GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Wednesday - May 11, 2022

  

Wednesday - May 11, 2022

"EVEN WHILE LIVING IN THE WORLD, THE HEART OF MARY WAS SO FILLED WITH MOTHERLY TENDERNESS AND COMPASSION FOR MEN THAT NO-ONE EVER SUFFERED SO MUCH FOR THEIR OWN PAINS, AS MARY SUFFERED FOR THE PAINS OF HER CHILDREN." 

- SAINT JEROME

May 11, 2022

 

WEDNESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF EASTER

Lectionary: 281

 

Reading I     

                                                                                    Acts 12:24—13:5a

 

The word of God continued to spread and grow.

 

After Barnabas and Saul completed their relief mission,

they returned to Jerusalem,

taking with them John, who is called Mark.

 

Now there were in the Church at Antioch prophets and teachers:

Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene,

Manaen who was a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,

“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul

for the work to which I have called them.”

Then, completing their fasting and prayer,

they laid hands on them and sent them off.

 

So they, sent forth by the Holy Spirit,

went down to Seleucia

and from there sailed to Cyprus.

When they arrived in Salamis,

they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  67:2-3, 5, 6 and 8

 

R.        (4)  O God, let all the nations praise you!

 

May God have pity on us and bless us;

            may he let his face shine upon us.

So may your way be known upon earth;

            among all nations, your salvation.

R.        O God, let all the nations praise you!

 

May the nations be glad and exult

            because you rule the peoples in equity;

            the nations on the earth you guide.

R.        O God, let all the nations praise you!

 

May the peoples praise you, O God;

            may all the peoples praise you!

May God bless us,

            and may all the ends of the earth fear him!

R.        O God, let all the nations praise you!

 

Alleluia                                                            Jn 8:12

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;

whoever follows me will have the light of life.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                           Jn 12:44-50

 

Jesus cried out and said,

“Whoever believes in me believes not only in me

but also in the one who sent me,

and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me.

I came into the world as light,

so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.

And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them,

I do not condemn him,

for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world.

Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words

has something to judge him: the word that I spoke,

it will condemn him on the last day,

because I did not speak on my own,

but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak.

And I know that his commandment is eternal life.

So what I say, I say as the Father told me.”

 

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

Evangelizing Through Unity

Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me.”  John 12:44–45

 

Now on a literal level, this is hard to comprehend.  How is it that those who looked at Jesus were looking also at the Father?  How is it that seeing Jesus was seeing the Father in Heaven? 

 

The answer is quite simple.  The unity that the Father and the Son share is a perfect unity.  They remain distinct Persons but they are also united as one.  They are united in their perfect love and in the perfect communion of their wills.

 

For that reason, knowing Jesus is also knowing the Father.  But the truth is that the Father’s presence is veiled just as the divinity of the Son is veiled.  Though we do not have the experience of seeing Jesus walk the Earth as the first disciples did, we find the same reality every time we come before the Holy Eucharist.  When we enter a church and genuflect before the tabernacle, it’s important to always be exceptionally cognizant of the fact that we are in the full divine presence of God the Son.  And for that reason, we are also in the full and divine presence of the Father!  Their presence is real and absolute.  It’s just that they are hidden from our five senses. 

 

But one key thing to ponder here is the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Prayerfully reflecting upon their unity is a very healthy meditation for our prayer life.  Why?  Because we are called to share in Their unity, and we are called to share in unity with one another.

 

Unity is hard.  It takes a tremendous amount of love.  It means being fully present to the other, seeking to fully understand, accept and know them.  And the Trinity is our model for this.  Be it parents and children, spouses, friends or others, we are called to a deep and abiding unity. 

 

Think about someone you know well.  And think about someone that person knows well and loves.  To a certain degree, you may feel you know that other person just by knowing the one who knows them.  For example, say you have a very close friend who has a child and your friend shares much with you about their child.  What you’re experiencing is the unity of that parent and child in your relationship with your friend. 

 

So it is with God.  As we come to know God the Son, we automatically come to know God the Father.  And the good news is that if we know God, and then let another get to know us, the effect is that we will be letting them come to know God through us.  This is one of the wonderful ways to evangelize and bring God to those whom we know and love. 

 

Reflect, today, upon your relationship with God and how that relationship shines through in all other relationships you have.  Commit yourself more fully to knowing and loving God so that others around you may also benefit from your love of Him.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Lord of perfect unity, help me to come to know and love You and, in that relationship, to come to know and love the Father and the Holy Spirit.  And as I grow in love for You Most Holy Trinity, help me to bring that love into every relationship I have so that I may be an instrument of Your love to others.  Most Holy Trinity, 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!”