Thursday
of the Fifth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 288
Lectionary: 288
After
much debate had taken place,
Peter got up and said to the Apostles and the presbyters,
“My brothers, you are well aware that from early days
God made his choice among you that through my mouth
the Gentiles would hear the word of the Gospel and believe.
And God, who knows the heart,
bore witness by granting them the Holy Spirit
just as he did us.
He made no distinction between us and them,
for by faith he purified their hearts.
Why, then, are you now putting God to the test
by placing on the shoulders of the disciples
a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?
On the contrary, we believe that we are saved
through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they.”
The whole assembly fell silent,
and they listened
while Paul and Barnabas described the signs and wonders
God had worked among the Gentiles through them.
After they had fallen silent, James responded,
“My brothers, listen to me.
Symeon has described how God first concerned himself
with acquiring from among the Gentiles a people for his name.
The words of the prophets agree with this, as is written:
After this I shall return
and rebuild the fallen hut of David;
from its ruins I shall rebuild it
and raise it up again,
so that the rest of humanity may seek out the Lord,
even all the Gentiles on whom my name is invoked.
Thus says the Lord who accomplishes these things,
known from of old.
It is my judgment, therefore,
that we ought to stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God,
but tell them by letter to avoid pollution from idols,
unlawful marriage, the meat of strangled animals, and blood.
For Moses, for generations now,
has had those who proclaim him in every town,
as he has been read in the synagogues every sabbath.”
Peter got up and said to the Apostles and the presbyters,
“My brothers, you are well aware that from early days
God made his choice among you that through my mouth
the Gentiles would hear the word of the Gospel and believe.
And God, who knows the heart,
bore witness by granting them the Holy Spirit
just as he did us.
He made no distinction between us and them,
for by faith he purified their hearts.
Why, then, are you now putting God to the test
by placing on the shoulders of the disciples
a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?
On the contrary, we believe that we are saved
through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they.”
The whole assembly fell silent,
and they listened
while Paul and Barnabas described the signs and wonders
God had worked among the Gentiles through them.
After they had fallen silent, James responded,
“My brothers, listen to me.
Symeon has described how God first concerned himself
with acquiring from among the Gentiles a people for his name.
The words of the prophets agree with this, as is written:
After this I shall return
and rebuild the fallen hut of David;
from its ruins I shall rebuild it
and raise it up again,
so that the rest of humanity may seek out the Lord,
even all the Gentiles on whom my name is invoked.
Thus says the Lord who accomplishes these things,
known from of old.
It is my judgment, therefore,
that we ought to stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God,
but tell them by letter to avoid pollution from idols,
unlawful marriage, the meat of strangled animals, and blood.
For Moses, for generations now,
has had those who proclaim him in every town,
as he has been read in the synagogues every sabbath.”
Responsorial
PsalmPS 96:1-2A, 2B-3, 10
R.
(3) Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaJN 10:27
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
My sheep know my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep know my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 15:9-11
Jesus
said to his disciples:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
“I have told you this so that
my joy might be in you and
your joy might be complete.”
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
“I have told you this so that
my joy might be in you and
your joy might be complete.”
Meditation: "Abide
in my love"
Do
you know the love that no earthly power nor death itself can destroy? The love
of God the Father and his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ is a creative, life-giving
love that produces immeasurable joy and lasting friendship for all who accept
it. God loves the world so much because he created it to reflect his glory. And
he created each one of us in his own image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27). He
wants us to be united with himself in an inseparable bond of unity, peace, and
joy that endures for all eternity. That is why the Father sent his Son, the
Lord Jesus, into the world, not to condemn it, but to redeem it from the curse
of sin and death (John 3:16-17). Paul the Apostle tells us that we can abound
in joy and hope because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the
gift of the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:5).
Through
Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, God offers pardon for all of our sins and
failings, and he calls us to lay aside everything that might hold us back from
loving him above all else. We owe him a debt of gratitude and love in return.
We can never outmatch God because he has loved us first and has given himself
to us without measure. Our love for him is a response to his exceeding mercy
and kindness towards us. In God's love alone can we find the fulness of
abundant life, peace, and joy.
A
new commandment of love
The Lord Jesus gives his disciples a new commandment - a new way of love that goes beyond giving only what is required or what we think others might deserve. What is the essence of Jesus' new commandment of love? It is love to the death - a purifying love that overcomes selfishness, fear, and pride. It is a total giving of oneself for the sake of others - a selfless and self-giving love that is oriented towards putting the welfare of others ahead of myself.
The Lord Jesus gives his disciples a new commandment - a new way of love that goes beyond giving only what is required or what we think others might deserve. What is the essence of Jesus' new commandment of love? It is love to the death - a purifying love that overcomes selfishness, fear, and pride. It is a total giving of oneself for the sake of others - a selfless and self-giving love that is oriented towards putting the welfare of others ahead of myself.
There
is no greater proof in love than the sacrifice of one's life for the sake of
another. Jesus proved his love by giving his life for us on the cross of
Calvary. Through the shedding of his blood for our sake, our sins are not only
washed clean, but new life is poured out for us through the gift of the Holy
Spirit. We prove our love for God and for one another when we embrace the way
of the cross. What is the cross in my life? When my will crosses with God's will,
then God's will must be done. Do you know the peace and joy of a life fully
surrendered to God and consumed with his love?
"Lord
Jesus, may I always grow in the joy and hope which your promises give me.
Inflame my heart with love for you and your ways and with charity and
compassion for my neighbor. May there be nothing in my life which keeps me from
your love."
Daily Quote from the
early church fathers: Joy in rejoicing over us, by Augustine
of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"And what else is
Christ's joy in us except that he is pleased to rejoice over us? And what is
this joy of ours that he says is to be made full, but our having fellowship
with him?... His joy, therefore, in us is the grace he has bestowed on us, and
that is also our joy. But he rejoiced over this joy even from eternity when he
chose us before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). Nor can we rightly
say that his joy was not full. For God's joy was never at any time imperfect.
But that joy of his was not in us. For we, in whom that joy could exist, had as
yet no existence. And even when our existence commenced, it began not to be in
him. But in him it always was, who in the infallible truth of his own
foreknowledge rejoiced that we should yet be his own. Accordingly, he had a joy
over us that was already full when he rejoiced in foreknowing and foreordaining
us. And there could hardly be any fear intermingling in that joy of his that
might imply a possible failure in what he foreknew would be done by
himself." (excerpt fromTRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 83.1)
THURSDAY, APRIL 28, JOHN
15:9-11
Easter Weekday
(Acts 15:7-21; Psalm 96)
Easter Weekday
(Acts 15:7-21; Psalm 96)
KEY VERSE: "If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love" (v.10).
TO KNOW: In Jesus' time, a son was expected to become an apprentice to his Father in his trade. Jesus learned by watching Joseph at work. A father taught his son because he loved him. In the same way, Jesus' whole life was directed toward doing the Father's will; he only did what he saw the Father doing. Just as Jesus could do nothing apart from the Father, neither could his disciples do anything if they were separated from him (15:5). Those disciples who lived in accord with the Father and the Son would find that obedience to God's commands was not a joyless task, but an expression of love. They would discover that their joy was made complete by living as Jesus did, in a loving response to their Father's will.
TO LOVE: Do I find joy in my work?
TO SERVE: Risen Lord, teach me to joyfully obey our Father.
Optional Memorial of Saint Peter Chanel,
priest and martyr
Peter Chanel was born in France and was ordained in 1827 at age 24. He was assigned to Crozet, a parish in decline. He turned it around, in part because of his ministry to the sick, and brought a spiritual revival. The reading of letters of missionaries in far-away lands inflamed his heart with zeal, and he resolved to devote his life to the Apostolate. He joined the Society of Mary (Marist Fathers) in 1831. He taught at the Belley seminary for five years, and led a band of missionaries to the New Hebrides in 1836, an area where cannibalism had only recently been outlawed. He converted many, often as a result of his work with the sick. He learned the local language, and taught in the local school. Peter was killed by order of Niuliki, a native king who was jealous of his influence, Peter Chanel became the first martyr in Oceania.
Thursday April 28 2016
Thu 28th. St Peter Chanel.
Acts 15:7-21. Proclaim his marvellous deeds to all the
nations—Ps 95(96):1-3, 10. John 15:9-11.
Proclaim his marvellous deeds to all the nations.
We sing, if only in our hearts, of the absolute wonder
of God’s creation. When our planet was first viewed from space, our view of the
world changed. How beautiful is this? How awesome? How precious? We revere our
King who created this. A king who we find in the splendour of the universe and
in the simplest flower nodding in the breeze.
Today we honour St Peter Chanel. He longed to be a
missionary, but served for many years before being granted his wish. After
reaching the island of Futuna in Eastern Oceania, he began his missionary work.
Facing severe want, and with little apparent success, he displayed endless
patience and courage. After King Niuliki’s son was converted to Christianity by
Peter, the King saw this as a threat to his power and had Peter murdered. Let
us pray to St Peter, asking him to pray for us, for patience in adversity, for
courage in faith and for a burning desire to love all those who are deemed
unlovable.
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
|
Defend Life
|
No matter what their age, people can continue to make their voices
heard in the arenas of public opinion and in the political process. Let nobody
say they are too old to be concerned about abortion. As long as we possess
life, we have the duty and privilege to defend life.
April 28
Blessed Luchesio and Buonadonna
(d.1260)
Luchesio
and his wife Buonadonna wanted to follow St. Francis as a married couple. Thus
they set in motion the Secular Franciscan Order.
Luchesio
and Buonadonna lived in Poggibonzi where he was a greedy merchant. Meeting
Francis—probably in 1213—changed his life. He began to perform many works of
charity.
At
first Buonadonna was not as enthusiastic about giving so much away as Luchesio
was. One day after complaining that he was giving everything to strangers,
Buonadonna answered the door only to find someone else needing help. Luchesio
asked her to give the poor man some bread. She frowned but went to the pantry
anyway. There she discovered more bread than had been there the last time she
looked. She soon became as zealous for a poor and simple life as Luchesio was.
They sold the business, farmed enough land to provide for their needs and
distributed the rest to the poor.
In
the 13th century some couples, by mutual consent and with the Church’s
permission, separated so that the husband could join a monastery (or a group
such as Francis began) and his wife could go to a cloister. Conrad of Piacenza
and his wife did just that. This choice existed for childless couples or for
those whose children had already grown up. Luchesio and Buonadonna wanted
another alternative, a way of sharing in religious life, but outside the
cloister.
To meet
this desire, Francis set up the Secular Franciscan Order. Francis wrote a
simple Rule for the Third Order (Secular Franciscans) at first; Pope Honorius
III approved a more formally worded Rule in 1221.
The
charity of Luchesio drew the poor to him, and, like many other saints, he and
Buonadonna seemed never to lack the resources to help these people.
One
day Luchesio was carrying a crippled man he had found on the road. A frivolous
young man came up and asked, "What poor devil is that you are carrying
there on your back?" "I am carrying my Lord Jesus Christ,"
responded Luchesio. The young man immediately begged Luchesio’s pardon.
Luchesio
and Buonadonna both died on April 28, 1260. He was beatified in 1273. Local
tradition referred to Buonadonna as "blessed" though the title was
not given officially.
Comment:
It is easy to mock the poor, to trample on their God-given dignity. Mother Teresa of Calcutta often referred to poverty as Christ’s "distressing disguise." Since it is so easy to make people feel unwanted—the poor, the sick, the mentally or physically handicapped, the aged, the unemployed— resisting that temptation indicates the level of generosity in our lives. If the followers of Francis see Christ in the poor as Luchesio and Buonadonna did, they enrich the Church and keep it faithful to its Lord.
It is easy to mock the poor, to trample on their God-given dignity. Mother Teresa of Calcutta often referred to poverty as Christ’s "distressing disguise." Since it is so easy to make people feel unwanted—the poor, the sick, the mentally or physically handicapped, the aged, the unemployed— resisting that temptation indicates the level of generosity in our lives. If the followers of Francis see Christ in the poor as Luchesio and Buonadonna did, they enrich the Church and keep it faithful to its Lord.
Quote:
Francis used to say, "Whoever curses a poor man does an injury to Christ, whose noble image he wears, the image of him who made himself poor for us in this world" (1 Celano, #76).
Francis used to say, "Whoever curses a poor man does an injury to Christ, whose noble image he wears, the image of him who made himself poor for us in this world" (1 Celano, #76).
LECTIO DIVINA: JOHN 15,9-11
Lectio Divina:
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Easter Time
1) OPENING PRAYER
Lord our God,
you want your Church
to be open to all persons and all nations,
for your Son was available to all
and you love all people.
God, give us open minds
and open hearts.
Save us from our narrow prejudices
and stop us from trying to create people
in our own image and likeness.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
you want your Church
to be open to all persons and all nations,
for your Son was available to all
and you love all people.
God, give us open minds
and open hearts.
Save us from our narrow prejudices
and stop us from trying to create people
in our own image and likeness.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
2) GOSPEL READING - JOHN 15,9-11
Jesus said to his disciples: "I
have loved you just as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments you will
remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in
his love.
I have told you this so that my own joy
may be in you and your joy be complete.
