Monday of the Third Week of Easter
Lectionary: 273
Lectionary: 273
Stephen, filled with grace and power,
was working great wonders and signs among the people.
Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen,
Cyreneans, and Alexandrians,
and people from Cilicia and Asia,
came forward and debated with Stephen,
but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.
Then they instigated some men to say,
“We have heard him speaking blasphemous words
against Moses and God.”27
They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes,
accosted him, seized him,
and brought him before the Sanhedrin.
They presented false witnesses who testified,
“This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law.
For we have heard him claim
that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place
and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.”
All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him
and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
was working great wonders and signs among the people.
Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen,
Cyreneans, and Alexandrians,
and people from Cilicia and Asia,
came forward and debated with Stephen,
but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.
Then they instigated some men to say,
“We have heard him speaking blasphemous words
against Moses and God.”27
They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes,
accosted him, seized him,
and brought him before the Sanhedrin.
They presented false witnesses who testified,
“This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law.
For we have heard him claim
that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place
and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.”
All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him
and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 119:23-24, 26-27,
29-30
R. (1ab) Blessed
are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Though princes meet and talk against me,
your servant meditates on your statutes.
Yes, your decrees are my delight;
they are my counselors.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
I declared my ways, and you answered me;
teach me your statutes.
Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Remove from me the way of falsehood,
and favor me with your law.
The way of truth I have chosen;
I have set your ordinances before me.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Though princes meet and talk against me,
your servant meditates on your statutes.
Yes, your decrees are my delight;
they are my counselors.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
I declared my ways, and you answered me;
teach me your statutes.
Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Remove from me the way of falsehood,
and favor me with your law.
The way of truth I have chosen;
I have set your ordinances before me.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaMT 4:4B
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
One does not live on bread alone
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
One does not live on bread alone
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 6:22-29
[After Jesus had fed the five thousand men, his disciples saw him walking
on the sea.]
The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea
saw that there had been only one boat there,
and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat,
but only his disciples had left.
Other boats came from Tiberias
near the place where they had eaten the bread
when the Lord gave thanks.
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,
they themselves got into boats
and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
And when they found him across the sea they said to him,
“Rabbi, when did you get here?”
Jesus answered them and said,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me
not because you saw signs
but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
Do not work for food that perishes
but for the food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of Man will give you.
For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”
So they said to him,
“What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea
saw that there had been only one boat there,
and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat,
but only his disciples had left.
Other boats came from Tiberias
near the place where they had eaten the bread
when the Lord gave thanks.
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,
they themselves got into boats
and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
And when they found him across the sea they said to him,
“Rabbi, when did you get here?”
Jesus answered them and said,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me
not because you saw signs
but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
Do not work for food that perishes
but for the food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of Man will give you.
For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”
So they said to him,
“What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
Meditation: Labor for the food which
endures to eternal life
What do you most hunger for - wealth, peace, health,
love, the good life? Jesus addressed this issue with those who sought him after
he performed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the feeding of
the 5,000 (John 6:1-15). Were they simply hungry for things which satisfy the
body or for that which satisfies the heart and soul?
Only God can satisfy the deepest hunger we experience
Jesus echoes the question posed by the prophet Isaiah: "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy" (Isaiah 55:2)? There are two kinds of hunger - physical and spiritual. Only God can satisfy the hunger in our heart and soul - the hunger for truth, for life, and for love.
Jesus echoes the question posed by the prophet Isaiah: "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy" (Isaiah 55:2)? There are two kinds of hunger - physical and spiritual. Only God can satisfy the hunger in our heart and soul - the hunger for truth, for life, and for love.
Believe in Jesus Christ who alone can satisfy us now
and forever
Jesus also spoke about the works of God and what we must do to be doing the works of God, namely to believe in God' Son whom he has sent into the world. Jesus offers a new relationship with God which issues in a new kind of life: A life of love and service, and the forgiveness of others which corresponds to God's mercy and kindness; a life of holiness and purity which corresponds to God's holiness; and a life of submission and trust which corresponds to the wisdom of God. This is the work which Jesus directs us to and enables us to perform in the power of the Holy Spirit. Do you hunger for the bread which comes down from heaven and thirst for the words of everlasting life?
