Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 293
Lectionary: 293
After Paul’s escorts had taken him
to Athens,
they came away with instructions for Silas and Timothy
to join him as soon as possible.
they came away with instructions for Silas and Timothy
to join him as soon as possible.
Then Paul stood up at the
Areopagus and said:
“You Athenians, I see that in every respect
you are very religious.
For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines,
I even discovered an altar inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’
What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.
The God who made the world and all that is in it,
the Lord of heaven and earth,
does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands,
nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything.
Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything.
He made from one the whole human race
to dwell on the entire surface of the earth,
and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions,
so that people might seek God,
even perhaps grope for him and find him,
though indeed he is not far from any one of us.
For ‘In him we live and move and have our being,’
as even some of your poets have said,
‘For we too are his offspring.’
Since therefore we are the offspring of God,
we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image
fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination.
God has overlooked the times of ignorance,
but now he demands that all people everywhere repent
because he has established a day on which he will ‘judge the world
with justice’ through a man he has appointed,
and he has provided confirmation for all
by raising him from the dead.”
“You Athenians, I see that in every respect
you are very religious.
For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines,
I even discovered an altar inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’
What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.
The God who made the world and all that is in it,
the Lord of heaven and earth,
does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands,
nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything.
Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything.
He made from one the whole human race
to dwell on the entire surface of the earth,
and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions,
so that people might seek God,
even perhaps grope for him and find him,
though indeed he is not far from any one of us.
For ‘In him we live and move and have our being,’
as even some of your poets have said,
‘For we too are his offspring.’
Since therefore we are the offspring of God,
we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image
fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination.
God has overlooked the times of ignorance,
but now he demands that all people everywhere repent
because he has established a day on which he will ‘judge the world
with justice’ through a man he has appointed,
and he has provided confirmation for all
by raising him from the dead.”
When they heard about resurrection
of the dead,
some began to scoff, but others said,
“We should like to hear you on this some other time.”
And so Paul left them.
But some did join him, and became believers.
Among them were Dionysius,
a member of the Court of the Areopagus,
a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
some began to scoff, but others said,
“We should like to hear you on this some other time.”
And so Paul left them.
But some did join him, and became believers.
Among them were Dionysius,
a member of the Court of the Areopagus,
a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
After this he left Athens and went
to Corinth.
Responsorial
Psalm148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14
R. Heaven and earth are
full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in the heights.
Praise him, all you his angels;
praise him, all you his hosts.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the kings of the earth and all peoples,
the princes and all the judges of the earth,
Young men too, and maidens,
old men and boys.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
His majesty is above earth and heaven.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has lifted up the horn of his people;
Be this his praise from all his faithful ones,
from the children of Israel, the people close to him.
Alleluia.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in the heights.
Praise him, all you his angels;
praise him, all you his hosts.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the kings of the earth and all peoples,
the princes and all the judges of the earth,
Young men too, and maidens,
old men and boys.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
His majesty is above earth and heaven.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has lifted up the horn of his people;
Be this his praise from all his faithful ones,
from the children of Israel, the people close to him.
Alleluia.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaJN 14:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I will ask the Father
and he will give you another Advocate
to be with you always.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I will ask the Father
and he will give you another Advocate
to be with you always.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 16:12-15
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you.”
“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you.”
Meditation: The Holy Spirit
will guide you into all the truth
Do
you live in the shadow of doubt and uncertainty or in the light of God's truth
and revelation? Jesus proclaims that he is the Truth, the Way, and the Life
(John 14:6). Truth is not something we create nor is it our discovery. It is
the gift of God who is the possessor and giver of all truth. Jesus tells his
disciples that it is the role of the Holy Spirit to reveal what is true, right,
and good. How can this be? Many skeptics of truth don't want to believe in an
absolute, objective, and unchanging Truth. If truth is objective then it must be
asserted to as trustworthy and right and be submitted to as authoritative and
binding.
Some
fear the truth because they think it will inhibit their freedom to think,
judge, and act as they wish. Jesus told his disciples that the truth
will set you free (John 8:32). The truth liberates us from whatever is
false, misleading, doubtful, or deceptive. In God there is no lie or falsehood
since he is utterly true, good, and just. Since he is the author and source of
all that is true and good, then the closer we draw near to him in order to
listen to his word and understand his mind and will for us, the more we will
grow in the knowledge of God and of his great love, wisdom, and plan for us.
The
Spirit of truth
Jesus told his disciples that he would send them the Spirit of truth who will guide you into all the truth ..and declare to you the things that are to come (John 16:13). Jesus knew that his disciples could not fully understand on their own everything he had taught and revealed to them while he was physically present with them. He knew that they would need the ongoing guidance and help of the Holy Spirit after he returned to his Father in heaven. That is why he assured them that the Holy Spirit would take what he had spoken to them and guide them into a fuller understanding of God's wisdom, power, and glory he wished to share with them so they could live in the joy and freedom of his love and truth.
Jesus told his disciples that he would send them the Spirit of truth who will guide you into all the truth ..and declare to you the things that are to come (John 16:13). Jesus knew that his disciples could not fully understand on their own everything he had taught and revealed to them while he was physically present with them. He knew that they would need the ongoing guidance and help of the Holy Spirit after he returned to his Father in heaven. That is why he assured them that the Holy Spirit would take what he had spoken to them and guide them into a fuller understanding of God's wisdom, power, and glory he wished to share with them so they could live in the joy and freedom of his love and truth.
Augustine
of Hippo (354-430 AD) explains the progressive work of the Spirit in guiding
the disciples of Jesus in all the truth:
"Accordingly,
when he says, 'He will teach you all truth' or 'will guide you into all truth,'
I do not think the fulfillment is possible in anyone's mind in this present
life. For who is there, while living in this corruptible and soul-oppressing
body (Wisdom 9:15), that can know all truth when even the apostle says,
'We know in part'? But it is effected by the Holy Spirit, of whom we have now
received the promise (2 Corinthians 1:21), that we shall attain also to the
actual fullness of knowledge that the same apostle references when he says,
'But then face to face' and 'Now I know in part, but then shall I know even as
also I am known' (1 Corinthians 13:12). He is not talking about something he
knows fully in this life but about something that would still be in the future
when he would attain that perfection. This is what the Lord promised us through
the love of the Spirit, when he said, 'He will teach you all truth' or 'will
guide you unto all truth.'" (TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 96.4)
On
the day of Pentecost after the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the first
disciples of Jesus, the apostles boldly began to carry out the mission Jesus
had entrusted to them - to proclaim the truth of the Gospel and to make
disciples [followers of Jesus] of all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all
that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you always, to the close of
the age (Matthew 28:19-20).
The
Holy Spirit is our Teacher and Helper
Today, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we, too, proclaim the same ancient faith which the apostles taught - that Jesus died, and was buried, and rose again on the third day, and will come again to judge, raise the dead, and give everlasting life (from the Apostles Creed). We not only share the same faith which was given to the apostles, we also have the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. The Lord Jesus gives each of us his Holy Spirit as our divine Teacher and Helper that we may grow in the knowledge, wisdom, and strength of God. Do you listen attentively to God's word and allow his Holy Spirit to give you understanding of God's truth and plan for your life?
Today, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we, too, proclaim the same ancient faith which the apostles taught - that Jesus died, and was buried, and rose again on the third day, and will come again to judge, raise the dead, and give everlasting life (from the Apostles Creed). We not only share the same faith which was given to the apostles, we also have the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. The Lord Jesus gives each of us his Holy Spirit as our divine Teacher and Helper that we may grow in the knowledge, wisdom, and strength of God. Do you listen attentively to God's word and allow his Holy Spirit to give you understanding of God's truth and plan for your life?
"Lord
Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and guide me in your way of life, truth,
and goodness. Free me from ignorance of your truth, and from deception and
moral blindness caused by sinful pride and the refusal to believe and obey your
word of truth. May I love you with all of my heart, mind, and strength, and seek
to please you in all things."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: The Spirit makes Christ known, by
Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"He
[the Holy Spirit] will make me clearly known by pouring love into the hearts of
believers and making them spiritual and thus able to see that the Son whom they
had known before only according to the flesh - and who they thought was only a
man like themselves - was equal to the Father. Or at least, when his love
filled them with boldness and cast out fear, they would proclaim Christ to men
and women, and in this way they would spread Christ’s fame throughout the whole
world... For what they were going to do in the power of the Holy Spirit, this
the Holy Spirit says he does himself." (excerpt from TRACTATES
ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 100.1)
WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, JOHN 16:12-15
EASTER WEEKDAY
(Acts 17:15, 22 -- 18:1; Psalm 148)
EASTER WEEKDAY
(Acts 17:15, 22 -- 18:1; Psalm 148)
KEY VERSE: "But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth" (v.13).
TO KNOW: Jesus had so much to tell his disciples before his passion and death, but he promised them that the Holy Spirit would continue to enlighten their minds after his departure. Those things that confused and perplexed them would be clarified by the Spirit who would be their constant companion and would guide them to all truth. “Revelation” is the word for bringing God's truth to people. The divine revelation of the Father and Son through the Spirit was transmitted by the apostles and the evangelists through their teaching, example, institutions and writings. This "Apostolic Tradition" has been preserved by the Spirit in the doctrine, worship and sacraments of the Church. Divine revelation did not cease with the death of the apostles. The Spirit continues to interpret Christ's eternal message of love and truth for each generation.
TO LOVE: Do I hand on the faith that I have received to others?
TO SERVE: Risen Lord, help the Church to grow in knowledge and wisdom of God's truth.
Optional
Memorial of Saint Bernardine of Siena, priest
For more than 30 years, Bernardine preached all over Italy and played a great part in the religious revival of the early fifteenth century. Usury, defined as charging interest on loans, was one of the principal objects of his attacks, and he did much to prepare the way for the establishment of the beneficial loan societies. Bernardine's preaching skills were so great that he filled the piazzas of Italian cities. His preaching visits would often culminate in mass reconciliations as listeners were persuaded to exchange the bacio di pace, or kiss of peace. A renowned peacemaker in the Franciscan tradition, he tried to calm feuding clans and factions in the turbulent political world of the Renaissance. He argued that the catalyst of civil discord in the urban setting was malicious gossip, which led, too often, to vendettas by aggressive males. His surprising allies in his peacekeeping mission were the women who comprised the majority of his audience.
Wednesday 20 May 2020
Acts 17:15, 22-18:1. Heaven and earth are filled with
your glory – Psalm 148:1-2, 11-14. John 16:12-15.
The Spirit of Truth will lead you to the complete truth
This Gospel passage begins with Jesus telling his disciples: ‘I
still have many things to say to you but you cannot bear them now.’ Here is
Jesus pouring out the depth of his love for them as he nears his own death. His
words strengthened and comforted his disciples in ways that only the Holy
Spirit could help them understand. And so it is for us, as our journey through
life continues. Our ability to absorb what God has to reveal to us is increased
as we become more open to the ‘Spirit of Truth’ What do we believe Jesus would
say to us right now? The Holy Spirit gradually reveals God’s message to us
during the highs and lows experienced in our own lives. He knows only too well
how anxious we can become and he helps us to let go, where necessary, of the
past and to place our trust completely in him in the future.
Saint Bernardine of Siena
Saint of the Day for May 20
(September 8, 1380 – May 20, 1444)
 |
| Saint Bernadine of Siena | Vincenzo Foppa |
Saint Bernardine of Siena’s Story
Most of the saints suffer great personal opposition, even
persecution. Bernardine, by contrast, seems more like a human dynamo who simply
took on the needs of the world.
He was the greatest preacher of his time, journeying across
Italy, calming strife-torn cities, attacking the paganism he found rampant,
attracting crowds of 30,000, following Saint Francis of Assisi’s admonition to preach about “vice
and virtue, punishment and glory.”
Compared with Saint Paul by the pope, Bernardine had a keen
intuition of the needs of the time, along with solid holiness and boundless
energy and joy. He accomplished all this despite having a very weak and hoarse
voice, miraculously improved later because of his devotion to Mary.
When he was 20, the plague was at its height in his hometown of
Siena. Sometimes as many as 20 people died in one day at the hospital.
Bernardine offered to run the hospital and, with the help of other young men,
nursed patients there for four months. He escaped the plague, but was so
exhausted that a fever confined him for several months. He spent another year
caring for a beloved aunt whose parents had died when he was a child, and at
her death began to fast and pray to know God’s will for him.
At 22, he entered the Franciscan Order and was ordained two
years later. For almost a dozen years he lived in solitude and prayer, but his
gifts ultimately caused him to be sent to preach. He always traveled on foot,
sometimes speaking for hours in one place, then doing the same in another town.
Especially known for his devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus,
Bernardine devised a symbol—IHS, the first three letters of the name of Jesus
in Greek—in Gothic letters on a blazing sun. This was to displace the
superstitious symbols of the day, as well as the insignia of factions: for
example, Guelphs and Ghibellines. The devotion spread, and the symbol began to
appear in churches, homes and public buildings. Opposition arose from those who
thought it a dangerous innovation. Three attempts were made to have the pope
take action against him, but Bernardine’s holiness, orthodoxy, and intelligence
were evidence of his faithfulness.
General of the Friars of the Strict Observance, a branch of the
Franciscan Order, Bernardine strongly emphasized scholarship and further study
of theology and canon law. When he started there were 300 friars in the
community; when he died there were 4,000. He returned to preaching the last two
years of his life, dying while traveling.
Reflection
Another dynamic saint once said, “…I will not be a burden, for I
want not what is yours, but you…. I will most gladly spend and be utterly spent
for your sakes” (2 Corinthians 12:14). There is danger that we see only the
whirlwind of activity in the Bernardines of faith—taking care of the sick,
preaching, studying, administering, always driving—and forget the source of
their energy. We should not say that Bernardine could have been a great
contemplative if he had had the chance. He had the chance, every day, and he
took it.
Saint Bernardine of Siena is the Patron Saint of:
Advertising
Gambling
Italy
Public relations
Gambling
Italy
Public relations
Lectio
Divina: John 16:12-15
Lectio Divina
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
1) Opening prayer
Lord God, our Father,
You are not far away from any of us,
for in You we live and move and exist
and You live in us
through Your Holy Spirit.
Be indeed with us, Lord,
send us Your Holy Spirit of truth
and through Him deepen our understanding
of the life and message of Your Son,
that we may accept the full truth
and live by it consistently.
We ask You this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
You are not far away from any of us,
for in You we live and move and exist
and You live in us
through Your Holy Spirit.
Be indeed with us, Lord,
send us Your Holy Spirit of truth
and through Him deepen our understanding
of the life and message of Your Son,
that we may accept the full truth
and live by it consistently.
We ask You this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - John 16:12-15
Jesus said to his disciples: "I have much more to tell you,
but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will
guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he
hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that
the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what
is mine and declare it to you."
3) Reflection
• During the Easter Season, the Gospels of each day are almost
always taken from chapters 12 to 17 of the Gospel of John. That reveals
something regarding the origin and the destination of these chapters. They not
only show what happened before the Passion and the death of Jesus, but also and
above all, the living out of faith of the first communities after the
resurrection. They express the Paschal faith which animated them.
• John 16:12: I still have many things to say to you. Today’s
Gospel begins with this sentence: “I still have many things to say to you but
they would be too much for you to bear now.” Jesus says two things: the
farewell, which characterized the Last Supper, and the concern of Jesus, the
older brother, for His younger brothers, who within a brief time will be left
without His presence. The time left was very short. The work begun was not yet
complete. The disciples were just at the beginning of their apprenticeship.
Three years are a very short time to change life and to begin to live and to
think in a new image of God. Their formation was not yet finished. Much was
still lacking and Jesus still had many things to teach them and to transmit to
them, but He knows His disciples. They are not among the most intelligent. They
would not be capable of knowing all the consequences and implications of
discipleship now. They would become discouraged. They would not be able to bear
this.
• John 16:13-15: The Holy Spirit will come to their help.
“However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will lead you to the complete
truth, since He will not be speaking of His own accord, but will say only what
He has been told and He will reveal to you the things to come. He will glorify
Me, since all He reveals to you will be taken from what is Mine.” Jesus’
assertion shows the experience of the first communities. In the measure
in which they sought to imitate Jesus, trying to interpret and apply His Word
to the various circumstances of their life, they experienced the presence and
the light of the Spirit. This even happens today in communities which try
to incarnate the Word of Jesus in their life. The root of this experience is
Jesus’ message: “Everything the Father has is Mine that is why I said,
‘all He reveals to you will be taken from what is Mine.”
• The action of the Holy Spirit in the Gospel of John. John uses
many images and symbols to signify the action of the Holy Spirit. As in
creation (Gen 1:1), the Spirit also descends on Jesus, “in the form of a dove,
come from Heaven” (Jn 1:32). It is the beginning of the new creation! Jesus
speaks the words of God and communicates the Spirit without reserve to us (Jn
3:34). His words are Spirit and Life (Jn 6:63). When Jesus bids farewell, He
says that He will send the Paraclete, Consoler, another Defender, who will
remain with us. It is the Holy Spirit (Jn 14:16-17). By His Passion, death and
Resurrection, Jesus won for us the gift of the Holy Spirit. By Baptism all of
us have received this same Spirit of Jesus (Jn 1:33). When He appeared to the
apostles, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit!” (Jn 20:22).
The Spirit is like the water which springs from within the people who believe
in Jesus (Jn 7:37-39; 4:14). The first effect of the action of the Spirit in us
is reconciliation: “If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you
retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.” (Jn 20:23). The Spirit which Jesus
communicates to us has multiple actions: consoles and spreads (Jn 14:16),
communicates truth (Jn 14:17; 16:13), makes us remember what Jesus taught (Jn
14:26); will give witness to Jesus (Jn 15:26); manifests the glory of Jesus (Jn
16:14), will convince the world concerning sin and justice (Jn 16:8). The
Spirit is given to us so that we may understand the complete meaning of the
words of Jesus (Jn 14:26; 16:12-13). Encouraged by the Spirit of Jesus we can
adore God in any place (Jn 4:23-24). Here lies the liberty of the Spirit of
which Saint Paul speaks: “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2
Cor 3:17).
4) Personal questions
• How do I live my adherence to Jesus: alone or in community?
• Has my participation in the community led me to sometimes experience the light and the strength of the Holy Spirit?
• The instructions Jesus gave are simple, yet can still be difficult to bear out in total fulfillment. How do I let the Holy Spirit strengthen me and help me to devote myself to His works?
• Has my participation in the community led me to sometimes experience the light and the strength of the Holy Spirit?
• The instructions Jesus gave are simple, yet can still be difficult to bear out in total fulfillment. How do I let the Holy Spirit strengthen me and help me to devote myself to His works?
5) Concluding Prayer
The name of the Lord is sublime,
His splendor transcends earth and heaven.
For He heightens the strength of His people,
to the praise of all His faithful,
the people close to Him. (Ps 148:13-14)
His splendor transcends earth and heaven.
For He heightens the strength of His people,
to the praise of all His faithful,
the people close to Him. (Ps 148:13-14)
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