The devil writes down our sins-
-our guardian angel all our merits.
Labor that the guardian angel's book may be full and the Devil's empty.
~~St. John Vianney
May 8, 2018
Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 292
Reading 1ACTS 16:22-34
The crowd in Philippi joined in the attack on Paul and Silas,
and the magistrates had them stripped
and ordered them to be beaten with rods.
After inflicting many blows on them,
they threw them into prison
and instructed the jailer to guard them securely.
When he received these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell
and secured their feet to a stake.
About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying
and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened,
there was suddenly such a severe earthquake
that the foundations of the jail shook;
all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose.
When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open,
he drew his sword and was about to kill himself,
thinking that the prisoners had escaped.
But Paul shouted out in a loud voice,
"Do no harm to yourself; we are all here."
He asked for a light and rushed in and,
trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas.
Then he brought them out and said,
"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus
and you and your household will be saved."
So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.
He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds;
then he and all his family were baptized at once.
He brought them up into his house and provided a meal
and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God.
and the magistrates had them stripped
and ordered them to be beaten with rods.
After inflicting many blows on them,
they threw them into prison
and instructed the jailer to guard them securely.
When he received these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell
and secured their feet to a stake.
About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying
and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened,
there was suddenly such a severe earthquake
that the foundations of the jail shook;
all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose.
When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open,
he drew his sword and was about to kill himself,
thinking that the prisoners had escaped.
But Paul shouted out in a loud voice,
"Do no harm to yourself; we are all here."
He asked for a light and rushed in and,
trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas.
Then he brought them out and said,
"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus
and you and your household will be saved."
So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.
He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds;
then he and all his family were baptized at once.
He brought them up into his house and provided a meal
and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God.
Responsorial PsalmPS 138:1-2AB, 2CDE-3, 7C-8
R. (7c) Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple,
and give thanks to your name.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Because of your kindness and your truth,
you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple,
and give thanks to your name.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Because of your kindness and your truth,
you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia SEE JN 16:7, 13
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I will send to you the Spirit of truth, says the Lord;
he will guide you to all truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I will send to you the Spirit of truth, says the Lord;
he will guide you to all truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 16:5-11
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Now I am going to the one who sent me,
and not one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'
But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.
But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.
For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes he will convict the world
in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:
sin, because they do not believe in me;
righteousness, because I am going to the Father
and you will no longer see me;
condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned."
"Now I am going to the one who sent me,
and not one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'
But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.
But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.
For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes he will convict the world
in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:
sin, because they do not believe in me;
righteousness, because I am going to the Father
and you will no longer see me;
condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned."
******************************
THE JOY OF LOSS
In today's Gospel passage, Jesus says to his disciples, "Because I told you I'm going back to him who sent me, grief has filled your hearts."
We're afraid of loss. It's very unpleasant, and yet, it's the only way to move forward in our relationship with God. It's a dark hallway that leads us from the past to the future, from one stage of spiritual growth to a higher level, from discipleship as a student of Jesus to apostleship as a messenger empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Loss hurts because it's painful to be separated from what used to be. We'd rather cling to what's familiar. We cling to the past so that we don't have to move forward into unknown territory. We cling to our own ideas of what our lives should be like so that we won't risk disaster in the unknowable outcomes of life's challenges.
Jesus said, "But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go." It is better because then he could send us his Holy Spirit. We must let go of the familiar in order to experience the greater gift that God has in mind for us next. We have to move on to move up.
Although grieving is important and necessary, we cannot afford to let it control our decisions. God should be in control. Our decisions will either hold us back or move us forward. Both directions will impact our lives and the lives of uncountable others.
Remember that God wants what's best for us. He's implementing a wise plan for our benefit, but not only for us. God works for the benefit of everyone. Therefore, when we refuse to travel from the old to the new, we not only prevent ourselves from discovering more of God's awesome love, we also get in the way of God's love for others.
The Holy Spirit gives us help and comfort when we pass through our losses, but only if we accept the help instead of cursing the changes. Then we can grieve with joy. Huh? That sounds like a contradiction! Well, look at how Paul and Silas handled their imprisonment (in today's first reading). Surely they grieved when they were arrested, when their wounds throbbed, when their chains locked them into the darkness of the dank prison. Yet, in their trust of the Lord's love, they were able to sing joyful praise. The result: The power of the Holy Spirit shook the very foundations of the prison and sprung open the doors.
In the Holy Spirit's love, no matter what's imprisoning us, we can sing hymns such as today's responsorial Psalm: "Your right hand saves me, O Lord." (In biblical terms, the "right hand" means the power of God.) Try it! Praise God so greatly that it shakes your world.
-----------------------------
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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