Saturday of the Sixth
Week of Easter
Lectionary: 296
After
staying in Antioch
Paul left
and traveled in orderly sequence
through the
Galatian country and Phrygia ,
bringing
strength to all the disciples.
A Jew named
Apollos, a native of Alexandria
an eloquent
speaker, arrived in Ephesus
He was an
authority on the Scriptures.
He had been
instructed in the Way of the Lord and,
with ardent
spirit, spoke and taught accurately about Jesus,
although he
knew only the baptism of John.
He began to
speak boldly in the synagogue;
but when
Priscilla and Aquila heard him,
they took
him aside
and
explained to him the Way of God more accurately.
And when he
wanted to cross to Achaia,
the brothers
encouraged him
and wrote to
the disciples there to welcome him.
After his
arrival he gave great assistance
to those who
had come to believe through grace.
He
vigorously refuted the Jews in public,
establishing
from the Scriptures that the Christ is Jesus.
Responsorial Psalm PS 47:2-3, 8-9, 10
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.
For king of
all the earth is God;
sing hymns
of praise.
God reigns
over the nations,
God sits
upon his holy throne.
R. God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The princes
of the peoples are gathered together
with the
people of the God of Abraham.
For God’s
are the guardians of the earth;
he is
supreme.
R. God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel JN 16:23B-28
Jesus said
to his disciples:
“Amen, amen,
I say to you,
whatever you
ask the Father in my name he will give you.
Until now you
have not asked anything in my name;
ask and you
will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
“I have told
you this in figures of speech.
The hour is
coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures
but I will
tell you clearly about the Father.
On that day
you will ask in my name,
and I do not
tell you that I will ask the Father for you.
For the
Father himself loves you, because you have loved me
and have
come to believe that I came from God.
I came from
the Father and have come into the world.
Now I am
leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
Meditation: "Ask in Jesus' name, that your
joy may be full"
Do you pray with confidence to
your heavenly Father? Jesus often taught his disciples by way of illustration
or parable. Here he speaks not in "figures" (the same word used for parables), but in plain speech.
Jesus revealed to them the hidden treasure of the heavenly kingdom and he
taught them how to pray to the Father in his name. Now Jesus opens his heart
and speaks in the plainest of language: "The
Father himself loves you!" How
can the disciples be certain of this? Through the gift of the Holy Spirit,
Jesus makes it possible for his disciples to have a new relationship with God
as their Father. No one would have dared to call God his Father before this!
Because of what Jesus has done for us in offering his life for our redemption
we now have a new relationship as the adopted children of God. Paul the
Apostles says that "when
we cry, ‘Abba! Father!' it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our
spirit that we are children of God" (Romans
8:15-16). We can boldly approach God as our Father and ask him for the things
we need. In love he bids us to draw near to his throne of grace and mercy. Do
you approach the Father with confidence in his love and with expectant faith in
his promise to hear your prayers?"Heavenly Father, your love knows no bounds and your mercies are new every day. Fill me with gratitude for your countless blessings and draw me near to your throne of grace and mercy. Give me confidence and boldness to pray that your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
www.dailyscripture.net
 Confidence in the Father’s Love |
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Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter
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Father John Doyle, LC John 16:23b-28 Jesus said to his disciples: "Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. I have told you this in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures but I will tell you clearly about the Father. On that day you will ask in my name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you. For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father." 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: Father, help me to confide in you. 1. Ask and You Shall Receive: As a child I was often bashful to the extreme when dealing with strangers. I remember once my dad asked me to leave a food package at the rectory office as a contribution to the parish food drive for the poor. I was scared stiff. Finally after I got up the courage, I rang the doorbell, dropped the box and ran. At times we can feel the same apprehension and uncertainty before prayer. We are not sure if God will take kindly to “being disturbed” in his care for the universe to listen to our request. Ultimately, we need to remember how much God likes to be asked and to trust that, if what we are asking for is for our good or that of another, God will certainly grant it. 2. God’s Self-Revelation: Language is a vehicle of communication, and like every means of expressing ideas, it is limited. Speech, however, is really pushed to its limits when it tries to express realities about which humans have no clear conceptualizations. God’s power, his awesome majesty and his very being are far beyond our limited scope of comprehension. Jesus, as true God and true man, becomes the bridge between our human language and God, whom he knows intimately. Jesus uses the most adequate expressions possible for God –– such as Father ––, but he also reminds us that he is speaking in figures. One day he promises to tell us clearly and even introduce us to him. Is this my greatest hope? Would I be ready right now to be introduced to God the Father? 3. “The Father Himself Loves You”: Our Holy Father, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, reminds us of the Father’s love: “True, no one has ever seen God as he is. And yet God is not totally invisible to us; he does not remain completely inaccessible. God loved us first, says theLetter of Conversation with Christ: Jesus, you have revealed the immense love the Father has for all people by the ultimate self-giving of your life. Help me never to doubt your love for me. Help me to respond to your love though fidelity to your will and the practice of exquisite charity.
