May 10, 2025
Saturday of the Third Week of Easter
Lectionary: 278
Reading I
The Church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria
was at peace.
She was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord,
and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit she grew in numbers.
As Peter was passing through every region,
he went down to the holy ones living in Lydda.
There he found a man named Aeneas,
who had been confined to bed for eight years, for he was paralyzed.
Peter said to him,
“Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed.”
He got up at once.
And all the inhabitants of Lydda and Sharon saw him,
and they turned to the Lord.
Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha
(which translated is Dorcas).
She was completely occupied with good deeds and almsgiving.
Now during those days she fell sick and died,
so after washing her, they laid her out in a room upstairs.
Since Lydda was near Joppa,
the disciples, hearing that Peter was there,
sent two men to him with the request,
“Please come to us without delay.”
So Peter got up and went with them.
When he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs
where all the widows came to him weeping
and showing him the tunics and cloaks
that Dorcas had made while she was with them.
Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed.
Then he turned to her body and said, “Tabitha, rise up.”
She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up.
He gave her his hand and raised her up,
and when he had called the holy ones and the widows,
he presented her alive.
This became known all over Joppa,
and many came to believe in the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (12) How shall I make a return to
the Lord for all the good he has done for me?
or:
R. Alleluia.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD
R. How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good
he has done for me?
or:
R. Alleluia.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
R. How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good
he has done for me?
or:
R. Alleluia.
O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good
he has done for me?
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Many of the disciples of Jesus who were listening said,
“This saying is hard; who can accept it?”
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this,
he said to them, “Does this shock you?
What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail.
The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.
But there are some of you who do not believe.”
Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe
and the one who would betray him.
And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me
unless it is granted him by my Father.”
As a result of this,
many of his disciples returned to their former way of life
and no longer walked with him.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe
and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051025.cfm
Commentary on Acts
9:31-42
Following the conversion of Saul, persecutions come to an
end for the time being and the new Church enjoys peace all through Judea and
Jerusalem, Galilee and Samaria. These were the places where, up to now,
evangelisation has taken place. The communities experience the consolation of
the Holy Spirit, in other words, the joy which their new faith brings to them.
The work of the Spirit is constantly noted throughout Acts—which is why the
book is sometimes called the Acts of the Holy Spirit.
We are then told of two miracles performed by Peter, another
sign that the power of Jesus through the Spirit is working in him. The healing
and whole-making and life-giving work of Jesus continues.
First, in the town of Lydda a paralytic is cured. Lydda was
a town about 5 km (3 miles) north of the road connecting Joppa (Jaffa today) on
the Mediterranean coast and Jerusalem, and about 20 km (12 miles) from Joppa.
In Lydda, Peter found a man named Aeneas, bed-ridden with a
form of paralysis. As Peter had gone there to visit the believers, it is likely
that Aeneas was one of the Christians. With the power of Jesus and in a similar
manner, Peter orders the man to “get up and make your bed!” That is, to put
away his bed which he does not need now during the day.
We are told that all the inhabitants of Lydda and Sharon,
after seeing what Peter had done:
…turned to the Lord.
The fertile plain of Sharon runs about 80 km (50 miles)
along the Mediterranean coast, roughly from Joppa to Caesarea. In the context,
however, the reference here is more likely to a village in the neighbourhood of
Lydda instead of to such a large district. An Egyptian papyrus refers to a town
by that name in Palestine.
Then, in the town of Joppa, a much loved woman who spent her
life doing good for others, dies. In accordance with both Jewish and Greek
custom her body was washed and purified and, awaiting burial, was laid out in
an upstairs room. This laying out would happen if the burial was delayed. In
Jerusalem, a body had to be buried on the day of death but outside Jerusalem
three days could be allowed. (Given the hot climate this is understandable.
Muslims today also bury their dead very quickly.)
Her friends then hear that Peter is in nearby Lydda. In
answer to their urgent request, Peter comes. Whether they wanted his presence
either for consolation or for a cure, he was urged to come quickly before the
burial took place. They tell him of all the good the woman had done, and the
widows (the most insecure people of that time) show him the gifts she had
donated to them.
