Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 289
Lectionary: 289
The Apostles and presbyters, in
agreement with the whole Church,
decided to choose representatives
and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas,
and Silas, leaders among the brothers.
This is the letter delivered by them:
“The Apostles and the presbyters, your brothers,
to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia
of Gentile origin: greetings.
Since we have heard that some of our number
who went out without any mandate from us
have upset you with their teachings
and disturbed your peace of mind,
we have with one accord decided to choose representatives
and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So we are sending Judas and Silas
who will also convey this same message by word of mouth:
‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,
namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols,
from blood, from meats of strangled animals,
and from unlawful marriage.
If you keep free of these,
you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’“
decided to choose representatives
and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas,
and Silas, leaders among the brothers.
This is the letter delivered by them:
“The Apostles and the presbyters, your brothers,
to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia
of Gentile origin: greetings.
Since we have heard that some of our number
who went out without any mandate from us
have upset you with their teachings
and disturbed your peace of mind,
we have with one accord decided to choose representatives
and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So we are sending Judas and Silas
who will also convey this same message by word of mouth:
‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,
namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols,
from blood, from meats of strangled animals,
and from unlawful marriage.
If you keep free of these,
you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’“
And so they were sent on their
journey.
Upon their arrival in Antioch
they called the assembly together and delivered the letter.
When the people read it, they were delighted with the exhortation.
Upon their arrival in Antioch
they called the assembly together and delivered the letter.
When the people read it, they were delighted with the exhortation.
Responsorial
Psalm57:8-9, 10 AND 12
R. (10a) I will give you thanks
among the peoples, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
My heart is steadfast, O God; my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and chant praise.
Awake, O my soul; awake, lyre and harp!
I will wake the dawn.
R. I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to you among the peoples, O LORD,
I will chant your praise among the nations.
For your mercy towers to the heavens,
and your faithfulness to the skies.
Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
above all the earth be your glory!
R. I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
My heart is steadfast, O God; my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and chant praise.
Awake, O my soul; awake, lyre and harp!
I will wake the dawn.
R. I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to you among the peoples, O LORD,
I will chant your praise among the nations.
For your mercy towers to the heavens,
and your faithfulness to the skies.
Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
above all the earth be your glory!
R. I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaJN 15:15B
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I call you my friends, says the Lord,
for I have made known to you all that the Father has told me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I call you my friends, says the Lord,
for I have made known to you all that the Father has told me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 15:12-17
Jesus said to his disciples:
“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”
“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”
Meditation: "I
have called you friends"
What
is the greatest act of love which one can give for the sake of another? Jesus
defines friendship - the mutual bond of trust and affection which people choose
to have for one another - as the willingness to give totally of oneself - even
to the point of laying down one's life for a friend. How is such love possible
or even desirable? God made us in love for love. That is our reason for being,
our purpose for living, and our goal in dying.
Scripture
tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8) - and everything he
does flows from his immense love for us. He loved us so much - far beyond what
we could ever expect or deserve - that he was willing to pay any price to
redeem us from our slavery to sin and death. That is why the Father sent us his
beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave up his life as the atoning
sacrifice for our sins. In this great exchange - the Father giving up his Son
to death on the cross in order to give us abundant everlasting life and adopt
us as his beloved sons and daughters in Christ (Romans 8:14-17).
God
has poured his love into our hearts
It is for this reason that we can take hold of a hope that does not fade and a joy that does not diminish because God has poured his love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:5). God's love is not limited or subject to changing circumstances. It is an enduring love that has power to change and transform us to be like him - merciful, gracious, kind, forgiving, and steadfast in showing love not only for our friends, but for our enemies as well. God's love is boundless because he is the source of abundant life, perfect peace, and immeasurable joy for all who open their hearts to him. That is why Jesus came to give us abundant life through the gift and working of the Holy Spirit.
It is for this reason that we can take hold of a hope that does not fade and a joy that does not diminish because God has poured his love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:5). God's love is not limited or subject to changing circumstances. It is an enduring love that has power to change and transform us to be like him - merciful, gracious, kind, forgiving, and steadfast in showing love not only for our friends, but for our enemies as well. God's love is boundless because he is the source of abundant life, perfect peace, and immeasurable joy for all who open their hearts to him. That is why Jesus came to give us abundant life through the gift and working of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus
gave his disciples a new commandment - a new way of loving and serving one
another. Jesus' love was wholly directed toward the good of others. He loved
them for their sake and for their welfare. That is why he willingly laid down
his own life for us to free us from sin, death, fear, and everything that could
separate us from the love of God. Our love for God and our willingness to lay
down our life for others is a response to the exceeding love God has given us
in Christ. Paul the Apostle states,
"Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ?... For I am sure that neither death,
nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to
come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord"
(Romans 8:35,38-39).
