GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Saturday - June 04, 2022

Saturday - June 04, 2022

Dear Lord! To win my heart, from heaven Thou didst come; for me Thy blood didst shed, O King adored! and on our altars makest Thy home. So, if I may not here behold Thy Face, or catch the heavenly music of Thy Voice, I still can live, each moment, by Thy grace, and in Thy Sacred Heart I can rest.

- St. Therese of Lisieux

June 4, 2022

 

SATURDAY OF THE SEVENTH WEEK OF EASTER

Lectionary: 302

 

Reading I     

                                                                                    Acts 28:16-20, 30-31

 

When he entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself,

with the soldier who was guarding him.

 

Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews.

When they had gathered he said to them, “My brothers,

although I had done nothing against our people

or our ancestral customs,

I was handed over to the Romans as a prisoner from Jerusalem.

After trying my case the Romans wanted to release me,

because they found nothing against me deserving the death penalty.

But when the Jews objected, I was obliged to appeal to Caesar,

even though I had no accusation to make against my own nation.

This is the reason, then, I have requested to see you

and to speak with you, for it is on account of the hope of Israel

that I wear these chains.”

 

He remained for two full years in his lodgings.

He received all who came to him, and with complete assurance

and without hindrance he proclaimed the Kingdom of God

and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  11:4, 5 and 7

 

R.        (see 7b)  The just will gaze on your face, O Lord.

 

The LORD is in his holy temple;

            the LORD’s throne is in heaven.

His eyes behold,

            his searching glance is on mankind.

R.        The just will gaze on your face, O Lord.

 

The LORD searches the just and the wicked;

            the lover of violence he hates.

For the LORD is just, he loves just deeds;

            the upright shall see his face.

R.        The just will gaze on your face, O Lord.

 

 

Alleluia                                              Phil 2:8 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

 

Gospel                                                           Jn 21:20-25

 

Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved,

the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper

and had said, “Master, who is the one who will betray you?”

When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?”

Jesus said to him, “What if I want him to remain until I come?

What concern is it of yours?

You follow me.”

So the word spread among the brothers that that disciple would not die.

But Jesus had not told him that he would not die,

just “What if I want him to remain until I come?

What concern is it of yours?”

 

It is this disciple who testifies to these things

and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true.

There are also many other things that Jesus did,

but if these were to be described individually,

I do not think the whole world would contain the books

that would be written.

 

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

Jesus’ Hidden Life 

There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.  John 21:25

 

Imagine the insights that our Blessed Mother would have had about her Son.  She, as His mother, would have seen and understood so many hidden moments of His life.  She would have watched Him grow year after year.  She would have watched Him relate and interact with others throughout His life.  She would have noticed that He was preparing for His public ministry.  And she would have witnessed so many hidden moments of that public ministry and countless sacred moments of His entire life. 

 

This Scripture above is the final sentence of the Gospel of John and is one we do not hear very often.  But it offers some fascinating insights to reflect upon.  All we know about the life of Christ is contained in the Gospels, but how could these short Gospel books ever come close to describing the totality of who Jesus is?  They certainly cannot.  To do that, as John says above, the pages could not be contained in the whole world.  That’s saying a lot.

 

So a first insight we should take from this Scripture is that we know only a small portion of the actual life of Christ.  What we know is glorious.  But we should realize that there is so much more.  And this realization should fill our minds with interest, longing and a desire for more.  By coming to know how little we actually do know, we will hopefully be compelled to seek Christ more deeply. 

 

However, a second insight we can gain from this passage is that, even though the numerous events of Christ’s life cannot be contained in countless volumes of books, we can, nonetheless, discover Jesus Himself in what IS contained in the Holy Scriptures.  No, we may not know every detail of His life, but we can come to meet the Person.  We can come to encounter the Living Word of God Himself in the Scriptures and, in that encounter and meeting of Him, we are given all we need.

 

Reflect, today, on how deeply you know Jesus.  Do you spend sufficient time reading the Scriptures and meditating on them?  Do you speak to Him daily and seek to know and love Him?  Is He present to you and do you regularly make yourself present to Him?  If the answer to any of these questions is “No” then perhaps this is a good day to recommit yourself to a deeper reading of the Sacred Word of God.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Lord, I may not know everything about Your life, but I do desire to know You.  I desire to meet You every day, to love You and to know You.  Help me to enter more deeply into a relationship with You.  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!”