As Jesus did with the daughter of Jairus, Peter tells all to
withdraw from the room. Unlike Jesus, he kneels down and prays. The power he
sought was not his own but his Lord’s. We are told Peter:
…turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she
opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up.
Again, they are words summoning her to new life as he helped
her to her feet. Only then were the believers and the widows called in.
Not surprisingly, the news of this spread like wildfire
through the whole town and was the cause for many to believe in Jesus and the
gospel.
Jesus’ healing and life-giving work continues among us
still. The only condition for us to experience it is our faith and trust in
Jesus. It might be good for us to realise that each one of us can, in our own
way, be a source of healing for others. The normal way for Jesus to act is
through the agency of his brothers and sisters, the members of his Body.
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Commentary on John
6:60-69
Today we conclude the discussion of Jesus as the Bread of
Life. Not only the Jews who heard him, but Jesus’ own disciples had great
difficulties accepting his call to eat his flesh and drink his blood as a way
to life and said:
This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?
And certainly on the basis of the words by themselves, we
can sympathise with them; if we had been there, we would surely have had
problems also.
Jesus is fully aware of their difficulty, and asks them:
Does this offend you?
If they have problems with this, how will they react when he
rises from the dead and ascends to his Father? This is an indication that the
acceptance of the resurrection was very much a matter of faith. No one
literally saw Jesus rise from the dead or ascend to the Father. There was a
faith conviction that these actions had taken place.
Jesus then points out where the problem really lies:
It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless.
The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
The disciples are hearing Jesus’ words only in the “flesh”
and not with the penetrating eyes of the Spirit. There are some who cannot
accept what he is saying. John comments:
For Jesus knew from the beginning who were the ones who
did not believe and who was the one who would betray him.
To understand the real meaning of Jesus’ words comes from
the gift bestowed on us, the grace of faith:
For this reason I have told you that no one can come to
me unless it is granted by the Father.
And the Gospel tells us:
Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no
longer went about with him.
Faith is a gift. It is a gift open to all, but it is a gift
to which one needs to be open to receive.
Jesus then turns to the Twelve and asks:
Do you also wish to go away?
Peter then, in the name of all, makes his profound act of
trust and commitment:
Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal
life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.
In other words, the Apostles acknowledge Jesus as the
Messiah, God’s chosen Messenger who is uniquely united with him.
“Believe” and “know” are in the perfect tense in the
original Greek, meaning ‘We have come to know and have come to believe and
continue to do so…’ It indicates not just a momentary action, but an ongoing
state.
Actually, we have here John’s version of Peter’s confession
which we find in a different form and context in the Synoptic Gospels. Peter’s
response to Jesus needs to become ours too. And, if we reflect more deeply on
it, we know that Peter is right. There is really no viable alternative to the
Way of Jesus, even when things happen which are difficult to understand or
accept. he Way of Jesus is not just adherence to the tenets of a religious
sect. It is to see that the Way he proposes is the way for every human being to
live. To assimilate Jesus into one’s life is not just to become a good
Christian, but a perfect human being, with Jesus as our model, who is himself
God in human flesh.
Yet, how many Christians stop believing and no longer walk
Jesus’ Way? Perhaps we too have wavered more than once. Let us ask for the
faith and strength to stay with him and experience the life that only he can
give. Above all, let us ask for the grace to see our world with the eyes of
Jesus, and to help others to do the same.
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https://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/e1037g/
Saturday,
May 10, 2025
Easter Time
Opening Prayer
Faithful God of the covenant, in the daily
choices we have to make, give us the courage to opt always for your Son and his
ways and to remain close to him. Bless the difficult road we have sometimes to
take without seeing where it will lead us.
Keep us from making half-hearted
decisions when our faith is rather weak and make us accept all the consequences
of our choice. Keep us always faithful through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Gospel Reading - John 6: 60-69
After hearing it, many of his
followers said, 'This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?'
