Seventh Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 59
Reading 1
After Jesus had been taken up to heaven the
apostles
returned to Jerusalem
from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem,
a sabbath day’s journey away.
When they entered the city
they went to the upper room where they were staying,
Peter and John and James and Andrew,
Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew,
James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot,
and Judas son of James.
All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer,
together with some women,
and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (13) I believe that I shall see the
good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land
of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land
of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Hear, O Lord, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land
of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading 2
Beloved:
Rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ,
so that when his glory is revealed
you may also rejoice exultantly.
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you,
for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
But let no one among you be made to suffer
as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as an intriguer.
But whoever is made to suffer as a Christian should not be ashamed
but glorify God because of the name.
Alleluia
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
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said,
“Father, the hour has come.
Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you,
just as you gave him authority over all people,
so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him.
Now this is eternal life,
that they should know you, the only true God,
and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
I glorified you on earth
by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.
Now glorify me, Father, with you,
with the glory that I had with you before the world began.
“I revealed your name to those whom you
gave me out of the world.
They belonged to you, and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,
because the words you gave to me I have given to them,
and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you,
and they have believed that you sent me.
I pray for them.
I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me,
because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours
and everything of yours is mine,
and I have been glorified in them.
And now I will no longer be in the world,
but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.”
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
Today we celebrate the Seventh Sunday of Easter. It is a great time to reflect on these past weeks of joy and exultation. Being Children of the Resurrection, we can take these moments of understanding and use them to commit to a future closer to Jesus Christ. When we live our faith and experience our faith daily through our thoughts and actions, we naturally become closer to God. Things take on a different perspective. Committing to Christ means committing to His creation; an understanding develops that we are living in His creation. Jesus’ words, “Remain in me and I will remain in you,” take on a deeper meaning. God is at work inside of us and we, just by being present and aware, are working for God. We can then find ourselves walking with God, fully aware that He is with us, guiding us, and showing us a better way. This presents a better way of living. Just understanding how we are conduits of God’s love, places us in a better position regardless of our present circumstances.
When we pray to Jesus Christ and enter into relationship with Him, then we are glorified as a result. We glorify Jesus and He glorifies us by His presence. Contemplate this: When we welcome Jesus into our hearts, we are immediately transformed as a result. The Holy Spirit moves inside of us and we become receivers of Jesus’s Divine Mercy and God’s grace. We become part of the river flowing towards God, no longer fighting the current but becoming one with it. In the Acts of the Apostles, after Jesus’ ascension into heaven, they gathered once again in the upper room and prayed. This is a model for us to follow. As Saint Mother Theresea said,
“Just pray.” Simple and to the point. In a right relationship with God, prayer is always the answer. The more we pray, the closer we will become with God. As when talking with a friend, the more we talk the better we understand and get to know the person. The same can be said with our God. There is nothing stopping us from praying throughout the day. When we do this, it ensures that God is in charge and we have made our will second to His.
The Apostle Paul tells us in his letter to the Thessalonians,
“Always be joyful. Pray without ceasing. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Prayer leads to an opening of the heart, which leads to God’s love pouring in, which leads to joy. For that, we can be thankful.
In the Gospel Reading today, Jesus basically summarized His relationship to His disciples and what He has done for them through the Father. What He had done for them, He has done for us and continues to do so. He did this through prayer as the disciples listened. This brought emphasis to the importance of what was being said: Jesus was saying it to the Father, who the Son continues to be sub-servant to. Jesus prays to the Father. The children listen and know the Son, and the Son welcomes the children to come forward and see the Father. Jesus is glorified through the Father and the Father is known through the Son. The Holy Spirit is at work within us to feel the presence of God’s love and propel us forward into this awesome relationship and state of being. It all starts with a willingness to do so.
Deacon Tom
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