Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 285
Lectionary: 285
There was an
attempt in Iconium
by both the Gentiles and the Jews,
together with their leaders,
to attack and stone Paul and Barnabas.
They realized it,
and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe
and to the surrounding countryside,
where they continued to proclaim the Good News.
At Lystra there was a crippled man, lame from birth,
who had never walked.
He listened to Paul speaking, who looked intently at him,
saw that he had the faith to be healed,
and called out in a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet.”
He jumped up and began to walk about.
When the crowds saw what Paul had done,
they cried out in Lycaonian,
“The gods have come down to us in human form.”
They called Barnabas “Zeus” and Paul “Hermes,”
because he was the chief speaker.
And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city,
brought oxen and garlands to the gates,
for he together with the people intended to offer sacrifice.
The Apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their garments
when they heard this and rushed out into the crowd, shouting,
“Men, why are you doing this?
We are of the same nature as you, human beings.
We proclaim to you good news
that you should turn from these idols to the living God,
who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them.
In past generations he allowed all Gentiles to go their own ways;
yet, in bestowing his goodness,
he did not leave himself without witness,
for he gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons,
and filled you with nourishment and gladness for your hearts.”
Even with these words, they scarcely restrained the crowds
from offering sacrifice to them.
by both the Gentiles and the Jews,
together with their leaders,
to attack and stone Paul and Barnabas.
They realized it,
and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe
and to the surrounding countryside,
where they continued to proclaim the Good News.
At Lystra there was a crippled man, lame from birth,
who had never walked.
He listened to Paul speaking, who looked intently at him,
saw that he had the faith to be healed,
and called out in a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet.”
He jumped up and began to walk about.
When the crowds saw what Paul had done,
they cried out in Lycaonian,
“The gods have come down to us in human form.”
They called Barnabas “Zeus” and Paul “Hermes,”
because he was the chief speaker.
And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city,
brought oxen and garlands to the gates,
for he together with the people intended to offer sacrifice.
The Apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their garments
when they heard this and rushed out into the crowd, shouting,
“Men, why are you doing this?
We are of the same nature as you, human beings.
We proclaim to you good news
that you should turn from these idols to the living God,
who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them.
In past generations he allowed all Gentiles to go their own ways;
yet, in bestowing his goodness,
he did not leave himself without witness,
for he gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons,
and filled you with nourishment and gladness for your hearts.”
Even with these words, they scarcely restrained the crowds
from offering sacrifice to them.
Responsorial PsalmPS 115:1-2, 3-4, 15-16
R. (1ab) Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the
glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to your name give glory
because of your mercy, because of your truth.
Why should the pagans say,
“Where is their God?”
R. Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Our God is in heaven;
whatever he wills, he does.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the handiwork of men.
R. Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
May you be blessed by the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
Heaven is the heaven of the LORD,
but the earth he has given to the children of men.
R. Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to your name give glory
because of your mercy, because of your truth.
Why should the pagans say,
“Where is their God?”
R. Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Our God is in heaven;
whatever he wills, he does.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the handiwork of men.
R. Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
May you be blessed by the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
Heaven is the heaven of the LORD,
but the earth he has given to the children of men.
R. Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaJN 14:26
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Holy Spirit will teach you everything
and remind you of all I told you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Holy Spirit will teach you everything
and remind you of all I told you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 14:21-26
Jesus said to his
disciples:
“Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”
Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him,
“Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us
and not to the world?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.
“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit
whom the Father will send in my name—
he will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.”
“Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”
Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him,
“Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us
and not to the world?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.
“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit
whom the Father will send in my name—
he will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.”
Meditation: "If you love me, keep my word"
Do you know the love that surpasses all, that is
stronger than death itself (Song of Songs 8:6)? In Jesus' last supper discourse he speaks of the love he has for
his disciples and of his Father's love. He prepares his disciples for his
imminent departure to return to his Father by exhorting them to prove their
love for him through their loyalty and obedience to his word. He promises them
the abiding instruction and consolation of the Holy Spirit.
Saint Augustine says the Lord loves each
of us as if there were only one of us to love. God’s love for each of us is
as real and tangible as the love of a mother for her child and the love of a
lover who gives all for his beloved. God made us in love for love - to know him
personally and to grow in the knowledge of his great love for us and to love
him in return.
How can we know and be assured of the love of God?
The Holy Spirit helps us to grow in the knowledge of God and his great love.
The Spirit enables us to experience the love of God and to be assured of the
Lord’s abiding presence with us (see Romans 8:35-39). The Holy Spirit also opens our ears to hear and understand the
word of God. Do you listen attentively to God's word and believe it? Ask the
Holy Spirit to inflame your heart with the love of God and his word.
"Lord Jesus, in love you created me and you
drew me to yourself. May I never lose sight of you nor forget your steadfast
love and faithfulness. And may I daily dwell upon your word and give you praise
in the sanctuary of my heart, You who are my All."
MONDAY, MAY 4, JOHN 14:21-26
Easter Weekday
(Acts 14:5-18; Psalm 115)
Easter Weekday
(Acts 14:5-18; Psalm 115)
KEY VERSE: "Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me" (v 21).
TO READ: As Jesus prepared to return to the Father, he comforted his fearful and bewildered disciples about his impending departure. The disciples were afraid that Jesus was abandoning them, but he assured them that he would not leave them orphans. He and the Father would send another "Advocate" (Greek, parakletos, an intercessor, one who defends someone as in a court of law) who would give them help in time of need. Jesus gave a "new commandment" to his followers, to "love one another" as he loved them (Jn 13:34). Judas (not the Iscariot) asked, “Master, why is it that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus said that the unbelieving world could not accept this truth because they did not love him, nor did they keep his commands. Jesus' disciples would prove their love by obedience to his word and by loving one another. Jesus promised that he and the Father would make their dwelling within the hearts of believers. The Holy Spirit, or the "Advocate," would be sent by the Father in Jesus' name to remind his followers of everything that he taught them.
TO REFLECT: Have I kept Jesus' command to love those who may be difficult to love?
TO RESPOND: Holy Spirit, be my advocate when I face a difficult situation.
Monday 4 May 2015
Acts 14:5-18. Not to us,
O Lord, but to your name give the glory—Ps 113B(115):1-4, 15-16. John 14:21-26.
Readings
‘The Holy Spirit will
remind you of all that I have taught you.’
Next time we make the
Sign of the Cross, let us take a moment to reflect on those persons of God.
Each one is creating me, drawing me to a place of wholeness. I am created by
God, I am shown the way by Jesus, and the Holy Spirit provides a sense of
adventure in my becoming. The gifts of the Holy Spirit offer the chance of
creativity in an otherwise dull, unexamined existence.
I ask this question in
my prayer: ‘Do I make a difference in my small world?’ Each of us can bring a
little order, a sense of life and beauty, to those around us, by working with
the Holy Spirit.
Let us give thanks for
the lives of the winners of the current Nobel peace prize, two brave women who
were recognised for their courage amidst chaos and darkness. And let us lean on
the Holy Spirit for our next day.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
|
Powerful Connections
|
Every connection we make with our brothers and sisters on earth
holds great power. Each day, God calls us to be in community, to share faith
and friendship, and to lead each other into a beautiful, miraculous, and
radical relationship with God.
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
Vilnius, Lithuania, Michael suffered from physical and permanent handicaps from
birth. He was a dwarf who had the use of only one foot. Because of his delicate
physical condition, his formal education was frequently interrupted. But over
time, Michael showed special skills at metalwork. Working with bronze and
silver, he created sacred vessels, including chalices.
He
traveled to Kraków, Poland, where he joined the Augustinians. He received
permission to live the life of a hermit in a cell adjoining the monastery.
There Michael spent his days in prayer, fasted and abstained from all meat and
lived to an old age. Though he knew the meaning of suffering throughout his
years, his rich spiritual life brought him consolation. Michael’s long life
ended in 1485 in Kraków.
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 DIVINA:
JOHN 14,21-26
Lectio:
Monday, May 4, 2015
Easter Time
1)
OPENING PRAYER
Lord God, loving Father,
we look for your presence
in the temple of nature
and in churches built by our hands,
and you are there with your people.
But above all, you have made your temple
right in our hearts.
God, give us eyes of faith and love
to recognize that you live in us
with your Son and the Holy Spirit
if we keep the word of Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever.
we look for your presence
in the temple of nature
and in churches built by our hands,
and you are there with your people.
But above all, you have made your temple
right in our hearts.
God, give us eyes of faith and love
to recognize that you live in us
with your Son and the Holy Spirit
if we keep the word of Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever.
