Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Lectionary: 299
Lectionary: 299
At Miletus, Paul
spoke to the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus:
“Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock
of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers,
in which you tend the Church of God
that he acquired with his own Blood.
I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you,
and they will not spare the flock.
And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth
to draw the disciples away after them.
So be vigilant and remember that for three years, night and day,
I unceasingly admonished each of you with tears.
And now I commend you to God
and to that gracious word of his that can build you up
and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated.
I have never wanted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.
You know well that these very hands
have served my needs and my companions.
In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort
we must help the weak,
and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said,
‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
When he had finished speaking
he knelt down and prayed with them all.
They were all weeping loudly
as they threw their arms around Paul and kissed him,
for they were deeply distressed that he had said
that they would never see his face again.
Then they escorted him to the ship.
“Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock
of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers,
in which you tend the Church of God
that he acquired with his own Blood.
I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you,
and they will not spare the flock.
And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth
to draw the disciples away after them.
So be vigilant and remember that for three years, night and day,
I unceasingly admonished each of you with tears.
And now I commend you to God
and to that gracious word of his that can build you up
and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated.
I have never wanted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.
You know well that these very hands
have served my needs and my companions.
In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort
we must help the weak,
and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said,
‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
When he had finished speaking
he knelt down and prayed with them all.
They were all weeping loudly
as they threw their arms around Paul and kissed him,
for they were deeply distressed that he had said
that they would never see his face again.
Then they escorted him to the ship.
Responsorial Psalm PS 68:29-30, 33-35A, 35BC-36AB
R. (33a) Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Show forth, O God, your power,
the power, O God, with which you took our part;
For your temple in Jerusalem
let the kings bring you gifts.
R. Sing to God, O Kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You kingdoms of the earth, sing to God,
chant praise to the Lord
who rides on the heights of the ancient heavens.
Behold, his voice resounds, the voice of power:
“Confess the power of God!”
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Over Israel is his majesty;
his power is in the skies.
Awesome in his sanctuary is God, the God of Israel;
he gives power and strength to his people.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Show forth, O God, your power,
the power, O God, with which you took our part;
For your temple in Jerusalem
let the kings bring you gifts.
R. Sing to God, O Kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You kingdoms of the earth, sing to God,
chant praise to the Lord
who rides on the heights of the ancient heavens.
Behold, his voice resounds, the voice of power:
“Confess the power of God!”
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Over Israel is his majesty;
his power is in the skies.
Awesome in his sanctuary is God, the God of Israel;
he gives power and strength to his people.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel JN 17:11B-19
Lifting up his eyes
to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying:
“Holy Father, keep them in your name
that you have given me,
so that they may be one just as we are one.
When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me,
and I guarded them, and none of them was lost
except the son of destruction,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
But now I am coming to you.
I speak this in the world
so that they may share my joy completely.
I gave them your word, and the world hated them,
because they do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world
but that you keep them from the Evil One.
They do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
Consecrate them in the truth.
Your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
so I sent them into the world.
And I consecrate myself for them,
so that they also may be consecrated in truth.”
“Holy Father, keep them in your name
that you have given me,
so that they may be one just as we are one.
When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me,
and I guarded them, and none of them was lost
except the son of destruction,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
But now I am coming to you.
I speak this in the world
so that they may share my joy completely.
I gave them your word, and the world hated them,
because they do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world
but that you keep them from the Evil One.
They do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
Consecrate them in the truth.
Your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
so I sent them into the world.
And I consecrate myself for them,
so that they also may be consecrated in truth.”
Meditation: "Consecrated in God's
truth"
Do you know why God created you - what purpose
and mission he has entrusted to you? Jesus' aim and mission was to glorify his
heavenly Father. All he said and did gave glory to his Father. On the eve of
his sacrifice on the cross and in the presence of his disciples, Jesus made his
high priestly prayer: "Holy Father, keep them in your name that they may
be one as we are one". Jesus prayed for the unity of his disciples and for
all who would believe in him. Jesus' prayer for his people is that we be united
with God the Father in his Son and through his Holy Spirit and be joined
together, in unity with all who are members of Christ's body.
What motivated Jesus to lay down his life on the
cross as the atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world? It was love - love for
his Father in heaven and love for each and everyone of us who are made in the
image and likeness of God. Jesus was sent into the world by his Father for a
purpose and that purpose was a mission of love to free us from slavery to sin,
Satan, fear, death, and hopelessness. Jesus saw glory in the cross rather than
shame. Obedience to his Father's will was his glory. Jesus kept his Father's
word even when tempted to forgo the cross. Jesus did not rely on his own human
resources and strength to accomplish his Father's will. He trusted in his
Father to give him strength, courage, and perseverance in the face of
opposition, trials, and temptation.
