GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Saturday - May 14, 2022

  

Saturday - May 14, 2022

There is no one, however wicked, whom Mary does not save by her intercession when she wishes ... He who has recourse to Mary shall be saved.

 

-St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori

May 14, 2022

 

FEAST OF SAINT MATTHIAS, APOSTLE

Lectionary: 564

 

Reading I     

                                                                                    Acts 1:15-17, 20-26

 

Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and sisters

(there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons

in the one place).

He said, “My brothers and sisters,

the Scripture had to be fulfilled

which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand

through the mouth of David, concerning Judas,

who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.

Judas was numbered among us

and was allotted a share in this ministry.

For it is written in the Book of Psalms:

            Let his encampment become desolate,

                        and may no one dwell in it.

and:

            May another take his office.

 

Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men

who accompanied us the whole time

the Lord Jesus came and went among us,

beginning from the baptism of John

until the day on which he was taken up from us,

become with us a witness to his resurrection.”

So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas,

who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.

Then they prayed,

“You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,

show which one of these two you have chosen

to take the place in this apostolic ministry

from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.”

Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias,

and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

 

R.        (8)  The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.

 

Praise, you servants of the LORD,

            praise the name of the LORD.

Blessed be the name of the LORD

            both now and forever.

R.        The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.

 

From the rising to the setting of the sun

            is the name of the LORD to be praised.

High above all nations is the LORD;

            above the heavens is his glory.

R.        The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.

 

Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high

            and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?

R.        The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.

 

He raises up the lowly from the dust;

            from the dunghill he lifts up the poor

To seat them with princes,

            with the princes of his own people.

R.        The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.

 

Alleluia                                              Phil 2:8Jn 15:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I chose you from the world,

to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                           Jn 15:9-17

 

Jesus said to his disciples:

“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.

Remain in my love.

If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,

just as I have kept my Father’s commandments

and remain in his love.

 

“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you

and your joy might be complete.

This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.

No one has greater love than this,

to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

You are my friends if you do what I command you.

I no longer call you slaves,

because a slave does not know what his master is doing.

I have called you friends,

because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.

It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you

and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,

so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.

This I command you:  love one another.”

 

**********************************

The Apostolic Ministry

Peter said… “Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men who accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus came and went among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which he was taken up from us, become with us a witness to his resurrection.”  So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.  Then they prayed, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.”  Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles. Acts 1:21-26

 

And with that we have the first new bishop! 

 

The Feast of St. Matthias is a celebration of the continuation of the apostolic ministry.  By honoring St. Matthias we honor the fact that Jesus enabled His first Apostles to pass on the sacred power of their ordination to others as their successors.  St. Matthias took the place of Judas.  And as the Church continued to grow, there were others picked and given the grace of ordination as bishops.  Today, every one of our bishops has a direct line of succession to one or more of the Apostles.  This unbroken succession is our direct connection to the priestly ministry of Jesus as it is passed on to the Church.

 

What a gift this is!  It’s true that not every bishop or priest is a saint.  We are all quite aware of that.  But it is also true that every bishop and priest shares in the wonderful gift of Christ’s priestly ministry.  And this ministry is not for them, it’s for you. 

 

Jesus desired that He continue His ministry in a concrete, personal and human way.  He desired that He would be present at every Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Communion.  He desired to personally be there administering these graces to His people.  And He is there, through the ministry of the bishop or priest. 

 

The key is to see Christ in that ministry.  Every priest or bishop is a unique representation of Christ in his own way.  They each reflect Christ in their human personality and holiness.  But, more importantly, they represent Christ by acting in His very person.  Jesus speaks His words of absolution and consecration through them.  So we need to see beyond the surface and see Christ Jesus.  This is entirely possible if we approach God’s ministers in faith.

 

Reflect, today, upon the way you approach God’s priests and bishops.  How do you speak about them?  Do you seek Christ in them?  Are you open to Christ ministering through them?  The apostolic ministry in which they share is a true gift from Christ and must be loved and accepted as if we were accepting Christ Himself…because that’s exactly what we are doing.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Lord, thank You for the gift of your ordained ministers.  Thank you for the bishop and for all the priests who have ministered Your Word and Sacraments to me.  I pray for them today that they may continue to be holy instruments of Your love.  Jesus, I trust in You. 

 

God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”