Saturday of the Second Week of Easter
Lectionary: 272
Lectionary: 272
As the number of
disciples continued to grow,
the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews
because their widows
were being neglected in the daily distribution.
So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said,
“It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table.
Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men,
filled with the Spirit and wisdom,
whom we shall appoint to this task,
whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer
and to the ministry of the word.”
The proposal was acceptable to the whole community,
so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit,
also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas,
and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
They presented these men to the Apostles
who prayed and laid hands on them.
The word of God continued to spread,
and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly;
even a large group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews
because their widows
were being neglected in the daily distribution.
So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said,
“It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table.
Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men,
filled with the Spirit and wisdom,
whom we shall appoint to this task,
whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer
and to the ministry of the word.”
The proposal was acceptable to the whole community,
so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit,
also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas,
and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
They presented these men to the Apostles
who prayed and laid hands on them.
The word of God continued to spread,
and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly;
even a large group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
Responsorial PsalmPS 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19
R. (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our
trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ is risen, who made all things;
he has shown mercy on all people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ is risen, who made all things;
he has shown mercy on all people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 6:16-21
When it was
evening, the disciples of Jesus went down to the sea,
embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum.
It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing.
When they had rowed about three or four miles,
they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat,
and they began to be afraid.
But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.”
They wanted to take him into the boat,
but the boat immediately arrived at the shore
to which they were heading.
embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum.
It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing.
When they had rowed about three or four miles,
they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat,
and they began to be afraid.
But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.”
They wanted to take him into the boat,
but the boat immediately arrived at the shore
to which they were heading.
Meditation: Jesus said: "It is I - do not be
afraid"
Does the Lord Jesus ever seem distant to you? When John
recounted the scene of the apostles being alone at sea in a storm he described
the situation as "dark" (John 6:17). It was dark not only physically
but spiritually as well. Although they were experienced fishermen, they were
fearful for their lives. The Lord's sudden presence - and his supernatural
ability to walk towards them on top of the rough waves of the sea - only made
them more fearful! John says they were frightened. And Jesus had to calm them
with a reassuring command: "Do not be afraid because I am here with
you!"
Aren't we like the apostles when we experience moments of
darkness, fear, and trials? While the Lord may at times seem absent or very
distant to us, he, nonetheless, is always present and close-by. The Scriptures
remind us that the Lord is "a very present help in trouble" (Psalm
46:1). Whatever storms may beset us, he promises to "bring us to our
desired haven" and place of calm rest and safety (Psalm 107:29-30). The
Lord keeps watch over us at all times, and especially in our moments of
temptation and difficulty. Do you rely on the Lord for his strength and help?
Jesus assures us that we have no need of fear if we put our trust in him and in
his great love and care for us. When calamities or trials threaten to overwhelm
you, how do you respond? With faith and hope in God's love, personal care, and
presence with you?
"Lord Jesus, may I never doubt your saving help and your
watchful presence in my life, especially in times of trouble. Fortify my faith
with courage and give me enduring hope that I may never waver in my trust in
you."
 Walking on the Water |
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April 18, 2015.
Saturday of the Second Week of Easter
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By Father Steven Reilly, LC John 6:16-21 When it was evening, his disciples went down to the sea, embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum. It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid. But he said to them, "It is I. Do not be afraid." They wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading. Introductory Prayer: I come before you, Lord, poor and unworthy. Yet you welcome me with such love. With my effort during this meditation I want to make a small return on your great kindness. Petition: May I never give into my fears, knowing that you are always at my side. 1. Rough Times: Moments in our lives can be aptly symbolized by this reading: rough waters, darkness and little headway. At times the waters of our soul are stirred up by our unchecked emotions, our pride or vanity; we lose the sense of direction and seem to be rowing with futility. Could it be any other way if Christ is not in our boat? When we are struggling, we should take a look at our prayer life. Therein, perhaps, lies the answer to some of our difficulties. 2. I AM! Jesus’ response to the fear of his disciples is a majestic word indeed. Translated here as “It is I,” literally in Greek it is “I am,” the divine name used by God when speaking to Moses from the burning bush. It is a name that speaks of presence and power. God is not watching our travails ineffectually from afar. He comes to our aid, as he does to the disciples’ in this story. 3. The Safe Port: The immediate arrival of the boat to the shore described in this passage is something very hard to imagine. For the disciples, it must have been almost like waking up from a nightmare, going from the danger of the rough waters in the middle of the sea to finding themselves already with Christ at the shore. What might this be telling us? Perhaps that once we decide to take Christ in our boat, we have, in a sense, already reached our destination. Conversation with Christ: Lord, help me to not to be swept away by the rough waters of my pride, vanity and sensuality. When I make no progress, whom do I have to blame except myself? Yet I trust in your mercy. Your divine presence reassures me. Lord, never leave my boat!
