sent messengers to John and he bore witness to the truth. I do not receive testimony from a man; but I tell you these things so that you may be saved. He was the lamp that burns and shines, and you just for a moment wanted to rejoice in his light. However, I have a testimony superior to that of John: the works that the Father has given me to do, those same works that I am doing, testify of me that the Father sent me. »And the Father who sent me also bore witness to me. But you have never heard his voice nor seen his face, and his word does not remain in you; for you do not believe him whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures, thinking that you have eternal life in them: it is precisely they that bear witness to me. But you do not want to come to me to have life. I do not receive glory from men. But I know you: you do not have the love of God in you." I have come in the name of my Father and you do not welcome me; if another came in his own name, you would welcome him. And how can you believe, you who receive glory from one another, and do not seek the glory that comes from the one God? Don't think that I will be the one to accuse you before the Father; there is already someone who accuses you: Moses, in whom you place your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me also; because he wrote about me. But if you do not believe his writings, how can you believe my words?".

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

Jesus appeals directly to the testimony of the Father who is in heaven and who works in him in the earth of men. There had already been an indication from the Baptist who obviously had his strength: he, says Jesus, was like a lamp, but few welcomed that light. And he adds, to give a reason for his mission, the testimony of his works - both the preaching of the kingdom and the miracles that accompany it - which attest that the kingdom of God has arrived among men. Indeed, Jesus did not come into the world simply to proclaim a doctrine, but to change the world, to free it from the slavery of sin and evil. The Gospel, with the miracles that free men from illness and slavery, shows his power of change, of liberation from the power of evil. They are the "works" that Jesus speaks of: the conversion of hearts and the transformations that take place in people's lives, the works of mercy that free many from numerous forms of slavery. Yet the Pharisees, despite seeing these works and listening to the preaching, do not want to believe that Jesus is the messenger of God. Their hearts are hardened by pride and their minds clouded by ritual practices that have drowned out mercy and love . Jesus says: "But you have never listened to his voice." Faith is above all "listening" to the Word of God and making it one's own by putting it into practice. However, this requires the humility of listening to the Lord, the willingness to be guided by that word that comes from above. Listening and availability are the first steps, if we can say so, of faith: in them there is already the spark of God, the attraction, the search for God before we realize it. Jesus tells them: "You do not have the love of God within you." It is he who reveals the face of God to us: he is the exegete of God, the only one capable of explaining it to us clearly. Anyone who reads the Holy Scriptures willingly and puts them into practice with sincerity of heart directly experiences the power of liberation of God's love. Jesus urges his listeners not to harden their hearts as the Jews did in the time of Moses, to do not be proud of themselves and do not trust in their works. On the contrary, we must let our hearts be touched by the Word of God and the works of love that it inspires. Jesus, however, despite the disbelief in which his listeners fall, does not accuse them before the Father. He came to open everyone's eyes and hearts. And this happens to anyone who opens and reads the Holy Scriptures with availability and humility: in them it is Jesus himself who comes to meet us so that we can understand the limitless love of the Father. And let ourselves be involved in his plan of salvation.