3) REFLECTION
• The reflection around the parable of
the vine includes from verses 1 to 17. Today we will mediate on verses 9 to 11;
Day after tomorrow, the Gospel skips verses 12 to 17 and begins with verse 18,
which speaks about another theme. This is why, today, we include in a brief
comment verses 12 to 17, because in them blossoms the flower and the parable of
the vine shows all its beauty.
• Today’s Gospel is formed only of three
verses which continue on yesterday’s Gospel and give more light to be able to
apply the comparison of the vine to the life of the community. The community is
like a vine. It goes through difficult moments. It is the time of the pruning,
a necessary moment in order to be able to bear more fruit.
• John 15, 9-11: Remain in my love,
source of perfect joy. Jesus remains in the love of the Father, by observing
the commandments which he receives from him. We remain in the love of Jesus by
observing the commandments which he has left for us. And we should observe them
in the same way in which he observed the commandments of the Father: “If you
keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s
commandments and remain in his love”. It is in this union of the love of the
Father and of Jesus that the source of true joy is found: “I have told you this
so that my joy may be in you and your joy be complete”.
• John 15, 12-13: Love one another as I
have loved you. The commandment of Jesus is only one: “To love one another, as
he has loved us!” (Jn 15, 12). Jesus goes beyond the Old Testament. The ancient
criterion was: “You will love your neighbour as yourself” (Lev 18, 19). The new
criterion is: “That you love one another, as I have loved you.” Here he says
the phrase which we sing even until now: “Nobody has greater love than this: to
give one’s life for one’s friends!”
• John 15, 14-15: Friends and not
servants. “You are my friends if you do what I command you”, that is, the
practice of love up to the total gift of self! Immediately after, Jesus adds a
very high ideal for the life of the disciples. He says: “I shall no longer call
you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. I call you
friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my
Father!” Jesus had no more secrets for his disciples. He has told us everything
he heard from the Father! This is the splendid ideal of life in community: to
attain a total transparency, to the point of not having any secrets among
ourselves and of being able to have total trust in one another, to be able to
share the experience of God and of life that we have, and in this way enrich
one another reciprocally. The first Christians succeeded in attaining this
ideal during several years. They were “one only heart and one soul” (Acts 4,
32; 1, 14: 2, 42. 46).
• John 15, 16-17: Jesus has chosen us.
We have not chosen Jesus. He has chosen us, he has called us and has entrusted
us the mission to go and bear fruit, fruit which will last. We need him, but he
also needs us and our work in order to be able to continue to do today what he
did for the people of Galilee. The last recommendation: “My command to you is
to love one another!”
• The symbol of the vine in the Bible.
The people of the Bible cultivated the vine and produced good wine. The harvest
of the grapes was a feast with songs and dances. And this gave origin to the
song of the vine, used by the prophet Isaiah. He compares the people of Israel
to the vine (Is 5, 1-7; 27, 2-5; Ps 80, 9, 19). Before him, the prophet Hosea
had already compared Israel to an exuberant vine, the more fruit that it
produced, the more it multiplied its idolatries (Ho 10, 1). This theme was used
by Jeremiah, who compares Israel to a bastard vine (Jer 2, 21), from which the
branches were uprooted (Jer 5, 10; 6, 9). Jeremiah uses these symbols because
he himself had a vine which had been trampled on and devastated by the invaders
(Jer 12, 10). During the slavery of Babylonia, Ezekiel used the symbol of the
vine to denounce the infidelity of the people of Israel. He told three parables
on the vine: 1) the vine which is burnt and is good for nothing (Ez 15, 1-8);
2) the false vine planted and protected by two waters, symbols of the kings of
Babylonia and of Egypt, enemies of Israel. (Ez 17, 1-10). 3) The vine destroyed
by the oriental wind, image of the slavery of Babylonia (Ez 19, 10-14). The
comparison of the vine was used by Jesus in several parables: the labourers of
the vineyard (Mt 21, 1-16); the two sons who have to work in the vineyard (Mt
21, 32-33); the parable of the wicked tenants, who did not pay the landowner,
beat the servants and killed the son of the landowner (Mt 21, 33-45); the barren
fig tree planted in the vineyard (Lk 13, 6-9); the vine and its branches (Jn
15, 1-17).
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• We are friends and not servants. How
do I consider this in my relationship with persons?
• To love as Jesus has loved us. How
does this ideal of love grow in me?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
Proclaim his salvation day after day,
declare his glory among the nations,
his marvels to every people! (Ps 96,2-3)
declare his glory among the nations,
his marvels to every people! (Ps 96,2-3)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét