Seventh Sunday of Easter

Lectionary: 61

Reading I

Acts 7:55-60

Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God
and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
and Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened
and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
But they cried out in a loud voice,
covered their ears, and rushed upon him together.
They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him.
The witnesses laid down their cloaks
at the feet of a young man named Saul.
As they were stoning Stephen, he called out,
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice,
“Lord, do not hold this sin against them;”
and when he said this, he fell asleep.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 97:1-2, 6-7, 9

R (1a and 9a) The Lord is king, the most high over all the earth.
or:
R Alleluia.
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
            let the many islands be glad.
Justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R The Lord is king, the most high over all the earth.
or:
R Alleluia.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
            and all peoples see his glory.
All gods are prostrate before him.
R The Lord is king, the most high over all the earth.
or:
R Alleluia.
You, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth,
            exalted far above all gods.
R The Lord is king, the most high over all the earth.
or:
R         Alleluia.
 

Reading II

Rev 22:12-14, 16-17, 20

I, John, heard a voice saying to me:
“Behold, I am coming soon.
I bring with me the recompense I will give to each
according to his deeds.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last,
the beginning and the end.”

Blessed are they who wash their robes
so as to have the right to the tree of life
and enter the city through its gates.

“I, Jesus, sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.
I am the root and offspring of David,
the bright morning star.”

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”
Let the hearer say, “Come.”
Let the one who thirsts come forward,
and the one who wants it receive the gift of life-giving water.

The one who gives this testimony says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen!  Come, Lord Jesus!
 

Alleluia

Cf. Jn 14:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord.
I will come back to you, and your hearts will rejoice.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Jn 17:20-26

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
“Holy Father, I pray not only for them,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
so that they may all be one,
as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that they also may be in us,
that the world may believe that you sent me.
And I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me,
that they may be brought to perfection as one,
that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.
Father, they are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
I made known to them your name and I will make it known,
that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them.”

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

The prayer Jesus made in the Gospel reading today is one that is very befitting for The Seventh Sunday of Easter. We are again given a description of the relationship of The Trinity and how we are invited in to experience that same relationship. Together we all make up The Living Body of Jesus Christ and it is through The Living Body, moved by The Holy Spirit, that we can then get to know The Father. It is through experiencing Jesus and knowing the Father that our eyes can be opened, our thoughts can be corrected, and our lives can slowly be led towards perfection. It is in our imperfections that we meet Jesus. It is through The Trinitarian Relationship that we are healed; our sins being forgiven. We can never forget that it is through The Love of God our sins are washed away and we are then made white as snow. As God said through the prophet Isaiah,

 

Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; Though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool.”

 

What a glorious vision and a promise from our God. If we listen to Him, He will tell us exactly what we need to do so that we may overcome our wrongdoing and experience a joyous life with Him.

 

This serves as a reminder that God always has our back. Stephen was given a gift of vision, seeing Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father. This enabled Him to profess the divinity of Jesus Christ through his martyrdom. There was no need to fear what was to come, for Christ even conjured death through the Blood of the Cross. Stephen suffered a most horrendous death but kept his eyes transfixed on those things beyond death. When we are confronted with our own challenges, we are encouraged to use Saint Stephen as a model: We need to keep our eyes transfixed on that which is spiritual. The spiritual, which embodies all heavenly things, can never be overcome by the physical. The physical came from the spiritual, thus it is inferior to it in all respects. We all are destined for the same place. That is to The Father, through The Son; guided by The Holy Spirit.

 

All three Scripture Readings today and The Responsorial Psalm shout out the same thing:

Jesus Christ will never abandon us and that it is through Him that we will receive our birthright as God’s Children. Knowing this, we need to strive constantly to conduct ourselves as His children. Even though we will be chastised, disciplined, and also make mistakes, nothing we do cannot be undone through Jesus. To think differently leads only to arrogance on our part. Arrogance leads to a taking back our will, which can only lead us to a bad place. It is better to stay in a good place, which is always with Jesus. Jesus said that the love that the Father has for Him is the same love He has for us. That is how powerful God loves us and that love is within us as well as Jesus. This can serve as the foundation of our faith and can define our whole life if we allow it to do so. As Psalm 145 says,

 

“The Lord is just in all his ways
and loving in all his deeds.
He is close to all who call him,
who call on him from their hearts.

He grants the desires of those who fear him,
he hears their cry and he saves them.
The Lord protects all who love him;
but the wicked he will utterly destroy.”

These words are emphasized in The First Letter of John:

Little children,
let us love in deed and in truth
and not merely talk about it.
This is our way of knowing we are committed to the truth
and are at peace before him
no matter what our consciences may charge us with;
for God is greater than our hearts
and all is known to him……..

 

His commandment is this:
we are to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
and are to love one another as he commanded us.
Those who keep his commandments remain in him
and he in them.
And this is how we know that he remains in us:
from the Spirit that he gave us.”