Resolution: I will make a visit to the Eucharist today
to renew my complete trust in Christ.
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SATURDAY, APRIL 18, JOHN 6:16-21
Easter Weekday
(Acts 6:1-7; Psalm 33)
Easter Weekday
(Acts 6:1-7; Psalm 33)
KEY VERSE: "It is I. Do not be afraid" (v 20).
TO READ: After the miraculous multiplication of loaves in the wilderness, Jesus' disciples sailed to the village of Capernaum on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee (John 6:1, "Tiberius," named for the second Roman Emperor). It was Passover time, the time of the full moon (Jn.6:4), and Jesus was up on the hillside praying. When a sudden storm came up threatening to capsize the small craft of his terrified disciples, Jesus appeared walking on the water toward them, calming them with his divine presence, and bringing them safely to shore. Whether in hunger or distress, Jesus continues to be with his people to deliver them from all evil.
TO REFLECT: How can I be a source of peace to someone who is fearful?
TO RESPOND: Lord Jesus, help me to know that you are with me in all the storms of my life.
Saturday 18 April 2015
Acts 6:1-7. Lord, let your
mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you—Ps 32(33):1-2, 4-5, 18-19. John
6:16-21.
Today we hear the story
from the Book of Acts of the developing ministerial life in the church.
The apostles recognise that
the needs of the community are growing. There is a need to proclaim the Good
News but also to put that Good News into action. Both are necessary.
Ministry in the life of the
church is directed towards the members of the community, to build up the
community in Christ, so that the whole church might be a sign and witness to
the world of God’s saving love and mercy. In that sense, we all have a mission
through baptism. This baptismal call means that we are called to live the Good
News of the Resurrection every day and in every way.
We are summoned to be
people of the joy of the Gospel, so that others may come to believe through us.
And we are called to attend to the needs of others through a life of practical
service and compassion.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
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Be Charitable
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Charity for the poor is like a living flame: the more dry the
wood, the brighter it burns.
April
18
Blessed James Oldo
(1364-1404)
Blessed James Oldo
(1364-1404)
You’ve heard rags-to-riches stories. Today, we celebrate the
reverse.
James of
Oldo was born into a well-to-do family near Milan in 1364. He married a woman
who, like him, appreciated the comforts that came with wealth. But an outbreak
of plague drove James, his wife and their three children out of their home and
into the countryside. Despite those precautions, two of his daughters died from
the plague, James determined to use whatever time he had left to build up
treasures in heaven and to build God’s realm on earth.
He and his
wife became Secular Franciscans. James gave up his old lifestyle and did
penance for his sins. He cared for a sick priest, who taught him Latin. Upon
the death of his wife, James himself became a priest. His house was transformed
into a chapel where small groups of people, many of them fellow Secular
Franciscans, came for prayer and support. James focused on caring for the sick
and for prisoners of war. He died in 1404 after contracting a disease from one
of his patients.
James
Oldo was beatified in 1933.
Comment:
The death of those we love brings a troubling awareness of our own mortality. James had that experience when he gazed into a friend’s grave, and it brought him to his senses. He determined to use whatever time he had left to build up treasures in heaven and to build God’s realm on earth. Our time is limited, too. We can use it well or foolishly: The choice is ours.
The death of those we love brings a troubling awareness of our own mortality. James had that experience when he gazed into a friend’s grave, and it brought him to his senses. He determined to use whatever time he had left to build up treasures in heaven and to build God’s realm on earth. Our time is limited, too. We can use it well or foolishly: The choice is ours.
LECTIO DIVINA:
JOHN 6,16-21
Lectio:
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Easter Time
1) Opening prayer
Lord God,
also in our day we need men and women
filled with the Spirit of love and service
who are attentive to the needs of people.
Let them listen even to the unspoken cries
of people too timid to voice
their poverty and distress
and help without condescension
their brothers and sisters of Christ,
for he is our Lord for ever.
also in our day we need men and women
filled with the Spirit of love and service
who are attentive to the needs of people.
Let them listen even to the unspoken cries
of people too timid to voice
their poverty and distress
and help without condescension
their brothers and sisters of Christ,
for he is our Lord for ever.
2) Gospel Reading - John 6,16-21
That evening the disciples went down to the shore of the sea and got into a boat to make for Capernaum on the other side of the sea. It was getting dark by now and Jesus had still not rejoined them. The wind was strong, and the sea was getting rough.
They had rowed three or four miles when they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming towards the boat. They were afraid, but he said, 'It's me. Don't be afraid.' They were ready to take him into the boat, and immediately it reached the shore at the place they were making for.
