Saturday - April 28, 2018
The denial of personal guilt makes men ready to surrender their liberty. Better it is for a man to realize he has evil tendencies which must be fought and combated in order that his higher self may emerge.
-- Archbishop Fulton Sheen
April 28, 2018
Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 284
Reading 1ACTS 13:44-52
On the following sabbath
almost the whole city
gathered to hear the word of the Lord.
When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy
and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said.
Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said,
“It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first,
but since you reject it
and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life,
we now turn to the Gentiles.
For so the Lord has commanded us,
I have made you a light to the Gentiles,
that you may be an instrument of salvation
to the ends of the earth.”
The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this
and glorified the word of the Lord.
All who were destined for eternal life came to believe,
and the word of the Lord continued to spread
through the whole region.
The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers
and the leading men of the city,
stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas,
and expelled them from their territory.
So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them
and went to Iconium.
The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
almost the whole city
gathered to hear the word of the Lord.
When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy
and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said.
Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said,
“It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first,
but since you reject it
and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life,
we now turn to the Gentiles.
For so the Lord has commanded us,
I have made you a light to the Gentiles,
that you may be an instrument of salvation
to the ends of the earth.”
The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this
and glorified the word of the Lord.
All who were destined for eternal life came to believe,
and the word of the Lord continued to spread
through the whole region.
The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers
and the leading men of the city,
stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas,
and expelled them from their territory.
So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them
and went to Iconium.
The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
Responsorial PsalmPS 98:1, 2-3AB, 3CD-4
R. (3cd) All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaJN 8:31B-32
R. Alleluia, alleluia.If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 14:7-14
Jesus said to his disciples:
"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 Jesus,
"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.
And whatever you ask in my name, I will do,
so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it."
"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 Jesus,
"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.
And whatever you ask in my name, I will do,
so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it."
******************************
Embrace your true self as the Father's beloved child
Jesus's mission is to take us to the Father. First he reveals the Father to us by being an example of what the Father is like. Throughout our lives, Jesus continues to reveal the Father to us. When we pray, he delivers our prayers to the Father, and he speaks the Father's words to us through the Holy Spirit.
Can you hear your Abba (Divine Daddy)? Can you see him at work in your daily life?
When Jesus is speaking to you, either through scripture, song, the homily at Mass, the Eucharist, direct revelation, or through a friend, it is the Father you hear, because Jesus delivers his words. Jesus was the Word of the Father made flesh (John 1). Jesus repeatedly says in scripture that everything he said and did came from the Father.
Since Jesus ascended to Heaven, now we, the Church, have become his earthly presence. The Father wants to do his works through us -- which is why Jesus says in John 14:12, "Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and they will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father." That's astounding! Have you walked on water or raised anyone from the dead yet? I haven't (not yet, anyway). But Jesus expects it. In fact, I think he's not making an observation but a command. And because Jesus said it, the Father said it first.
The Father expects you and me and the rest of the Church to work miracles. Why? For the same reason he worked miracles through Jesus and then through the Church in the Book of Acts: (1) because he cares. And (2) because it evangelizes. Wouldn't you say that today's world needs a much better relationship with Father God than what it has?
I'm convinced that the reason why the Father is not working mightily and supernaturally through everyone in the Church today is because most of us don't know, down deep in our core, that we are God's beloved children. We don't realize what we've inherited. We feel too faulty. As one Facebook friend told me a few days ago, we don't like looking at our faults: "We would never blame ourselves [for what's wrong]; we couldn’t live with ourselves if we did."
This is how the spirit of guilt (the lying spirit, not the compassionately convicting Spirit of God) disempowers us. We don't realize how very much Father God adores us as his beloved children. If we knew how readily he forgives us and joyfully embraces us and rebuilds our joy, facing our faults -- and thereby overcoming them -- would be so much easier.
In other words, most of us are not as close to Abba or Dada as we need to be in order to be true Christians (a title that means "little Christs") imitating Jesus Christ fully, like he expects us to do. Let us learn from Jesus to trust in Our Father and entrust everything to His divine providence!
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God Bless You.....
Rosary Family
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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