Friday
of the Sixth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 295
Lectionary: 295
One
night while Paul was in Corinth, the Lord said to him in a vision,
“Do not be afraid.
Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you.
No one will attack and harm you,
for I have many people in this city.”
He settled there for a year and a half
and taught the word of God among them.
But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia,
the Jews rose up together against Paul
and brought him to the tribunal, saying,
“This man is inducing people to worship God contrary to the law.”
When Paul was about to reply, Gallio spoke to the Jews,
“If it were a matter of some crime or malicious fraud,
I should with reason hear the complaint of you Jews;
but since it is a question of arguments over doctrine and titles
and your own law, see to it yourselves.
I do not wish to be a judge of such matters.”
And he drove them away from the tribunal.
They all seized Sosthenes, the synagogue official,
and beat him in full view of the tribunal.
But none of this was of concern to Gallio.
Paul remained for quite some time,
and after saying farewell to the brothers he sailed for Syria,
together with Priscilla and Aquila.
At Cenchreae he had shaved his head because he had taken a vow.
“Do not be afraid.
Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you.
No one will attack and harm you,
for I have many people in this city.”
He settled there for a year and a half
and taught the word of God among them.
But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia,
the Jews rose up together against Paul
and brought him to the tribunal, saying,
“This man is inducing people to worship God contrary to the law.”
When Paul was about to reply, Gallio spoke to the Jews,
“If it were a matter of some crime or malicious fraud,
I should with reason hear the complaint of you Jews;
but since it is a question of arguments over doctrine and titles
and your own law, see to it yourselves.
I do not wish to be a judge of such matters.”
And he drove them away from the tribunal.
They all seized Sosthenes, the synagogue official,
and beat him in full view of the tribunal.
But none of this was of concern to Gallio.
Paul remained for quite some time,
and after saying farewell to the brothers he sailed for Syria,
together with Priscilla and Aquila.
At Cenchreae he had shaved his head because he had taken a vow.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 47:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
R.
(8a) God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.
R. God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He brings people under us;
nations under our feet.
He chooses for us our inheritance,
the glory of Jacob, whom he loves.
R. God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
R. God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.
R. God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He brings people under us;
nations under our feet.
He chooses for us our inheritance,
the glory of Jacob, whom he loves.
R. God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
R. God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaSEE LK 24:46, 26
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead,
and so enter into his glory.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead,
and so enter into his glory.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 16:20-23
Jesus
said to his disciples:
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn,
while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.
When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived;
but when she has given birth to a child,
she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy
that a child has been born into the world.
So you also are now in anguish.
But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you.
On that day you will not question me about anything.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.”
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn,
while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.
When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived;
but when she has given birth to a child,
she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy
that a child has been born into the world.
So you also are now in anguish.
But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you.
On that day you will not question me about anything.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.”
Meditation: "Your sorrow will turn into joy"
Why
did Jesus tell his disciples that they would weep and be sorrowful?
Jesus was neither a pessimist nor a masochist, and he was certainly more than a
realist! The way to happiness and joy in the kingdom of God is through the
cross. Sin must be brought to the cross of Jesus Christ and evil can only be
completely mastered by the power of God's redeeming love. Jesus told his
disciples that it was more blessed to mourn for sin because it would yield the
fruit of peace, joy, and righteousness. Jesus knew that the cross would be a
stumbling block for those who refused to believe in him.
The
cross for Jesus was not defeat but victory - victory over sin, over the forces
of evil in the world, and over the devil - the arch-enemy of God and humankind.
Through death on the cross Jesus won for us new life and freedom over the power
of sin, despair, and death. The Easter victory of Jesus teaches us courage in
the face of suffering and death. In the resurrection of Christ our fears are
laid to rest. His resurrection is total, final triumph, and for us peace and
joy at the end. We will have troubles in the present reality. Through the eyes
of faith, we know the final outcome - complete victory over sin, suffering, and
death in Jesus Christ. That is why we can pray confidently now, knowing that
the Father will give us everything we need to live as his children and as
disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know the Easter joy of Christ's
victory over sin and death?
"Lord
Jesus, we are an Easter people, and alleluia is our song. May we radiate the
joy of Easter and live in the reality of Christ's victory over sin and
death."
Daily Quote from the
early church fathers: Alleluia will be our whole joy, by
Augustine of Hippo, 430-543 A.D.
"I trust I will not weary you if I mention what
you know already: that we say ALLELUIA daily and that we take delight in it
daily. For you know that ALLELUIA means "Praise Go" and by this
expression we, agreeing in speech and thought, exhort one another to praise
God. Only the one who displeases God in no respect praises God in
security. Furthermore, in this time of journeying we say ALLELUIA for solace on
our way. ALLELUIA is the song of the traveler for us; but we are
advancing through a laborious path to a peaceful country where all our
activities will be laid aside and nothing will remain for us except the
ALLELUIA. Let us sing now, not for the delights of peace, but for comfort
in our labor. Sing as travelers are accustomed to sing; comfort your labor by
singing; do not love inactivity; keep singing and keep progressing. …If you are
advancing; progress in well-doing, progress in good faith, progress in good
deeds. Keep singing and keep advancing. While we are here let us sing ALLELUIA
though we are still beset with cares, so that in the future we may sing it
there (in heaven) in tranquility. After the labors of this world there will be
unceasing repetition of ALLELUIA. ..There ALLELUIA will be our food; ALLELUIA
will be our drink; ALLELUIA will be our peaceful action; ALLELUIA will be our
whole joy." [excerpts from Sermon 255 (1); Sermon 256 (1
and 3); Sermon 252 (9)]
FRIDAY, MAY 6, JOHN
16:20-23
Easter Weekday
(Acts 18:9-18; Psalm 47)
Easter Weekday
(Acts 18:9-18; Psalm 47)
KEY VERSE: "But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice" (v.22).
TO KNOW: Before his passion and death, Jesus consoled his disciples who were distressed at the thought that he was about to be taken from them. Jesus compared their grief to that of a woman who travailed in labor. When the child was born, the woman was no longer in anguish, but rejoiced that a new life has been brought forth. The prophet Isaiah used this image of child-birth when speaking of the suffering of Israel before her restoration (Is 26:17-19). Paul said that "all creation was groaning and in labor pains" awaiting the fullness of redemption (Ro 8:22). Jesus' disciples were in tribulation because they were on the threshold of a new age. When they saw the Risen Lord, they would rejoice, and on that happy day, their joy would be complete (Jn 20:20). In this life there will always be unanswered questions and unresolved problems. In the age to come there will be fullness of knowledge in Christ.
TO LOVE: Who do I need to comfort today?
TO SERVE: Risen Lord, help the Church to focus upon your glory in times of sorrow.
Friday 6 May 2016
Fri 6th. Day of penance.
Acts 18: 9-18. God is king of all the earth—Ps 46(47):2-7. John 16:20-23.
You will be joyful again.
Life is full of swings and roundabouts. It can be a
beautiful rollercoaster of joy, suffering, grief and jubilation. A holistic look
at today’s Gospel may encompass the Christian walk. Many of us in our lives
will have an overwhelming experience of welcome or forgiveness through a Church
community or parish, and we think that this will always be the case. St Teresa
of Avila wrote: Let nothing trouble you, let nothing disturb you. Everything
will pass, God does not move. The Taize community in France put it to music in
the chant Nada te turbe. Christ makes the same promise to us: Now is your time
of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take
away your joy. So let us be Easter people, and may alleluia be our song, even
in times of grief.
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
|
Life is Sacred
|
It is an astonishing truth that God made human beings in his
image. An immortal, rational, free and loving God made beings who have immortal
souls and who are rational, free, and made to love and to be loved. Human life
is sacred because it specifically reflects the nature of the divine.
May
6
Blessed Gerard of Lunel
(13th century)
Blessed Gerard of Lunel
(13th century)
Gerard, born into a
noble family in southern France, showed an early inclination to piety—so much
so that he received the habit of the Third Order of St. Francis at the age of
five. When he was 18, Gerard and his brother, Effrenaud, hid themselves in a
cave on the banks of a river and began two years of living as hermits. Both
brothers then decided to go on a pilgrimage, in part to discourage the many
visitors to the hermitage who had heard of their reputation for holiness.
Making their way to Rome on foot, they spent two years there, visiting its many
famous churches and shrines.
They intended to
continue to Jerusalem, but Gerard collapsed on the way. While his brother went
to seek help, he left Gerard in a simple cottage near Montesanto, Italy, but
Gerard expired before his brother's return.
Many miracles are said
to have taken place at Gerard's tomb, making it a favorite place of pilgrimage.
People who were afflicted with headaches or subject to epilepsy experienced
special relief through his intercession. The city of Montesanto has long
venerated Blessed Gerard as its principal patron. He is sometimes known as
Gery, Gerius or Roger of Lunel.
Comment:
Gerard didn’t have much success in reaching his goals, including his hope to visit the holy places in Jerusalem where Jesus walked. However disappointed he may have been by all these setbacks, Gerard nonetheless managed to walk in Jesus’ footsteps throughout his life.
Gerard didn’t have much success in reaching his goals, including his hope to visit the holy places in Jerusalem where Jesus walked. However disappointed he may have been by all these setbacks, Gerard nonetheless managed to walk in Jesus’ footsteps throughout his life.
