Monday - May 07, 2018
Extend your mercy towards others,
so that there can be no one in need
whom you meet without helping.
For what hope is there for us
if God should withdraw
His Mercy from us?
May 7, 2018
Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 291
Reading 1ACTS 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.
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.
Responsorial PsalmPS 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.
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.
AlleluiaJN 15:26B, 27A
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord,
and you also will testify.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord,
and you also will testify.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 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."
"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."
******************************
BEARING WITNESS TO THE TRUTH OF CHRIST
In unity with the Holy Spirit, precisely because the Holy Spirit is dwelling within us, we are empowered to successfully give testimony about Jesus Christ. And with this enablement comes great responsibility. We cannot ignore the call to be evangelizers -- not without committing the sin of omission.
So the question is not if but how: How are we to do this in our daily lives and personal circumstances?
In today's Gospel reading, Jesus defines the gift of his Spirit, which gave birth to the Church on Pentecost (and which we received in baptism when we became members of the Church). He calls the gift "the Advocate." In the original Greek, this translates as "Paraclete", which comes from "parakalein", which means "to invoke" ("para" is "with" and "kalein" is "to call").
From this name we can conclude that Jesus was telling us to invoke or call upon the help of his Spirit. He wants us to know that we are capable of doing whatever the Father asks of us, despite our human limitations, if we rely on the Holy Spirit.
Notice what kind of help Jesus focuses on here. He refers to the Paraclete/Advocate as "the Spirit of truth" who testifies to others about Jesus. How? Not by emails from heaven. God's Spirit teaches the truth about Jesus to the world through me and through you in our daily encounters with others.
To what extent does your everyday life bear witness to the truth about Christ's love? Or his saving power? The more we invoke the Holy Spirit, repenting of sin and asking God to increase our holiness, the more we testify to the truth in our daily circumstances.
We need to invoke the Holy Spirit whenever we're tempted to fight with someone, so that we can turn the other cheek, or whenever we feel selfish, so that we can become generous, and whenever we need help overcoming any temptation. We grow in holiness by asking the Spirit of Holiness to teach us how to imitate Christ whenever we're unable to do so on our own.
We cannot bring others to conversion or successfully invite them back to church through our own choice of words, our own wisdom, and our own understanding of what they're seeking. It's only the Spirit of Truth who provides us with the right way to reach their hearts. And it's only the Spirit of Truth who prepares their hearts and gives them an understanding of the truth that you give them.
Whenever we testify against Christ, through decisions and behaviors that are unGodly, we must turn quickly to the Holy Spirit, repent, and ask for help.
"If you realize that I believe in the Lord, come and stay at my house," said Lydia in today's first reading. Are the people around you convinced that you believe in the Lord? They will be if you continue to grow in the Holy Spirit of Truth.
My Lord, may Your Holy Spirit fill me to be a witness in my community of Your living presence working among us. Amen.
-----------------------------
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!”
No comments:
Post a Comment