When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. 

But who did Jesus say that He is? Listen to His words, listen to the Word. He called Himself the Son of Man and the Son of God. He is true God and true Man, one person with two natures, human and divine. And He said “I am…”

Read the eye witness testimony of the Beloved Disciple, who became Son of Mary during the crucifixion and who was one of the three apostles who witnessed the most intimate exchanges with the Lord.  He testifies to the Lord’s words:  Jesus, the Word of God, said “I am.” He made it clear that He is God and we should listen to Him.   The Father testified at the Baptism of the Lord that “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And again at the Transfiguration that “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, listen to Him.” The Virgin Mary tells everyone at the wedding at Cana “Do whatever He tells you.” 

The New Testament includes examples of people seeing Jesus as a Rabi, a teacher, a prophet, as the Messiah, as the Savior of the world, as the Lamb of God, as the son of David, as Lord and as the Son of God.  But Jesus did not say “I am a metaphor…” He did not say “I am a symbol…” He did not say “I am a sign…” He did not say “I am speaking figuratively or allegorically …”  He is Truth Himself and He meant what he said the way that He said it.   He is literally, truthfully, completely, actually, substantially and eternally who He said He is.  When He said “I am the Bread of Life,” He meant it literally. In reality, not as you would measure it using physical properties like sight and taste. He shares one substance with the Father.  All Jesus’ “I am” mysteries are revelations of Him, the one Lord, the divine Son of God. Truthfully, He was the Bread of Life given for us and to us even before the last supper.  And now He is the real Bread of Life that we eat at Mass. Body, blood, soul and divinity. 

The first time he spoke it in the Gospel of John, He revealed Himself as God not to his apostles, but to the woman at Jacob’s well seeking the Living Water. The second time He spoke it He said “I am the Bread of Life,” and he made six more revelations using the “I am the…” (“Ego Eimi”) declarations during His public ministry. These were given to us to know Him and love Him intimately in His divinity and in His humanity.  And in the Garden of Gethsemane, during His passion, He completely revealed Himself as “I am.” He is God, the infinite, eternal God. In the final Ego Eimi He spoke in time, He revealed Himself on the cross as God and Man, “I am thirsting.” Ego Eimi. He is thirsting for us, let us thirst for Him. After His Resurrection, the apostle Thomas saw Jesus and declared “My Lord and my God.”

St Cyril says on the Eucharist; “Do not doubt whether this is true, but rather receive the words of the Savior in Faith, for since He is the truth, he cannot lie.” St Thomas says also that the true Body of Christ and his true Blood is something that cannot be apprehended by the senses (physical senses), but only by faith, which relies on divine authority.”  Can we doubt then that all of His Ego Eimi statements are absolutely true? He said them with the same divine authority. They are all true because He is!

Believe Him.  Believe in Him, He is Truth itself. He meant these words literally and in the same way as when He spoke in the “I am the Bread of Life” revelation.  Think about that. The language of the kingdom of heaven is greater than the language of the earthly kingdom. Time and Eternity intersect in these statements.

We should all read the Ego Eimi episodes and statements in the Gospel. We should study them. We should learn them because they are Words of Life to mediate on and contemplate. “Ego Eimi” are the ancient Greek words for “I am” in the New Testament.  Saint John uses them in his Gospel deliberately many times.  They have always been important words to the Church especially when Jesus uses them … and for great reasons. He is Who He is. They recall the earliest Words to Moses on the mountain when God revealed who God is. His very name. Very personal, very intimate. Meditate on them and contemplate Him. We should know Him intimately and love Him with all our hearts, minds, souls and strength.

The “Ego Eimi” statements in the New Testament are all about who He really is.  They are supernovas of revelation and grace and they are all realities that are literally true. The Ego Eimi statements are more than metaphors, they are who He is, who He really is: literally, truly, and substantially.  He is the very Word of God telling you who He is. We must believe Him!  He spoke them to his disciples and to others during His incarnation as recorded in the Gospels…. As the Creed teaches us, He is the one Lord, born of the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God.  He was begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father. Fully human and divine natures, one Person. Through Him all things were made. All galaxies. All space, visible and invisible.

