Jesus is portrayed as a young beardless man with a sheep draped around his shoulders. The relationship between the shepherd and his sheep was more immediate than it is today. He can give them not just physical food that cannot last, but food that endures to eternal life. Born in 1347, Catherine entered the Dominican Third Order at the age of eighteen and spent the next three years in seclusion, prayer, and austerity. The church now had two Popes, one in Rome and one in Avignon, a situation that was to last for several decades. In this mornings gospel reading we find Jesus and his disciples faced with a hungry crowd and little or no means of feeding them. Saint Paul expresses that truth in these terms: Gods power is made perfect in weakness. everybody who believes has eternal life. The Sanhedrin were the influential group of Jewish leaders most opposed to Jesus, but Gamaliel, a respected member of that group, shows a degree of openness to the preaching of the apostles that was not typical of the group as a whole. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. We need to listen to his voice and to keep him in view so that we can take our lead from him. They had locked themselves in to lock others out, especially those who had been responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. There is always another step that the Lord is calling us to take. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him. When the Lord appeared to Thomas, he did not rebuke him. As the shepherd calls his sheep one by one, so the Lord calls his followers one by one; he calls them by name; he calls them in a way that respects their individuality and uniqueness. In this mornings gospel reading, the risen Lord keeps faith with them, sending them out to proclaim the gospel to the whole world. and my own know me, However, in spite of the locked doors, the risen Jesus came and stood among them. The response of Peter and John was to go the community of believers and in their presence to pray, asking God for help to proclaim the gospel with all boldness. The ruins of the city are still to be seen today. The Mark that Peter refers to may well be the author of the first gospel. There is often a bigger story which we fail to see, especially when we are broken in body, mind or spirit. If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you and you do not believe. Daily Reflection Archives | E- Mail Us. The disciples had abandoned the Lord on Good Friday, with the exception of the beloved disciple. That is why the reading ends with the declaration that all who believe in Jesus have eternal life, the life of God. Parents are called upon by their children and then, as parents get older, it is the children who often get called upon by their parents. 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. He was also someone who had the insight to see that this new and exciting development in the church of Antioch was the perfect place for the recently converted Saul to exercise his gifts. It is the attractiveness of God whose love is beyond human comprehension. The Lectio is on the homepage of the website. I am often struck by a line in Saint Pauls letter to the churches in Galatia, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. His small income allowed him to support his family, from day to day. John was very aware that none of those things could be said about himself. Come to me, Jesus says, and through me come to the Father. We are very security conscious in these times. When Jesus says in this mornings gospel reading, I am the gate, he is not really saying I am one gate among many. In todays gospel reading, Jesus speaks of the importance of eating his flesh and drinking his blood so as to draw life from him. Mark portrays Jesus as the suffering Son of Man who came not to be served but to serve, and who was ready to lay down his life in the service of all. In these changing times for the church, we have to trust that what is of God will endure and what isnt will pass away. he will go freely in and out He did not understand what he was reading. God who began to draw the Ethiopian to his Son through the Scriptures now draws him fully to his Son through the spiritual accompaniment of Philip, the preacher of the gospel. Reflections on Daily Readings 2022 November 27th - December 31st, 2022 November 27 - December 3, 2022 Advent - The First Week | Readings: Sunday Cycle A; Weekday Cycle 1. Discerning where the Holy Spirit is leading us is central to our lives as followers of Jesus. People who are going through a similar grieving experience can give great strength to each other. he who is born of the earth is earthly himself Ive been in the coffee shop before and at a neighboring table the people were speaking a language I didnt understand. 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. The leaders of the church in Jerusalem had to discern whether this new development in Antioch was the work of the Holy Spirit, or just a human aberration. but may have eternal life. Please see our cookies page for further details or agree by clicking the 'Accept all cookies' button. Where did this man get all this? And they took offense at him. Before he began his missionary career the Lord gave Paul this profound experience of his dependence on others, and, ultimately, on the Lord. Do not be afraid. They wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading. Whereas the story of the two disciples was basically a tragic story, one which ended in death and confusion, the stranger told a very different story, one that contained the story of the two disciples but brought it much further. A stranger who joined them asked them to tell him their story, and one of them, Cleopas, duly obliged. God gives him the Spirit without reserve. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted. The very personal call that the Lord addresses to each one of us will always be a call to give of ourselves in some way to others, to give life to others. If you did not receive an email please check your spam and other folders. When this happens people are being treated as objects or things. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, How long are you going to keep us in suspense? In the gospel reading, Jesus communicates to Nicodemus just how important the Holy Spirit is if he is to enter the kingdom of God. In his letter to the Romans he says, we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. Within that community of faith, no member was ever in want, because all who had more than they needed shared with those in need, through the agency of the Apostles. Social mediaOur website places social media cookies to show you 3rd party content like YouTube and FaceBook. Martin Hogan continues to write many books on the Gospel Readings for each day of the Catholic Liturgical Year. Daily Scripture, May 1, 2023. Like Nicodemus, we all need to keep opening our lives more fully to the Spirit whom the risen Lord is always offering us, so that we can boldly proclaim by our lives the good news of his life, death and resurrection. Jesus told them this parable but they failed to understand what he meant by telling it to them. In other words, it is in giving that we receive; it is in giving life that we receive life. What is it that makes us more alive? The light of Easter shone through the wounds of Jesus, and if we open ourselves to the risen Lord standing beside us, his light can shine through our wounds too. On this second Sunday of Easter, we are invited to make Thomas confession of faith our own, wherever we happen to find ourselves on our faith journey. Believing in him as the one sent by God will open them up to receive all that he wants to give them. Leading and driving are two very different activities. The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. Here was a philosopher Pope, a questioning Pope, whose whole life proclaimed My Lord and my God. Gates seem to be less common in the more modern estates. Then one of them, called Cleopas, answered him, You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have been happening there these last few days. What things? he asked. Looking up, Jesus saw the crowds approaching and said to Philip, Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat? He only said this to test Philip; he himself knew exactly what he was going to do. The gospel reading this morning encourages us to remain hopeful even in the face of situations that seem very unpromising. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. Life has triumphed over death!, and our own present experience. The attitude of the apostles shows us what is at the heart of our own lives as Christians. At every Mass we first have the Liturgy of the Word, and then the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Mark is assuring all of us, his disciples today, that the risen Lord keeps faith with us, even when we let him down in various ways. Yet, the Lord will always seek us out and offer us the gift of peace, the gift of his reconciling love. They were trying to put words on the experience. Gospel Reflection - Order of Carmelites In todays first reading it is was while the early church in Jerusalem was at prayer that they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and in the strength of that Spirit began to proclaim the word of God boldly. He doesnt say, learn my teaching, but learn from me. It was becoming clear to Peter that God was drawing pagans as well as Jews into the church, the community of Jesus disciples. We need to pay attention, in some way, to the Lord. This is the reaction of the generous person, of the one who is prepared to give all he or she has, even though it appears to be far less than what is needed. In one of his encyclicals, Faith and Reason, Pope John Paul II stated that the church remains profoundly convinced that faith and reason mutually support each other they offer each other a purifying critique and a stimulus to pursue the search for a deeper understanding. He only gradually came to believe in Jesus as Gods Son given to the world out of love. No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. and witness only to what we have seen Perhaps, therefore, we find it easy to identify with Thomas in todays gospel reading. The Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone, And there are other sheep I have Reflections on Daily Readings December 22 - Carmelites On one occasion, Jesus says of himself: I am the light of the world. They began to see that there was more to what had happened than they realized; this stranger was giving them a whole new understanding of what they had come to see as an awful tragedy. In the estate where I lived as a child in Cabra, built in the early 1930s, all the houses had gates. It is not that the Spirit is lawless, but the Spirit takes us beyond where law can take us. Seven suitable people were chosen, allowing the Twelve to focus on what was important in their calling. but the preaching of Philip in the period after Pentecost was that time. If his fellow disciples were full of Easter faith, he was full of doubt. The hunger of the crowd was satisfied and there was food left over. Although Peter and the other apostles had been given a formal warning by the religious authorities not to preach the gospel, they carried on regardless because they understood that this was their calling in life, the mission they had received from the risen Lord. He is speaking here as the good Shepherd who is prepared to lay down his life so that the members of his flock can have life and have it to the full. He has been travelling his own very personal way of the cross. When we pray, we open ourselves to the coming of the Holy Spirit upon us and to the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This frightened them, but he said, It is I. Yet, here was a Pharisee who stood out somewhat from his peers. He speaks to him of the need to be born from above or born of the Spirit. They were walking away from Jerusalem, when they really should have been staying put there, because it was in Jerusalem