Friday of the Third Week of Easter
Lectionary: 277
Lectionary: 277
Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord,
went to the high priest and asked him
for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that,
if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way,
he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.
On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus,
a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,
"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"
He said, "Who are you, sir?"
The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do."
The men who were traveling with him stood speechless,
for they heard the voice but could see no one.
Saul got up from the ground,
but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;
so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.
For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.
There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias,
and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias."
He answered, "Here I am, Lord."
The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight
and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul.
He is there praying,
and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias
come in and lay his hands on him,
that he may regain his sight."
But Ananias replied,
"Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man,
what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem.
And here he has authority from the chief priests
to imprison all who call upon your name."
But the Lord said to him,
"Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel,
and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name."
So Ananias went and entered the house;
laying his hands on him, he said,
"Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me,
Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came,
that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes
and he regained his sight.
He got up and was baptized,
and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.
He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus,
and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues,
that he is the Son of God.
went to the high priest and asked him
for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that,
if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way,
he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.
On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus,
a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,
"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"
He said, "Who are you, sir?"
The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do."
The men who were traveling with him stood speechless,
for they heard the voice but could see no one.
Saul got up from the ground,
but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;
so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.
For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.
There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias,
and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias."
He answered, "Here I am, Lord."
The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight
and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul.
He is there praying,
and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias
come in and lay his hands on him,
that he may regain his sight."
But Ananias replied,
"Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man,
what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem.
And here he has authority from the chief priests
to imprison all who call upon your name."
But the Lord said to him,
"Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel,
and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name."
So Ananias went and entered the house;
laying his hands on him, he said,
"Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me,
Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came,
that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes
and he regained his sight.
He got up and was baptized,
and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.
He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus,
and he began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues,
that he is the Son of God.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 117:1BC, 2
R. (Mark 16:15) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaJN 6:56
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood,
remains in me and I in him, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood,
remains in me and I in him, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 6:52-59
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,
"How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my Flesh is true food,
and my Blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever."
These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
"How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood,
you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my Flesh is true food,
and my Blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
remains in me and I in him.
Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever."
These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Meditation: "He who eats this bread will live forever"
Why did Jesus offer himself as "food and
drink"? The Jews were scandalized and the disciples were divided when
Jesus said "unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have
no life in you." What a hard saying, unless you understand who
Jesus is and why he calls himself the bread of life. The miracle of
the multiplication of the loaves (John 6:3-13), when Jesus said the blessing,
broke and distributed the loaves through his disciples to feed the multitude,
is a sign that prefigured the superabundance of the unique bread of the
Eucharist, or Lord's Supper. The Gospel of John has no account of the Last
Supper meal (just the foot washing ceremony and Jesus' farewell discourse).
Instead, John quotes extensively from Jesus' teaching on the bread of life.
In the Old Covenant bread and wine were offered in a
thanksgiving sacrifice as a sign of grateful acknowledgment to the Creator as
the giver and sustainer of life. Melchizedek, who was both a priest and king
(Genesis 14:18; Hebrews 7:1-4), offered a sacrifice of bread and wine. His
offering prefigured the offering made by Jesus, our high priest and king
(Hebrews 7:26; 9:11; 10:12). The remembrance of the manna in the wilderness
recalled to the people of Israel that they live - not by earthly bread alone -
but by the bread of the Word of God (Deuteronomy 8:3).
Jesus made himself a perfect offering and sacrifice to
God on our behalf
At the last supper when Jesus blessed the cup of wine, he gave it to his disciples saying, "Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28). Jesus was pointing to the sacrifice he was about to make on the cross, when he would shed his blood for us - thus pouring himself out and giving himself to us - as an atoning sacrifice for our sins and the sins of the world. His death on the cross fulfilled the sacrifice of the paschal (passover) lamb whose blood spared the Israelites from death in Egypt.
At the last supper when Jesus blessed the cup of wine, he gave it to his disciples saying, "Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28). Jesus was pointing to the sacrifice he was about to make on the cross, when he would shed his blood for us - thus pouring himself out and giving himself to us - as an atoning sacrifice for our sins and the sins of the world. His death on the cross fulfilled the sacrifice of the paschal (passover) lamb whose blood spared the Israelites from death in Egypt.
Paul the Apostle tells us that "Christ, our
paschal lamb, has been sacrificed" (1 Corinthians 5:7). Paul echoes the
words of John the Baptist who called Jesus the "Lamb of God who takes
away the sins of the world" (John 1:29). Jesus made
himself an offering and sacrifice, a gift that was truly pleasing to the
Father. He "offered himself without blemish to God" (Hebrews
9:14) and "gave himself as a sacrifice to God" (Ephesians
5:2).
The Lord Jesus sustains us with the life-giving bread
of heaven
Jesus chose the time of the Jewish Feast of Passover to fulfill what he had announced at Capernaum - giving his disciples his body and his blood as the true bread of heaven. Jesus' passing over to his Father by his death and resurrection - the new passover - is anticipated in the Last Supper and celebrated in the Eucharist or Lord's Supper, which fulfills the Jewish Passover and anticipates the final Passover of the church in the glory of God's kingdom. When the Lord Jesus commands his disciples to eat his flesh and drink his blood, he invites us to take his life into the very center of our being. That life which he offers is the very life of God himself. Do you hunger for the bread of life?
Jesus chose the time of the Jewish Feast of Passover to fulfill what he had announced at Capernaum - giving his disciples his body and his blood as the true bread of heaven. Jesus' passing over to his Father by his death and resurrection - the new passover - is anticipated in the Last Supper and celebrated in the Eucharist or Lord's Supper, which fulfills the Jewish Passover and anticipates the final Passover of the church in the glory of God's kingdom. When the Lord Jesus commands his disciples to eat his flesh and drink his blood, he invites us to take his life into the very center of our being. That life which he offers is the very life of God himself. Do you hunger for the bread of life?
"Lord Jesus, you nourish and sustain us with your
very own presence and life-giving word. You are the bread of life - the
heavenly food that sustains us now and that produces everlasting life within
us. May I always hunger for you and be satisfied in you alone."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Abiding in Christ, by Augustine of
Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
" Jesus recommended to us His Body and Blood in
bread and wine, elements that are reduced into one out of many constituents.
What is meant by eating that food and taking that drink is this: to remain in
Christ and have Him remaining in us." (excerpt
from Sermon on John 26,112)
FRIDAY, APRIL
20, JOHN 6:52-59
Easter Weekday
(Acts 9:1-20; Psalm 117)
Easter Weekday
(Acts 9:1-20; Psalm 117)
KEY VERSE: "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day" (v.54).
TO KNOW: In the sixth chapter of John's Gospel, there are two important elements in Jesus' pronouncement that he was the "bread of life" (v.35). He is both word and sacrament. In John 6:35-50, the "bread of life" is a figure of God's revelation in Jesus: the "word made flesh" (1:14). Beginning in verse 51, the sacramental theme comes to the fore. Jesus plainly says that his flesh is "true food" and his blood is "true drink" (v.55). The Greek word that John used was not merely symbolic (phago means to "eat" or "devour"). He speaks of the reality of Jesus' flesh and blood in his Eucharistic presence. Through word and sacrament, Jesus continues to feed us spiritually, transforming and uniting us to him so that we can worthily enter God's eternal reign.
TO LOVE: Am I aware of Christ's true presence when I participate in the Eucharist?
TO SERVE: Risen Lord, feed me at your table of eternal life.
Friday 20 April
2018
Day of
Penance.
Acts
9:1-20. Psalm 116(117). John 6:52-59.
Go out to
all the world, and tell the Good News—Psalm 116(117).
He is an
instrument whom I have chosen.
Paul was a
Hebrew and a Pharisee. No one could accuse him of indifference or failure to
set a standard. He studied under Gamaliel, so no Jew would consider him
ignorant of the scriptures.
He grew up
in Tarsus, which gave him his Roman citizenship and acquainted him with the
ways of the world.
He was an
articulate communicator, making him perfect as a writer for the New
Testament.
He hotly
pursued righteousness, a passion that helped him to reach Asia Minor.
God knew
that Saul, while on the road to Damascus, was perfectly suited to the task
which became the work of Paul the Apostle. God looks at our gifts and calls us
to lead others in the ways of the Spirit.
Saint Conrad of Parzham
Saint of the Day for April 20
(December 22, 1818 – April 21, 1894)
 |
| Sculpture of Saint Conrad of Parzham | photo by Andreas Praefcke |
Saint Conrad of Parzham’s Story
Conrad spent most of his life as porter in Altoetting, Bavaria,
letting people into the friary and indirectly encouraging them to let God into
their lives.
His parents, Bartholomew and Gertrude Birndorfer, lived near
Parzham, Bavaria. In those days, this region was recovering from the Napoleonic
wars. A lover of solitary prayer and a peacemaker as a young man, Conrad joined
the Capuchins as a brother. He made his profession in 1852 and was assigned to
the friary in Altoetting. That city’s shrine to Mary was very popular; at the
nearby Capuchin friary there was a lot of work for the porter, a job Conrad
held for 41 years.
At first, some of the other friars were jealous that such a
young friar held this important job. Conrad’s patience and holy life overcame
their doubts. As porter, he dealt with many people, obtaining many of the
friary supplies and generously providing for the poor who came to the door. He
treated them all with the courtesy Francis expected of his followers.
Conrad’s helpfulness was sometimes unnerving. Once Father
Vincent, seeking quiet to prepare a sermon, went up the belltower of the
church. Conrad tracked him down when someone wanting to go to confession
specifically requested Father Vincent.
Conrad also developed a special rapport with the children of the
area. He enthusiastically promoted the Seraphic Work of Charity, which aided
neglected children.
Conrad spent hours in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. He
regularly asked the Blessed Mother to intercede for him and for the many people
he included in his prayers. The ever-patient Conrad was canonized in 1934.
His Liturgical Feast Day is April 21.
Reflection
As we can see from his life as well as his words, Conrad of
Parzham lived a life that attracted others because of a special quality,
something Chesterton alluded to when he wrote, “The moment we have a fixed
heart we have a free hand.” If we want to understand Conrad, we have to know
where he fixed his heart. Because he was united to God in prayer, everyone felt
at ease in Conrad’s presence.
LECTIO DIVINA: JOHN 6,52-59
Lectio Divina:
Friday, April 20, 2018
Easter Time
1) OPENING PRAYER
Our living and loving God,
how could we know the depth of your love
if your Son had not become flesh of our flesh
and blood of our blood?
How could we ever have the courage
to live for one another and if necessary to die
if he had not given up his body
and shed his blood for us?
Thank you for letting him stay in the eucharist with us
and making himself our daily bread.
Let this bread be the food that empowers us
to live and die as he did,
for one another and for you,
our living God, for ever and ever.
how could we know the depth of your love
if your Son had not become flesh of our flesh
and blood of our blood?
How could we ever have the courage
to live for one another and if necessary to die
if he had not given up his body
and shed his blood for us?
Thank you for letting him stay in the eucharist with us
and making himself our daily bread.
Let this bread be the food that empowers us
to live and die as he did,
for one another and for you,
our living God, for ever and ever.
2) GOSPEL READING - JOHN
6,52-59
Then the Jews started arguing among
themselves, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?'
Jesus replied to them: In all truth I
tell you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood,
you have no life in you. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has
eternal life, and I shall raise that person up on the last day. For my flesh is
real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
lives in me and I live in that person. As the living Father sent me and I draw
life from the Father, so whoever eats me will also draw life from me. This is
the bread which has come down from heaven; it is not like the bread our
ancestors ate: they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live for
ever.
This is what he taught at Capernaum in
the synagogue.
3) REFLECTION
• We are almost at the end of the
Discourse of the Bread of Life. Here begins the part of the greatest polemic.
The Jews close themselves and begin to discuss on the affirmations of Jesus.
• John 6, 52-55: Flesh and Blood: the
expression of life and of the total gift. The Jews react: “How can this man
give us his flesh to eat?” The feast of the Passover was close at hand. After a
few days everybody would have eaten the meat of the paschal lamb in the
celebration of the night of the Passover. They did not understand the words of
Jesus, because they took them literally. But Jesus does not diminish the
exigencies, he does not withdraw or take away anything of what he has said and
he insists: “In all truth I tell you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of
man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Anyone who does eat my flesh
and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise that person up on the
last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my
flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in that person”. (a) To eat
the flesh of Jesus means to accept Jesus as the new Paschal Lamb, whose blood
liberates us from slavery. The Law of the Old Testament, out of respect for
life, prohibited to eat the blood (Dt 12, 16.23; Acts 15.29). The blood was the
sign of life. (b) To drink the Blood of Jesus means to assimilate the same way
of life which marked the life of Jesus. What gives life is not to celebrate the
manna of the past, but rather to eat this new bread which is Jesus, his flesh
and his blood. Participating in the Eucharistic Supper, we assimilate his life,
his surrender, his gift of self. “If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man
and you do not drink his Blood you will not have life in you”. They should
accept Jesus as the Crucified Messiah, whose blood will be poured out.
• John 6, 56-58: Whoever eats my flesh,
will live in me. The last phrases of the discourse of the Bread of Life are of
the greatest depth and try to summarize everything which has been said. They
recall the mystical dimension which surrounds the participation in the
Eucharist. They express what Paul says in the letter to the Galatians: “It is
no longer I, but Christ living in me (Ga 2, 20). And what the Apocalypse of
John says: “If one of you hears me calling and opens the door, I will come in
to share a meal at that person’s side” (Rev 3, 20). And John himself in the
Gospel: “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” (Jn 14, 23). And it ends with the
promise of life which marks the difference with the ancient Exodus: “This is
the bread which has come down from heaven. It is not like the bread our
ancestors ate, they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live for
ever.”
• John 6, 59: The discourse in the
Synagogue ends. The conversation between Jesus and the people and the Jews in
the Synagogue of Capernaum ends here. As it has been said before, the Discourse
of the Bread of Life offers us an image of how the catechesis of that time was,
at the end of the first century, in the Christian communities of Asia Minor.
The questions of the people and of the Jews show the difficulties of the
members of the communities. And the answer of Jesus represents the
clarifications to help them to overcome the difficulties, to deepen their faith
and to live more intensely the Eucharist which was celebrated above all in the
night between Saturday and Sunday, the Day of the Lord.
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• Beginning with the Discourse on the
Bread of Life, the celebration of the Eucharist receives a very strong light
and an enormous deepening. Which is the light that I see and which helps me to
advance?
• To eat the flesh and blood of Jesus is
the commandment that he leaves. How do I live the Eucharist in my life? Even if
I cannot go to Mass every day or every Sunday, my life should be Eucharistic.
How do I try to attain this objective?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
Praise Yahweh, all nations,
extol him, all peoples,
for his faithful love is strong
and his constancy never-ending. (Ps 117,1-2)
extol him, all peoples,
for his faithful love is strong
and his constancy never-ending. (Ps 117,1-2)
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