Jesus Christ is the King of the Universe. Through Him hundreds of billions of galaxies were created along with untold invisible galaxies, solar systems, worlds and unknown beings. The infinite Son is making Himself known to his creatures. He is saying the Ego Eimi to us, His beloved disciples of today. They are real not grammatical comparisons. They are not myths. Recall that the Virgin Mary declared to Saint Bernadette at Lourdes that “I am The Immaculate Conception" signifying both her sinless conception and her unique role in salvation history. Words from heaven are different realities than spoken words on earth.  But they do intersect in the Ego Eimi.  Our minds fall short, so we should seek Him in prayer, God may be unfathomable, but we should ponder His mysterious revelations and meet Him as He is. Study and pray the Ego Eimi’s.  When you know Him in prayer, you will Love Him and you will fulfill God’s commandment to love Him. The first commandment is to love God and the second it to love others. They are not the same.

You may find that you learn about and adapt to the reality of the Ego Eimi in stages, as St Photini of Samaria did. You may start with reading and meditating on them as metaphors and symbols at first. And that is a very productive spiritual garden! He is more than our intellects or hearts can contain.  HE IS GOD and He gives the living water. He is the Bread. He is the Light. He gives the Light of Life. He is the Gate. He is the Shephard. He is the Resurrection. He is the Life. He is the Way. He is the Truth. He is the Life. (Life has different meanings). He is the Vine. HE IS. And He thirsts. What awaits us in eternity is beyond our understanding in time. He is infinite in His divine nature. Worship Him. Adore Him. Contemplate Him. Love Him. Know Him. He is with you, especially when we pray.

Just because you don’t grasp these mysteries intellectually doesn’t mean they are not literally true.  Jesus is speaking to us from heaven’s perspective.  We will spend much of our eternity knowing Him as HE IS.  Only He has the answers that we should believe and only by praying them with Him will open the mind of our hearts to WHO HE IS. Eventually, our prayers and mediation time become contemplation. And contemplation will become adoration silently and in spiritual darkness, outside of our sight. You won’t see Him with your eyes, but know that He, the Bridegroom, is there with you. Your time contemplating the Ego Eimi will increase your love for Him, continue to pray and contemplate Ego Eimi faithfully all your life and you will in eternity. 

As His disciples and followers, we should know the Ego Eimi revelations as well as we can.  You can gain a new intimacy with the Lord by repeating them often and praying them. Meditate on them and all they reveal.  Muse on them and all they imply to our limited human intellects and souls. Ponder them. He said them and we must believe them.  They are literally who He is.  You perhaps have wondered about these statements and pondered them. Realize that He is God and you are not. Your thoughts cannot contain Him. You cannot grasp the One through whom all things were made until He reveals Himself. You are longing for a personal, individual, loving union with Him. Your soul is thirsting for Him and He is thirsting for you. You can be in the presence of the Bridegroom and not understand how. You are in the dark, embrace it. He is there.

 His Ego Eimi declarations are not Gospel sidebars, they are the Truth and as you read the gospel accounts, you should think about Him, mulling over where each episode is placed, what was happening before his statements, who He spoke them to, where each conversation took place and what was the moment like in each case.  That is a sacred approach to understanding and transformation.  That is meditation on His statements.

As you meditate on the events and episodes in the Gospel, you will also start to contemplate each of them, using your mental efforts to put yourself into each episode as you would when praying the Rosary. Some of the Ego Eimi are easy to mediate on such as Jesus as the Bread of Life as a Catholic understands it, because the bread at Mass is literally Him, as St Thomas said, His body and blood, soul and divinity. Or perhaps knowing Him as I am the Good Shephard who laid down His life for his sheep, but others seem to be more symbolic or perplexing.  … However, He IS Light from Light, and once again, the Ego Eimi are more than spiritual metaphors. Jesus said “I, the Light, have come into the world.” You are contemplating Him from a beautiful but limited human capacity and just because you cannot quite understand the fullness of God in the Ego Eimi, doesn’t mean the mysterious statements are not reality, are not substantially true or not literally true. They are! You have eternity in His revelations since He Is! Your companion in your contemplation is darkness, but the Bridegroom IS there with you. Let Him lead your spirit and soul even when your intellect is not aware.  Much of your eternity will be with the Ego Eimi, but we can start knowing and loving Him as Ego Eimi as He said He is now. 

Knowing God in this life is like a child observing and studying galaxies with only a cardboard paper towel roll… He is great beyond human understanding, but in prayer and contemplation, you are in His actual presence as HE IS although veiled in darkness. It will take an eternity to know the One through whom all the galaxies and stars and planets were made. In our lifetime we have come to understand much of the vastness of the visible universe and the great distances between the created stars and galaxies He created, so this gift of knowledge should likewise be reflected in an increase in the vastness of our worship and adoration of the One who Is. God is great indeed.