We also must take up our cross and follow the
Lord Jesus wherever he may call us. He will give us the strength and power of
the Holy Spirit to live as his disciples. John Henry Newman (1801-1890) wrote:
"God has created me to do him some definite service; he has committed some
work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission - I may
never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in
a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for
nothing. Therefore, I will trust him. Whatever, wherever I am. I cannot be
thrown away." Do you trust in God and in his call and purpose for your
life?
Jesus prayed that his disciples would be
sanctified and consecrated in God's truth and holiness. The scriptural word for consecration comes
from the same Hebrew word which means holy or set
apart for God. This word also means to be equiped with the
qualities of mind and heart and character for such a task or service.
Just as Jesus was called by the Father to serve
in holiness and truth, so we, too, are called and equipped for the task of
serving God in the world as his ambassadors. God's truth frees us from
ignorance and the deception of sin. It reveals to us God's goodness, love, and
wisdom. And it gives us a thirst for God's holiness. The Holy Spirit is the
source and giver of all holiness. As we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our
lives, he transforms us by his purifying fire and changes us into the likeness
of Christ. Is your life consecrated toGod?
"Lord Jesus, take my life and make it
wholly pleasing to you. Sanctify me in your truth and guide me by your Holy
Spirit that I may follow you faithfully wherever you lead."
 In But Not Of the World |
|
John 17:11b-19
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed,
saying: “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that
they may be one just as we are. When I was with them I protected them in your
name that you gave me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except
the son of destruction, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled. But
now I am coming to you. I speak this in the world so that they may share my
joy completely. I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they
do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask
that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one.
They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.
Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the
world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so
that they also may be consecrated in truth.”
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in you. I believe that you
are here with me. I thank you for your loving presence in my life. I place
all of my hope in you. I humbly offer you the love in my heart and my desire
to continue your mission in the world.
Petition: Lord, strengthen my resolve to serve you.
1. He Always Loved Those Who Were His Own in
the World: Jesus completed his
mission of protecting those entrusted to his care. He fulfilled his vocation
as a man; not one of his apostles was lost except the son of destruction. We
have his protection still. He sits at the right hand of the Father to
intercede for us. We have the help of his mother, Mary, and all the saints in
heaven. We are surrounded by a great crowd of saints, who support our efforts
to live as God wants us to live. They are God’s gift to protect us on our
pilgrimage in life.
2. Here For the Spiritual Battle: As Jesus was leaving the world, he prayed
for his disciples. He did not pray that they would be taken out of the world,
but that they be kept from the evil one. Sometimes we can feel beaten up and
broken, and we seek to flee the battle. Jesus needs us in the combat and
entrusts us with the fight. He doesn’t keep us from the battle, instead
offers us the strength of his help. He is with us, fighting at our side. He
is within us, giving us the interior strength to do his will.
3. Just Passing Through: Although we are in the world, we are here as
pilgrims. We are passing through on our way to heaven. We have a mission: to
save the souls that God has entrusted to our care. It is easy to get
distracted, to begin to look for calm, ease or a more comfortable resting
place for our weary souls and bodies. The world remains attractive to our
fallen nature. Alluring advertisements can leave their mark on us, and we can
desire the things of earth more than the treasures of heaven. This is why we
must give priority to prayer in our life and contemplate life from the
perspective of eternity.
Conversation with Christ: Jesus, protect me from the evil one. He is
battling me on many fronts. Keep me strong style="color: #990000"
in your love. Don’t let me give in to discouragement or despair. I have the
protection of your love and your intercession. Increase my hope in you. Help
me to continue your work in the world.
Resolution: I will speak to someone about Christ today,
sharing with them the love he lavishes upon us.
|
SHAVUOT BEGINS AT SUNSET
Shavuot is the second of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance (the other two are Passover and Sukkot). Shavuot, the Feast of the Weeks, is held seven weeks after Passover. The Book of Ruth is read at this time. Shavuot is the Jewish holiday celebrating the yearly harvest when all Jews made a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. They brought an offering of the First Fruit of the harvest as a gesture of thanksgiving for the successful yield. Shavuot also commemorates the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai. Passover freed the Jews physically from bondage, but the giving of the Torah on Shavuot redeemed them spiritually from bondage to idolatry and immorality. Shavuot is also known as Pentecost, because it falls on the 50th day. The Christian holiday of Pentecost occurs 50 days after Easter.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, JOHN 17:11b-19 (Acts 20:28-38; Psalm 68)
KEY VERSE: "Consecrate them in truth. Your word is truth" (v 17).
