Wednesday - May 17, 2017
Let us consider what the glorious Virgin endured, and what the holy apostles suffered, and we shall find that they who were nearest to Jesus Christ were the most afflicted.
St. teresa of jesus
TODAY'S READINGS
May 17, 2017
Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 287
Reading 1ACTS 15:1-6
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 presbyters
about this question.
They were sent on their journey by the Church,
and passed through Phoenicia and Samaria
telling of the conversion of the Gentiles,
and brought great joy to all the brethren.
When they arrived in Jerusalem,
they were welcomed by the Church,
as well as by the Apostles and the presbyters,
and they reported what God had done with them.
But some from the party of the Pharisees who had become believers
stood up and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them
and direct them to observe the Mosaic law."
The Apostles and the presbyters met together to see about this matter.
Responsorial PsalmPS 122:1-2, 3-4AB, 4CD-5
R. (see 1) Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.or:
R. Alleluia.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaJN 15:4A, 5B
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord;
whoever remains in me will bear much fruit.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 15:1-8
Jesus said to his disciples:"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you.
Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own
unless it remains on the vine,
so neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
will be thrown out like a branch and wither;
people will gather them and throw them into a fire
and they will be burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."
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Allowing Ourselves to be Stretched
In today's first reading, we see the early Christian leaders struggling to remain obedient to the commandments of God, as Jesus had instructed them to do in our Gospel reading today. Their debate arose from a limited understanding of God's will, which was based on their past experiences and religious training.
At first, many resisted the new perspective, but because they wanted to be obedient to his will, God stretched them beyond their old thinking. The Holy Spirit helped them let go of the idea that Gentiles must be converted to Judaism in order to become Christian.
Can you imagine what that was like? Sure! It happens to all of us. Just when we think we understand how God wants to bring someone into conversion, it's we who change. God expands our view. Or we think we know how a problem should be solved, and God comes up with a different plan.
Whenever our methods of ministry bring us to dead ends and brick walls that block progress, or whenever our discernment process gets us nowhere and leads only to debate and disappointment and failure, God has a different plan. We need the Holy Spirit's help in changing our minds, expanding our perceptions, and letting go of our ideas.
Whenever the training of our past experiences interferes with our love for others, we can be sure that God has a different plan. Whenever the old ways, the familiar tried-and-true ways no longer work, God has a different plan. He's expanding our view and stretching our thinking; he's leading us beyond the limits of our expectations.
So how can we be sure it's God who's leading us there and not worldliness and immoral compromises? When God stretches our minds, he never asks us to do something that contradicts his commandments. Every time he wants us to grow beyond what is comfortable and familiar, it makes us more Christ-like. This kind of stretching increases our obedience and our love for others.
God stretches us in many ways. Ever notice that after you say, "I could never do that kind of ministry," you end up in the middle of it? Or if you think you could never be friends with so-and-so because that person is too unlike you, too educated or too uneducated, too structured or too innovative, this is exactly the one God keeps putting into your path! It's no coincidence. The Holy Spirit is giving you opportunities to grow in new directions and develop new perspectives.
Don't tell me that God doesn't have a sense of humor!
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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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