You do not need to be a contemplative hermit or in a religious vocation to contemplate the Ego Eimi. You can pray the Ego Eimi statements with a rosary. You can mark the days of the week with the seven Ego Eimi in prayer and meditation on them. The Lord offers Himself entirely to all of His mystical body. Regardless of our vocations we are called to spiritual union with Him, both through the Eucharist and in prayer. This is my prayer and my hope for each of you: to know Him, understand Him and Love Him closely and intimately as He intends for you. The closest, most intimate Apostles left you His words in the Gospel of John, enter into them.

Contemplating the I am the Bread of Life mystery….  Jesus made it clear to His disciples that He would be the bread of the Eucharist, that it would be his flesh and blood that they would be eating.  Many disciples left him but he made it clear that we would be eating Him. To this day, some disciples deny that the Eucharist is Him, some have decided that He was talking figuratively or metaphorically and that he implied we would be his family, merely His ‘Flesh and Blood’ but that falls far far short of His words in the Gospel, He said we would ‘eat his Flesh and drink His Blood.’  The Church He founded teaches that the Eucharist is His “Body and Blood, His soul and divinity.” He let no room for protestation… He is the Bread of Life in the Eucharist as the Catholic and Orthodox teach, the same teaching that was always been true since the last supper. If we do not eat Him (in the Eucharist) He said we would not have Life in us. 

You may not think that you can stand or knell before God as HE IS in prayer now, but you can.  You can be face to Face with the God of Gods and the Lord of Lords in prayer in the beautiful darkness, in silence before the Light of the world.  He is Ego Eimi and He loves you. Adore Him. Worship Him. Love Him through the veil and into His eternity.

These paragraphs are meant to help us adore and worship Him as who He said He is; to expand and deepen your love of Him and help you develop an intimate union with Him in this world and in the next.  As we await the Resurrection of the dead and the new heaven and earth, know that you can be close to Him as He is. Give Him the mind of your heart and the heart of your mind in prayer and contemplation.  The Ego Eimi tell the story of God on earth. He give us the living water, He give us Himself in the Bread of Life, He is the light of the world who gives us the Light of Life. He is the gate for the sheep, the portal who we enter into and go out from.   He is the Good Shepard who gives His life for his sheep.  He is the Resurrection and the Life, the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the True Vine and we are His branches.  He is. And He thirsts for us, let us thirst for Him.

Let us pray with Jesus as he did in His final discourse - may we be one with Him, may we be consecrated in Him, may we be preserved from evil, may we be one with each other, may we be sanctified together, may we one day be with Him where He is and see His glory! Amen.

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Psalm

Oh God, you are my God

For you I long, for you I thirst.

My body pines for you

Like a dry weary land without water;

So I gaze on you in the sanctuary

To see your strength and your glory.

For you love is better than life.

My lips will speak your praises.

So I will bless you all my life.

I will lift up my hands to your name

My soul shall be filled as with a banquet

My mouth shall praise you with joy.

On my bed I remember you,

On you I muse through the night

For you have been my help

I rejoice in the shadow of your wings

My soul clings to you,

Your right hand holds me fast.                                                                                                 

As you build your life of prayer, recognize that there is always more for you to journey into, the world of contemplating in the dark, not using images or your senses to contemplate, but letting the Ego Eimi quietly, silently, and blankly be in you. You are waiting for God to move in your prayer time. You will come to believe and know that He is the Holy One of God in each of His Ego Eimi manifestations. I suppose in this world we will have only glimpses… We can begin our prayers on earth and begin an eternal contemplation that will continue forever in Heaven and beyond. Your one companion is darkness.

A sensible approach to enter into Ego Eimi is by praying the Ego Eimi Rosary and meditating on His Words.   Ask our Holy Mother to transform you into the image and likeness of Christ in her spiritual womb. When you muse on His Word, the meditation will turn into a contemplation by putting yourself there as He speaks the episodes in your mind.  Use your senses in your mind to experience the Truth of each episode. Slowly continue  when you sense it is time to turn yourself over to Him, contemplate the Ego Eimi by reading his episode and praying seven decades of the Rosary (or use the one made for praying the seven Sorrows of Mary) by including the Holy Mother in your contemplation.  Speak them and let the silence echo in your soul.  Let Him guide you in a beautiful darkness to know Him as HE IS. He is the eternal One and we are not.

