Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter
Lectionary:
275
Reading
There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem ,
and all were scattered
throughout the countryside of Judea andSamaria
except the Apostles.
Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him.
Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church;
entering house after house and dragging out men and women,
he handed them over for imprisonment.
Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.
Thus Philip went down to the city ofSamaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.
and all were scattered
throughout the countryside of Judea and
except the Apostles.
Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him.
Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church;
entering house after house and dragging out men and women,
he handed them over for imprisonment.
Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.
Thus Philip went down to the city of
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.
Responsorial PsalmPS 66:1-3A, 4-5, 6-7A
R. (1) Let all the earth cry out to
God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
GospelJN 6:35-40
Jesus said to the crowds,
“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
But I told you that although you have seen me,
you do not believe.
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.”
“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
But I told you that although you have seen me,
you do not believe.
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.”
Meditation: "I will raise you
up at the last day"
Why did Jesus call himself
the bread of life? The Jews understood that God promised them mana from heaven
to sustain them on their journey to the promised land. Bread is the very staple
of life. We could not live without food for very long. Bread sustains us. But what is life? Jesus
clearly meant something more than mere physical existence. The life Jesus
refers to is connected with God, the author of life. Real life is a
relationship with the living God, a relationship of trust, love, obedience,
peace, and joy. This is what Jesus makes possible for us – a loving
relationship with God who created us for love with him. Apart from Jesus no on
can enter that kind of life and relationship. Are you satisfied with mere
physical existence or do you hunger for the abundant life which Jesus offers?
Jesus makes three claims
here. First he offers himself as spiritual food which produces the very life of
God within us. Second, he promises unbroken friendship and freedom from the
fear of being forsaken or cut off from God. Third, he offers us the hope of
sharing in his resurrection. Those who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior will be
raised up to immortal life with Jesus when he comes again on the last day. Do
you know the joy and hope of the resurrection?
"Lord Jesus Christ,
your death brought life and hope where there was once only despair and defeat.
Give me the unshakeable hope of everlasting life, the inexpressible joy of
knowing your unfailing love, and the unquestioning faith and obedience in doing
the will of our Father in heaven."
 “You Will Never Be Lost Where I Cannot Find You.” |
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Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter
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John 6:
35-40 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. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 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. 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." Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that you are present here and now as I turn to you in prayer. I trust and have confidence in your desire to give me every grace I need to receive today. Thank you for your love, thank you for your immense generosity toward me. I give you my life and my love in return. Petition: Lord, help me to have a deeper confidence and trust in you. 1. An Empty Hole the Size of Christ: “It’s like I had a big hole in my heart, and I couldn’t fill it with anything.” So exclaimed someone who recently came back to the sacraments after being away for many years. She was hungering and thirsting for Christ, and, thankfully, Christ didn’t permit anything else to fill the place in her heart where only he belonged. On re-encountering Christ—in his mercy in confession, in his nourishing grace in communion—she was able to experience the benefits promised by Christ himself: “Anyone who comes to me I will never drive away.” Every one of us invariably finds holes in our hearts, small or not so small. Only Christ belongs there. To welcome Christ back in our hearts, we must seek out his mercy and nourishing grace. 2. Then Why Are You Afraid? If what we need is Christ and what we truly long for is Christ, then what keeps us from going to him? Sometimes it is our pride, or spiritual laziness, or maybe superficiality in our spiritual life. But behind these reasons is often a fear that if we open ourselves to Christ, we will somehow lose out. Benedict XVI addressed this fear in his first homily as Pope: “Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and He gives you everything. When we give ourselves to Him, we receive a hundred-fold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ - and you will find true life. Amen” (Mass for the Inauguration of the Pontificate, April 24, 2005). 3. Can You Tell Me Where the Lost-and-Found Is? These are words that Christ has never spoken—nor ever will. It is his Father’s will that Christ lose none of those entrusted to him. Christ never fails in his mission. Rather, in today’s reading he promises: “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.” This is our guarantee that we will never be abandoned and left without his grace to support us. There will be no difficulty, obstacle, or temptation too great for him to help us overcome. Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, I trust in you. Despite the real struggles and obstacles in my path now, I know that you are leading me towards you. You are the only one who can fill the depths of my heart. Somehow, mysteriously, each of these trials is part of making that a reality.
Resolution: When faced with any obstacle today—even if
it is small—I will say a quick prayer entrusting the situation to Christ.
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17
Easter Weekday
JOHN 6:35-40
(Acts 8:1b-8; Psalm 66)
KEY VERSE: "For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life" (v 40).
REFLECTING: Do I take time to be nourished by God's word?
PRAYING: Risen Lord, feed me with your sacred word so that I can live eternally with you.
Let all the earth cry out to God with joy
In life, there are moments of foreboding, of illness, of apprehension, moments when we confront our mortality. There is a touch of fear for we face the unknown, are faced with the inescapable fact of our dissolution. At these times, human courage is inadequate; the presence of those we love and who love us reaches only so far to touch and to heal the dread which assails us.
Yet these are moments of grace, for they are moments when we face the mystery of our creaturehood and enter into the mystery of the one who created us out of love. Love is the ultimate mystery. It is love which offers hope; it is love which calls forth faith; it is love which knows no reason but that one loves. This is the Father the Son has revealed.
April 17
St. Benedict Joseph Labre
(d. 1783)
St. Benedict Joseph Labre
(d. 1783)
Benedict Joseph Labre was truly eccentric,
one of God's special little ones. Born in France and the eldest of 18 children,
he studied under his uncle, a parish priest. Because of poor health and a lack
of suitable academic preparation he was unsuccessful in his attempts to enter
the religious life. Then, at 16 years of age, a profound change took place.
