Thursday
of the Seventh Week of Easter
Lectionary: 300
Lectionary: 300
Wishing
to determine the truth
about why Paul was being accused by the Jews,
the commander freed him
and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene.
Then he brought Paul down and made him stand before them.
Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees,
so he called out before the Sanhedrin,
“My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees;
I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.”
When he said this,
a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees,
and the group became divided.
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection
or angels or spirits,
while the Pharisees acknowledge all three.
A great uproar occurred,
and some scribes belonging to the Pharisee party
stood up and sharply argued,
“We find nothing wrong with this man.
Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
The dispute was so serious that the commander,
afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them,
ordered his troops to go down and rescue Paul from their midst
and take him into the compound.
The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage.
For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem,
so you must also bear witness in Rome.”
about why Paul was being accused by the Jews,
the commander freed him
and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene.
Then he brought Paul down and made him stand before them.
Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees,
so he called out before the Sanhedrin,
“My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees;
I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.”
When he said this,
a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees,
and the group became divided.
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection
or angels or spirits,
while the Pharisees acknowledge all three.
A great uproar occurred,
and some scribes belonging to the Pharisee party
stood up and sharply argued,
“We find nothing wrong with this man.
Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
The dispute was so serious that the commander,
afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them,
ordered his troops to go down and rescue Paul from their midst
and take him into the compound.
The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage.
For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem,
so you must also bear witness in Rome.”
Responsorial
PsalmPS 16:1-2A AND 5, 7-8,
9-10, 11
R.
(1) Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.”
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.”
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaJN 17:21
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
May they all be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that the world may believe that you sent me, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May they all be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that the world may believe that you sent me, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 17:20-26
Lifting
up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
“I pray not only for these,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
so that they may all be one,
as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that they also may be in us,
that the world may believe that you sent me.
And I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me,
that they may be brought to perfection as one,
that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.
Father, they are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
I made known to them your name and I will make it known,
that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them.”
“I pray not only for these,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
so that they may all be one,
as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that they also may be in us,
that the world may believe that you sent me.
And I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me,
that they may be brought to perfection as one,
that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.
Father, they are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
I made known to them your name and I will make it known,
that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them.”
Meditation: “May they become
perfectly one”
When you pray what do you usually ask for - God's
help, blessing, guidance, and wisdom? One of the greatest privileges and
responsibilities we have been given by God is to pray not only for ourselves,
but for others as well. The Lord Jesus lived a life full of prayer, blessing,
and gratitude. He prayed for his disciples, especially when they were in great
need or danger. Mark tells us in his Gospel account (see chapter 6:46-51) that
when Jesus was praying alone on the mountain he saw that his disciples were in
great distress due to a life-threatening storm that was beating against their
boat. Jesus immediately came to their rescue - walking on the waves of the
rough waters before he calmed them! Luke records in his Gospel account the
words of Jesus to Simon Peter shortly before Jesus' arrest and Peter's denial
of the Lord three times. "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have
you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you, Simon, that
your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your
brothers" (Luke 22:32). Jesus' prayers were personal, direct, and focused
on the good of others.
Jesus prays for all Christians to be united as one
The longest recorded prayer of Jesus is found in the Gospel of John, the "high priestly" prayer which Jesus prayed aloud at his last supper meal with his disciples (John 17). This prayer most clearly reveals the heart of Jesus - who and what he loved most - love for his Father and love for those who believed in him. His prayer focused on the love and unity he desired for all who would believe in him and follow him, not only in the present, but in the future as well. Jesus' prayer concludes with a petition for the unity among all Christians who profess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus prays for all men and women who will come after him and follow him as his disciples. In a special way Jesus prays here for each one of us that as members of his body the church we would be one as he and his Father are one. The unity of Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, with the eternal Father is a unity of mutual love, service, and honor, and a oneness of mind, heart, and spirit. The Lord Jesus calls each and every one of his followers into this unity of mutual love, service, honor, and friendship with all who belong to Christ.
The longest recorded prayer of Jesus is found in the Gospel of John, the "high priestly" prayer which Jesus prayed aloud at his last supper meal with his disciples (John 17). This prayer most clearly reveals the heart of Jesus - who and what he loved most - love for his Father and love for those who believed in him. His prayer focused on the love and unity he desired for all who would believe in him and follow him, not only in the present, but in the future as well. Jesus' prayer concludes with a petition for the unity among all Christians who profess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus prays for all men and women who will come after him and follow him as his disciples. In a special way Jesus prays here for each one of us that as members of his body the church we would be one as he and his Father are one. The unity of Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, with the eternal Father is a unity of mutual love, service, and honor, and a oneness of mind, heart, and spirit. The Lord Jesus calls each and every one of his followers into this unity of mutual love, service, honor, and friendship with all who belong to Christ.