Friendship
with God
Jesus calls his disciples his personal friends. Jesus not only showed his disciples that he personally cared for them and sought their welfare. He personally enjoyed their company and wanted to be with them in a close and intimate relationship. He ate with them, shared everything he had with them - even his innermost heart and thoughts. And he spent himself in doing as much good for them as he could. To know Jesus personally is to know God and the love and friendship he offers to each one of us.
Jesus calls his disciples his personal friends. Jesus not only showed his disciples that he personally cared for them and sought their welfare. He personally enjoyed their company and wanted to be with them in a close and intimate relationship. He ate with them, shared everything he had with them - even his innermost heart and thoughts. And he spent himself in doing as much good for them as he could. To know Jesus personally is to know God and the love and friendship he offers to each one of us.
One
of the special marks of favor shown in the Scriptures is to be called the friend
of God. Abraham is called the friend of God (Isaiah 41:8,
James 2:23). God spoke with Moses as a man speaks with his friend (Exodus 33:11).
Jesus, the Lord and Master, calls the disciples his friends rather than his
servants.
What
does it mean to be a friend of God? Friendship with God who is our everlasting
Father and with his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ entails a personal, close, and
loving relationship and a union of heart, mind, and spirit with the One who
created us in love for love. Such a relationship with our Father, Creator, and
Redeemer involves loyalty, respect, and obedience. But it is even more than
these because God has chosen to love us in the same way in which the Father and
the Son love and serve each other - a total giving of oneself to the other in a
bond of affection, esteem, and joy in each others company.
Jesus'
discourse on friendship and brotherly love echoes the words of Proverbs: A
friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity (Proverbs
17:17). The distinctive feature of Jesus' relationship with his disciples was
his personal, loyal, and sacrificial love for each one of them. He
loved his own to the end (John 13:1). His love was unconditional and
wholly directed to the good of others. His love was costly and sacrificial. He
gave the best he had and all that he had. He gave his very own life for those
he loved in order to secure for them an everlasting life of union and love with
the Father in heaven.
Love
to the death
The Lord Jesus gives his followers 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 a 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 followers 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 a 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.
Jesus
says that 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?
Love
that produces abundant fruit and joy
The Lord Jesus tells us that he is our personal friend and he loves us wholeheartedly and unconditionally. He wants us to love one another just as he has loved us, wholeheartedly, without reserve, and full of mercy, kindness, and forgiveness. His love fills our hearts and transforms our minds and frees us to give ourselves in loving service to others. If we open our hearts to his love and obey his command to love our neighbor, then we will know his love more fully and we will bear much fruit - especially the fruit of peace, joy, patience, kindness, and goodness - the kind of fruit that lasts for eternity. Do you wish to be fruitful and to abound in the love of God? Trust and obey him and he will fill you with his overflowing love.
The Lord Jesus tells us that he is our personal friend and he loves us wholeheartedly and unconditionally. He wants us to love one another just as he has loved us, wholeheartedly, without reserve, and full of mercy, kindness, and forgiveness. His love fills our hearts and transforms our minds and frees us to give ourselves in loving service to others. If we open our hearts to his love and obey his command to love our neighbor, then we will know his love more fully and we will bear much fruit - especially the fruit of peace, joy, patience, kindness, and goodness - the kind of fruit that lasts for eternity. Do you wish to be fruitful and to abound in the love of God? Trust and obey him and he will fill you with his overflowing love.
"Teach
us, good Lord, to serve you as you deserve, to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor
and not to ask for any reward, save that of knowing that we do your will;
through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Prayer of Ignatius Loyola)
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: Love encompasses the other
commandments, by Ephrem the Syrian (306-373 AD)
"This
is my commandment." Have you then only one precept? This is sufficient,
even if it is unique and so great. Nevertheless he also said, "Do not
kill" (Matthew 19:18) because the one who loves does not kill. He said,
"Do not steal," because the one who loves does even more—he gives. He
said, "Do not lie," for the one who loves speaks the truth, against
falsehood. "I give you a new commandment" (John 13:14). If you have
not understood what "This is my commandment" means, let the apostle
be summoned as interpreter and say, "The goal of his commandment is
love" (1 Timothy 1:5). What is its binding force? It is that of which [the
Lord] spoke, "Whatever you want others to do to you, you should do
also" (Matthew 7:12)."Love one another" in accordance with this
measure, "as I have loved you." That is not possible, for you are our
Lord who loves your servants. But we who are equals, how can we love one
another as you have loved us? Nevertheless, he has said it... His love is that
he has called us his friends. If we were to give our life for you, would our
love be equal to yours?... How then can what he said be explained, "As I
have loved you"? "Let us die for each other," he said. As for
us, we do not even want to live for one another! "If I, who am your Lord
and God, die for you, how much more should you die for one another." (excerpt
from COMMENTARY ON TATIAN'S DIATESSARON 19.13)
FRIDAY, MAY 15, JOHN 15:12-17
EASTER WEEKDAY
(Acts 15:22-31; Psalm 57)
EASTER WEEKDAY
(Acts 15:22-31; Psalm 57)
KEY VERSE: "You are my friends if you do what I command you" (v.14).
TO KNOW: As Jesus anticipated his return to the Father, he prepared his disciples for the work that he would hand over to them. Jesus told his followers that to be God's servant (Greek, doulos, literally a slave) was not a title of shame. The great leaders of the past: Moses (Deut 34:5); Joshua (Josh 24:29); David (Ps 89:20); and later Paul (Ti 1:1) and James (Jas 1:1) all counted it an honor to be God’s servants. But Jesus had something even greater in store for his disciples. He called them "friends" (Jn 14:15b). In the Old Testament, Abraham and Moses were each called a "friend of God" (2 Chr 20:7; Ex 33:11). The mark of friendship is an intimate knowledge of one another. Slaves did not have this kind of relationship with their masters. Jesus called his disciples "friends" because he shared with them everything he received from the Father. Jesus’ followers must imitate his example by being servants of one another (Jn 12:26; 13:14-16). Their labors would be fruitful if they obeyed his command to love, which was not a burden, but a loving response to God who loved them.
TO LOVE: In what ways am I a servant to my community?
TO SERVE: Risen Lord, help me to willingly obey your command to love in all I say and do.
Optional Memorial of Saint Isidore the Farmer
Isidore was a pious farmer, married to Mary de la Cabeza. When their young son died, they were convinced it was the will of God that they not have children, and they lived together celibately, doing good works the rest of their lives. Isidore was accused by fellow workers of shirking his duties by attending Mass each day and taking time out for prayers. Isidore claimed that he had no choice but to follow the highest Master, the Lord. It is said that when his master came to chastise him for skipping work for church, he found angels plowing the fields in place of Isidore. Miracles and cures were reported at his grave, in which his body remains incorrupt.
Friday 15 May 2020
Acts 15:22-31. I will praise you among the nations, O
Lord – Psalm 56(57):8-12. John 15:12-17.
I command you to love one another
If you spend much time on social media, it’ll be obvious that
society today is becoming much more fragmented. Social media allows everyone a
voice, but also allows anyone to listen to the voices they most agree with.
People with shared worldviews come together in tribes, and see anyone who
doesn’t share those views as the opposition or ‘other’. Even the Catholic
Church has been fragmented by these online ‘tribes’.
How do we respond to this? I wonder if we might take the advice
of Jesus in today’s Gospel: ‘Love each other’.
So long as we see ourselves as part of a tribe, in opposition to
another tribe, then we are always going to breed division. Love demands more
than that. It demands that we see all people, even people we disagree with, as
people worthy of our time and care. Let’s pray today that our communities,
offline and online, might learn to respond more lovingly to one another.
Saint Isidore the Farmer
Saint of the Day for May 15
(1070 – May 15, 1130)
 |
| Statue at Saint Isidore Catholic Church, Bloomingdale, Illinois | photo by Nheyob |
Saint Isidore the Farmer’s Story
Isidore has become the patron of farmers and rural communities.
In particular, he is the patron of Madrid, Spain, and of the United States
National Rural Life Conference.
When he was barely old enough to wield a hoe, Isidore entered
the service of John de Vergas, a wealthy landowner from Madrid, and worked
faithfully on his estate outside the city for the rest of his life. He married
a young woman as simple and upright as himself who also became a saint—Maria de
la Cabeza. They had one son, who died as a child.
Isidore had deep religious instincts. He rose early in the
morning to go to church and spent many a holiday devoutly visiting the churches
of Madrid and surrounding areas. All day long, as he walked behind the plow, he
communed with God. His devotion, one might say, became a problem, for his
fellow workers sometimes complained that he often showed up late because of
lingering in church too long.
He was known for his love of the poor, and there are accounts of
Isidore’s supplying them miraculously with food. He had a great concern for the
proper treatment of animals.
He died May 15, 1130, and was declared a saint in 1622, with
Saints Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Avila, and Philip Neri.
Together, the group is known in Spain as “the five saints.”
Reflection
Many implications can be found in a simple laborer achieving
sainthood: Physical labor has dignity; sainthood does not stem from status;
contemplation does not depend on learning; the simple life is conducive to
holiness and happiness. Legends about angel helpers and mysterious oxen
indicate that his work was not neglected and his duties did not go unfulfilled.
Perhaps the truth which emerges is this: If you have your spiritual self in
order, your earthly commitments will fall into order also. “[S]eek first the
kingdom [of God] and his righteousness,” said the carpenter from Nazareth, “and
all these things will be given you besides” (Matthew 6:33).
Saint Isidore the Farmer is the Patron Saint of:
Farmers
Laborers
Laborers
Lectio Divina: John 15:12-17
Lectio Divina
Friday, May 15, 2020
1) Opening prayer
Lord our God, loving Father,
You have given us your Son Jesus Christ
as the true vine of life
and our source of strength.
Help us to live His life
as living branches attached to the vine,
and to bear plentiful fruit
of justice, goodness and love.
Let our union with Him become visible
in our openness to one another
and in our unity as brothers and sisters,
that He may be visibly present among us
now and for ever.
You have given us your Son Jesus Christ
as the true vine of life
and our source of strength.
Help us to live His life
as living branches attached to the vine,
and to bear plentiful fruit
of justice, goodness and love.
Let our union with Him become visible
in our openness to one another
and in our unity as brothers and sisters,
that He may be visibly present among us
now and for ever.
2) Gospel Reading - John 15:12-17
Jesus said to his disciples: "This is my commandment: love
one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's
life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no
longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from
my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you
to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in
my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another."
3) Reflection
• Today Gospel of John 15:12-17: Jesus defines His relationship
with the disciples and gives His final commandment to them. Let us take some of
the points considered that day.
• John 15:12-13: To love one another as He has loved us. The
commandment of Jesus is only one: “to love one another as I have loved you!”
(Jn 15:12) Jesus exceeds the Old Testament. The ancient criteria was the following:
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lv 18:19). The new criteria is
this: “Love one another as I have loved you.” It is the sentence that we
sing even today and which says, “There is no greater love than to give
one’s life for one’s brother!”
• 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 to the point of total
gift of oneself! Immediately Jesus presents a very high ideal for the life of
His 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 learned from My Father!” Jesus no longer held
any secrets from His disciples. He tells us everything that He has heard from
the Father! Behold the wonderful ideal of life in community: to reach a state
of total transparency to the point of not having any secrets among us and to
have full trust in one another. Being able to enrich one another by speaking about
the experience of God that we have. The first Christians succeeded in
reaching this ideal after many years: “They had one only heart and one
only soul” (Acts 4:32; 1:14; 2:42-46).
• John 15:16-17: Jesus has chosen us. We have not chosen Jesus.
He met us, called us and entrusted a mission to us to go and bear fruit, and a
fruit which lasts. We need Him, but He also wants to need us and our work in
order to be able to continue to do today for the people what He did for the
people of Galilee. This is My commandment: love one another!”
4) For Personal Consideration
• To love our neighbor as Jesus has loved us. This is the ideal
of every Christian. He showed this not only by dying for us, but by devoting
His life to helping us to know and find God the Father. Do I love as Jesus
loved and devote my life in the same way?
• All that I have heard from the Father I make it known to you. This is the ideal of the community: total transparency. How do I live this in my community, which can be family, parish, neighborhood or religious order?
• Jesus called them “friends” and told them to love one another. Do I make distinctions, rather than considering all equally, among those in my community whom I should call “friends”? How do I respond or accept it when I am treated differently than another “friend” in my community?
• All that I have heard from the Father I make it known to you. This is the ideal of the community: total transparency. How do I live this in my community, which can be family, parish, neighborhood or religious order?
• Jesus called them “friends” and told them to love one another. Do I make distinctions, rather than considering all equally, among those in my community whom I should call “friends”? How do I respond or accept it when I am treated differently than another “friend” in my community?
5) Concluding Prayer
My heart is ready, God, my heart is ready;
I will sing, and make music for You.
Awake, my glory, awake, lyre and harp,
that I may awake the dawn. (Ps 57:7-8)
I will sing, and make music for You.
Awake, my glory, awake, lyre and harp,
that I may awake the dawn. (Ps 57:7-8)
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