Benedict lost his desire to study and gave up all thoughts of the priesthood,
much to the consternation of his relatives.
He
became a pilgrim, traveling from one great shrine to another, living off alms.
He wore the rags of a beggar and shared his food with the poor. Filled with the
love of God and neighbor, Benedict had special devotion to the Blessed Mother
and to the Blessed Sacrament. In On the last day of his life, April 16, 1783, Benedict Joseph dragged himself to a church in Rome and prayed there for two hours before he collapsed, dying peacefully in a nearby house. Immediately after his death the people proclaimed him a saint.
He was officially proclaimed a saint by Pope Leo XIII at canonization ceremonies in 1883.
Comment:
In a modern inner city, one local character kneels for hours on the sidewalk and prays. Swathed in his entire wardrobe winter and summer, he greets passersby with a blessing. Where he sleeps no one knows, but he is surely a direct spiritual descendant of Benedict, the ragged man who slept in the ruins ofRome
In a modern inner city, one local character kneels for hours on the sidewalk and prays. Swathed in his entire wardrobe winter and summer, he greets passersby with a blessing. Where he sleeps no one knows, but he is surely a direct spiritual descendant of Benedict, the ragged man who slept in the ruins of
Patron
Saint of:
Homeless
Homeless
LECTIO: JOHN 6,35-40
Lectio: Wednesday, April 17,
2013
Easter Time
1) Opening prayer
God, our Father,
you are our faithful God,
even in days of trial for the Church
and for each of us personally;
you stay by our side,even if we are not aware of your presence.
Give us an unlimited trust in you
and make us ever more aware
that your Son Jesus is the meaning of our lives
and that he nourishes us with himself,
today and every day, for ever.
2) Gospel Reading
Jesus answered them: I am the bread of life. No one who comes to
me will ever hunger; no one who believes in me will ever thirst. But, as I have
told you, you can see me and still you do not believe. Everyone whom the Father
gives me will come to me; I will certainly not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I have come from heaven, not to do my own will, but to do the will of
him who sent me. Now the will of him who sent me is that I should lose nothing
of all that he has given to me, but that I should raise it up on the last day.
It is my Father's will that whoever sees the Son and believes in him should
have eternal life, and that I should raise that person up on the last day.
3) Reflection
• John 6, 35-36: I am the bread of life. The people enthusiastic
with the perspective of having bread from heaven of which Jesus speaks and
which gives life forever (Jn 6, 33), ask: “Lord, give us always that bread!”
(Jn 6, 34). They thought that Jesus was speaking about some particular kind of
bread. This is why, the people, interested in getting this bread, ask: “Give us
always of this bread!” This petition of the people reminds us of the
conversation of Jesus with the Samaritan woman. Jesus had said that she could
have had within her a spring of living water, welling up to eternal life, and
she in an interested way asks: “Lord, give me of that water!” (Jn 4, 15). The
Samaritan woman is not aware that Jesus is not speaking about material water.
Just as the people were not aware that Jesus was not speaking of material
bread. Because of this, Jesus responds very clearly: “I am the bread of life!
No one who comes to me will ever hunger; no one who believes in me will ever
thirst”. To eat the bread of heaven is the same as believing in Jesus. And to
believe that he has come from heaven as a revelation of the Father. It is to
accept the way which he has taught. But the people, in spite, of having seen
Jesus, do not believe in him. Jesus is aware of the lack of faith and says:
“You have seen me and you do not believe”.
• John 6, 37-40: To do the will of him who sent me. After the
conversation with the Samaritan woman, Jesus had said to his disciples: “My
food is to do the will of him who sent me!” (Jn 4, 34). Here, in the
conversation with the people on the bread from heaven, Jesus touches on the
same theme: “I have come from heaven not to do my own will, but to do the will
of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me that I should lose
nothing of all that he has given to me; but that I should raise it up on the
last day”. This is the food which people should look for: to do the will of the
Heavenly Father. And this is the bread which nourishes the person in life and
gives him/her life. Eternal life begins here, a life which is stronger than
death! If we were really ready to do the will of the Father, we would have no
difficulty to recognize the Father present in Jesus.
• John 6, 41-43: The Jews complained. Tomorrow’s Gospel begins with
verse 44 (John 6, 44-51) and skips verses 41 to 43. In verse 41, begins the
conversation with the Jews, who criticize Jesus. Here we will give a brief
explanation of the meaning of the word Jews in the Gospel of John in order to
avoid that a superficial reading of it, may nourish in us Christians, the
sentiment of anti-Semitism. First of all, it is well to remember that Jesus was
a Jew and continues to be a Jew (Jn 4, 9). His disciples were Jews. The first
Christian communities were all Jewish who accepted Jesus as the Messiah. It was
only later, little by little, that in the communities of the Beloved Disciple,
Greeks and Christians began to be accepted on the same level of the Jews. They
were more open communities. But this openness was not accepted by all. Some
Christians who came from the group of the Pharisees wanted to keep the
“separation” between Jews and Pagans (Acts 15, 5). The situation was critical
after the destruction of Jerusalem
4) Personal questions
• Anti-Semitism: look well within yourself and try to uproot any
remain of anti-Semitism.
• To eat the bread of heaven means to believe in Jesus. How does
all this help me to live the Eucharist better?
5) Concluding Prayer
Acclaim God, all the earth,
sing psalms to the glory of his name,
glorify him with your praises,
say to God, 'How awesome you are! (Ps 66,1-3)
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