2)
GOSPEL READING - JOHN 14,21-26
Jesus said to his disciples: "Whoever holds to my
commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me; and whoever loves me will
be loved by my Father, and I shall love him and reveal myself to him.' Judas --
not Judas Iscariot -- said to him, 'Lord, what has happened, that you intend to
show yourself to us and not to the world?' Jesus replied: Anyone who loves me
will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and
make a home in him. Anyone who does not love me does not keep my words. And the
word that you hear is not my own: it is the word of the Father who sent me. I
have said these things to you while still with you; but the Paraclete, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and
remind you of all I have said to you.
3)
REFLECTION
• As we said at the beginning, chapter 14 of the Gospel of John
is a beautiful example of how the catechesis was done in the communities of
Asia Minor, at the end of the first century. Through the questions of the
disciples and the responses of Jesus, the Christians formed their conscience
and found an orientation for their problems. In chapter 14, we find the
question of Thomas and the answer of Jesus (Jn 14, 5-7), the question of Philip
and the response of Jesus (Jn 14, 8-21), and the question of Judas and the
answer of Jesus (Jn 12, 22-26). The last phrase of the answer of Jesus to
Philip (Jn 14, 21) forms the first verse of today’s Gospel.
• John 14, 21: I shall love him and reveal myself to him. This
verse presents the summary of the response of Jesus to Philip. Philip had said:
“Show us the Father and then we shall be satisfied!” (Jn 14, 8). Moses had
asked God: “Show me your glory!” (Ex 33, 18). God answered: “My face you cannot
see, for no human being can see me and survive” (Ex 33, 20). The Father cannot
be shown. God lives in inaccessible light (1 Tim 6, 16). “Nobody has ever seen
God” (I Jn 4, 12). But the presence of the Father can be experienced through
the experience of love. The First Letter of Saint John says: “He who dos not
love does not know God because God is Love”. Jesus tells Philip: “Whoever loves
me will be loved by my Father, and I shall love him and reveal myself to him”.
By observing the commandment of Jesus, which is the commandment to love our
neighbour (Jn 15, 17), the person shows his love for Jesus. And whoever loves
Jesus, will be loved by the Father and can be certain that the Father will
manifest himself to him. In the response to Judas, Jesus will say how this
manifestation of the Father will take place in our life.
• John 14, 22: The question of Judas is the question of all. The
question of Judas: “Lord, what has happened that you intend to show yourself to
us and not to the world?” This question of Judas mirrors a problem which is
real even today. Sometimes, among us, Christians, there arises the idea of
being better than the others and of being loved by God more than others. Do we
attribute to God the distinction among persons?
• John 14, 23-24: The answer of Jesus. The answer of Jesus is
simple and profound. He repeats what he had just said to Philip. The problem is
not if we, Christians, are loved more by God than others, or that the others
are despised by God. This is not the criterion for the preference of the
Father. The criterion for the preference of the Father is always the same:
love. “If anyone loves me, he will observe my word, and my Father will love him
and we shall come to him and make a home in him. Anyone who does not love me
does not keep my words”. Independently of whether the person is Christian or
not, the Father manifests himself to all those who observe the commandment of
Jesus which is love for neighbour (Jn 15, 17). In what does the manifestation
of the Father consist? The response to this question is engraved in the heart
of humanity, in the universal human experience. Observe the life of the persons
who practice love and make of their life a gift for others. Examine their
experience, independently of religion, of social class, of race or colour, the
practice of love gives us a profound peace and it is a great joy that they
succeed to live and bear together pain and suffering. This experience is the
reflection of the manifestation of the Father in the life of the person. It is
the realization of the promise: “I and the Father will come to him and make our
home in him.
• John 14, 15-16: The promise of the Holy Spirit. Jesus ends his
response to Judas saying: I have said these things to you while still with you.
Jesus communicates everything which he has heard from the Father (Jn 15, 15).
His words are a source of life and they should be meditated, deepened and
updated constantly in the light of the always new reality which surrounds us.
For this constant meditation of his words, Jesus promises us the help of the
Holy Spirit: “The Consoler, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my
name will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.
4)
PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• Jesus says: We will come to him and make our home in him. How
do I experience this promise?
• We have the promise of the gift of the Spirit to help us
understand the word of Jesus. Do I invoke the light of the Spirit when I
prepare myself to read and meditate the Scripture?
5)
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Day after day I shall bless you,
I shall praise your name for ever and ever.
Great is Yahweh and worthy of all praise,
his greatness beyond all reckoning. (Ps 145,2-3)
I shall praise your name for ever and ever.
Great is Yahweh and worthy of all praise,
his greatness beyond all reckoning. (Ps 145,2-3)
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