That evening the disciples went down to the shore of the sea and got into a boat to make for Capernaum on the other side of the sea. It was getting dark by now and Jesus had still not rejoined them. The wind was strong, and the sea was getting rough.
They had rowed three or four miles when they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming towards the boat. They were afraid, but he said, 'It's me. Don't be afraid.' They were ready to take him into the boat, and immediately it reached the shore at the place they were making for.
3) Reflection
• Today’s Gospel narrates the episode of the boat on the
agitated sea. Jesus is on the mountain, the disciples in the sea and
the people on the land. In the way of describing the facts,
John tries to help the communities to discover the mystery which envelopes the
person of Jesus. He does it by recalling texts from the Old Testament which
refer to the Exodus.
• At the time when John wrote, the small boat of the communities
had to face a contrary wind both on the part of the converted Jews who wanted
to reduce the mystery of Jesus to prophecies and figures of the Old Testament,
and on the part of some converted Pagans who thought that it was possible to
have an alliance between Jesus and the Empire.
• John 6, 15: Jesus on the mountain. In the face of
the multiplication of the loaves, the people conclude that Jesus is the awaited
Messiah, because according to the hope of the people of the time, the Messiah
would have repeated the gesture of Moses: feeding in the people in the desert.
For this reason, according to the official ideology, the crowds thought that
Jesus was the Messiah, and, because of this, they wanted to make him King (cf.
Jn 6, 14-15). This request of the people was a temptation for Jesus as well as
for the disciples. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus obliges the disciples to get into
the boat and go on ahead to the other side of the lake (MK 6, 45). He wanted to
avoid that they get contaminated with the dominating ideology. This is a sign
that the “yeast of Herod and of the Pharisees”, was very strong (Mk 8, 15).
Jesus faces the temptation with prayer on the mountain.
• John 6, 16-18: The situation of the disciples. It
was already night. The disciples went down near the sea; they got into the boat
and directed themselves toward Capernaum, on the other side of the sea. John
says that it was already dark and that Jesus had not arrived as yet. On the one
hand he recalls the Exodus: to cross the sea in the midst of difficulties. On
the other, he recalls the situation of the communities in the Roman Empire:
with the disciples, they were living in the dark, with a contrary wind and the
sea was agitated and Jesus seemed to be absent!
• John 6, 19-20. Change of the situation. Jesus
reaches them walking on the water of the sea of life. The disciples are afraid.
As it happens in the account of the story of Emmaus, they did not recognize him
(Lk 24, 28). Jesus gets close to them and says: “It is me! Do not be
afraid!” For those who know the story of the Old Testament, here again
he recalls some very important facts: (a) He recalls the crowd, protected by
God, crossed the Red Sea without fear. (b) He recalls that God, when calling
Moses, he declares his name saying: “I am!” (cf. Ex 3, 15).
(c) He recalls also the Book of Isaiah which presents the return from exile as
a new Exodus, in which God appears repeating many times: “I am!” (cf.
Is 42, 8; 43, 5.11-13; 44, 6.25; 45, 5-7).
• For the People of the Bible, the sea was the symbol of the
abyss, of chaos, of evil (Ap 13, 1). In Exodus the People goes across toward
liberty, facing and conquering the sea. God divides the sea with his breath and
the crowds cross the sea which is dry land. (Ex 14, 22). In other passages the
Bible shows God who conquers the sea (Gen 1, 6-10; Ps 104, 6-9; Pro 8, 27). To
conquer the sea means to impose one’s own limits and to prevent that it
swallows all the earth with its waves. In this passage Jesus reveals his divinity
by dominating and conquering the sea, preventing the boat and his disciples to
be carried away by the waves. This way of evoking or recalling the Old
Testament, of using the Bible, helped the communities to perceive better the
presence of God in Jesus and in the facts of life. Do not be afraid!
• John 6, 22. They reached the desired port. They
want to take Jesus into the boat, but it was not necessary, because the boat
touched the shore to which they had directed themselves. They reached the
desired port. The Psalm says: “He reduced the storm to calm, and all the waters
subsided. He brought them overjoyed at the stillness, to the port where they
were bound”. (Ps 107, 29-30).
4) Personal questions
• On the mountain: Why does Jesus seek to be alone to pray after
the multiplication of the loaves? Which is the result of his prayer?
• Is it possible today to walk on the water of the sea of life? How?
• Is it possible today to walk on the water of the sea of life? How?
5) Concluding Prayer
Shout for joy, you upright;
praise comes well from the honest.
Give thanks to Yahweh on the lyre,
play for him on the ten-stringed lyre. (Ps 33,1-2)
praise comes well from the honest.
Give thanks to Yahweh on the lyre,
play for him on the ten-stringed lyre. (Ps 33,1-2)
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