Sunday - May 14, 2017
"Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever;
and take care of your soul
as if you were going to die tomorrow."
and take care of your soul
as if you were going to die tomorrow."
~ St. Augustine
TODAY'S READINGS
May 14, 2017
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 52
Reading 1ACTS 6:1-7
As the number of disciples continued to grow,the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews
because their widows
were being neglected in the daily distribution.
So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said,
"It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table.
Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men,
filled with the Spirit and wisdom,
whom we shall appoint to this task,
whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer
and to the ministry of the word."
The proposal was acceptable to the whole community,
so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit,
also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas,
and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
They presented these men to the apostles
who prayed and laid hands on them.
The word of God continued to spread,
and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly;
even a large group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
Responsorial PsalmPS 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19
R. (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.or:
R. Alleluia.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading 21 PT 2:4-9
Beloved:Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings
but chosen and precious in the sight of God,
and, like living stones,
let yourselves be built into a spiritual house
to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
For it says in Scripture:
Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion,
a cornerstone, chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in it shall not be put to shame.
Therefore, its value is for you who have faith, but for those without faith:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone, and
A stone that will make people stumble,
and a rock that will make them fall.
They stumble by disobeying the word, as is their destiny.
You are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people of his own,
so that you may announce the praises" of him
who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
AlleluiaJN 14:6
R. Alleluia, alleluia.I am the way, the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father, except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 14:1-12
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.
If you know me, then you will also know my Father.
From now on you do know him and have seen him."
Philip said to him,
"Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us."
Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you for so long a time
and you still do not know me, Philip?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.
The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,
or else, believe because of the works themselves.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,
and will do greater ones than these,
because I am going to the Father."
******************************
Why We can do Greater Works than Jesus?!
This Sunday's Gospel reading ends with a very astounding verse: "Whoever believes in me will do the works I do, and greater far than these." What does he mean? How can we do the same -- and greater -- miracles than Jesus himself did?
The answer is found in the context of the entire chapter. Jesus is explaining his close relationship with the Father. Remember, Jesus was (and still is) both human and divine. We need to look at these verses with that in mind. How did he serve the Father as the Son of Man? And how did he serve the Father as the Son of God?
The "works I do" come from his human nature: He loved, he taught, he conversed with a listening heart, he dined with others, he worked hard at his job, he took his ministry very seriously. "Whoever believes in me will do the works I do" -- he is our example of what it means to be a holy human. We will love others as he loves them, teach the faith to others, listen to those who need someone to understand them, work hard at our jobs, offer a helping hand when we see a need, etc. There's nothing supernatural about it. It's being who we are: human children of a loving Father.
The "greater" works come from his divine nature: He did the supernatural works of his Father. "Whoever believes in me will do the works of the Father." We are called to be the Father's conduits of miracles in our world today.
When Jesus united himself to us as a human, he showed us how to rise above our human limitations. Now, through the Sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation, we are united to Christ's divine nature so that we can continue the works of the Father. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, any disunity is removed. We can love the unlovable after they've pushed us past our human limits. We can be conduits of the supernatural. We can do everything that God asks of us, despite our inadequacies.
Questions for Personal Reflection:Make a list of your gifts and talents. Then reflect on how each of these are the human works of Jesus for the world today. How has the Father also worked through you supernaturally?
Questions for Group Faith Sharing:Name some of the good works being done in your parish or group: How do these reflect the human nature of Jesus? Name some of the ways that your parish or group shows the Father's supernatural nature to the world. How can we become better able to do the "greater works" of the Father?
The answer is found in the context of the entire chapter. Jesus is explaining his close relationship with the Father. Remember, Jesus was (and still is) both human and divine. We need to look at these verses with that in mind. How did he serve the Father as the Son of Man? And how did he serve the Father as the Son of God?
The "works I do" come from his human nature: He loved, he taught, he conversed with a listening heart, he dined with others, he worked hard at his job, he took his ministry very seriously. "Whoever believes in me will do the works I do" -- he is our example of what it means to be a holy human. We will love others as he loves them, teach the faith to others, listen to those who need someone to understand them, work hard at our jobs, offer a helping hand when we see a need, etc. There's nothing supernatural about it. It's being who we are: human children of a loving Father.
The "greater" works come from his divine nature: He did the supernatural works of his Father. "Whoever believes in me will do the works of the Father." We are called to be the Father's conduits of miracles in our world today.
When Jesus united himself to us as a human, he showed us how to rise above our human limitations. Now, through the Sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation, we are united to Christ's divine nature so that we can continue the works of the Father. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, any disunity is removed. We can love the unlovable after they've pushed us past our human limits. We can be conduits of the supernatural. We can do everything that God asks of us, despite our inadequacies.
Questions for Personal Reflection:Make a list of your gifts and talents. Then reflect on how each of these are the human works of Jesus for the world today. How has the Father also worked through you supernaturally?
Questions for Group Faith Sharing:Name some of the good works being done in your parish or group: How do these reflect the human nature of Jesus? Name some of the ways that your parish or group shows the Father's supernatural nature to the world. How can we become better able to do the "greater works" of the Father?
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God Bless You.....
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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