To make him known and loved by all
Jesus’ prayer on the eve of his sacrifice shows the great love and trust he had for his beloved disciples. He knew they would abandon him in his hour of trial, yet he entrusted to them the great task of spreading his name throughout the world and to the end of the ages. The Lord Jesus entrust us today with the same mission - to make him known and loved by all. Jesus died and rose again that all might be one as he and the Father are one. Do you love and accept all baptized Christians as your brothers and sisters in Christ?
Jesus’ prayer on the eve of his sacrifice shows the great love and trust he had for his beloved disciples. He knew they would abandon him in his hour of trial, yet he entrusted to them the great task of spreading his name throughout the world and to the end of the ages. The Lord Jesus entrust us today with the same mission - to make him known and loved by all. Jesus died and rose again that all might be one as he and the Father are one. Do you love and accept all baptized Christians as your brothers and sisters in Christ?
The Lord intercedes for us right now
The Lord Jesus included each one of us in his high priestly prayer at the last supper. He continues his high priestly office this very day as our intercessor at the right hand of the Father before the throne of heaven. Paul the Apostle tells us that it is "Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us" (Romans 8:34; see also Hebrews 7: 25). Do you join in Jesus' high priestly prayer that all who profess Jesus as Lord may grow in love and unity together as brothers and sisters who have been redeemed through the precious blood shed for us on the cross?
The Lord Jesus included each one of us in his high priestly prayer at the last supper. He continues his high priestly office this very day as our intercessor at the right hand of the Father before the throne of heaven. Paul the Apostle tells us that it is "Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us" (Romans 8:34; see also Hebrews 7: 25). Do you join in Jesus' high priestly prayer that all who profess Jesus as Lord may grow in love and unity together as brothers and sisters who have been redeemed through the precious blood shed for us on the cross?
"Heavenly Father, have mercy on all your people
and heal the divisions in the body of Christ. May all Christian people
throughout the world attain the unity for which Jesus prayed on the eve of his
sacrifice. Renew in us the power of the Spirit that we may be a sign of that
unity and a means of its growth. Increase in us a fervent love for all our
brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Prayer of unity for all who believe, by Cyprian of Carthage - first
martyr bishop of Africa, 200-258 A.D.
"The Lord's loving-kindness, no less than his
mercy, is great in respect of our salvation in that, not content to redeem us
with his blood, he in addition prayed for us. See now what the desire of his
petition was, that just as the Father and Son are one, so also we should abide
in absolute unity. From this, it may be evident how greatly someone sins who
divides unity and peace, since even the Lord himself petitioned for this same
thing. He no doubt desired that his people should in this way be saved and live
in peace since he knew that discord cannot come into the kingdom of God." (excerpt from THE LORD’S PRAYER 30.1)
THURSDAY, MAY 12, JOHN 17:20-26
Easter Weekday
(Acts 22:30, 23:6-11; Psalm 16)
Easter Weekday
(Acts 22:30, 23:6-11; Psalm 16)
KEY VERSE: "I gave them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one" (v.22).
TO KNOW: As Jesus prepared to return to his Father, he prayed for all those who would come to believe in him through his disciples' proclamation of the gospel. Jesus' followers would continue his work on earth by making God's name known. Jesus prayed for the unity of all believers. He longed for the time when Christians would cease their divisions and be united with him in the unity he shared with the Father. The love that existed between the Father and the Son flowed through the Spirit and would be expressed in the love that Christians have for one another. The Christian community should be a reflection of the oneness of the Triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When the world saw this, they would be attracted to the gospel and believe in Jesus Christ (Jn 13:35).
TO LOVE: Are people able to "read" the gospel that I proclaim by my life?
TO SERVE: Risen Lord, help me to work for unity in my parish.
Optional
Memorial of Saints Nereus and Achilleus, martyrs, or Saint Pancras, martyr
Nereus was a soldier in the imperial Roman army, and a member of the Praetorian Guard. He was a convert to Christianity, and allegedly baptized by St. Peter the Apostle. Nereus was exiled for his faith, and was martyred. Pancras, a fourteen year old orphan, was brought to Rome by his uncle, St. Dionysius. Pancras became a convert to Christianity and was martyred along with St. Nereus, St. Achilleus, and St. Domitilla. Pope Vitalian sent Pancras relics from Rome to England as part of the evangelization of England. St. Augustine of Canterbury dedicated the first Church in England to St. Pancras, and subsequent churches were similarly named for him.
Thursday 12 May 2016
Thu 12th. (Ss Nereus and Achilleus; St Pancras).
Acts 22:30; 23:6-11. Keep me safe, O God; you are my
hope—Ps 15(16):1-2, 5, 7-11. John 17:20-26.
