Saturday of the Fifth
Week of Easter
Lectionary: 290
Paul reached
also Derbe and Lystra
where there
was a disciple named Timothy,
the son of a
Jewish woman who was a believer,
but his
father was a Greek.
The brothers
in Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him,
and Paul
wanted him to come along with him.
On account
of the Jews of that region, Paul had him circumcised,
for they all
knew that his father was a Greek.
As they
traveled from city to city,
they handed
on to the people for observance the decisions
reached by
the Apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem
Day after
day the churches grew stronger in faith
and
increased in number.
They
traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian territory
because they
had been prevented by the Holy Spirit
from
preaching the message in the province of Asia .
When they
came to Mysia, they tried to go on into Bithynia
but the
Spirit of Jesus did not allow them,
so they
crossed through Mysia and came down to Troas .
During the
night Paul had a vision.
A Macedonian
stood before him and implored him with these words,
“Come over
to Macedonia
When he had
seen the vision,
we sought
passage to Macedonia
concluding
that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to them.
Responsorial Psalm PS 100:1B-2, 3, 5
R. (2a) Let all the earth cry out to
God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing
joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the
LORD with gladness;
come before
him with joyful song.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God
with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Know that
the LORD is God;
he made us,
his we are;
his people,
the flock he tends.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God
with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD is
good:
his kindness
endures forever,
and his
faithfulness, to all generations.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God
with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel JN 15:18-21
Jesus said
to his disciples:
“If the
world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
If you
belonged to the world, the world would love its own;
but because
you do not belong to the world,
and I have
chosen you out of the world,
the world
hates you.
Remember the
word I spoke to you,
‘No slave is
greater than his master.’
If they
persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
If they kept
my word, they will also keep yours.
And they
will do all these things to you on account of my name,
because they
do not know the one who sent me.”
Meditation: "You are not of the world"
What does Jesus mean when he
says "you are not of this world"? The world in scripture refers to that society of
people who are hostile towards God and opposed to his will. The world rejected the Lord Jesus, and his
disciples can expect the same treatment. The Lord Jesus leaves no middle ground
for his followers. We are either for him or against him, for his kingdom of
light or for the kingdom of darkness. The prophet Isaiah warned that people who
separate themselves from God because of their rebellion and spiritual blindness
would end up calling evil good
and good evil (Isaiah 5:20).If we want to live in the light of God's truth, how can we rightly distinguish good from evil? True love of God and his ways draw us to all that is lovely, truthful and good. If we truly love God then we will submit to his truth and obey his word. A friend of God cannot expect to be a friend of the world because the world opposes God. Jesus' demand is unequivocal and without compromise. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him (1 John 2:15). We must make a choice either for or against God. Do you seek to please God in all your thoughts, actions, and relationships? Let the Holy Spirit fill your heart with the love of God (Romans 5:5).
"Lord Jesus, may the fire of your love fill my heart with an eagerness to please you in all things. May there be no rivals to my love and devotion to you who are my all."
 The Master and the Slave |
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Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter
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Father Patrick Langan, LC John 15: 18-21 Jesus said to his disciples: "If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, ´No slave is greater than his master.´ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me." Introductory Prayer: Lord, thank you for granting me the opportunity to be with you. There are things in life, Lord, that attract me, but you attract me more. I hope in you, and I love you. Maybe I don’t really understand what it means to love, and maybe I don’t love the way I should, but I do love you. Petition: Lord, help me to embrace my cross joyfully. 1. Bearing the Burden: “The world hated me first.” This is the incredible story of the Gospels. Christ came and the culture was against him. As the story of Christ in the Gospel progresses, the forces of antagonism get worse: The dangers increase with the turning of every page. This was a real burden for Christ, the burden of a parent whose children turn against him. Perhaps I, too, feel that burden. Perhaps I experience that rejection from those who love me or from those who don’t believe. 2. Loving Acceptance: Christ courageously and lovingly accepted that burden. He did not complain. Perhaps he asked his Father for an easier way. It is the same in our lives. I often face problems, even when I want to do good. There comes a moment in life when I must accept my limitations and the limitations imposed on me by others. This is a memorable moment in life—the moment I accept my cross, like Christ did. That acceptance isn’t easy, but at the same time it fills my heart with a deep peace and sometimes even joy. 3. Seeking Solutions: After I accept my cross, I experience a new courage, and my imagination fires up. Love always looks for solutions: Christ never stopped searching for ways to get through to the culture. I must do the best I can to evangelize, even though I may encounter opposition. With Christ’s help, no obstacle is too great. He will help me to overcome all the problems I may encounter. The important thing is that I keep focused on the fulfillment of his will out of love. He will take care of the rest. Conversation with Christ: Lord, you know my burden. You know what makes me lose sleep, what I wake up worrying about. Help me to accept it, as you accepted your cross.
Resolution: I will stop complaining and see what I can
do to alleviate the burdens and sufferings of others.
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SATURDAY, MAY 4
Easter Weekday
JOHN 15:18-21
(Acts 16:1-10; Psalm 100)
KEY VERSE: "If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first" (v 18).
REFLECTING: In what ways am I both friend and servant to others?
