GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Wednesday - April 19, 2023

 

Wednesday - April 19, 2023

I have no greater desire to die than to live; 

if our Lord gave me the choice I would choose nothing; 

I only will what He wills; 

It is what He does that I love.

-- St. Therese of Lisieux

April 19, 2023

Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter

Lectionary: 269

 

Reading I     

                                                                                    Acts 5:17-26

 

The high priest rose up and all his companions,

that is, the party of the Sadducees,

and, filled with jealousy,

laid hands upon the Apostles and put them in the public jail.

But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison,

led them out, and said,

"Go and take your place in the temple area,

and tell the people everything about this life."

When they heard this,

they went to the temple early in the morning and taught.

When the high priest and his companions arrived,

they convened the Sanhedrin,

the full senate of the children of Israel,

and sent to the jail to have them brought in.

But the court officers who went did not find them in the prison,

so they came back and reported,

"We found the jail securely locked

and the guards stationed outside the doors,

but when we opened them, we found no one inside."

When the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard this report,

they were at a loss about them,

as to what this would come to.

Then someone came in and reported to them,

"The men whom you put in prison are in the temple area

and are teaching the people."

Then the captain and the court officers went and brought them,

but without force,

because they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

 

R.(7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

 

I will bless the LORD at all times;

his praise shall be ever in my mouth.

Let my soul glory in the LORD;

the lowly will hear me and be glad.

R.The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

 

Glorify the LORD with me,

let us together extol his name.

I sought the LORD, and he answered me

and delivered me from all my fears.

R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

 

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,

and your faces may not blush with shame.

When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,

and from all his distress he saved him.

R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

 

The angel of the LORD encamps

around those who fear him, and delivers them.

Taste and see how good the LORD is;

blessed the man who takes refuge in him.

R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

 

Alleluia         

 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,

so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                                       Jn 3:16-21

 

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,

so that everyone who believes in him might not perish

but might have eternal life.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,

but that the world might be saved through him.

Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,

but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,

because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.

And this is the verdict,

that the light came into the world,

but people preferred darkness to light,

because their works were evil.

For everyone who does wicked things hates the light

and does not come toward the light,

so that his works might not be exposed.

But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,

so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

 

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Living Free of Condemnation

Our Gospel reading today makes very clear a truth that many of us don’t fully believe: Jesus did not come here to condemn anyone. Yet we feel condemned whenever we feel guilty about a sin. Why is that?

 

It’s because we are harder on ourselves than we are on others. On the surface, it seems that we’re supposed to do that. To be easy on ourselves (e.g.: “I’m okay, I’m not really sinning.”) would be self-indulgent, which is rooted in the sin of pride, right? Yes, but usually the reason why people rationalize that their sins are really not sins is because they’re afraid of feeling condemned, which translates to feeling unloved, which translates as proof that they are unlovable.

 

Have you been unable to forgive yourself? Are you trying to find your happiness in how others treat you because you don’t feel happy about yourself? Do you feel like you don’t get enough affirmation, but when you do get it, you feel embarrassed and unworthy?

 

These are typical results from failing to grasp the full meaning of this scripture. They are the normal consequences of believing that we’re not good enough no matter what we do.

 

When we sin, guilt confirms that we deserve to be condemned. When we innocently make a mistake, this too seems to confirm that we deserve to be condemned, and so we condemn ourselves for making the mistake instead of seeing it as just another learning tool. And every unjust, unfair, unkind situation that happens to us also triggers this feeling of being condemned.

 

The truth is: You were freed from condemnation when you accepted the idea that Christ sacrificed his life on the cross for you.

 

When we sin, we are guilty of doing something evil, and when we repent, we return to the freedom gained by Christ. But too often guilt becomes shame, i.e., the feeling that we are evil, not to be confused with “regret”, which motivates us to avoid committing the same evil again.

 

Guilt informs us that we have done evil, regret motivates us to avoid evil, but shame tells us that we are evil. Shame continues to condemn us long after we’ve been forgiven by Jesus. Guilt tells us the truth about ourselves, regret invites us to grow from it, but shame lies to us and paralyzes our growth.

 

The truth is: There is no shame in realizing that we’ve sinned, because facing it frees us to become who we really are. Who are you really? Thanks to your baptism and the presence of Christ’s Holy Spirit within you, you are holy!

 

The good we do is the earthly ministry of Christ as he serves today’s world through us. As repentant Christians, we live in his light and our works are seen as done in God. Therefore, God delights in you. Don’t let shame hide this truth.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Praised be You, Father, for loving me so much and rescuing me through Jesus. May Your Light expose my sin, and with Your help may I produce the good fruits that You expect from me. Amen.

 

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!”