and no one will ever steal them from me. That is one of the purposes gates can serve. Barnabas was what we would call today, an enabler. Yes, Jesus fed them in the wilderness, but he has something more to give them, not just physical bread but a deeper and more enduring form of nourishment. An Infant Rejoices in the Presence of the Lord! There is a need for different groups of people to take responsibility for different ministries. In these Covid times when we cannot receive the Eucharist, it is good to be alert to the many other ways that the Lord comes to us. He is present to each one of us in a very personal way, as he was present to Mary Magdalene, to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, to Thomas in todays gospel reading. The feeding of the multitude is one of the few stories from the public ministry of Jesus that is to be found in all four gospels. God who began to draw the Ethiopian to his Son through the Scriptures now draws him fully to his Son through the spiritual accompaniment of Philip, the preacher of the gospel. He is the good shepherd because he is the faithful shepherd. As people of faith, we are always on a journey, on a pilgrimage. The story is a reminder to us that we need each other on the journey of faith. One of the tasks of life for each of us as disciples of the Lord is to try and listen to the particular call that the Lord is addressing to me here and now. He calls on us to break new ground, to grow in new ways, as individual believers and as a community of faith. These anxious days, when some have more time and space than they might usually have, can be a good moment to enter more fully into our search for the Lord who is always seeking us. When the other disciples approached him with the good news of Easter, We have seen the Lord, their message did not resonate with him in any way. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see. And he said to them, Oh, how foolish you are! We are very dependent on each other on this communal journey. but may have eternal life. When something new was happening in the city of Antioch, when pagans were coming to believe in Jesus as well as Jews, Barnabas was sent down from Jerusalem to look at what was happening. Each of us has some responsibility for some little flock of our own, whether our situation on life. What is important is that we allow the particular story that we tell to be filled out and to be enriched by the very different story about the same events that people who are strangers to us have to tell. We look forward to that eternal day when we will see the Lord, face to face. We cannot fully grasp the Holy Spirit and we certainly cannot control the Holy Spirit. We take a tentative step in his direction and the Lord calls on us to take a more generous step. The gospel reading also describes a situation that is very unpromising from a human point of view. In this mornings gospel we are given words spoken by John the Baptist. The Lord can work powerfully through the members of the church, even when they seem few in number and increasingly frail, especially in the Western world. God sent his Son into the world so that through him the world might be saved. If we come to him, having initially turned away, he will not turn us away because, as he declares in the gospel reading, it is his Fathers will that whoever sees the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life. People began to see that this movement wasnt just a particular branch of Judaism. If the group is comfortable with silence, more time could be spent resting in the Word. We are always trying to listen to the Lords voice so as to discern where he is leading us, the new directions that he is taking us in. This was a story about a great prophet who said and did wonderful things, who had been unjustly put to death, and whose body had gone missing from the tomb. Jesus was pleased that they came looking for him, but he wanted to refine their search. We are then sent from the Eucharist to live with his life, to live his life. He calls out to all of us to come to him, to know and love him as he knows and loves us. In todays gospel reading, the Lord came to his disciples as they were struggling with a strong wind and a rough sea and brought them to a safe haven. Irish Province of Carmelites | All Rights Reserved | Site by Marketing Inputs. The Lord relates to us in a personal way and he invites us to relate to him in a personal way. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. These writings were dictated by her as she only learnt to write towards the very end of her life. The gate was the path to life for the sheep. If we invite the Lord to stay with us, in response to the many ways he touches our lives, he will lead us to the Eucharist too, where his communion with us is deepened further. Jesus exclaimed, I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. When the crowds ask Jesus, What must we do to do the works God wants? Jesus replies that this is only one work God wants, to believe in the one God has sent. He calls us to eat his flesh and to drink his blood. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. Earlier in that gospel reading, Jesus spoke about the intimate relationship he has with God his Father, No one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son. Once in the sheepfold, a gate keeper would keep watch during the night, to protect the sheep from thieves. The words of the stranger rekindled the hope of the disciples, as they said, Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road?. Two of the disciples of Jesus were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all that had happened. The same risen Lord who stood among his disciples on that first Easter morning stands among us on in this Easter time, with all its anxiety and uncertainty. ACVB Today's Readings My wife, Elise, is a throw back. Jesus suggests that God is always teaching us and encouraging us to be learners. He looks to us not to stand in his way but to allow him to work with us and through us to bring about this great gathering of people from north, south, east and west, around the risen Lord, the good shepherd who laid down his life for all of humanity. Josephs faithfulness to his task created the space for Jesus to be faithful to his calling. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. This mornings gospel reading makes the very generous statement that all who live by the truth come out into the light. As parishioners of the parish of St John the Baptist, we might think of ourselves as having a special calling to enable, to encourage, using our own gifts while also making way for the gifts of others. Mark reminds us that living the gospel, following in the way of Jesus, is not easy; it makes demands on us; it stretches us. John 6:35-40 Do not be afraid. There will always be an element of unease about our faith, some restlessness that moves us to keep seeking the Lord. We are anxious lest someone might steal from us. You must be born from above. Thomas stood in the light of Easter, yet that light did not dispel his darkness. Is it the Lord or someone or something else? Or to put the question in another way, Who or what is Lord of our lives? The apostles were clear that Jesus was Lord of their lives and not the religious authorities. Do not be amazed that I told you, You must be born from above. The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.. In the gospel reading this morning, Jesus makes reference to stealing. Sometimes our own grief, or anger, or deep disappointment, can cause us to head off in wrong directions too. An active public apostolate grew out of her contemplative life, working with the sick, the poor, prisoners and plague victims. Sundays and Weekdays in Ordinary Time | Weeks 9-16. He wants to give us what endures and we look for what perishes. In this mornings gospel reading, Jesus declares, I have come so that they may have life, and have it to the full. In the gospel reading this morning Jesus makes a distinction between food that cannot last and food that endures to eternal life. Sunday. There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions, who said to them, Yes, it is true. What they went on to say to the stranger showed that they had lost all hope. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. A contemplative, her life of prayer expressed itself in the loving service of those in need. On this second Sunday of Easter, we are invited to make Thomas confession of faith our own, wherever we happen to find ourselves on our faith journey. There is always a sense in which we can say with John the Baptist he must increase and I must decrease. As the gate, all who enter through him will be safe; as the gate, all who exit through him will find pasture. He was a Pharisee, a member of that group who are consistently hostile to Jesus in Johns gospel. The gospel reading is suggesting that if we are to reach our destination, we cannot do it on our own. While Jesus was alone, the disciples set out to cross the sea of Galilee without Jesus. Now Jesus was challenging him to live by the Spirit. You have hidden these things from the wise and revealed them to little children. If we are not masters of the wind, we are even less masters of the Spirit. He is speaking here as the good Shepherd who is prepared to lay down his life so that the members of his flock can have life and have it to the full. This is a light to be warmly welcomed, not to be extinguished or imprisoned. When one of the early preachers of the gospel, Philip, approached the Ethiopian, he asked Philip to explain to him what he was reading, Tell me, is the prophet referring to himself or someone else? Here indeed was faith seeking understanding. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Even those of us who have been baptized and who have come to believe in Jesus are being drawn more closely to Jesus by God the Father. The Lords personal call to each of us will always be in harmony with that fundamental purpose of the Lords coming among us. The stranger who unexpectedly enters our lives can turn out to be a messenger of the Lord. When the Lord speaks about life to the full there, we might be tempted to think only in terms of eternal life, life beyond death. A little later the Ethiopian asked Philip to baptize him and Philip responded to that request too. Before he began his missionary career the Lord gave Paul this profound experience of his dependence on others, and, ultimately, on the Lord. Just click on the month of interest and scroll to the day required. Joseph had a marketable skill. How could anyone accept it? Jesus was aware that his followers were complaining about it and said, Does this disturb you? It is interesting to speculate that Joseph might have found work as that city was being built. In that sense, each of us is called to be a shepherd to others. The gospel reading does not state that Thomas actually touched the wounds of Jesus. The phenomenon of theft is much more common than it used to be. Saint Paul had that same conviction which he expressed in his letter to the Romans when he said, If God is for us, who is against us? God is for us in and through Jesus our good shepherd. he who is born of the earth is earthly himself It was the time of the feast of Dedication in Jerusalem. It was a sad story, but it wasnt the whole story. We take various security precautions to prevent that from happening. When Andrew chimed in, he too spoke in a way that conveyed a kind of hopelessness. We speak of the Spirit as the third person of the Trinity. It is also a very important place of pilgrimage for Muslims. There is a clear reference here to the Eucharist as the moment when we enter into communion with the body and blood of the Lord. Our fundamental vocation is to be a loving and caring people, with a mind through which the good Shepherd thinks, a heart through which he loves, a voice through which he speaks and hands through which he works. We gather to celebrate the Eucharist so that we can draw life from the Lord. After Jesus had fed the five thousand, his disciples saw him walking on the water. We come to the Eucharist to draw life from the Lord, as branches draw life from the vine. Help us to support Carmelite projects around the world. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and he said to them again, Peace be with you. The most important decision we can make in life is to believe in the one whom God has sent into the world and allow that belief to shape the whole pattern of our life. Yet, Jesus suggests to the crowd that they are searching for him for the wrong reasons. Jesus said: Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. She spent the last two years of her life in Rome in prayer, pleading on behalf of the cause of Pope Urban VI and the unity of the Church. He calls us to be an Easter people, messengers of his merciful love in our world. Here was a philosopher Pope, a questioning Pope, whose whole life proclaimed My Lord and my God. The evangelist declares that Jesus, Gods Son, reveals Gods love for the world and for each of us individually. He now knew that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah; he was the Son of God. The Lord will not allow anything or anyone to come between himself and ourselves. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. The movement of the prayer is towards silence. It was finally approved by Pope Innocent in 1247 and later underwent mitigations which were not in the original text. Paul went on to become a leading member of the church in Antioch. In that sense we are always seeking after God, striving to know God more fully and to love God more deeply. what is born of the Spirit is spirit. The first reading describes a significant moment in the life of the early church, the preaching of the gospel to pagans for the first time, in the city of Antioch. Yet, the primary purpose of this loving light is to take away our sin. Yet, Nicodemus did not give up on Jesus and the last we see of him in Johns gospel is at Golgotha where, after the death of Jesus, he and Joseph of Arimathea ensure that Jesus has a dignified burial. It was St Irenaeus, one of the early theologians of the church, who said that the glory of God is the human person fully alive. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. In the gospel reading Jesus offers himself to us as the one who offers us the food that endures to eternal life. According to this mornings gospel reading, Jesus shows himself to be the good shepherd in two ways. The Spirit may be mysterious but when the Spirit takes shape in a human life we recognize the Spirits attractiveness. There are different ways of telling the story of the troubles in the North of Ireland over the past thirty five years or more. We each have to ask ourselves, What does it mean for me to live out my calling to be the Lords disciple?. Just as Jesus was always in communion with his Father so he wants us to be always in communion with him. Having listened to the two disciples, the stranger spoke to them. Please join us in praying these daily Lenten Reflections with Fr. He taught this doctrine at Capernaum, in the synagogue. For us this involves seeking out Jesus, as Nicodemus did, because we believe Jesus to be God in human form, the en-fleshed Word. Jesus takes seriously the horizon of this world in which we live and work, but he also shows us another horizon, a horizon that is not of this world. In the first reading, Peter assures the churches he is addressing that even though they are having to suffer for their faith, the Lord will see that all is well again; he will confirm, strengthen and support you. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. She was born into tumultuous times (1347-1380). The church now had two Popes, one in Rome and one in Avignon, a situation that was to last for several decades. Philips ministry to the Ethiopian led the Ethiopian to take an initiative of his own, Look, there is some water here; is there anything to stop me being baptized? It is as if the final step of God drawing the Ethiopian to his Son was through the medium of creation, water. Catholic Daily Mass Readings and Reflections A CATHOLIC MOMENT Saturday April 29, 2023: "This is hard!" John Ciribassi, DVM, Dipl. Jesus family were not wealthy but probably not destitute either. She persuaded Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome from Avignon. This mornings gospel reading begins with an image of the disciples locking themselves into a room somewhere in Jerusalem. We often feel the call to move beyond where we are, to reach for a different shore. We are to take Jesus as our gate, going freely in and out through him, as the gospel reading puts it. In reality, it was only beginning. What is true of our relationship with others is true to a greater extent of our relationship with Jesus. Anyone who believes in the Son has eternal life, He has given us so much from his fullness that a life time is not long enough to receive it all. Today is Vocations Sunday. A large set of gates prevents all non-residents from entering the enclosure. We find something similar happening in todays gospel reading. Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. Todays first reading suggests that such listening to Gods word will often entail a struggle to understand it. There is a time for every matter under heaven, according to the Book of Ecclesiastes. Jesus identifies himself with the gate of the sheepfold because he too gives people access to security and nourishment, what he calls in todays gospel reading life, life to the full. How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! He doesnt say, learn my teaching, but learn from me. As Jesus says in the gospel reading, whoever eats me will draw life from me. In this mornings gospel reading, Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night. He wanted them to know that his love for them had endured even though they had failed him. When Jesus declares in todays gospel reading, my yoke is easy and my burden light, he is saying that his teaching, his understanding of Gods will, is not something burdensome. The risen Lords story continues to speak powerfully to us today. Do not be surprised when I say: Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. and be sure of finding pasture. In that village culture, a skill could be a small source of income. A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. We need to come to Gods Son, to come out into the light, in the words of gospel reading. We know that Jesus has a unique relationship with God his Father; that relationship is characterized by a profound loving intimacy. All who seek the truth are already standing in the light of Christ, even though they may not be aware of it. As they say to the religious authorities in that first reading, Obedience to God comes before obedience to men. This can happen all too easily as we know. It is a verse worth pondering and reflecting upon at length. As we bring the broken pieces of our lives to the risen Lord, his Easter grace can restore and transform us. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.. One of my favourite depictions of this scene is by an artist called Caravaggio. The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him. Our website uses cookies to give you the best online experience. We can also, of course, have the wind at our back, helping us along, like a friend. This Easter season, we ask the Holy Spirit to shape our longing, our desires, so that they correspond more to the Lords desire for us. Gates are just there to be passed through; they dont as a rule call out to us; if we pass through a gate it is because we have decided to do so. Just as the gospel reading is clear about why Jesus has come, it is also clear about what we must do. The clarity with which the apostles could identify their priorities amid competing claims on their time is admirable. These cookies may track your personal data. The large gates you find in our rural landscape come to mind. As the Father sent me, Listening to the stranger opening up the Scriptures for them led them to the Eucharist. It was the Holy Spirit who prompted Philip to meet the Ethiopian. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him. To use another image in that gospel reading, he is the gate, the gateway, to a full life. you will not have life in you. He who comes from above is above all others; Even though we may have failed him in the past, through our fear, he stands among us not to condemn us but to renew us, to recreate us in his love. Now the risen Lord, through Philip, preaches the gospel to the Samaritans and this time they welcome the gospel. There are places to which Christians have been going on pilgrimage for a very long time. However, Jesus as the gate calls out to us because he is also the shepherd who knows each of us personally, by name. In 1378, the Great Schism began, splitting the allegiance of Christendom between two, then three, popes. In the gospel reading this morning Jesus speaks of the shepherd who calls his own sheep one by one and leads them out. We dont draw life from ourselves but from the Lord. It was only after listening carefully to the two disciples that the stranger spoke. It was then that they saw Jesus coming towards them, speaking words of reassurance, It is I. You must be born from above. He doesnt get behind us and drive us in this direction. He not only calls on people to eat his flesh but to drink his blood. Christ is always working to create us anew. but the sheep took no notice of them. you can see me and still you do not believe. Nicodemus heard Jesus say to him that he needed to born of water and the Spirit. Obviously this transformation will have a profound effect on the way we actually live and the way we live is the test of the authenticity of our prayer. The birth of a child is one of the greatest causes of joy in human experience, especially for the parents of the child. In the gospel reading this morning, Jesus declares that on one will ever steal one of his followers from him or from his heavenly Father. In the world of Jesus, there were no sheepdogs to help the shepherd in his work with the sheep. Although Peter and the other apostles had been given a formal warning by the religious authorities not to preach the gospel, they carried on regardless because they understood that this was their calling in life, the mission they had received from the risen Lord. LEARN MORE. Our website uses functional cookies. Then he spoke to Thomas, Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. The Lord continues to offer the gospel even to those who have rejected it. The very public dying, death, and burial of John Paul II may have been an occasion when many people heard the Lords call more clearly. In todays gospel reading Jesus declares both everybody who believes has eternal life and anyone who eats this bread will live for ever. Yet, this is what Jesus asks us to believe. He offered them the gift of his peace, the gift of his reconciling love. In his diary he wrote, It is not like a child that I believe in Christ and confess him. There are many voices competing for our attention today, but in the midst of them all we need to be attentive to the voice of the Lord so that we can follow him each day. As he says to Philip, in another part of the gospel of John, Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. Jesus communion with God in prayer directs him to those who labour and are overburdened, inviting them to come to him and receive the gift of rest, the revival of their drooping spirits. One of the features of Marks gospel is its very negative portrayal of Jesus first disciples, including Peter, those who were closest to him. At the deepest level of our being, we are searching for God.
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