PRAYING: Risen Lord, help the Church to have the grace to speak your gospel to those who do not know you.
Let
all the earth cry out to God with joy.
I chose
you out of this world.’Being chosen means that we are part of the divine design, the design of love, whereby the Father, Son and Spirit create and draw us into the kingdom of love. Jesus anticipates the vulnerability of his friends, knowing that they are only truly strong when he is beside them. However, the recognition that we are chosen imparts a certain strength. We find that we are able to step away from the crowd, and have the ability to behave with a clear and independent mind. The status quo may not contain the best solutions.
In Jesus, gentleness, self-control and compassion become standard components of our life. These attributes are only achieved by walking with Jesus in our daily round. Let us ask for his guidance in using our talents.
May 4
Blessed Michael Giedroyc
(d. 1485)
Blessed Michael Giedroyc
(d. 1485)
A life of physical pain and mental torment didn’t prevent Michael
Giedroyc from achieving holiness.
Born
near He traveled to
Five hundred years later, Pope John Paul II visited the city and spoke to the faculty of the Pontifical Academy of Theology. The 15th century in Kraków, the pope said, was “the century of saints.” Among those he cited was Blessed Michael Giedroyc.
LECTIO: JOHN 15,18-21
Lectio:
Saturday, May 4, 2013
1) Opening prayer
Lord our God;
it is good to live in the friendship
of your Son Jesus Christ.
Make us realize that also in this love
we are committed to him and share with him
for better and for worse,
in misunderstanding and contradiction
as well as in joy and intimacy.
Help us to rejoice even when treated
with indifference or ridicule on account of him,
for it means that he is still with us
who is our Lord for ever.
it is good to live in the friendship
of your Son Jesus Christ.
Make us realize that also in this love
we are committed to him and share with him
for better and for worse,
in misunderstanding and contradiction
as well as in joy and intimacy.
Help us to rejoice even when treated
with indifference or ridicule on account of him,
for it means that he is still with us
who is our Lord for ever.
2) Gospel Reading
Jesus said to his disciples: "If the
world hates you, you must realise that it hated me before it hated you. If you
belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you do
not belong to the world, because my choice of you has drawn you out of the
world, that is why the world hates you.
Remember the words I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they kept my word, they will keep yours as well. But it will be on my account that they will do all this to you, because they do not know the one who sent me.
Remember the words I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they kept my word, they will keep yours as well. But it will be on my account that they will do all this to you, because they do not know the one who sent me.
3) Reflection
• John 15, 18-19: The hatred of the world. “If
the world hates you, you must realize that it hated me before it hated you”.
The Christian who follows Jesus is called to live in a way contrary to society.
In a world organized according to the egoistic interests of persons and groups
which seek to live and radiate the love which will be crucified. This was the
destiny of Jesus. This is why when a Christian is very much praised by the
power of this world and is exalted as a model for all by mass media; it is good
not to trust too much. “If you belonged to the world, the world would love you
as its own; but because you do not belong to the world, because my choice of
you has drawn you out of the world, that is why the world hates you”. It was
Jesus’ choice which separated us. And if we base ourselves on this gratuitous
choice or vocation of Jesus we will have the force to suffer persecution and
calumny and have joy, in spite of the difficulties.
• John 15, 20: The servant is not greater than his master. “A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they kept my word they will keep yours as well”. Jesus had already insisted on this same point in the washing of the feet (Jn 13, 16) and in the discourse on theMission
• John 15, 21: Persecution on account of Jesus. “But it will be on my account that they will do all this to you, because they do not know the one who sent me.” The repeated insistence of the Gospel in recalling those words of Jesus which can help the communities to understand the reason for the crisis and persecutions is an evident sign that our brothers and sisters of the first communities did not have an easy life. From the persecution of Nero after Christ up to the end of the first century, they lived knowing that they could be persecuted, accused, imprisoned and killed any moment. The force which sustained them was a certainty that Jesus communicated that God was with them.
• John 15, 20: The servant is not greater than his master. “A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they kept my word they will keep yours as well”. Jesus had already insisted on this same point in the washing of the feet (Jn 13, 16) and in the discourse on the
• John 15, 21: Persecution on account of Jesus. “But it will be on my account that they will do all this to you, because they do not know the one who sent me.” The repeated insistence of the Gospel in recalling those words of Jesus which can help the communities to understand the reason for the crisis and persecutions is an evident sign that our brothers and sisters of the first communities did not have an easy life. From the persecution of Nero after Christ up to the end of the first century, they lived knowing that they could be persecuted, accused, imprisoned and killed any moment. The force which sustained them was a certainty that Jesus communicated that God was with them.
4) Personal questions
• Jesus addresses himself to me and tells me:
If you belonged to the world, the world would love what is yours. How do I
apply this in my life?
• In me there are two tendencies: the world and the Gospel. Which of these two has the priority?
• In me there are two tendencies: the world and the Gospel. Which of these two has the priority?
5) Concluding Prayer
For Yahweh is good,
his faithful love is everlasting,
his constancy from age to age. (Ps 100,5)
his faithful love is everlasting,
his constancy from age to age. (Ps 100,5)
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