Resolution: I will say a decade of the rosary for
missionaries who are preaching God’s love to others.
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SATURDAY, MAY 11
Easter Weekday
JOHN 16:23b-28
(Acts 18:23-28; Psalm 47)
KEY VERSE: "The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures but I will tell you clearly about the Father" (v 25).
REFLECTING: For whom do I need to intercede in prayer today?
PRAYING: Risen Lord, give the Church what is needed to live this day for you.
www.daily-word-of-life.com
God is king of all the earth.
In today’s gospel Jesus speaks of his relationship with God, his Father.
Jesus came from the Father with good news and now he returns. When Jesus speaks of coming and going he isn’t talking of moving from one place to another. He is talking about being present to us in a different way. Through his death, Jesus consummates his humanity and enters most fully and deeply into the fabric of creation, where God dwells. Here is the heart of the Easter message.
By the grace of God in Jesus, creation is reinvested with its holiness. Ordinary and common things are shown to be holy things-bread and wine, water and earth, marriage and parenthood, career and vocation. Our living and our dying become good and holy, and the world in which we live and die and rise is the world in which God lives and dies and rises. Lord, for this we give thanks.
www.churchresources.info
May 11
St. Ignatius of Laconi
(1701-1781)
Ignatius is another sainted begging
brother.
He was
the second of seven children of peasant parents in While on his rounds, Ignatius would instruct the children, visit the sick and urge sinners to repent. The people of
Comment:
Why did the people ofCagliari
Why did the people of
Quote:
"And I used to work with my hands, and I [still] desire to work; and I firmly wish that all my brothers give themselves to honest work. Let those who do not know how [to work] learn, not from desire of receiving wages for their work but as an example and in order to avoid idleness. And when we are not paid for our work, let us have recourse to the table of the Lord, seeking alms from door to door" (St. Francis, Testament).
www.americancatholic.org"And I used to work with my hands, and I [still] desire to work; and I firmly wish that all my brothers give themselves to honest work. Let those who do not know how [to work] learn, not from desire of receiving wages for their work but as an example and in order to avoid idleness. And when we are not paid for our work, let us have recourse to the table of the Lord, seeking alms from door to door" (St. Francis, Testament).
LECTIO: JOHN
16,23B-28
Lectio:
Saturday, May 11, 2013
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.
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.
2) Gospel
Jesus told to his disciples: “In all truth I tell you, anything you ask from the Father he will grant in my name. Until now you have not asked anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and so your joy will be complete. I have been telling you these things in veiled language. The hour is coming when I shall no longer speak to you in veiled language but tell you about the Father in plain words. When that day comes you will ask in my name; and I do not say that I shall pray to the Father for you, because the Father himself loves you for loving me, and believing that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world and now I am leaving the world to go to the Father.”
3) Reflection
• John 16, 23b: The disciples have full access to the Father. This is the assurance that Jesus gives to his disciples: they can have access to God’s paternity in union with Him. The mediation of Jesus takes the disciples to the Father. It is evident that the role of Jesus is not that of substituting himself to “his own”: He does not assume it by means of a function of intercession, but he unites them to himself, and in communion with Him they present their needs.
The disciples are certain that Jesus can dispose of the riches of the Father: “”In all truth I tell you, anything you ask from the Father in my name, he will grant it to you” (v.23b). In such a way, it means, in union with Him, the petition becomes effective. The object of any petition to the Father has to be always joined to Jesus, that is to say, to his love and to his commitment to give his life for man (Jn 10, 10). The prayer addressed to the Father, in the name of Jesus, in union with Him (Jn 14, 13; 16, 23), is listened to.
Until now you have not asked anything in the name of Jesus, but they will be able to do it after his glorification (Jn 14, 13s) when they will receive the Spirit who will fully enlighten them on His identity (Jn 4, 22ff) and will create the union with Him. His own will be able to ask and receive the fullness of joy when they will go from the sensitive vision of Him to that of faith.
• Jn 16, 24-25: In Jesus the direct contact with the Father. The believers are taken into the relationship between the Son and the Father. In Jn 16, 26 Jesus once again speaks about the link produced by the Spirit and that permits his own to present every petition to the Father in union with Him. That will take place “on that day”. What does this mean: “On that day you will ask?” It is the day when He will come to His own and will communicate the Spirit to them (Jn 20, 19.22). And it is then that the disciples knowing the relationship between Jesus and the Father will know that they will be listened to. It will not be necessary for Jesus to intervene between the Father and the disciples to ask in their behalf, and not because his mediation has ended, but they, having believed in the Incarnation of the Word, and being closely united to Christ, will be loved by the Father as He loves his Son (Jn 17, 23.26). In Jesus the disciples experience the direct contact with the Father.