Jesus was aware that his followers were
complaining about it and said, 'Does this disturb you? What if you should see
the Son of man ascend to where he was before? 'It is the spirit that gives
life, the flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have spoken to you are spirit
and they are life. 'But there are some of you who do not believe.' For Jesus
knew from the outset who did not believe and who was to betray him. He went on,
'This is why I told you that no one could come to me except by the gift of the
Father.'
After this, many of his disciples went away and accompanied
him no more.
Then Jesus said to the Twelve, 'What about
you, do you want to go away too?' Simon Peter answered, 'Lord, to whom shall we
go? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we have come to know
that you are the Holy One of God.'
Reflection
Today’s Gospel presents the last part
of the Discourse of the Bread of Life. It is a question of the discussion of
the disciples among themselves and with Jesus (Jn 6: 60-66) and of the conversation
of Jesus with Simon Peter (Jn 6: 67-69). The objective is to show the
exigencies of faith and the need for a serious commitment with Jesus and with
his proposal. Up until this moment everything took place in the Synagogue of
Capernaum. The place of this last part is not indicated.
•
John 6: 60-63: Without the light of the Spirit
these words cannot be understood. Many disciples thought that Jesus himself was
going too far! The celebration of the Passover was coming to an end, and he was
placing himself in the most central part of the Passover. For this reason, many
people separated from the community and no longer went with Jesus. Jesus reacts
and says: “It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh has nothing to offer.”
These things which he says should not be taken literally. It is only with the
light of the Holy Spirit that it is possible to get the full sense of
everything that Jesus says (Jn 14: 25-26; 16: 12-13). Paul in the Letter to the
Corinthians will say: “Written letters kill, but the Spirit gives life!” (2 Co
3: 6).
• John
6: 64-66: Some of you do not believe. In his discourse Jesus had presented
himself as the food which satisfies hunger and thirst of all those who seek
God. In the first Exodus, they have the test of Meriba. Before hunger and
thirst in the desert, many doubted of the presence of God in their midst: “The
Lord is in our midst, yes or no?” (Ex 17: 7) and they complained against
Moses (cf. Ex 17: 2-3; 16: 7-8).
They wanted to get away from him and return to Egypt. The disciples fall into
this same temptation, they doubt of the presence of Jesus in the breaking of
the bread. Before the words of Jesus on “eat my flesh and drink my blood”, many
complained like the crowds in the desert (Jn 6: 60) and take the decision to
break away from Jesus and with the community: “they went away and accompanied
him no more” (Jn 6: 66).
•
John 6: 67-71: Confession of Peter. At the end
only the twelve remain with him. In the face of the crisis produced by his
words and his gestures, Jesus turns toward his more intimate friends,
represented there by the Twelve and says: “Do you want to go away also?” For
Jesus it is not a question of having many people following him. Neither does he
change the discourse when the message does not please. He speaks in order to
reveal the Father and not to please anyone. He prefers to remain alone, and not
be accompanied by persons who are not committed with the Father’s project.
Peter’s response is beautiful: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message
of eternal life, and we believe; we have come to know that you are the Holy One
of God!” Even without understanding everything, Peter accepts Jesus as Messiah
and believes in him. In the name of the group he professes his faith in the
broken bread and in his word. Jesus is the word and the bread which satisfies
the new people of God (Dt 8: 3). Despite all his limitations, Peter is not like
Nicodemus who wanted to see all things clearly according to his own ideas. But
among the twelve there was someone who did not accept the proposal of Jesus. In
this more intimate circle, there was an enemy (the Devil) (Jn 6: 70-71) “he who
shares my table takes advantage of me” (Si 41: 10; Jn 13: 18).
Personal Questions
•
I place myself in Peter’s place before Jesus.
What response do I give Jesus who asks me: “Do you want to go away also?”
•
I place myself in Jesus‟ place. Today
many persons no longer follow Jesus. Whose fault is it?
Concluding Prayer
Lord, I am your servant, I am
your servant and my mother was your servant; you have undone my fetters.
I shall offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call
on the name of Yahweh. (Ps 116: 16-17)
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