Jesus also spoke about the works of God and what we must do to be doing the works of God, namely to believe in God' Son whom he has sent into the world. Jesus offers a new relationship with God which issues in a new kind of life: A life of love and service, and the forgiveness of others which corresponds to God's mercy and kindness; a life of holiness and purity which corresponds to God's holiness; and a life of submission and trust which corresponds to the wisdom of God. This is the work which Jesus directs us to and enables us to perform in the power of the Holy Spirit. Do you hunger for the bread which comes down from heaven and thirst for the words of everlasting life?
"Lord Jesus, you alone can satisfy the deepest
longing and hunger in our hearts. May I always hunger for the imperishable
bread, that I may be satisfied in you alone as the True Bread of Heaven.
Nourish and strengthen me that I may serve you with great joy, generosity, and
zeal all the days of my life".
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: God is our landlord, by Augustine of
Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Our wish, you see, is to attain to eternal life.
We wish to reach the place where nobody dies, but if possible we do not want to
get there via death. We would like to be whisked away there while we are still
alive and see our bodies changed, while we are alive, into that spiritual form
into which they are to be changed when we rise again. Who wouldn't like that?
Isn't it what everybody wants? But while that is what you want, you are told,
Quit. Remember what you have sung in the psalm: 'A lodger am I on earth'” If
you are a lodger, you are staying in someone else's house; if you are staying
in someone else's house, you quit when the landlord bids you. And the landlord
is bound to tell you to quit sooner or later, and he has not guaranteed you a
long stay. After all, he did not sign a contract with you. Seeing that you are
lodging with him for nothing, you quit when he tells you to. And this, too, has
to be put up with, and for this, too, patience is very necessary." (excerpt from Sermon 359A,8)
MONDAY, APRIL 16, JOHN 6:22-29
Easter Weekday
(Acts 6:8-15; Psalm 119)
Easter Weekday
(Acts 6:8-15; Psalm 119)
KEY VERSE: "Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life" (v.27).
TO KNOW: After the miraculous multiplication of loaves, the crowd noticed that Jesus' disciples had departed by boat across the Sea of Galilee. Assuming that Jesus was nearby, they waited impatiently for his return. Failing to find him, they went in search of him across the lake to Capernaum. When they found him, Jesus said that they were looking for him for the wrong reasons. They desired the bread that he gave them in the wilderness, but they missed the true meaning of the sign, food that "endures for eternal life" (Jn 6:27). Jesus told the crowd that food appeased hunger momentarily; they should look to God to satisfy their spiritual needs. No one could work for this gift, deserve it, nor earn it. The only way to receive it was to believe in Jesus, the one whom God had sent to them.
TO LOVE: What can I do to feed someone who is spiritually hungry?
TO SERVE: Risen Lord, you are the life-giving nourishment that I desire.
Monday 16 April
2018
Acts 6:8-15. Psalm 118(119):23-24, 26-27, 29-30. John 6:22-29.
Blessed are they who walk in the way of the Lord—Psalm
118(119):23-24, 26-27, 29-30.
This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom
he has sent.
The
crowds wanted to find Jesus. They searched for him and found him on the other
side of the sea. They said to Jesus that they wanted to please him and do God’s
work.
Jesus
is the one sent by the Father. He announces to the crowds that our primary good
work is to believe this. All other works flow out of our belief in Jesus. Jesus
makes clear that we should give our energy towards working for the food that he
alone can give.
When
God’s generosity becomes the animating spirit behind how we live our lives, we
find a deep fulfilment in all that we do. In seeking God, we become more truly
ourselves—formed in God’s likeness.