 

Love is the central theme. In the end, as it was in the beginning, it begins with love, continues with Love, and brings about a final product which is love. Love brings us to perfection. So, my brothers and sisters, let us love and let us be open to being loved.

 

Deacon Tom

 

 

 

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Lectionary: 57

Reading I

Acts 15:1-2, 22-29

Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers,
“Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice,
you cannot be saved.”
Because there arose no little dissension and debate
by Paul and Barnabas with them,
it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others
should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders
about this question.

The apostles and elders, 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 elders, 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.’”

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8

R (4) O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R Alleluia.
May God have pity on us and bless us;
            may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
            among all nations, your salvation.
R O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R Alleluia.
May the nations be glad and exult
            because you rule the peoples in equity;
            the nations on the earth you guide.
R O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R Alleluia.
May the peoples praise you, O God;
            may all the peoples praise you!
May God bless us,
            and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
R O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R Alleluia.

Reading II

Rev 21:10-14, 22-23

The angel took me in spirit to a great, high mountain
and showed me the holy city Jerusalem
coming down out of heaven from God.
It gleamed with the splendor of God.
Its radiance was like that of a precious stone,
like jasper, clear as crystal.
It had a massive, high wall,
with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed
and on which names were inscribed,
the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites.
There were three gates facing east,
three north, three south, and three west.
The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation,
on which were inscribed the twelve names
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

I saw no temple in the city
for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb.
The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it,
for the glory of God gave it light,
and its lamp was the Lamb.

Alleluia

Jn 14:23

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord,
and my Father will love him and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Jn 14:23-29

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.

“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me tell you,
‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.”

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

There will always be those who claim that there are preconditions to receiving salvation. There will be those that will claim that there are certain rules and regulations that need to be followed to achieve salvation through Our Lord Savior Jesus Christ. These things all come from institutions and from individual people who just might not have our best interests at heart. We must constantly be on watch for those who come forward professing that they are representing Jesus Christ and are receivers of some particular instruction which they can provide which will bring us closer to Jesus Christ. This is very far from the truth. Usually, these preconditions and rules are rooted in the human condition and have nothing to do with what Jesus Christ wants us to do and what God The Father wants us to do. God is beyond anything which we can demand. Anything that is rooted in a human reaction or in grounded in physical demonstrations of our faith are limited. God does not want us to be limited. God has no need of sacrifice or displays of our faith through rituals or decrees. Our salvation does not lay in the hands of other people, and it is not based on the judgement of those in position of power.

 

The First Reading today emphasizes this point. There were those in the Christian Community that claimed that it was necessary to be circumcised to receive salvation. Did this decree come from God? Did it come through the teachings of Jesus Christ? It was from a ritual that emphasized the Covenant established between God and Abraham, which we have also received through Jesus Christ. The coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ brought all covenants established beforehand to perfection all the while presenting a New Covenant which is stands above and beyond anything that was presented beforehand. In other words, Jesus brings all other covenants to perfection through the revelation of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Because of this, nothing else matters. As Jesus Himself said

 

“I am the gate, whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.”

 

We are guaranteed that if we approach Jesus Christ and receive what He is offering, then we will be guided to the Father. We will then receive eternal life. This is what our God has said. Whatever else is presented or demanded by our human counterparts is lacking in comparison to what our God has said. Unfortunately, through our human condition, we tend to be swept up in details and intricacies that can delude what God Himself has said. This can lead to anxiety and an overemphasis on what is unimportant in comparison to the bigger picture. God wants us to love Him. God wants us to accept His Son. God wants us to live a transformative experience through a relationship with Him.

 

In the Gospel Reading today, Jesus says that “Whoever loves me will keep my word.” Our actions will display what is in our heart. If we truly love Jesus Christ and are willing to enter into a relationship with God, then we will want to do the right thing. There will be no need to follow rules and regulations because these are given to us. We will follow these with a willingness to do the right thing because we love our God. We won’t even have to know all the rules and laws. We will do the right thing because it makes us feel good. There is right and wrong in this world. We already know what is right and wrong. If God is the Perfect Good, then we don’t have to know the exact specifications of what we must follow. These things will be revealed through a relationship with Our God.

 

Jesus guarantees that we will receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit. That is the Love of God. We will never be lacking in anything if we just listen to Him and let ourselves be loved. When it comes to love, there are no preconditions. We love our children because they are our children. We love our family because they are our family. We love our friends because they are our friends. This is just the way it is and the way it should be. Should we not love our God because of the same thing? He created us, He guides us, and He looks out for us. What more can we ask for? This is something that we should pursue and look for every day: The love of God to influence our lives. What more do we really need than our God to love us completely and to love Him back?

 

Deacon Tom

 

 

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Lectionary: 51

Reading I

Acts 13:14, 43-52

Paul and Barnabas continued on from Perga
and reached Antioch in Pisidia.
On the sabbath they entered the synagogue and took their seats.
Many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism
followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them
and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God.

On the following sabbath almost the whole city gathered
to hear the word of the Lord.
When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy
and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said.
Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said,
“It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first,
but since you reject it
and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life,
we now turn to the Gentiles.
For so the Lord has commanded us,
I have made you a light to the Gentiles,
that you may be an instrument of salvation
to the ends of the earth.”

The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this
and glorified the word of the Lord.
All who were destined for eternal life came to believe,
and the word of the Lord continued to spread
through the whole region.
The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers
and the leading men of the city,
stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas,
and expelled them from their territory.
So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them,
and went to Iconium.
The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 100:1-2, 3, 5

R (3c) We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R Alleluia.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
            serve the LORD with gladness;
            come before him with joyful song.
R  We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R  Alleluia.
Know that the LORD is God;
            he made us, his we are;
            his people, the flock he tends.
R  We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R  Alleluia.
The LORD is good:
            his kindness endures forever,
            and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R  We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R  Alleluia.

Reading II

Rev 7:9, 14b-17

I, John, had a vision of a great multitude,
which no one could count,
from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.

Then one of the elders said to me,
“These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

            “For this reason they stand before God’s throne
                        and worship him day and night in his temple.
            The one who sits on the throne will shelter them.
            They will not hunger or thirst anymore,
                        nor will the sun or any heat strike them.
            For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne
                        will shepherd them
                        and lead them to springs of life-giving water,
                        and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
 

Alleluia

Jn 10:14

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my sheep, and mine know me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Jn 10:27-30

Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

We will all face a great distress in our lives. As Christians, we are destined to encounter this, for our God welcomed His own distress in order that we may experience eternal life. We are created in His image, so it is inevitable that we are going to experience what He experienced and endure what He endured. We cannot avoid the coming persecutions. We cannot avoid being put to the test, entering our own personal crucibles in order to be strengthened and purified as a result. We need to understand that there will be suffering, but at the same time, there will be relief and an experience of ultimate joy as a result.

 

The foundation of our faith is Jesus Christ. We are encouraged to realize this and embrace it as a tenant of our lives. So, we begin our day with Jesus. We then continue our day walking with Him and looking to Him for advice and counsel. We then end our day as we began it, with Jesus. As long as we listen to His voice and guide our thoughts and actions by what He says instead of what we want, then everything will be better as a result. We cannot think that what we want or know is better than what our God wants and knows. We are born in His image but that doesn’t mean we are equal or superior to Him. Time and time again the results of this folly are presented to us as evidence that we should constantly seek a better way, guided by Jesus Christ instead of our own needs, wants, and desires.

 

The Reading from the Acts of the Apostles today emphasizes this point. The Apostle Paul and Barnabas were expelled from Antioch and were forced to leave, yet they rejoiced in this persecution knowing that The Word of God would be triumphant against all that opposed them. They knew, without any doubt, that what they had to say was coming from God Himself and that what they were professing would be planted as a seed into the hearts of those who would receive it. This seed would then be nourished by God and grow regardless of what human forces would oppose it. We are encouraged to have the same confidence as they had, even when we are confronted with obstacles and forces that may appear to be overwhelming at times. Nothing can overwhelm us if we walk with Jesus Christ, recognizing His presence with us.

 

The Prayer of Saint Patrick’s Breastplate is a beautiful prayer:

 

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.
I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.
I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In the predictions of prophets,
In the preaching of apostles,
In the faith of confessors,
In the innocence of holy virgins,
In the deeds of righteous men.
I arise today, through
The strength of heaven,
The light of the sun,
The radiance of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of the earth,
The firmness of rock.
I arise today, through
God's strength to pilot me,
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptation of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and near.
I summon today
All these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel and merciless power
that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul;
Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me an abundance of reward.
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.

 

 

It exemplifies the Gospel Reading today about Jesus professing that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him. We are indeed the sheep, and He is our shepherd. Recognizing this fact is the first step in a transformative experience that will indeed lead us into a better place in our lives. If we recognize Jesus Christ as the predominant force in our lives, we will be okay regardless of what we face or what circumstances we find ourselves in.

 

Control. That is one of the roots of all of our problems. We tend to think of ourselves as the masters of our own destinies instead of Jesus Christ. We do indeed have a choice: whether to let Jesus Christ guide us with tender love and care or to wrest control back from Him, trying to dictate our lives according to our needs, wants, and desire which are constantly rooted in earthly desires. These things, as we already know, will lead to despair. The Divine Mercy Prayer can be a guiding force in how we can surrender our life and will over to God: “Jesus I trust in you.” Simple words. A very simple thing that can bring about tremendous results.

 

Deacon Tom