Lovers have secrets. St Edith Stein leaves us some good advice when it comes to privately experiencing spiritual sights or sounds, visions, they are gifts in prayer… She recommends not paying much attention to them and certainly, if you hear and see spiritual things in prayer, holy dreams or visions, do not talk about them, ever.  Treasure them in your heart and let them increase your love for Him. He is not the gifts, He is the Giver. Ask the Holy Spirit for the Union of Love with Him.  Show God you can keep His secrets! Like our Holy Mother, Mary, you can treasure them in your heart.

Jesus and the Woman of Samaria

4 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, “Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John” 2 —although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized— 3 he left Judea and started back to Galilee. 4 But he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.

7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.”

27 Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” 28 Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 29 “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” 30 They left the city and were on their way to him.

31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. 36 The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

39 Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”

John 6: “I am the Bread of Life”

22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; 38 for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.”

41 Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” 59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

John 7:28: Is This the Christ?

25 Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? 27 Yet we know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.” 28 Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him. 29 I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.” 30 Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Yet many in the crowd believed in him and were saying, “When the Messiah comes, will he do more signs than this man has done?” 

John 7:33; Officers Are Sent to Arrest Jesus

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering such things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent temple police to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little while longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will search for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, ‘You will search for me and you will not find me’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”

John 8:12; I am the Light of the World

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” 13 Then the Pharisees said to him, “You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.” 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge by human standards; I judge no one. 16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is valid; for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. 17 In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid. 18 I testify on my own behalf, and the Father who sent me testifies on my behalf.” 19 Then they said to him, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 He spoke these words while he was teaching in the treasury of the temple, but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

Jesus Foretells His Death

21 Again he said to them, “I am going away, and you will search for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 Then the Jews said, “Is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means by saying, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 He said to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.” 25 They said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Why do I speak to you at all? 26 I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” 27 They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. 29 And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.” 30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

John 8:58; Jesus and Abraham

39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing what Abraham did, 40 but now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are indeed doing what your father does.” They said to him, “We are not illegitimate children; we have one father, God himself.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot accept my word. 44 You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God.”

48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and he is the judge. 51 Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” 52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’ 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who do you claim to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, ‘He is our God,’ 55 though you do not know him. But I know him; if I would say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him and I keep his word. 56 Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.” 57 Then the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

John 9:5: I am the Light of the World

9 As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, 7 saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. 8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

John 10:7; I am the gate for the sheep

10 “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

7 So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

John 10:11; I am the Good Shepherd

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

19 Again the Jews were divided because of these words. 20 Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?” 21 Others were saying, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

10:36; Jesus Is Rejected by the Jews

22 At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; 26 but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”

31 The Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’—and the scripture cannot be annulled— 36 can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands.

40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. 41 Many came to him, and they were saying, “John performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there.

John 11:25; I am the Resurrection and the Life

17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”

12:26; Some Greeks Wish to See Jesus

20 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

John 13:19; Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet

13 Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4 got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

12 After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16 Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. 18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But it is to fulfill the scripture, ‘The one who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ 19 I tell you this now, before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am he. 20 Very truly, I tell you, whoever receives one whom I send receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.”

John 13:33; The New Commandment

31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32 If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33 Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

John 14:6; I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life

14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

John 15:1; I am the True Vine

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. 2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. 3 You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant[ does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. 17 I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

John 16:32; Peace for the Disciples

25 “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures, but will tell you plainly of the Father. 26 On that day you will ask in my name. I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; 27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and am going to the Father.”

29 His disciples said, “Yes, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure of speech! 30 Now we know that you know all things, and do not need to have anyone question you; by this we believe that you came from God.” 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. 33 I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!”

John 17:11; Jesus Prays for His Disciples

17 After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. 5 So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.

6 “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost so that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.

20 “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

25 “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

John 18:5; I am he

18 After Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” 5 They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replied, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. 7 Again he asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” 9 This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.” 10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. 11 Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

19:28; I am Thirsty

So they took Jesus; 17 and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. 19 Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” 23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. 24 So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says,

“They divided my clothes among themselves,
    and for my clothing they cast lots.”

25 And that is what the soldiers did.

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

28 After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

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The Ego Eimi Rosary.