Saint Bernadette Soubirous
Saint of the Day for April 16
(January 7, 1844 – April 16, 1879)
Saint Bernadette Soubirous’s Story
Bernadette Soubirous was born in 1844, the first child of an
extremely poor miller in the town of Lourdes in southern France. The family was
living in the basement of a dilapidated building when on February 11, 1858, the
Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette in a cave above the banks of the
Gave River near Lourdes. Bernadette, 14 years old, was known as a virtuous girl
though a dull student who had not even made her first Holy Communion. In poor
health, she had suffered from asthma from an early age.
There were 18 appearances in all, the final one occurring on the
feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, July 16. Although Bernadette’s initial reports
provoked skepticism, her daily visions of “the Lady” brought great crowds of
the curious. The Lady, Bernadette explained, had instructed her to have a
chapel built on the spot of the visions. There, the people were to come to wash
in and drink of the water of the spring that had welled up from the very spot
where Bernadette had been instructed to dig.
According to Bernadette, the Lady of her visions was a girl of 16
or 17 who wore a white robe with a blue sash. Yellow roses covered her feet, a
large rosary was on her right arm. In the vision on March 25 she told
Bernadette, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” It was only when the words were
explained to her that Bernadette came to realize who the Lady was.
Few visions have ever undergone the scrutiny that these
appearances of the Immaculate Virgin were subject to. Lourdes became one of the
most popular Marian shrines in the world, attracting millions of visitors. Miracles
were reported at the shrine and in the waters of the spring. After thorough
investigation, Church authorities confirmed the authenticity of the apparitions
in 1862.
During her life, Bernadette suffered much. She was hounded by
the public as well as by civic officials until at last she was protected in a
convent of nuns. Five years later, she petitioned to enter the Sisters of Notre
Dame. After a period of illness she was able to make the journey from Lourdes
and enter the novitiate. But within four months of her arrival she was given
the last rites of the Church and allowed to profess her vows. She recovered
enough to become infirmarian and then sacristan, but chronic health problems
persisted. She died on April 16, 1879, at the age of 35.
Bernadette Soubirous was canonized in 1933.
Reflection
Millions of people have come to the spring Bernadette uncovered
for healing of body and spirit, but she found no relief from ill health there.
Bernadette moved through life, guided only by blind faith in things she did not
understand—as we all must do from time to time.
LECTIO DIVINA: JOHN 6,22-29
Lectio Divina:
Monday, April 16, 2018
Easter Time
1) OPENING PRAYER
Our living God,
we hunger for lasting life and happiness
and the fulfilment of all our hopes.
Satisfy all our hungers
through your Son Jesus Christ,who is our bread of life.
And when he has filled us with himself,
may he lead and strengthen us
to bring to a waiting world
the food of reconciliation and joy,
which you alone can give to the full.
We ask this thorough Christ our Lord.
we hunger for lasting life and happiness
and the fulfilment of all our hopes.
Satisfy all our hungers
through your Son Jesus Christ,who is our bread of life.
And when he has filled us with himself,
may he lead and strengthen us
to bring to a waiting world
the food of reconciliation and joy,
which you alone can give to the full.
We ask this thorough Christ our Lord.
2) GOSPEL READING - JOHN 6,22-29
Next day, the crowd that had stayed on the other side saw that
only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not got into the boat with his
disciples, but that the disciples had set off by themselves. Other boats,
however, had put in from Tiberias, near the place where the bread had been
eaten.
When the people saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were
there, they got into those boats and crossed to Capernaum to look for Jesus.
When they found him on the other side, they said to him, 'Rabbi, when did you
come here?'
Jesus answered: In all truth I tell you, you are looking for me
not because you have seen the signs but because you had all the bread you
wanted to eat. Do not work for food that goes bad, but work for food that
endures for eternal life, which the Son of man will give you, for on him the
Father, God himself, has set his seal.
Then they said to him, 'What must we do if we are to carry out
God's work?' Jesus gave them this answer, 'This is carrying out God's work: you
must believe in the one he has sent.'
3) REFLECTION
• In today’s Gospel we begin the Discourse on the Bread of Life
(Jn 6, 22-71), which is extended during the next six days, until the end of the
week. After the multiplication of the loaves, the people follow Jesus. They had
seen the miracle; they had eaten and were satiated and wanted more! They were
not concerned about looking for the sign or the call of God that was contained
in all of this. When the people found Jesus in the Synagogue of Capernaum, he
had a long conversation with them, called the Discourse of the Bread of Life.
It is not really a Discourse, but it treats of a series of seven brief
dialogues which explain the meaning of the multiplication of the bread, symbol
of the new Exodus and of the Eucharistic Supper.
• It is good to keep in mind the division of the chapter in
order to understand better its significance:
6, 1-15: the great multiplication of the loaves
6, 16-21: the crossing of the lake, and Jesus who walks on the
water
6, 22-71: the dialogue of Jesus with the people, with the Jews
and with the disciples
1st dialogue: 6, 22-27 with the people: the people seek Jesus
and find him in Capernaum
2nd dialogue: 6, 28-34 with the people: faith as the work of God
and the manna of the desert
3rd dialogue: 6, 35-40 with the people: the true bread is to do
God’s will.
4th dialogue: 6, 41-51 with the Jews: the complaining of the
Jews
5th dialogue: 6, 52-58 with the Jews: Jesus and the Jews.
6th dialogue: 6, 59-66 with the disciples: reaction of the
disciples
7th dialogue: 6, 67-71 with the disciples: confession of Peter
• The conversation of Jesus with the people, with the Jews and
with the disciples is a beautiful dialogue, but a demanding one. Jesus tries to
open the eyes of the people in a way that they will learn to read the events
and discover in them the turning point that life should take. Because it is not
enough to follow behind miraculous signs which multiply the bread for the body.
Man does not live by bread alone. The struggle for life without mysticism does
not reach the roots. The people, while speaking with Jesus, always remain more
annoyed or upset by his words. But Jesus does not give in, neither does he
change the exigencies. The discourse seems to be a funnel. In the measure in
which the conversation advances, less people remain with Jesus. At the end only
the twelve remain there, but Jesus cannot trust them either! Today the same
thing happens. When the Gospel beings to demand commitment, many people
withdraw, go away.
• John 6, 22-27: People look for Jesus because they want more
bread. The people follow Jesus. They see that he did not go into the boat with
the disciples and, because of this, they do not understand what he had done to
reach Capernaum. They did not even understand the miracle of the multiplication
of the loaves. People see what has happened, but they cannot understand all
this as a sign of something more profound. They stop only on the surface; in
being satisfied with the food. They look for bread and life, but only for the
body. According to the people, Jesus does what Moses had done in the past: to
feed all the people in the desert. According to Jesus, they wanted the past to
be repeated. But Jesus asks the people to take a step more and advance. Besides
working for the bread that perishes, they should work for the imperishable
food. This new food will be given by the Son of Man, indicated by God himself.
He brings life which lasts forever. He opens for us a new horizon on the sense
of life and on God.
• John 6, 28-29: Which is God’s work? The people ask: what
should we do to carry out this work of God? Jesus answers that the great work
of God asks us to “believe in the one sent by God”. That is, to believe in
Jesus!
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• The people were hungry, they eat the bread and they look for
more bread. They seek the miracle and do not seek the sign of God who was
hidden in that. What do I seek more in my life: the miracle or the sign?
• Keep silence within you for a moment and ask yourself: “To
believe in Jesus: What does this mean for me concretely in my daily life?”
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
Lord, I tell you my ways and you answer me;
teach me your wishes.
Show me the way of your precepts,
that I may reflect on your wonders. (Ps 119,26-27)
teach me your wishes.
Show me the way of your precepts,
that I may reflect on your wonders. (Ps 119,26-27)
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