May 16, 2025
Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 283
Reading 1
When Paul came to Antioch in Pisidia, he said in the
synagogue:
"My brothers, children of the family of Abraham,
and those others among you who are God-fearing,
to us this word of salvation has been sent.
The inhabitants of Jerusalem and their leaders failed to recognize him,
and by condemning him they fulfilled the oracles of the prophets
that are read sabbath after sabbath.
For even though they found no grounds for a death sentence,
they asked Pilate to have him put to death,
and when they had accomplished all that was written about him,
they took him down from the tree and placed him in a tomb.
But God raised him from the dead,
and for many days he appeared to those
who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem.
These are now his witnesses before the people.
We ourselves are proclaiming this good news to you
that what God promised our fathers
he has brought to fulfillment for us, their children, by raising up Jesus,
as it is written in the second psalm,
You are my Son; this day I have begotten you."
Responsorial Psalm
R.(7bc) You are my Son; this day I have begotten
you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
"I myself have set up my king
on Zion, my holy mountain."
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD:
The LORD said to me, "You are my Son;
this day I have begotten you."
R. You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
"Ask of me and I will give you
the nations for an inheritance
and the ends of the earth for your possession.
You shall rule them with an iron rod;
you shall shatter them like an earthen dish."
R. You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
And now, O kings, give heed;
take warning, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice before him;
with trembling rejoice.
R. You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father's house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going you know the way."
Thomas said to him,
"Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?"
Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me."
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051625.cfm
Commentary on Acts
13:26-33
Paul continues his discourse on salvation history and on how
Jesus was handed over by the leaders of his people into the hands of the Romans
and executed. He addresses his words both to the Jews in his audience
(“descendants of Abraham’s family”) and the gentile converts (“others who fear
God”).
Paul makes it clear that the Jerusalem leaders and the
people in the city failed to recognise the true identity of Jesus as the
expected Messiah. However, he does not in any way implicate his hearers.
In doing what they did, Jerusalem was only fulfilling the
well-known words of the Old Testament prophets—prophets whose readings were
heard every Sabbath in the synagogue, and hence with which his hearers would be
familiar. And, by handing over an innocent man unjustly into the hands of
Pilate, they were simply accomplishing everything about Jesus that had been
written in those same ancient readings.
But it was not the end:
…God raised him from the dead, and for many days he
appeared to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem and they are
now his witnesses to the people.
According to Luke’s account, Jesus appeared to his disciples
for 40 days. Paul and his companions now are proclaiming this good news of what
God has done for his people through Jesus Christ. He emphasises that it
is all the expected fulfilment of everything that was prophesied.
Jesus is no upstart. He is the expected climax to the
history of God’s people. Paul quotes from the Psalm:
You are my Son;
today I have begotten you. (Ps 2:7)
The words clearly are pointing to Jesus as God’s Son. By his
resurrection, Christ was enthroned as Messiah, and from then on his human
nature enjoyed all the privileges of the Son of God. Paul’s words are an
unambiguous invitation to the Jews of Antioch to become believers and
disciples. Let us, too, renew our commitment to following with all our heart
and soul in the steps of the dying and rising Jesus.
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Commentary on John
14:1-6
We begin today the long discourse, covering four chapters
(14-17) of John, in which Jesus at the Last Supper says farewell and gives his
final instructions to his disciples. Although it is, on the face of it,
spoken in anticipation of what is going to happen, the discourse clearly
applies to the fears and anxieties of the post-resurrection community coping
without the direct leadership of Jesus, and often harassed by both Jews and
Gentiles alike.
The passage begins with Jesus telling his disciples to “not
let your hearts be troubled”. The immediate reason is the great threat
that hangs over Jesus and his warnings to them of what is going to happen to
him. The disciples are disturbed by the predictions of betrayal, of
Jesus’ leaving them and of the denial by Peter.
But Jesus’ words are also applicable to all those who,
because of their following of Jesus, fall under threat of persecution or
harassment. In face of these warnings, Jesus tells them to have faith in him
and in his Father. Faith here means a deep trust that Jesus will take
care of them and give them the strength to face any difficulties:
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places…if I
go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself,
so that where I am, there you may be also.
Jesus is about to leave his disciples, but he will be back
soon and take them to the place which has been specially prepared for
them. He will return very soon after his resurrection, although in a very
different way, and he will come at the end of time to take them to himself
forever. And not to worry, there is plenty of room for everyone. In the
end, we will be where he is and that is the only goal of our lives that matters.
And then he says,
And you know the way to the place where I am going.
They, and we, certainly ought to know the way but we are
glad that Thomas, characterised in the Gospel by his blunt speaking, asked his
question which drew forth a famous answer. Says Thomas:
Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know
the way?
To which Jesus replied:
I am the way and the truth and the life.
Jesus does not only tell us where to go. He is himself
the Way (Greek, hodos).