READING: Poised between heaven and earth, Jesus interceded to the Father on behalf of his disciples whom he called 'friends.' As a good shepherd, Jesus protected the flock that the Father had given him (Jn 10:27-29). The only one lost was Judas, the one who gave himself over to the evil one. Jesus consecrated his faithful disciples, that is, he set them apart from the profane world in order to be holy vessels for God's use. Ironically, Jesus said that he did not pray for the world, and yet he came because God loved the world (Jn 3:16). But in John's gospel the 'world" stands for a human society without God. As the Father sent Jesus into the world to sanctify it, Jesus sent his disciples into the world in order to lead people back to God. The disciples would be a means of holiness for the entire world through their dedicated proclamation of divine truth.
REFLECTING: Am I a sign of holiness for others?
PRAYING: Risen Lord, help me to be an instrument of your truth in the world.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
Courageous Christians
Pope Francis takes the Gospel to the street. He does not wait for
those in need to approach him; he goes to them, visiting the poor and sick in a
spirit of true charity. And he tells us, we have to become “courageous
Christians” in order to do this.
Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth
The humanity of Jesus is portrayed strongly as he prepares to take leave of his friends. He knows their weakness and vulnerability and he asks his Father to protect them. They are chosen and precious to him and he knows full well the power of the evil one. The sense of a mission achieved, and almost complete, is in this prayer. Jesus prays that their truth will be lived. Today the church is besieged by all sorts of destructive purposes. It is up to us to pray for our own fortitude and wisdom in quietly and firmly sticking to the path set out for us by Jesus. Through Christ-like lives, we will be small flames of gentleness and truth in a chaotic world. Undoubtedly we are in the loving care of God the Father.
June
4
Blessed Angeline of Marsciano
(1374-1435)
Blessed Angeline of Marsciano
(1374-1435)
Blessed Angeline founded the first community of Franciscan women
other than Poor Clares to receive papal approval.
Angeline
was born to the Duke of Marsciano (near Orvieto). She was 12 when her mother
died. Three years later the young woman made a vow of perpetual chastity. That
same year, however, she yielded to her father’s decision that she marry the
Duke of Civitella. Her husband agreed to respect her previous vow.
When he
died two years later, Angeline joined the Secular Franciscans and with several
other women dedicated herself to caring for the sick, the poor, widows and
orphans. When many other young women were attracted to Angeline’s community,
some people accused her of condemning the married vocation. Legend has it that
when she came before the King of Naples to answer these charges, she had
burning coals hidden in the folds of her cloak. When she proclaimed her
innocence and showed the king that these coals had not harmed her, he dropped
the case.
Angeline
and her companions later went to Foligno, where her community of Third Order
sisters received papal approval in 1397. She soon established 15 similar
communities of women in other Italian cities.
Angeline
died on July 14, 1435, and was beatified in 1825.
Comment:
Priests, sisters and brothers cannot be signs of God’s love for the human family if they belittle the vocation of marriage. Angeline respected marriage but felt called to another way of living out the gospel. Her choice was life-giving in its own way.
Priests, sisters and brothers cannot be signs of God’s love for the human family if they belittle the vocation of marriage. Angeline respected marriage but felt called to another way of living out the gospel. Her choice was life-giving in its own way.
Quote:
Pope Paul VI wrote in 1971: "Without in any way undervaluing human love and marriage— is not the latter, according to faith, the image and sharing of the union of love joining Christ and the Church?— consecrated chastity evokes this union in a more immediate way and brings that surpassing excellence to which all human love should tend" (Apostolic Exhortation on the Renewal of Religious Life, #13).
Pope Paul VI wrote in 1971: "Without in any way undervaluing human love and marriage— is not the latter, according to faith, the image and sharing of the union of love joining Christ and the Church?— consecrated chastity evokes this union in a more immediate way and brings that surpassing excellence to which all human love should tend" (Apostolic Exhortation on the Renewal of Religious Life, #13).
LECTIO DIVINA:
JOHN 17,11B-19
Lectio:
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
1)
OPENING PRAYER
Lord our God,
your Son Jesus gave himself totally
to those he loved - that is, to all.
Give us a bit of his unselfish love
that we too may learn from experience
that there is more joy in giving ourselves
than in receiving honours or favours.
May the Spirit make us also so much one
that we graciously share with one another
our God-given riches and gifts as persons.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
your Son Jesus gave himself totally
to those he loved - that is, to all.
Give us a bit of his unselfish love
that we too may learn from experience
that there is more joy in giving ourselves
than in receiving honours or favours.
