Friday of the Sixth Week
of Easter
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.
Responsorial Psalm PS 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.
Gospel JN 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.”
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 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."
 On Grieving and Rejoicing |
|
Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter
|
|
Father John Doyle, LC John 16:20-23a 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. Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you." Introductory Prayer: Lord, as I begin this prayer I offer you my whole self: my thoughts, desires, decisions, actions, hopes, fears, weaknesses, failures and petty successes. I open my entire being to you, aware that you know everything already. I’m certain of your mercy and of the purifying power of your penetrating, loving gaze. Petition: Lord, give me great peace and interior joy in the midst of life’s trials. 1. “You Will Weep”: Grief is not an agreeable experience in itself. Jesus doesn’t promise his disciples that by following him they will be shielded from the sorrow characteristic of any exile in a foreign land. A Christian’s value system is diametrically opposed to the worldly view. Be honest and the common opinion will consider you backward or naive. Be kind and you will be seen as gullible. Be faithful to the love of your spouse and you will be seen as having repressive tendencies. The list could go on and on. An authentic Christian stands out among the fingers of the world as truly the sorest thumb. Have I accepted this unpleasant and challenging element of Christianity? 2. “I Will See You Again”: “Your grief will become joy.” The disciples were surprised and discouraged by Jesus’ crucifixion, but Jesus’ death would not be the final scene in the play. After the dramatic events of 3. “Your Hearts Will Rejoice”: Sometimes the charge is leveled against Christianity that its moral prohibitions are a source of sorrow and frustration. A closer look shows a different picture entirely. The closeness of the Lord, along with the recognition that the goods of this world are fundamentally good gifts lavished by the Father upon his children, brings profound joy. When we are able to distinguish the presence and action of the Lord in every created thing and through every circumstance, we experience a joy unknown to the world. “I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.” Do I have this joy founded on my faith and the awareness of God’s immense personal love? Does my obedience to the moral law stem from a complete trust in God who desires my happiness? Conversation with Christ: My Jesus, when you are near me I experience great joy. I know that you are always with me. Help me to exercise my faith and to be able to strengthen the faith of those of my brothers and sisters who need me to show them your love.
Resolution: I will offer up any difficulty that the Lord
sends me today for those who do not yet have the joy of his friendship.
|
FRIDAY, MAY 10
Easter Weekday
JOHN 16:20-23
(Acts 18:9-18; Psalm 47)
KEY VERSE: "But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice" (v 22).
READING: 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
REFLECTING: To whom do I need to bring consolation today?
PRAYING: Risen Lord, help the Church to focus upon your glory in times of sorrow.
Optional Memorial of Damien de Veuster, priest
The "Leper Priest of Moloka'i," named Joseph at his birth, received the name Damien in religious life when he joined the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. in 1860. In 1864, he was sent to
God is
king of all the earth
‘Do not be
afraid to speak out: I am with you.’The reading from Acts echoes Jesus' words not to be afraid. Jesus endeavours to encourage his followers as they lament his imminent leaving: ‘Your sorrow will turn to joy.’ Trying to explain how joy can emerge from suffering, he uses the analogy of a woman in childbirth. Soon, through his death, Jesus will show both the evil and the good that people do. He accepts his suffering without fighting back, showing us how to absorb and so transform suffering. He shows us the brilliance of human potential, our best selves, in contrast to the hatred and fear expressed through violence.
As we move through challenging times we can be reborn and we can encourage others too. We can be fearless and speak out, knowing God is with us. We can transform our vulnerability into strength and our fear into peace through tolerance and compassion.
May 10
St. Damien Joseph de Veuster of Moloka'i
(1840-1889)
St. Damien Joseph de Veuster of Moloka'i
(1840-1889)
When Joseph de Veuster was born in Tremelo , Belgium ,
in 1840, few people in Europe had any
firsthand knowledge of leprosy (Hansen's disease). By the time he died at the
age of 49, people all over the world knew about this disease because of him.
They knew that human compassion could soften the ravages of this disease.
Forced
to quit school at age 13 to work on the family farm, Joseph entered the
Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary six years later, taking the
name of a fourth-century physician and martyr. When his brother Pamphile, a
priest in the same congregation, fell ill and was unable to go to the In 1873, he went to the Hawaiian government's leper colony on the
Soon the settlement had new houses and a new church, school and orphanage. Morale improved considerably. A few years later he succeeded in getting the Franciscan Sisters of Syracuse, led by Mother Marianne Cope (January 23), to help staff this colony in Kalaupapa.
Damien contracted Hansen's disease and died of its complications. As requested, he was buried in Kalaupapa, but in 1936 the Belgian government succeeded in having his body moved to
Damien was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 11, 2009.
When
Comment:
Some people thought Damien was a hero for going toMolokai and
others thought he was crazy. When a Protestant clergyman wrote that Damien was
guilty of immoral behavior, Robert Louis Stevenson vigorously defended him in
an "Open Letter to Dr. Hyde."
Some people thought Damien was a hero for going to
Quote:
During the canonization homily, Pope Benedict XVI said: "Let us remember before this noble figure that it is charity which makes unity, brings it forth and makes it desirable. Following inSt.
Paul
During the canonization homily, Pope Benedict XVI said: "Let us remember before this noble figure that it is charity which makes unity, brings it forth and makes it desirable. Following in
LECTIO: JOHN
16,20-23A
Lectio:
Friday, May 10, 2013
Easter Time
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
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
• 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)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét