Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 296
Lectionary: 296
After staying in Antioch some time,
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.
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
PsalmPS 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.
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.
AlleluiaJN 16:28
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
I came from the Father and have come into the world;
now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I came from the Father and have come into the world;
now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 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."
"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?
The Lord Jesus unites us with the Father through the
love and power of the Holy Spirit
Paul the Apostle states that "All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God" (Romans 8:14). Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, Jesus makes it possible for his disciples to have a new relationship as sons and daughters of God the Father (Romans 8:14-17). No one would have dared to call God his or her Father before this! Because of what Jesus has done for us in offering his life for our redemption we now can boldly and confidently pray to God as our Father in heaven.
Paul the Apostle states that "All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God" (Romans 8:14). Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, Jesus makes it possible for his disciples to have a new relationship as sons and daughters of God the Father (Romans 8:14-17). No one would have dared to call God his or her Father before this! Because of what Jesus has done for us in offering his life for our redemption we now can boldly and confidently pray to God as our Father in heaven.
The presence and action of the Holy Spirit within us
is living proof of this new relationship with the Father. 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."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Offer prayers in Christ's name, by Cyril
of Alexandria, 376-444 A.D.
"He urges the disciples to seek for spiritual
gifts and at the same time gives them confidence that, if they ask for them,
they will not fail to obtain them. He adds the word Amen, that he might confirm
their belief that if they ask the Father for anything they would receive it
from him. He would act as their mediator and make known their request and,
being one with the Father, grant it. For this is what he means by 'in my name'.
For we cannot draw near to God the Father in any other way than through the
Son. For it is by him that we have access in the one Spirit to the Father
(Ephesians 2:8). It was because of this that he said, 'I am the door. I am the
way. No one comes to the Father but by me' (John 10:7; 14:6). For as the Son is
God, he being one with the Father provides good things for his sanctified
people and is found to be generous of his wealth to us... Let us then offer our
prayers in Christ's name. For in this way, the Father will most readily consent
to them and grant his graces to those who seek them, that receiving them we may
rejoice." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON THE
GOSPEL OF JOHN 11.2)
SATURDAY, MAY
27, JOHN 16:23b-28
Easter Weekday
(Acts 18:23-28; Psalm 47)
Easter Weekday
(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).
TO KNOW: Jesus often spoke in parables using images of shepherds, vines and women in childbirth ̶ the language of human experience meant to convey the mystery of the kingdom of God. Though Jesus’ disciples were often confused as to the meaning of his words, his passion, death and resurrection would speak clearly to them of God's love. Through the revelation of the Holy Spirit, they would understand everything Jesus told them, and they would have new insights about God's reign. For the seventh time in John's gospel, Jesus said that when he was glorified he would be present to his followers in a new way, and they would be able to pray in the authority of his name. The Father loved them and would grant them whatever they needed to do Christ's work on earth.
TO LOVE: For whom do I need to intercede in prayer today?
TO SERVE: Risen Lord, give the Church what is needed to live this day for you
Memorial of Saint Augustine of
Canterbury
Augustine of Canterbury was a monk and abbot of Saint Andrew's abbey in Rome. He was sent by Pope Gregory the Great with 40 brother monks, including Saint Lawrence of Canterbury, to evangelize the British Isles in 597. One of Augustine’s earliest converts was King Ethelberht who brought 10,000 of his people into the Church. Ordained a bishop in Gaul (modern France) by the archbishop of Arles, Augustine became the Bishop of the first Archbishop of Canterbury. He helped re-establish contact between the Celtic and Latin churches, though he could not bring about his desired uniformity of liturgy and practices between them. The limited success Augustine achieved in England before his death in 605, a short eight years after he arrived in England, would eventually bear fruit long afterward in the conversion of England. Augustine of Canterbury can truly be called the “Apostle of England.” Anglican Archbishops of Canterbury are still referred to as occupying the Chair of Augustine.
Saturday
27 May 2017
St
Augustine of Canterbury.
Acts 18:23-28. Psalms 46(47):2-3, 8-10. John 16:23-28.
Acts 18:23-28. Psalms 46(47):2-3, 8-10. John 16:23-28.
God is
king of all the earth — Psalms 46(47):2-3, 8-10.
They took an interest in him and
gave him further instruction about the Way.
The
image of the early church as presented in the first reading is one of strong,
confident faith and warm friendship: the people are wholehearted in trying to
take Jesus and his message seriously.
Jesus,
please bless me and my worshipping community with something of this same
spirit. Deepen our faith, and may our care for one another proclaim that we
follow you not just in words. I know there will be misunderstandings and
mistakes, but if we trust that the Spirit is with us we can be sure the Spirit
will guide us.
Jesus,
in the gospel you stress the need to pray to the Father and to ask for what we
need. I pray that we may be blessed with something of that same spirit evident
in the early church.
ST. AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY
An Italian Benedictine monk who became the
“Apostle of the English,” Saint Augustine of Canterbury is honored by the
Catholic Church on May 27.
Under the direction of Pope Saint Gregory the Great, Augustine founded the famous See of Canterbury and preached the Catholic faith to the country's Anglo-Saxon pagans during the late sixth and early seventh centuries.
He is not be confused with the earlier St. Augustine of Hippo, the famous author of the “Confessions” and “City of God.”
Augustine's date of birth cannot be established, nor are any details of his early life known. Most likely born in Rome, to a noble family, he entered monastic life as a young man. The community he joined had been recently founded by a Benedictine monk named Gregory, who would go on to become Pope and eventually be known as St. Gregory the Great. The friendship between Gregory and Augustine had great historical consequences, as it was the Pope who would eventually send his fellow monk to evangelize England.
Around 595, five years into his 14-year pontificate, Pope Gregory set to work on a plan for the conversion of the English people. The Catholic faith had already been preached and accepted among England's original Celtic inhabitants, in earlier times; but from the mid-fifth century onward, the country was dominated by Anglo-Saxon invaders who did not accept Christianity, and were not converted by the small number of isolated Celtic Christian holdouts. Thus, England largely had to be evangelized anew.
For this task the Pope chose a group of around forty monks – including Augustine, who was to represent the delegation and communicate on its behalf. Though he was not explicitly chosen as its leader at that time, that was the role he ended up taking on with Gregory’s support. The group left for England in June 596, but some of the missionaries lost their nerve after hearing fearsome reports about the Anglo-Saxons. Augustine ended up returning to Rome, where he got further advice and support from the Pope.
Persuaded to continue on their way, the missionary-monks reached their port of departure and set sail for England in spring of 597. After arriving they gained an audience with King Ethelbert of Kent, a pagan ruler whose Frankish wife Queen Bertha was a Christian. Speaking with the king through an interpreter, Augustine gave a powerful and straightforward presentation of the Gospel message, speaking of Christ’s redemption of the world and his offer of eternal life.
Ethelbert would later convert, and eventually even be canonized as a saint. But his initial response to Augustine’s preaching was only mildly positive: he would receive the missionaries with hospitality, and permit them to evangelize without any restriction. Despite his early ambivalence, however, the king became a generous patron of the monks. They made their home in Canterbury, after dramatically entering the city in procession with the Cross and an image of Christ.
The Canterbury community lived according to the Rule of St. Benedict, as they had in Italy, but they also preached in the surrounding area in accordance with their mission. Augustine and his companions succeeded in converting King Ethelbert himself, while Queen Bertha also became more zealous in her practice of the faith after her husband’s baptism. Augustine traveled to Gaul, where he was consecrated as a bishop for the English Church. By Christmas of 597, over ten thousand people were actively seeking baptism from the missionaries.
Through his written correspondence, Pope Gregory continued to guide the work of Augustine – the first Archbishop of Canterbury – and the other Catholic missionaries. The great Pope, and the “Apostle of England,” would both die during the same year, 604.
Though Augustine had not managed to sort out some disagreements with the native Celtic bishops, he had given the faith a firm foothold among the Anglo-Saxons. Canterbury would continue on for centuries as the ranking see of English Catholicism, until its fall into schism during the 16th century.
Under the direction of Pope Saint Gregory the Great, Augustine founded the famous See of Canterbury and preached the Catholic faith to the country's Anglo-Saxon pagans during the late sixth and early seventh centuries.
He is not be confused with the earlier St. Augustine of Hippo, the famous author of the “Confessions” and “City of God.”
Augustine's date of birth cannot be established, nor are any details of his early life known. Most likely born in Rome, to a noble family, he entered monastic life as a young man. The community he joined had been recently founded by a Benedictine monk named Gregory, who would go on to become Pope and eventually be known as St. Gregory the Great. The friendship between Gregory and Augustine had great historical consequences, as it was the Pope who would eventually send his fellow monk to evangelize England.
Around 595, five years into his 14-year pontificate, Pope Gregory set to work on a plan for the conversion of the English people. The Catholic faith had already been preached and accepted among England's original Celtic inhabitants, in earlier times; but from the mid-fifth century onward, the country was dominated by Anglo-Saxon invaders who did not accept Christianity, and were not converted by the small number of isolated Celtic Christian holdouts. Thus, England largely had to be evangelized anew.
For this task the Pope chose a group of around forty monks – including Augustine, who was to represent the delegation and communicate on its behalf. Though he was not explicitly chosen as its leader at that time, that was the role he ended up taking on with Gregory’s support. The group left for England in June 596, but some of the missionaries lost their nerve after hearing fearsome reports about the Anglo-Saxons. Augustine ended up returning to Rome, where he got further advice and support from the Pope.
Persuaded to continue on their way, the missionary-monks reached their port of departure and set sail for England in spring of 597. After arriving they gained an audience with King Ethelbert of Kent, a pagan ruler whose Frankish wife Queen Bertha was a Christian. Speaking with the king through an interpreter, Augustine gave a powerful and straightforward presentation of the Gospel message, speaking of Christ’s redemption of the world and his offer of eternal life.
Ethelbert would later convert, and eventually even be canonized as a saint. But his initial response to Augustine’s preaching was only mildly positive: he would receive the missionaries with hospitality, and permit them to evangelize without any restriction. Despite his early ambivalence, however, the king became a generous patron of the monks. They made their home in Canterbury, after dramatically entering the city in procession with the Cross and an image of Christ.
The Canterbury community lived according to the Rule of St. Benedict, as they had in Italy, but they also preached in the surrounding area in accordance with their mission. Augustine and his companions succeeded in converting King Ethelbert himself, while Queen Bertha also became more zealous in her practice of the faith after her husband’s baptism. Augustine traveled to Gaul, where he was consecrated as a bishop for the English Church. By Christmas of 597, over ten thousand people were actively seeking baptism from the missionaries.
Through his written correspondence, Pope Gregory continued to guide the work of Augustine – the first Archbishop of Canterbury – and the other Catholic missionaries. The great Pope, and the “Apostle of England,” would both die during the same year, 604.
Though Augustine had not managed to sort out some disagreements with the native Celtic bishops, he had given the faith a firm foothold among the Anglo-Saxons. Canterbury would continue on for centuries as the ranking see of English Catholicism, until its fall into schism during the 16th century.
LECTIO DIVINA: JOHN 16,23B-28
Lectio Divina:
Saturday, May 27, 2017
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 - JOHN
16,23B-28
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...
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?
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)
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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