May the Spirit make us also so much one
that we graciously share with one another
our God-given riches and gifts as persons.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
2)
GOSPEL READING - JOHN 17,11B-19
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said: Holy Father, keep
those you have given me true to your name, so that they may be one like us.
While I was with them, I kept those you had given me true to
your name. I have watched over them and not one is lost except one who was
destined to be lost, and this was to fulfil the scriptures. But now I am coming
to you and I say these things in the world to share my joy with them to the
full. I passed your word on to them, and the world hated them, because they
belong to the world no more than I belong to the world.
I am not asking you to remove them from the world, but to
protect them from the Evil One. They do not belong to the world any more than I
belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth; your word is truth. As you
sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world, and for their sake I
consecrate myself so that they too may be consecrated in truth.
3)
REFLECTION
• We are now in the Novena of Pentecost, waiting for the coming
of the Holy Spirit. Jesus says that the gift of the Holy Spirit is given only
to those who ask for it in prayer (Lk 11, 13). In the Cenacle, during nine
days, from the Ascension to Pentecost, the Apostles persevered in prayer
together with Mary, the Mother of Jesus (Ac 1, 14). This is why they obtained
the abundance of the gift of the Holy Spirit (Ac 2, 4). Today’s Gospel
continues to place before us the Priestly Prayer of Jesus. It is a very, very
opportune text to prepare ourselves during these days to the coming of the Holy
Spirit in our life.
• John 17, 11b-12: Keep them in your name! Jesus transforms his
concern into prayer: “Keep those you have given me true to your name, so that
they may be one like us!” Everything which Jesus does in his life, he does it
in the Name of God. Jesus is the manifestation of the Name of God. The Name of
God is Yahweh, JHWH. In the time of Jesus, this name was pronounced saying
Adonai, Kyrios, Lord. In the discourse of Pentecost, Peter says that Jesus
because of his Resurrection was constituted Lord: “For this reason the whole
House of Israel can be certain that the Lord and Christ whom God has made is
this Jesus whom you crucified”. (Ac 2, 36). And Paul says that this has been
done so that “every tongue should acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord to the glory
of God, the Father” (Ph 2, 11). It is the Name which is above all other names”
(Ph 2, 9). JHWH or Yahweh, the Name of God, received a concrete face in Jesus
of Nazareth! Unity has to be constituted around this name: Keep those you have
given me true to your name so that they may be one like us. Jesus wants the
unity of the communities, in such a way that they can resist before the world
which hates them and persecutes them. The people united around the Name of
Jesus will never be conquered!
• John 17, 13-16: That they may share my joy to the full. Jesus
is bidding farewell. In a short time he will go away. The disciples continue in
the world, they will be persecuted, they will be afflicted. Because of this,
they are sad. Jesus wants that their joy may be full. They want to continue to
be in the world without being of or belonging to the world. This means,
concretely, to live in the system of the Empire, whether liberal or Roman,
without allowing themselves to be contaminated. Like Jesus and with Jesus they
should live in the contrary direction of the world.
• John 17, 17-19: As you sent me into the world, I have sent
them into the world. Jesus asks that they be consecrated in truth. That is,
that they may be capable to dedicate their whole life giving witness of their
convictions concerning Jesus and God the Father. Jesus sanctified himself in
the measure in which, during his life, he revealed the Father. He asks that the
disciples enter into the same process of sanctification. Their mission is the
same mission of Jesus. They sanctify themselves in the measure in which, living
in love, they reveal Jesus and the Father. To sanctify oneself means to become
human like Jesus. Pope Leo the Great said: “Jesus was so human, but so human,
as only God can be human”. For this reason we should live contrary to the
world, because the system of the world dehumanizes human life and renders it
contrary to the intentions of the Creator.
4)
FOR PERSONAL CONFRONTATION
• Jesus lived in the world, but was not of the world. He lived
contrary to the system, and because of this, he was persecuted and was
condemned to death. And I? Do I live contrary to today’s system, or do I adapt
my faith to the system?
• Preparation for Pentecost. To invoke the gift of the Holy
Spirit, the Spirit who gave courage to Jesus. In this Novena of preparation to
Pentecost, it is good to dedicate some time to ask for the gift of the Spirit
of Jesus.
5)
CONCLUDING PRAYER
I bless Yahweh who is my counsellor,
even at night my heart instructs me.
I keep Yahweh before me always,
for with him at my right hand, nothing can shake me.
(Ps 16,7-8)
even at night my heart instructs me.
I keep Yahweh before me always,
for with him at my right hand, nothing can shake me.
(Ps 16,7-8)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét