Sometimes I think she should have been [] Read More Friday, April 28th in Easter Time Robert " Bob " Burford But, as I have told you, God alone endures; he is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs. In the morning, the shepherd would come back, the gate keeper would let him into the sheepfold, and the shepherd would call his own sheep by name and lead them out of the sheepfold to a place of pasture, where they could feed for the day. Our story, the way we talk about it or write about it, is only one way of putting it. That is our calling too. It is based on the presumption that light is the enemy of anyone who might want to break into the premises. My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. The bread that we break, is it not a communion with the body of Christ? It was the Lords wish that in the Eucharist we would enter into communion with his body and his blood. What is it that makes us more alive? The church has endured for over 2,000 years because it is from God. We are not left to ourselves in trying to distinguish the gate that is Jesus from the many other gates that that lead us in very different directions. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world.. It is quite usual just to have an opening in the front wall, for a car to park. The Eucharist is a privileged moment when we come before the Lord as the Bread of Life and open our hearts to all he can offer us. There are no lengths to which the Lord will not go to hold onto us, to keep us in relationship with him. Toggle Submenu for Novenas & Celebrations, National Shrine and Museum of St. Therese. However, the Lord recognizes that only a small group of disciples will see and believe, and, so, he speaks a beatitude over the many future disciples who believe without seeing. We struggle to bring our prayers of petition into line with what the Lord wants to give us. I know them and they follow me. We all have opportunities from time to time to create openings for people that allow the Lords work to be done. Yet, Jesus suggests to the crowd that they are searching for him for the wrong reasons. and has entrusted everything to him. Yet, todays gospel reading suggests that this is not what the risen Lord wants from his followers. There is no other city that is such a significant a pilgrim destination for three major world religions. In this fourth gospel, the words I am on the lips of Jesus suggest the name of God revealed to Moses at the burning bush. Daily Gospel & Reflections. I tell you most solemnly, He wants people to go freely in and out through him. They had rowed three or four miles when they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming towards the boat. The gospel reading reminds us that the Lord can work powerfully through humble and meagre resources if they are made available to him. It often brought them into conflict with the religious leaders who thought of themselves as the mediators of Gods word. But, as I have told you, you can see me and still you do not believe. Jesus and his disciples found themselves before a situation that seemed beyond their ability to deal with. We begin with an Ethiopian, who was clearly drawn to Judaism in some way. The gate gave access to both security and feeding for the sheep. I have come The closer we come to him, the more we realize how deeper our relationship with him could be. This was a letter that was written from Rome. Jesus climbed the hillside, and sat down there with his disciples. As Jesus says in todays gospel reading, whoever eats me will draw life from me. The way the Lord related to those two disciples is how he relates to all of us. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal. So they said to him, What can we do to accomplish the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.. Elsewhere in the gospels, Jesus says, Give and it will be given to you. As Jesus says in the gospel reading, whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in them. The temptation is always to relate to people for what they might be able to give to us rather than relating to them for who they are. Barnabas was proved right. The same risen Lord who stood among his disciples on that first Easter morning stands among us on in this Easter time, with all its anxiety and uncertainty. We are to be constantly asking ourselves, What is the Lord saying to us? Another member of the church there, Ananias had a vision of the Lord in which the Lord asked him to go to Saul and to heal Sauls blindness. The Hellenists, Greek speaking believers, were complaining about the Hebrews, Aramaic speaking believers, because the Hellenists felt that their widows were not being as well provided for as the widows of the Hebrews. Pick and choose as you please. as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, When Jesus says in this mornings gospel reading, I am the gate, he is not really saying I am one gate among many. He was a leader of the church in Jerusalem and he approved very much of what he saw happening in the church of Antioch where the gospel was being preached not only to Jews but to pagans as well. ACVB Today's Readings My wife, Elise, is a throw back. (iii) Monday, Fourth Week of Easter (Year A), In the gospel reading Jesus draws a striking contrast between the good shepherd and the hired man. We can speak about it in a way that deflates us and drains us of energy or we can speak about it in a way that makes us hopeful and inspires us. Since the time of Jesus it has been a centre of pilgrimage not only for Jews but also for Christians. Being a member of the community of those who believe in Jesus can be a source of bemusement to many, or even derision. The evangelist declares that Jesus, Gods Son, reveals Gods love for the world and for each of us individually. he cannot enter the kingdom of God: Daily Scripture, May 1, 2023. Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. Jesus speaks of himself in this gospel as the light of the world. He was attracted by Jesus, and he allowed himself to be drawn to Jesus, even though it meant going against the prevailing current. We come before him because we know he has a fullness from which he wants us to receive, so that our deepest hungers and thirsts can be satisfied. He says, I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. She lived a life of solitary prayer for three years before re-joining her family and working with the sick, the poor, prisoners and plague victims. It is composed by Carmelite scholars and is available in English, Spanish and Italian. Now I mean that in the best possible way. The general call of baptism to be the Lords disciple, which is addressed to us all, is then lived out in particular ways in response to the Lords very personal, daily call. In both of our readings this morning we have an example of such resistance. Yet, there is something that we must do as well. The Lord needs what we have, even if it seems slight to us, and he can accomplish far more than we could imagine with the little we have if we make ourselves available to him. Jesus is saying that the relationship that he has with each one of us is as intimate as the relationship that he has with his heavenly Father. In the words of todays first reading she lived her life in the light, in God who is light, and brought the light of Gods reconciling love to her broken church and world. Barnabas introduced Saul to the church in Antioch and Saul went on to become a leading member of that church, and the church became an important spiritual home for Saul. It is generally dated to around about the year 70. In the world of Jesus, there were no sheepdogs to do the shepherds work for him. Each day we need to open ourselves afresh to the movement of the Holy Spirit within us. After a profound mystical experience she had a sense of Christ calling her to serve the wider world and universal church. Even though we may be basically at home in our own religious tradition, our Catholic faith in our case, God is always beyond us. If we were walking along with a friend, we would tend to be suspicious of any stranger who joined us and asked us what we were discussing as we walked along. When the risen Lord joined the two disciples, he first invited them to tell him what they had been talking about. The gospel reading declares that God gives him (Jesus) the Spirit without reserve, and in this fourth gospel Jesus declares that his words are spirit and life. There is often a bigger story which we fail to see, especially when we are broken in body, mind or spirit. Pope Francis sees himself as a shepherd of his flock, his diocesan flock in Rome and the world-wide flock of the church. Todays gospel reading assures us that the Lord understands a doubting, questioning, faith. In the evening the disciples went down to the shore of the lake and got into a boat to make for Capernaum on the other side of the lake. Today is the Day of Prayer for Vocations. so it is in my power to take it up again; Then they said to each other, Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us? So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon! Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread. and yet you people reject our evidence. He calls out to all of us to come to him, to know and love him as he knows and loves us. It is his loving communion with Christ that now drives him. In his own way, he tries to give us the fuller picture, he helps us to see the crucial bit of the story we may be missing, and, in that way, he prompts us to take a different direction, to take a different road, one that will be more life-giving for us and for others. At some deep level, we are unhappy with the direction our lives are taking. A lot of our lives are lived in response to various calls that are made upon us. and whoever comes to me I shall not turn him away; That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. We struggle to believe that Jesus could want to be as close to us as he is to his heavenly Father. We need the Spirit of the Lord all the more in these days. He looks to us not to stand in his way but to allow him to work with us and through us to bring about this great gathering of people from north, south, east and west, around the risen Lord, the good shepherd who laid down his life for all of humanity. The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; Generally the reflection is about three paragraphs. Friday. In response to this preoccupation with Jesus as the provider of physical bread, Jesus speaks of the food that endures to eternal life which he is offering. I give them eternal life; When we experience the Lord in this way, we will be moved to invite him to stay with us, as the two disciples did when they reached Emmaus. Recurring doubts and uncertainties coming from our reasoning are normal in the life of faith. Syria has been in the news for some time because of the unrest there and Damascus, the capital, has been mentioned more than once. Yet, the light of Easter is not like the light of the interrogation room. There were many other signs that Jesus worked and the disciples saw, but they are not recorded in this book. We often tell stories to one another. As the gospel reading says, their faces were downcast. The Spirit may be mysterious but when the Spirit takes shape in a human life we recognize the Spirits attractiveness. The Lord points to that relationship to express something of his own relationship to us. To enter through Jesus the gate is to respond to his call, the very personal call that he addresses to each one of us. Almost immediately, they arrived at their destination that they had just been struggling to reach. They feared that what was done to Jesus could be done to them. When they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on; but they pressed him to stay with them. so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.. Even some of his own disciples would walk away because of this teaching on the Eucharist. The more we see of Jesus, the more we recognize what is yet to be seen. The bread of the word is a necessary first course, as it were, that prepares us to receive the Eucharist well. The good news is that even when we turn from the light and chose darkness, the light shines in the darkness and, if there is even the smallest opening in us to the light, the darkness will not overcome the light of Gods loving presence. Fear and anxiety is much more prevalent than it used to be. In todays gospel reading Jesus declares, Whoever comes to me, I shall not turn away. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Thomas, like the other disciples, saw and believed. are thieves and brigands; Even though the Spirit was at work in all of this process, there was a genuine human element at work too. And when they found him across the sea they said to him, Rabbi, when did you get here? Jesus answered them and said, Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. His first approach to Jesus is tentative, coming to Jesus under cover of darkness. Mark was the first person to write an account of the pubic ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. He said that the first stage is lectio (reading) where we read the Word of God, slowly and reflectively so that it sinks into us. This is what we find Barnabas doing in todays first reading. The Lord always meets us where we are, very often in our brokenness, but he also works to lead us beyond where we are. She offered herself as a victim for the Church in its agony. Catherine was a mystic, and like other great mystics, she enjoyed an intimate relationship with Christ. Carmelite Spirituality, Gospel Reflection / By Ritche Salgado, O.Carm. His own reasoning did not allow him to believe that life had triumphed over death, that the crucified Jesus was now the risen Lord. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: Normally, the Lord comes to us in much more ordinary ways. the usability. The wind is a mysterious force which we cannot simply manage to suit ourselves. Our point of view, like that of the two disciples, can be limited. Nowadays we can harness the wind to generate electricity, but there is so much about the wind which is beyond our control and understanding. Having recreated them through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord could then send them out as ambassadors of his reconciling love, those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven. Our presence at the Eucharist is one of the primary ways we come to the Lord in faith and open ourselves to his presence as the bread of life. You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned and have revealed them to the childlike. If we invite the Lord to stay with us, in response to the many ways he touches our lives, he will lead us to the Eucharist too, where his communion with us is deepened further. It is my Father's will that whoever sees the Son should have eternal life. The Lord took Paul by surprise, and he can take any of us by surprise. Charity Number CHY 5894 | Registered Charity Number RCN 20009656, Copyright 2021. He looks to us to take some initiative towards him. We can never underestimate the ways that the Lord can touch the lives of people today, if we allow him to work through what we have, even if what we have seems very insignificant at times. The story we tell is far from the full story. The gospels suggest that Jesus identified himself with the shepherds of his time because in saw in their work an image of his own ministry. As he increases in us and we decrease, we dont cease to be ourselves. Even though we may turn from the Lord at times, he never turns from us. That is why we gather as a community of faith, in various settings, especially in the setting of the Eucharist. The Lord can work powerfully through the members of the church, even when they seem few in number and increasingly frail, especially in the Western world. Yes, Jesus gave them bread in the wilderness to eat, but, more importantly, he himself is the Bread of Life who can satisfy their deepest hunger, their spiritual hunger. Cleopas began to tell their story. Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. Accept cookies within the '%CC%' category to view this content. My hosanna has come forth from the crucible of doubt. But, as I have told you, you can see me and still you do not believe. It is as a mystic that John is known as a 'Doctor of the Church'. It is a consolation to know that the Lord is so devoted to us and so committed to our well-being, and, in particular, our ultimate well-being, our eternal well-being. Great doubt did not prove to be the enemy of great faith. Having listened to the Lords story from the Scriptures, they pressed him to stay with them, because he appeared to be going on, It is nearly evening they said and the day is almost over. We might even struggle to get out of bed some mornings. The message of the Lord working with and confirming his disciples is present in both readings. The Lord who came to Paul through Ananias had earlier come to Ananias through a vision. Lord Jesus, One by one, the Lord calls his own. The first reading this morning is Lukes dramatic account of the call of Paul. He had been on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It is a verse worth pondering and reflecting upon at length. It is evident that Catherines mysticism did not withdraw her from the world. Both share the same role, that of looking after and caring for the sheep. He is present to each one of us in a very personal way, as he was present to Mary Magdalene, to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, to Thomas in todays gospel reading. We are anxious lest someone might steal from us. Even those of us who have been baptized and who have come to believe in Jesus are being drawn more closely to Jesus by God the Father. It is a very reassuring promise for all of us. I am the bread of life. Indeed, it could be argued that the current is flowing in the opposite direction. If we are open to his coming and receptive to his presence we will move on through the storms that come our way and reach our destination. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.. How can that be possible? asked Nicodemus. If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? The Jews gathered round him and said, How much longer are you going to keep us. That is closer, perhaps, to how Jesus uses the image of the wind in this mornings gospel reading. The risen Lord walked with the two disciples, even though they were heading in the wrong direction. We can become limp before it all. since he whom God has sent When the other disciples approached him with the good news of Easter, We have seen the Lord, their message did not resonate with him in any way. According to this mornings gospel reading, Jesus shows himself to be the good shepherd in two ways. God sent his Son into the world so that everyone may have eternal life. When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world. Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone. If we offer our own meagre resources to him, he can enhance them beyond all our expectations. In this mornings gospel reading we are told that the disciples were preaching everywhere in response to the risen Lords call, and that the Lord was working with them. Daily Reflections. Accept cookies within the '%CC%' category to view this content. When Jesus stood among them, he first said to them, Peace be with you. Catherines mysticism did not withdraw her from the world; she was deeply involved in what was happening in Europe and in the church in her time. A lot of our lives are lived in response to various calls that are made upon us. When the two disciples told their story of the recent events in Jerusalem, the stranger who had joined them and who had listened carefully to their story told another story about those same events. It shows Paul prostrate on the ground beside his horse, looking upwards with a light shining upon him. The initiative we take towards the Lord is always one we take with other disciples. Jesus often used images drawn from the life of the people to talk about himself and his message. Even after evening had given way to night they had rowed only three to four miles. We are called to love others for themselves rather than for what we can get from them. The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat, but only his disciples had left. However, having fed the physical hunger of the crowd, some of that crowd now want Jesus to give them more of the same. and that I should raise it up on the last day. Having assured them that they were reconciled to him, he then empowered them to be agents of Gods reconciling love in the world. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. Irish Province of Carmelites | All Rights Reserved | Site by Marketing Inputs. This can happen all too easily as we know. One of the disciples in the gospel reading is mentioned by name, Thomas. The Lectio is a part of their daily spiritual life. At such times of great discouragement, very often we can only see what went wrong. He who comes from heaven Jesus was concerned about peoples physical needs, their physical hungers. The sequence for us has been a little different, because it began with baptism. The disciples had abandoned the Lord on Good Friday, with the exception of the beloved disciple. The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things. At a certain moment on the way towards Emmaus, the disciples took a crucial initiative. so am I sending you.. The evangelist is perhaps indicating to us that serious doubt and great faith can reside in one and the same person. There is no longer a strong current flowing in the direction of Jesus and his gospel that will carry us along, whether we really want that or not. It invites us to ask, Who shapes our lives? As we bring the broken pieces of our lives to the risen Lord, his Easter grace can restore and transform us. When the Lord speaks about life to the full, we might be inclined to think only in terms of eternal life, life beyond this earthly life. Jesus answered: I tell you most solemnly, as soon as he sees a wolf coming, The Lord can also come to us through other people, just as the Lord came to Paul through Ananias who entered Sauls house in todays first reading. What we want from him can be far too limited. They were trying to put words on the experience. This content is blocked. Even Marks gospel is placed second in the New Testament, almost all scholars agree that it was the earliest gospel to be written. Gods giving continued as Jesus was lifted up to die, and Gods giving found further expression when God lifted up his Son in glory and gave him to us as risen Lord. The risen Lord continues to pour out his Spirit into our hearts so that our lives may be Spirit-filled. Any passage of Scripture can be used for this way of prayer but the passage should not be too long. We then received the Eucharist at a relatively early age. They will all be taught by God, Going out about nine o'clock, The Lord stood in the midst of his fearful disciples; he spoke to their fear, Peace be with you, and he drove out their spirit of fear by breathing the Holy Spirit into their lives. In todays gospel reading, Jesus speaks as the shepherd who will never allow any of his sheep to be stolen from him. Believing in him is the one work that is required if that deeper hunger in our lives is to be satisfied, the hunger for a love that is unconditional, for forgiveness, for truth, for justice, for peace, ultimately, our hunger for God. Occasionally when myself and my brothers were children, my parents would tie a cloth around the gate to keep it from being opened, so that we wouldnt run out on the road. No earthly power can hold back the Spirit. As Jesus says in Johns gospel, apart from me you can do nothing. He was now alive with a new kind of life, and in that life he could come to his disciples wherever they were. December 26-31, 2022. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them out to all who were sitting ready; he then did the same with the fish, giving out as much as was wanted. She set about serving her neighbours, distributing alms to the poor, ministering to the sick and to prisoners. As our faith seeks understanding, we are assured of the guidance of the Spirit, without whom true understanding is not possible. In todays first reading we have the dramatic story of the call of Paul. Such questions and doubts are not an enemy of faith. Do not be surprised when I say: It was this same Saul who went on to become the greatest missionary in the early church, bringing the gospel to major cities in modern day Turkey and Greece. are attesting the truthfulness of God, A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. Unfortunately, we know very little. No one takes it from me; He takes on the role to get something, and if what he has to give out weighs what he gets, he will walk away from the role; if, at some point, the role becomes too demanding, he will simply turn his back on it. The Lords particular call to each one of us is with a view to our being fully alive. It was while Jesus was at prayer after his baptism that the Holy Spirit come down upon him. When we do than, like Paul, we too can become the Lords chosen instruments to bring his presence into the lives of others. As Jesus says, it blows where it pleases. Perhaps, therefore, we find it easy to identify with Thomas in todays gospel reading. At the end of yesterdays gospel reading, we heard that Jesus, having fed the multitude in the wilderness, withdrew to the mountain by himself. When the crowds ask Jesus, What must we do to do the works God wants? Jesus replies that this is only one work God wants, to believe in the one God has sent. Gates create an opening through which people can pass in and out. It was then that they saw Jesus coming towards them, speaking words of reassurance, It is I. In this mornings gospel reading, Jesus declares, I have come so that they may have life, and have it to the full. The Lord calls each of us in accordance with our own particular nature. It is significant that the two disciples said, Stay with us and not stay with me. Jesus challenges them to look for something more enduring. Reflections - Carmelite Spirit Reflections "But only now, with inward jubilee, I come upon earth's most amazing knowledge: someone is hidden in this dark with me." - Jessica Powers - Glorious Failure Embracing failure, imperfection, and incompleteness can be a spiritual practice that brings us closer to the heart of God in Jesus Christ. When that happens we begin to remain in his love as he remains in his Fathers love. His small income allowed him to support his family, from day to day. If you would like to receive the Daily Reflection via email, please visit our sign up page. He wants to be with us, to journey with us, to dwell within our hearts through the Holy Spirit. He is not saying, in other words, I am a gate, but, rather, I am the gate. The phenomenon of theft is much more common than it used to be. We have compiled a comprehensive set of reflections on the readings, covering the entire year. Scepticism and deep faith can often be found in one and the same person. The prayer of one of the more minor gospel characters, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief, may find a ready place our heart. The movement did come from God, which is why it is still here two thousand years later, in spite of great persecution from without and great failings from within. LEARN MORE. but anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.. Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory? Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself. Paul saw the Son because the risen Lord appeared to him just outside Damascus. But I told you that although you have seen me, you do not believe. People who are going through a similar grieving experience can give great strength to each other. It is the language of the Eucharist. The question What must we do? is as valid a question for us today, as it was for the people of Jerusalem two thousand years ago. That beatitude embraces all of us gathered here this morning. He would not join the community of those who had experienced the risen Lord for themselves. but this is the bread that comes down from heaven, This deeper hunger is more easily neglected than our physical hunger. There can be times in life when we find ourselves walking in the wrong direction. The second stage is meditatio (reflection) where we think about the text we have chosen and ruminate upon it so that we take from it what God wants to give us. No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
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