LECTIO DIVINA: JOHN 16,20-23A
Lectio Divina:
Friday, May 6, 2016
1) OPENING PRAYER
Lord God, merciful Father,
it is hard for us to accept pain,
for we know that you have made us
for happiness and joy.
When suffering challenges us
with a provocative "why me?"
help us to discover the depth
of our inner freedom and love
and of all the faith and loyalty
of which we are capable,
together with, and by the power of,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
it is hard for us to accept pain,
for we know that you have made us
for happiness and joy.
When suffering challenges us
with a provocative "why me?"
help us to discover the depth
of our inner freedom and love
and of all the faith and loyalty
of which we are capable,
together with, and by the power of,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
2) GOSPEL READING - JOHN 16,20-23A
Jesus said: 'In all truth I tell you,
you will be weeping and wailing while the world will rejoice; you will be
sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.
A woman in childbirth suffers, because
her time has come; but when she has given birth to the child she forgets the
suffering in her joy that a human being has been born into the world. So it is
with you: you are sad now, but I shall see you again, and your hearts will be
full of joy, and that joy no one shall take from you.'
3) REFLECTION
• During these days between the
Ascension and Pentecost, the Gospels of the day are taken from chapters 16 to
21 of the Gospel of Saint John, and form part of the Gospel called: “Book of
Consolation or of the Revelation acting in the Community” (Jn 13, 1 to 21, 31).
This Book is divided as follows: the farewell to the friends (Jn 13, 1a to 14,
31); witness of Jesus and prayer to the Father (Jn 15, 1 to 17, 28); the
accomplished work (Jn 18, 1 to 20, 31). The environment of sadness and of
expectation. Sadness, because Jesus leaves and the nostalgia invades the heart.
Expectation, because the hour is arriving of receiving the promised gift, that
of the Consoler who will make all sadness disappear and will once again bring
the joy of the friendly presence of Jesus in the midst of the community.
• John 16, 20: The sadness will be
transformed into joy. Jesus says: “In all truth I tell you: you will be weeping
and wailing while the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your
sorrow will turn to joy”. The frequent reference to sadness and suffering
express the environment of the communities at the end of the first century in
Asia Minor (today, Turkey), for which John wrote his Gospel. They lived in a
difficult situation of persecution and oppression which caused sadness. The
Apostles had taught that Jesus would have returned afterwards, but the
“parusia”, the glorious return of Jesus had not arrived and persecution
increased. Many were impatient: “Until when?” (cfr. 2 Th 2, 1-5; 2 P 3, 8-9).
Besides, a person bears a situation of suffering and of persecution when he/she
knows that suffering is the way and the condition to attain perfect joy. And
thus, even having death before the eyes, the person bears and faces suffering
and pain. This is why the Gospel makes this beautiful comparison with the pangs
of childbirth.
• John 16, 21: The comparison with pangs
of childbirth. All understand this comparison, especially mothers: “The woman
in childbirth suffers because her time has come; but when she has given birth
to the child she forgets the suffering in her joy that a human being has been
born into the world”. The suffering and sadness caused by persecution, even
without offering any horizon of improvement, are not the stertor of death, but
rather the pangs of childbirth. Mothers know all this by experience. The pain
is terrible, but they bear it, because they know that the pain, the suffering
is a source of new life. Thus, is the suffering of the persecution of
Christians, and thus, any suffering should be lived, that is, in the light of
the experience of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus.
• John 16, 22-23a: Eternal joy. Jesus
explains the comparison: “So it is with you: you are sad now, but I shall see
you again, and your hearts will be full of joy and that joy no one shall take
from you”. When that day comes, you will not ask me any questions. This is the
certainty that gives courage to the tired and persecuted communities of Asia
Minor and which makes one exult with joy in the midst of suffering and pain. As
the poet says: “It hurts, but I sing!” Or as the mystic Saint John of the Cross
says: “In a dark night, with an inflamed yearning for love, oh happy venture, I
went out without being noticed, in my house all slept!” The expression on that
day indicates the definitive coming of the Kingdom which brings with it its
clarity. In the light of God, there will no longer be need to ask anything. The
light of God is the full and total response to all the questions which could
arise within the human heart.
4) FOR PERSONAL CONFRONTATION
• Sadness and joy. They exist together
in life. How do these exist in your life?
• Pangs of childbirth. This experience
is found in the origin of life of each one of us. My mother suffered the pain
with hope, and this is why I am alive. Stop and think about this mystery of
life.
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
Clap your hands, all peoples,
acclaim God with shouts of joy.
For Yahweh, the Most High, is glorious,
the great king over all the earth. (Ps 47,1-2)
acclaim God with shouts of joy.
For Yahweh, the Most High, is glorious,
the great king over all the earth. (Ps 47,1-2)
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