that the risen Lord intended giving them the Holy Spirit, and it was from Jerusalem that he would send them out to the ends of the earth. A person filled with the Holy Spirit was likely to discern whether or not this novelty was the work of the Spirit. This command I have received from my Father., (i)Monday, Fourth Week of Easter (Year A). In showing them the wounds in his hands and side he was reminding them of the extent of his love for them. They wanted more; they asked him to stay, and over table they recognized him in the breaking of the bread. We are all called to know the Son as the Father does; in that sense, we are all called to be mystics to some degree. As they say to the religious authorities in that first reading, Obedience to God comes before obedience to men. He discerned that Paul who had recently encountered the risen Lord just outside Damascus would be the ideal person to give leadership to the church in Antioch. In this mornings gospel reading the crowd, who had been fed by Jesus in the wilderness, go looking for him. At the beginning of our gospel reading, Jesus speaks of himself as the Son of Man who must be lifted up. Having been feed with bread in the wilderness, they wanted more of the same. A prophet is only despised in his own country. It is only those who deliberately reject Gods offer of merciful love whose sins will be retained. The initiative we take towards the Lord is always one we take with other disciples. Even though the Pope had been seriously ill for several months, the news of his death yesterday evening came as a great shock and has caused great sadness both within the church and beyond it. Because we do not yet see him face to face, our faith is always a faith that hopes. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. It is nearly evening they said and the day is almost over. So he went in to stay with them. The Spirit is always at work furthering the work of the Lord in the world. A lot of our lives are lived in response to various calls that are made upon us. In this mornings first reading people ask, Is this not the carpenters son? The term translated carpenter might better be translated craftsman or artisan. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. He challenges the crowd to reflect on their priorities. It was an unexpected moment which expressed an important truth about how the Pope sees his ministry in the church. Daily Gospel & Reflections - The Jesuits It often brought them into conflict with the religious leaders who thought of themselves as the mediators of Gods word. Yet, it is language which expresses the depth of communion which Jesus wants to create between himself and his disciples. The self-assured Pharisee suddenly found himself completely dependent on others. 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. Resistance, even hostility, to the churchs message can allow the Lord to work in new ways. Just click on the month of interest and scroll to the day required. Even though most of us like the light, the gospel reading declares that people have shown they prefer darkness to light. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: The probing question he asks Philip about the text gives Philip an opening to speak to him about Jesus. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. Yet the gospel ends (the shorter ending) with the young man calling on the faithful women to tell the other disciples that Jesus is going ahead of them to Galilee where they will see him. Now the risen Lord, through Philip, preaches the gospel to the Samaritans and this time they welcome the gospel. As I, who am sent by the living Father, If we are to pass through the gate that is Jesus, we have to consciously choose this gate and exclude other gates. 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. The gospel reading is suggesting that if we are to reach our destination, we cannot do it on our own. It is in coming to him and his Father that we receive his Spirit, the Holy Spirit, and so are empowered to live his teaching and, thereby, to become fully alive as human beings and as his joyful servants in the world. If the group is comfortable with silence, more time could be spent resting in the Word. We struggle to bring our prayers of petition into line with what the Lord wants to give us. It has been the language of the church since its very earliest days. just as the Father knows me It is the same for the church today and for all of us who are the Lords disciples today. Those who have been through an experience of loss know how therapeutic it can be to tell the story of the last days of a loved one. It was grief and disappointment and disillusionment that caused them to head in the wrong direction. and to hear the teaching of the Father, It is as if Jesus is saying that he has such a strong grip on his followers that no one will ever take them from him against his will. Earlier in that gospel reading, Jesus spoke about the intimate relationship he has with God his Father, No one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son. Toggle Submenu for Novenas & Celebrations, National Shrine and Museum of St. Therese. The first reading says that when Barnabas got there, he could see for himself that God had given grace, and this pleased him, and he went on to give encouragement to what was happening. Yes, he desperately wants us to have life and to have it to the full. The first reading tells one of the great stories that we find in the New Testament, the story of the conversion of Saint Paul. The bread of the word is a necessary first course, as it were, that prepares us to receive the Eucharist well. Over the centuries the Carmelites adopted the Lectio Divina to develop their understanding and knowledge about Jesus. We find something similar happening in todays gospel reading. It follows that the Lord will never call us to something that would result in a diminishment of life for ourselves or for others. God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, I am the gate of the sheepfold. Jesus often used images drawn from the life of the people to talk about himself and his message. Not that anybody has seen the Father, His words were prophetic. 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. More often than not, it seems to be in our face and makes our walking a little more difficult. No one group within the church can do everything. These two disciples were not alone in their grief. As Jesus says in Johns gospel, apart from me you can do nothing. We have had to live without the Eucharist and this has been a great loss for many Catholics. 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. Jesus takes seriously the horizon of this world in which we live and work, but he also shows us another horizon, a horizon that is not of this world. The role of the shepherd was to give life to his flock, to protect them from harm by taking them to the sheepfold for the night, and then to lead them out of the sheepfold to pasture in the morning. In other words, the wind does not blow in accordance with our wishes. Lectio Divina is a reflection based on the daily Gospel. She commenced her role as a public figure, dictating hundreds of letters to popes, monarchs and other letters of note. The greater our capacity to receive from the Lords fullness, the greater will be our ability to give as we have received. Todays gospel reading assures us that the Lord understands a doubting, questioning, faith. It is, he says, an exodus that leads us on a journey of adoration of the Lord and of service to him in our brothers and sisters. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Easter is a time when we open ourselves to the renewing power of his Holy Spirit. According the Acts of the Apostles, the name Barnabas means son of encouragement. When a parent dies in a family, for example, the siblings can be a great support to one another in the weeks and the months that follow. It is difficult to know exactly what happened that day in the wilderness when Jesus and his disciples found themselves before a large hungry crowd. This content is blocked. In the gospel reading, the crowd resist what Jesus had just said about giving his flesh for the life of the world as bread to be eaten. It falls to us now to embrace Gods Son, the light of the world, the one who declared that whoever follows him will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life. Yes, it is my Fathers will The people, seeing this sign that he had given, said, This really is the prophet who is to come into the world. Jesus, who could see they were about to come and take him by force and make him king, escaped back to the hills by himself. Indeed, both can often reside in the same person. An Ethiopian officer at the court of the Queen of Ethiopia was on his way from Jerusalem to Gaza. That may have been the experience of many during these Covid times. Their Easter faith left him cold; he could not be shifted from his Good Friday mood. The phenomenon of theft is much more common than it used to be. As they prayed, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and in the strength of that Spirit they proclaimed the word of God courageously. Jesus prayer did not remove him from the struggles of his disciples. Sometimes we may find ourselves in the role of the Ethiopian, seeking the Lord, needing someone like a Philip to guide and lead us. Sometimes, it is our very weakness that gives the Lord scope to work through us most fully, whereas when we are overconfident and too sure of our own ability and success we can block the Lord from working through us. We are not strangers to the Lord; he knows us deeply, better than we know ourselves. that whoever sees the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, The strangers story ended not in death but in glory. In other words, it is in giving that we receive; it is in giving life to others that we receive life and become fully alive. The risen Lord is the living sign of Gods enduring love. As the shepherd calls his sheep one by one, so the Lord calls his followers one by one; he calls us by name; he calls us in a way that respects our individuality and uniqueness. The works I do in my Fathers name testify to me. She also wrote her great work, the Dialogues, describing the contents of her mystical conversations with Christ. Paul and Barnabas went on to spend twelve months together in that church. Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.. That dialogue shows us how the perspective of Jesus differs greatly from that of his two disciples. This sharing in Gods life begins here and now for those who turn to Jesus in faith, and comes to fullness in the life beyond death. lives in me He offered them the gift of his peace, the gift of his reconciling love. Each day we need to open ourselves afresh to the movement of the Holy Spirit within us. These cookies may track your personal data. The wind is beyond our control; it doesnt blow where and when we want it to blow. The Heart of Perfect Love and Self-Giving, The Cross, the Eucharist and the Blessed Mother, Ascension of the LordorUnity and Perfection in Christ, The Profound Teaching of the Holy Eucharist, Humility of Service, Nourished by the Eucharist, God Becomes ManNine Months Before Christmas, Unwavering Faith in the Face of Confusion, Ask, and All Good Things Will Be Given You, The Road to Virtue Living Between the Extremes, Drawn to Jesus, Drawn to Mercy for Others, Sowing the Word of GodDespite the Results. We traditionally use the term holy communion to refer to the Eucharist. What looked very unpromising from a human point of view was the instrument of Gods work in the world. Help us to support Carmelite projects around the world. 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.. 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. Doors are like gates in that they too can be used to keep people in or out, or they can serve the purpose of creating an opening in the building through which people can come in and go out.
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