Readings for Sunday, May 20th-2012 + Catholic Matters

B-Saint Max Bible Study meets at the back of the church in the Mother Cabrini Room Fridays 9AM to 10AM…Please join us! http://facilitator-stmaxbiblestudy.blogspot.com MAY 20, 2012 | SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER « May 19 | May 21 » Seventh Sunday of Easter Lectionary: 60 READING 1 ACTS 1:15-17, 20A, 20C-26 Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers --there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons in the one place --. He said, "My brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand through the mouth of David, concerning Judas, who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus. He was numbered among us and was allotted a share in this ministry. "For it is written in the Book of Psalms: May another take his office. "Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men who accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus came and went among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which he was taken up from us, become with us a witness to his resurrection." So they proposed two, Judas called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed, "You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas turned away to go to his own place." Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the eleven apostles. RESPONSORIAL PSALM PS 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20 R.(19a) The Lord has set his throne in heaven. or: R. Alleluia. Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. R. The Lord has set his throne in heaven. or: R. Alleluia. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us. R. The Lord has set his throne in heaven. or: R. Alleluia. The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. Bless the LORD, all you his angels, you mighty in strength, who do his bidding. R. The Lord has set his throne in heaven. or: R. Alleluia. READING 2 1 JN 4:11-16 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us. This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit. Moreover, we have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world. Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. GOSPEL JN 17:11B-19 Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying: "Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you. I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy completely. I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth." Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses FIRST READING: Acts 1:15-17; 20-26. Peter stood up among the brethren (the company of persons was in all about a hundred and twenty), and said, "Brethren, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David, concerning Judas who was guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us, and was allotted his share in this ministry. For it is written in the book of Psalms, 'His office let another take.' So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us---one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection." And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, "Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which one of these two thou hast chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside, to go to his own place." And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was enrolled with the eleven apostles. EXPLANATION: According to the account of the Ascension given in Acts, Christ told his Apostles to wait in Jerusalem for the descent of the Holy Spirit before beginning their missionary activity. The eleven Apostles, together with a large number of disciples as well as Mary the Mother of Jesus and some of his cousins and some other women, met frequently for prayer. During the ten days that they awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit, Peter, the recognized head of the group, decided it was necessary to elect a man who had been with Christ during his public life, to fill the apostleship vacated by Judas. Peter...brethren: Brothers or brethren was a title for Christians; it was in use at the time Acts was written, and perhaps from the very beginning (see Acts 11: 1; 12: 17-18). about one hundred and twenty: Most, if not all, of the seventy-two disciples who had followed our Lord were still faithful to him and some others had evidently joined since. scripture...fulfilled: The verses from two psalms quoted by St. Peter refer to the treatment an enemy deserves, and God is invoked to see that this punishment is carried out. Holy Spirit spoke: Peter accepts these psalms as Davidic and as inspired by the Holy Spirit. Judas guide: Peter sees Judas as the enemy who deserves God's punishment. His office...take: Psalm 69: 25 is omitted in the reading here, but psalm 109: 8 is given. It is interpreted by Peter as requiring to be fulfilled, for Judas lost his position as a member of Christ's Apostles. That place must be filled. beginning...John: The man to be chosen to take the place of Judas must be one who has been with Christ from the very beginning of his public life. witness to his resurrection: This was to be the central and basic point of the apostolic preaching, as it was the crowning point in the Christian event. If Christ had not risen there would have been no apostolic ministry and no Christian Church. The candidate to be chosen then must be able to testify to the resurrection and also to the preaching and miracles of Jesus. put forward two: Those present presented two men who fulfilled the qualities demanded by Peter. prayed and said: They now request the Lord (Christ) to decide for them which of the two men: "thou hast chosen" as Apostle. Judas...place: The reference is to the desertion of Judas, who turned aside from the ministry and went his own way. they cast lots: This would be in accordance with ancient Jewish custom. When an answer was wanted from God, the high priest cast lots for a "yes" or "no" with the Urim and Thumim. It was firmly believed that God would bring out the right answer. