(Optional Memorial for Saint John I, Pope and Martyr)
 |
| “Pentecost” by Jean II Restout, 1732 |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Acts 16:11-15
We set sail from Troas, making a straight run
for Samothrace,
and on the next day to Neapolis, and from there
to Philippi,
a leading city in that district of Macedonia and
a Roman colony.
We spent some time in that city.
On the sabbath we went outside the
city gate along the river
where we thought there would be a place of
prayer.
We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered
there.
One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer
in purple cloth,
from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened,
and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention
to what Paul was saying.
After she and her household had been baptized,
she offered us an invitation,
"If you consider me a believer in the Lord,
come and stay at my home," and she
prevailed on us.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Acts
16:11-15
This passage recounts how St. Paul
and his companions leave for Philippi in Macedonia. We hear of the conversion
of Lydia and her family. It is not clear if Lydia is part of the Jewish
community of that region or, like the eunuch converted by Philip (Acts 8:26-40), a
“God-fearer” who embraced the concept of monotheism. It appears that she gives
St. Paul a base from which the rest of the community can be evangelized.
CCC: Acts 16:15 1226,
1252
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and
9b
R. (see 4a) The Lord takes delight in
his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in
their king.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and
harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches.
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps
149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b
Psalm
149 is a communal song of praise, rejoicing in God’s kingship and inviting the
faithful to celebrate his saving works. We rejoice because God brings victory
to the lowly and hope to the oppressed. The psalmist calls to the faithful to
give praise in the assembly of the people – to give witness to their faith
publicly – communally, as God’s chosen ones.
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: John 15:26—16:4a
Jesus said to his disciples:
"When the Advocate comes whom I will send
you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the
Father,
he will testify to me.
And you also testify,
because you have been with me from the
beginning.
"I have told you this so that you may not
fall away.
They will expel you from the synagogues;
in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who
kills you
will think he is offering worship to God.
They will do this because they have not known
either the Father or me.
I have told you this so that when their hour
comes
you may remember that I told you."
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn
15:26—16:4a
Jesus continues the theme of the
strength to be given in the “Advocate,” the “Spirit of truth,”
the Holy Spirit (see commentary on John
14:15-21). In this instance, he predicts to his friends that, once they
begin to spread the Good News he gives them, they will face serious
condemnation from their own faith community.
Jesus tells them they will be
martyred by people who believe they are doing God’s will. Their attackers do
this because they do not know Jesus, or understand that the Father is in him
and he is in the Father, and he is in his disciples, so his disciples are also
in the Father. This foreknowledge is intended to strengthen them when their
hour comes. (“I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may
remember that I told you.”)
CCC: Jn 15:26 244,
248, 263, 692, 719, 729, 1433, 2671
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Heavenly Father, we
humbly pray that those suffering from the coronavirus be returned quickly to
full health by the power of your Son’s healing presence, and those in fear be
calmed through the Holy Spirit.
In Christ’s name we
pray. – Amen.
With only two more weeks to go before Pentecost,
we are already looking forward to our celebration of the great gift of the New
Advocate. Holy Scripture reminds us of that impending event and gives us more
information about what it can do for us if we are open to its guidance. We also
get a pretty clear idea that, to our logical minds, following the guidance of
that Holy Spirit might not be the safest thing to do.
Jesus tells his disciples that when they start
spreading the Lord’s story of God’s salvation to the Jewish people, the Jews
will not accept that Jesus was the fulfillment of all the Law and Prophets.
They will reject the disciples, expel them from the synagogues, and kill them.
St. John tells this story as the only Apostle not martyred but sent into exile.
All of this probably would not have come to pass if the Lord had not left them
the Holy Spirit to strengthen them. (Remember how they cowered in the locked
room following Jesus’ passion and execution?)
In the reading from the Acts of Apostles, we see
the Holy Spirit acting again as Lydia hears St. Paul’s words. We note that
their fame (infamy) must have preceded them since they are not speaking in
synagogues. Lydia hears the Word and confesses her faith, being baptized with
her whole household, and invites St. Paul and his companions to use her house
while they are in Philippi. We know the result of that visit, as we later see
St. Paul craft a letter to the church he establishes there.
We are reminded by these events that, as we
leave our doors today, we enter Mission Territory, and are called to be a voice
for the Lord in that sometimes hostile land. We pray once more for the strength
we were given in the Holy Spirit, who will be our advocate and guide today.
In this strange year where many
of us will not be able to receive the Blessed Sacrament or celebrate as a
community in our houses of worship, we must be prepared to receive spiritual
communion in prayer:
My Jesus,
I believe that You
are present in the Most
Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all
things,
and I desire to receive
You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this
moment
receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually
into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself
wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.
Pax
[1]
The picture
used is “Pentecost” by Jean II Restout, 1732.
[3]
The
readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm
and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is
for private use only.
No comments:
Post a Comment