And Jesus is not a way, but the Way. This
is not to be understood in a narrow sectarian sense. The way of life that
Jesus proposes is not just for a particular group of people—it is a way of life
for every single person to follow. The heart of that Way is an
unconditional love which sees every other person as a brother or sister, and a
love which gives itself unceasingly in service.
If we want to know where our lives, where any life, should
be going, all we need to do is to identify ourselves totally with the
attitudes, the values and the goals of life that Jesus lays down for us. And,
as the Way, he is Truth and Life. Jesus is Truth not just because the
things he says are true. His whole life, everything he says and does, all
his relationships, have the ring of truth and integrity.
And, of course, he is Life. When we unconditionally
decide to walk his Way, we, here and now, begin to live in the fullest manner
possible. Thank you, Thomas, for asking that question. All we need now is to
make the answer the centre of our living.
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https://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/e1046g/
Friday,
May 16, 2025
Easter Time
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
your Son Jesus Christ is to us
the way that leads to you and to
one another, the truth that is good news of love and hope, the life which he
sacrificed to give it.
Help us to show the way to him and
to go his way to one another,
to speak the truth that is encouraging and credible, to
give life by sharing happiness, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Gospel Reading - John 14: 1-6
Jesus said to his disciples: "Do
not let your hearts be troubled. You trust in God, trust also in me. In my
Father's house there are many places to live in; otherwise I would have told
you. I am going now to prepare a place for you, and after I have gone and
prepared you a place, I shall return to take you to myself, so that you may be
with me where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.
Thomas said, 'Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how
can we know the way?'
Jesus said: I am the Way; I am Truth and Life. No one can come
to the Father except through me.
Reflection
These five chapters (Jn 13-17) are a
beautiful example of how the communities of the Beloved Disciple of the end of
the first century in Asia Minor, which today is Turkey, carried on the
catechesis. For example, in chapter 14, the questions of the three disciples,
Thomas (Jn 14: 5), Philip (Jn 14: 8) and Judas Thaddeus (Jn 14: 22) were also
the questions and problems of the communities. Thus, the answers of Jesus to
the three of them are like a mirror in which the communities found a response
to their doubts and difficulties. To understand better the environment in which
the catechesis was carried out, it is possible to do what follows. During and
after the reading of the text, it is good to close the eyes and pretend that we
are in the room in the midst of the disciples, participating in the encounter
with Jesus. While we listen, it is necessary to pay attention to the way in
which Jesus prepares his friends to separate themselves and reveals to them his
friendship, communicating to them security and support.
•
John 14: 1-2: Do not let your hearts be
troubled. The text begins with an exhortation: “Do not let your hearts be
troubled!” And immediately he adds: “In my Father’s house there are many places
to live in!” The insistence in continuing to use encouraging words which help
to overcome the trouble and the divergence is a sign that there was much
polemic and divergence among the communities. One would say to the other: “Our
way of living the faith is better than yours. We are saved! You live in error:
If you want to go to heaven, you have to convert yourselves and live like we
do!” Jesus says: “In my Father’s house there are many places!” It is not
necessary that everybody thinks in the same way. The important thing is that
all accept Jesus, the revelation of the Father and that out of love for him,
they have attitudes of understanding, of service and of love. Love and service
are the basis which unite the bricks and help the diverse communities to become
a Church of brothers and sisters.
•
John 14: 3-4: The farewell of Jesus. Jesus says
that he is going to prepare a place and that afterwards he will return to take
us with him to the Father’s house. He wants us to be with him forever. The
return which Jesus speaks about is the coming of the Spirit that he sends and
who acts in us, in such a way that we can live as he lived (Jn 14: 16-17, 26;
16: 13-14). Jesus ends by saying: “You know the way to the place where I am
going!” Anyone who knows Jesus knows the way, because the way is the life that
he lived, and which led him through death together to the Father.
•
John 14: 5-6: Thomas asks which is the way.
Thomas says: “Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the
way?” Jesus answers: “I am the Way, I am Truth and Life! No one can come to the
Father except through me.” Three important words. Without the way we cannot go.
Without the truth one cannot make a good choice. Without life, there is only
death! Jesus explains the sense. He is the Way, because “No one can come to the
Father except through me.” And he is the gate through which the sheep enter and
go out (Jn 10, 9). Jesus is the truth, because looking at him, we see the image
of the Father. “Anyone who knows me knows the Father!” Jesus is the life,
because walking like Jesus we will be united to the Father and we will have
life in us!
Personal Questions
•
What beautiful encounter of the past do you
remember, encounters which give you the strength to continue ahead?
•
Jesus says: “In my Father’s house there are many
places.” What does this affirmation mean for us today?
Concluding Prayer
Sing a new song to Yahweh, for he has performed
wonders, his saving power is in his right hand and his holy arm. (Ps 98: 1)
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