• John 16, 26-27: The prayer to the Father. To pray consists, then, to go to the Father through Jesus; to address the Father in the name of Jesus. The expression of Jesus in vv. 26-27: “And I do not say that I shall pray to the Father for you; because the Father himself loves you”, merits to be given special attention. The love of the Father for the disciples is founded on the adherence of “his own” to Jesus on faith in his provenance, that is to say, the acknowledgment of Jesus as gift of the Father.
After having assimilated the disciples to himself Jesus seems to withdraw from his condition of mediator but in reality he permits that only the Father to take us and to seize us: “Ask and you will receive and so your joy will be complete” (v.24). Inserted into the relationship with the Father through union in Him, our joy is complete and prayer is perfect. God always offers his love to the whole world, but such a love acquires the sense of reciprocity only if man responds. Love is incomplete if it does not become reciprocal: as long as man does not accept it remains in suspense. However, the disciples accept it at the moment in which they love Jesus and thus they render operational the love of the Father. Prayer is this relationship of love. In last instance the history of each one of us is identified with the history of his prayer, even at the moments which do not seem to be such: Longing, yearning is already prayer and in the same way, research, anguish...
• John 16, 23b: The disciples have full access to the Father. This is the assurance that Jesus gives to his disciples: they can have access to God’s paternity in union with Him. The mediation of Jesus takes the disciples to the Father. It is evident that the role of Jesus is not that of substituting himself to “his own”: He does not assume it by means of a function of intercession, but he unites them to himself, and in communion with Him they present their needs.
The disciples are certain that Jesus can dispose of the riches of the Father: “”In all truth I tell you, anything you ask from the Father in my name, he will grant it to you” (v.23b). In such a way, it means, in union with Him, the petition becomes effective. The object of any petition to the Father has to be always joined to Jesus, that is to say, to his love and to his commitment to give his life for man (Jn 10, 10). The prayer addressed to the Father, in the name of Jesus, in union with Him (Jn 14, 13; 16, 23), is listened to.
Until now you have not asked anything in the name of Jesus, but they will be able to do it after his glorification (Jn 14, 13s) when they will receive the Spirit who will fully enlighten them on His identity (Jn 4, 22ff) and will create the union with Him. His own will be able to ask and receive the fullness of joy when they will go from the sensitive vision of Him to that of faith.
• Jn 16, 24-25: In Jesus the direct contact with the Father. The believers are taken into the relationship between the Son and the Father. In Jn 16, 26 Jesus once again speaks about the link produced by the Spirit and that permits his own to present every petition to the Father in union with Him. That will take place “on that day”. What does this mean: “On that day you will ask?” It is the day when He will come to His own and will communicate the Spirit to them (Jn 20, 19.22). And it is then that the disciples knowing the relationship between Jesus and the Father will know that they will be listened to. It will not be necessary for Jesus to intervene between the Father and the disciples to ask in their behalf, and not because his mediation has ended, but they, having believed in the Incarnation of the Word, and being closely united to Christ, will be loved by the Father as He loves his Son (Jn 17, 23.26). In Jesus the disciples experience the direct contact with the Father.
• John 16, 26-27: The prayer to the Father. To pray consists, then, to go to the Father through Jesus; to address the Father in the name of Jesus. The expression of Jesus in vv. 26-27: “And I do not say that I shall pray to the Father for you; because the Father himself loves you”, merits to be given special attention. The love of the Father for the disciples is founded on the adherence of “his own” to Jesus on faith in his provenance, that is to say, the acknowledgment of Jesus as gift of the Father.
After having assimilated the disciples to himself Jesus seems to withdraw from his condition of mediator but in reality he permits that only the Father to take us and to seize us: “Ask and you will receive and so your joy will be complete” (v.24). Inserted into the relationship with the Father through union in Him, our joy is complete and prayer is perfect. God always offers his love to the whole world, but such a love acquires the sense of reciprocity only if man responds. Love is incomplete if it does not become reciprocal: as long as man does not accept it remains in suspense. However, the disciples accept it at the moment in which they love Jesus and thus they render operational the love of the Father. Prayer is this relationship of love. In last instance the history of each one of us is identified with the history of his prayer, even at the moments which do not seem to be such: Longing, yearning is already prayer and in the same way, research, anguish...
4) Personal questions
• Do my personal and community prayer take place in a state of calmness, silence of peace and of great peace?
• How much effort or commitment do I dedicate to grow in friendship with Jesus? Are you convinced of attaining a real identity through communion with Him and in the love for neighbour?
• Do my personal and community prayer take place in a state of calmness, silence of peace and of great peace?
• How much effort or commitment do I dedicate to grow in friendship with Jesus? Are you convinced of attaining a real identity through communion with Him and in the love for neighbour?
5) Concluding Prayer
God reigns over the nations,
seated on his holy throne.
The leaders of the nations rally
to the people of the God of Abraham. (Ps 47,8-9)
God reigns over the nations,
seated on his holy throne.
The leaders of the nations rally
to the people of the God of Abraham. (Ps 47,8-9)
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