I am the Bread of Life

I am the Light of the world

I am the Gate for the sheep

I am the Good Shephard

I am the Resurrection and the Life

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life

I am the True Vine

Or

Jesus said, I am the Bread of Life

Jesus said, I am the Light of the world

Jesus said, I am the Gate for the sheep

Jesus said, I am the Good Shephard

Jesus said, I am the Resurrection and the Life

Jesus said, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life

Jesus said, I am the True Vine

You can dedicate each day prayer to the Ego Eimi in order during the week

Sunday to contemplating the Lord as the Bread of Life, Monday as the Light of the world, Tuesday as the Gate for the Sheep, Wednesday as the Good Shepard, Thursday as the Resurection and the Life, Friday and the Way, the Truth and the Life, and Saturday as the True Vine. This routine can be an upward spiral in time with Him.

Enter into the Jesus Prayer Using Ego Eimi prayers

Use a rosary to count 10 prayers for each Ego Eimi meditation as you would on a rosary decade:

“Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”.

Ego Eimi Prayers

Lord Jesus, you are the Bread of Life

Lord Jesus, you are the Light of the world

Lord Jesus, you are the Gate for the Sheep

Lord Jesus, you are the Good Shephard

Lord Jesus, you are the Resurection and the Life

Lord Jesus, you are the Way, the Truth and the Life

Lord Jesus, you are the True Vine

Lord Jesus, you are

Lord Jesus, I thirst for You

Amen.

Bread of Life, feed us with your Flesh and Blood.

Light of the World, transfigure us into your Light of Life.

Gate of the Sheep, let us pasture with you.

Good Shephard, rescue us from sin and death.

Resurrection and Life, raise us to be with you.

Way, Truth and Life, lead us to the Father.

True Vine, graft us forever into your Body.

Amen.

Join with the Lord’s Prayer for his Disciples

May we be one with You, Lord, in all ways.

May we be consecrated to You, Lord through your Holy Mother.

May we be preserved from all evil.

May we be one with each other in your mystical body.

May we be sanctified together to the Father’s Glory.

May we be with you where You are.

And Lord Jesus, may we see your Glory

Other Important Prayers

Meditate on the 7 promises of Christ that are revealed in Revelation:

The Message to Ephesus

1‘To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands:

2‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate evildoers; you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them to be false. 3I also know that you are enduring patiently and bearing up for the sake of my name, and that you have not grown weary. 4But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5Remember then from what you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6Yet this is to your credit: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers, I will give permission to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God.

The Message to Smyrna

8‘And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the first and the last, who was dead and came to life:

9‘I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich. I know the slander on the part of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Whoever conquers will not be harmed by the second death.

The Message to Pergamum

12‘And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword:

13‘I know where you are living, where Satan's throne is. Yet you are holding fast to my name, and you did not deny your faith in me even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan lives. 14But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling-block before the people of Israel, so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols and practice fornication. 15So you also have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16Repent then. If not, I will come to you soon and make war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give a white stone, and on the white stone is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.

The Message to Thyatira

18‘And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze:

19‘I know your works—your love, faith, service, and patient endurance. I know that your last works are greater than the first. 20But I have this against you: you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet and is teaching and beguiling my servants to practise fornication and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her fornication. 22Beware, I am throwing her on a bed, and those who commit adultery with her I am throwing into great distress, unless they repent of her doings; 23and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve. 24But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call “the deep things of Satan”, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden; 25only hold fast to what you have until I come. 26To everyone who conquers and continues to do my works to the end,

I will give authority over the nations;27to rule  them with an iron rod, as when clay pots are shattered—28even as I also received authority from my Father. To the one who conquers I will also give the morning star. 29Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.’

The Message to Sardis

1‘And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars:

‘I know your works; you have a name for being alive, but you are dead. 2Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is at the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. 3Remember then what you received and heard; obey it, and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. 4Yet you have still a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes; they will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5If you conquer, you will be clothed like them in white robes, and I will not blot your name out of the book of life; I will confess your name before my Father and before his angels. 6Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

The Message to Philadelphia

7‘And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens: 8I know your works. Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but are lying—I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. 10Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. 11I am coming soon; hold fast to what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. 12If you conquer, I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God; you will never go out of it. I will write on you the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem that comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. 13Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

The Message to Laodicea

14‘And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the origin of God's creation:

15‘I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. 16So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17For you say, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.” You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich; and white robes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen; and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 19I reprove and discipline those whom I love. Be earnest, therefore, and repent. 20Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. 21To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.’

Amen Amen!.