May they all be one.
When asked why she sheltered and saved Jewish people
during the Holocaust, one woman replied, ‘they were just people’. In their book
of that title, Bill Tammeus and Rabbi Jacques Cukierkorn told the stories of
Polish Holocaust survivors and their rescuers. In Poland, the punishment for
hiding Jews was immediate execution of the whole family. Yet many ordinary
people could not refuse to help those who came to them in desperate need. At a
time of unimaginable cruelty and evil, these people gave hope then and continue
to do so. They prompt me to ask: ‘Would I have had the courage to act as they
did?’
Jesus, your prayer was that we would all be one with
you and the Father, with no distinction between persons and no-one left out.
Help me work towards this.
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
|
Eternal Life
|
Christ is not only God; he is human. He is a true man with a real
body, real mind, real will, real emotions, just like all his brothers and
sisters, minus sin and the personal results of sin. Jesus, our brother, came
that we might have life forever with God our Father.
May 12
Sts. Nereus and Achilleus
(1st century)
Sts. Nereus and Achilleus
(1st century)
Devotion
to these two saints goes back to the fourth century, though almost nothing is
known of their lives. They were praetorian soldiers of the Roman army, became
Christians and were removed to the island of Terracina, where they were
martyred. Their bodies were buried in a family vault, later known as the
cemetery of Domitilla. Excavations by De Rossi in 1896 resulted in the
discovery of their empty tomb in the underground church built by Pope Siricius
in 390.
Two
hundred years after their death, Pope Gregory the Great delivered his 28th
homily on the occasion of their feast. “These saints, before whom we are
assembled, despised the world and trampled it under their feet when peace,
riches and health gave it charms.”
Comment:
As in the case of many early martyrs, the Church clings to its memories though the events are clouded in the mists of history. It is a heartening thing for all Christians to know that they have a noble heritage. Our brothers and sisters in Christ have stood in the same world in which we live—militarist, materialist, cruel and cynical—yet transfigured from within by the presence of the Living One. Our own courage is enlivened by the heroes and heroines who have gone before us marked by the sign of faith and the wounds of Christ.
As in the case of many early martyrs, the Church clings to its memories though the events are clouded in the mists of history. It is a heartening thing for all Christians to know that they have a noble heritage. Our brothers and sisters in Christ have stood in the same world in which we live—militarist, materialist, cruel and cynical—yet transfigured from within by the presence of the Living One. Our own courage is enlivened by the heroes and heroines who have gone before us marked by the sign of faith and the wounds of Christ.
Quote:
Pope Damasus wrote an epitaph for Nereus and Achilleus in the fourth century. The text is known from travelers who read it while the slab was still entire, but the broken fragments found by De Rossi are sufficient to identify it: “The martyrs Nereus and Achilleus had enrolled themselves in the army and exercised the cruel office of carrying out the orders of the tyrant, being ever ready, through the constraint of fear, to obey his will. O miracle of faith! Suddenly they cease from their fury, they become converted, they fly from the camp of their wicked leader; they throw away their shields, their armor and their blood-stained javelins. Confessing the faith of Christ, they rejoice to bear testimony to its triumph. Learn now from the words of Damasus what great things the glory of Christ can accomplish.”
Pope Damasus wrote an epitaph for Nereus and Achilleus in the fourth century. The text is known from travelers who read it while the slab was still entire, but the broken fragments found by De Rossi are sufficient to identify it: “The martyrs Nereus and Achilleus had enrolled themselves in the army and exercised the cruel office of carrying out the orders of the tyrant, being ever ready, through the constraint of fear, to obey his will. O miracle of faith! Suddenly they cease from their fury, they become converted, they fly from the camp of their wicked leader; they throw away their shields, their armor and their blood-stained javelins. Confessing the faith of Christ, they rejoice to bear testimony to its triumph. Learn now from the words of Damasus what great things the glory of Christ can accomplish.”
LECTIO DIVINA: JOHN 17,20-26
Lectio
Divina:
Thursday,
May 12, 2016
1) OPENING PRAYER
Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ
and Father of all people,
we believe in you
and we know that you loved Jesus
with a deep and trusting, lasting love.
Let your Holy Spirit pour out this love
into the hearts of all those
who believe in Jesus, our Saviour and shepherd.
Let this love unite us in one common bond
of understanding and respect of one another
and let that love dispose us
to live for one another and to serve one another
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.
and Father of all people,
we believe in you
and we know that you loved Jesus
with a deep and trusting, lasting love.
Let your Holy Spirit pour out this love
into the hearts of all those
who believe in Jesus, our Saviour and shepherd.
Let this love unite us in one common bond
of understanding and respect of one another
and let that love dispose us
to live for one another and to serve one another
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.
2) GOSPEL READING - JOHN
17,20-26
Jesus
raised his eyes to heaven and said: I pray not only for these but also for
those who through their teaching will come to believe in me. May they all be
one, just as, Father, you are in me and I am in you, so that they also may be
in us, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.
I
have given them the glory you gave to me, that they may be one as we are one.
With me in them and you in me, may they be so perfected in unity that the world
will recognise that it was you who sent me and that you have loved them as you
have loved me.
Father,
I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they may
always see my glory which you have given me because you loved me before the
foundation of the world. Father, Upright One, the world has not known you, but
I have known you, and these have known that you have sent me.
I
have made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that
the love with which you loved me may be in them, and so that I may be in them.
3) REFLECTION
•
Today’s Gospel presents to us the third and last part of the Priestly Prayer,
in which Jesus looks toward the future and manifests his great desire for unity
among us, his disciples, and that all may remain in the love which unifies,
because without love and without unity we do not deserve credibility.
•
John 17, 20-23: So that the world may believe it was you who sent me. Jesus
extends the horizon and prays to the Father: I pray not only for these but also
for those who through their teaching will come to believe in me. May they all
be one, just as, Father, you are in me and I am in you, so that they also may
be in us, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me. Behold, here
emerges the great concern of Jesus for unity which should exist in the
communities. Unity does not mean uniformity, but rather to remain in love, in
spite of tensions and conflicts. A love which unifies to the point of creating
among all a profound unity, like the unity which exists between Jesus and the
Father. The unity in love revealed in the Trinity is the model for the
communities. For this, through love among persons, the communities reveal to
the world the most profound message of Jesus. People said of the first
Christians: “Look how they love one another!” The present day division among
the three religions which came from Abraham is really tragic: the Jews, the
Christians and the Muslims. And even more tragic is the division among us
Christians who say that we believe in Jesus. If we are divided we do not
deserve credibility. Ecumenism is in the centre of the last prayer of Jesus to
the Father. It is his testament. To be a Christian and not be ecumenical is a
contradiction. It means to contradict the last Will of Jesus.
•
John 17, 24-26: So that the love with which you loved me may be in them. Jesus
does not want to remain alone. He says: Father, I want those you have given me
to be with me where I am so that they may always see my glory which you have
given me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Jesus is
happy when we are all together with him. He wants his disciples to have the
same experience of the Father which he had. He wants us to know the Father and
that he knows us. In the Bible, the word to know is not limited to a rational
theoretic knowledge, but presupposes the experience of the presence of God
living in love with the persons of the community.
•
That they may be one as we are one. (Unity and Trinity in the Gospel of John)
The Gospel of John helps us to understand the mystery of the Trinity, the
communion among the three Divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Spirit.
Of the four Gospels, John is the one who stresses more the profound unity among
the Father, the Son and the Spirit. From the text of John (Jn 17, 6-8) we see
that the mission of the Son is the supreme manifestation of the love of the
Father. And this unity between the Father and the Son makes Jesus exclaim: The
Father and I are one (Jn 10, 30). Between the Son and the Father there is such
an intense unity that one who sees the face of one also sees the face of the
other. And fulfilling this mission of unity received from the Father, Jesus
reveals the Spirit. The spirit of Truth comes from the Father (Jn 15, 26). At
the petition of the Son (Jn 14, 16), the Father sends the Spirit to each one of
us in such a way that he will remain with us, encouraging us and giving us
strength. The Spirit also comes to us from the Son (Jn 16, 7-8). Thus, the
Spirit of Truth, who journeys with us, is the communication of the profound
unity which exists between the Father and the Son (Jn 15, 26-27). The Spirit
cannot communicate a truth which is different from the Truth of the Son.
Everything which is in relationship with the mystery of the Son, the Spirit
makes it known to us (Jn 16, 13-14). This experience of the unity in God was
very strong in the communities of the Beloved Disciple. The love which unites
the Divine Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit allows us to experience God
through union with the persons in a community of love. This was also the
proposal of the community, where love should be the sign of God’s presence in
the midst of the community (Jn 13, 34-35). And this love constructs unity in
the community (Jn 17, 21). They looked at the unity in God in order to
understand the unity among them.
4) FOR PERSONAL CONFRONTATION
•
Bishop Don Pedro Casaldáliga said: “The Trinity is truly the best community”.
In the community of which you form part, can one perceive some human sign of
the Divine Trinity?
•
Ecumenism: Am I ecumenical?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
Lord,
you will teach me the path of life,
unbounded joy in your presence,
at your right hand delight for ever. (Ps 16,11)
unbounded joy in your presence,
at your right hand delight for ever. (Ps 16,11)
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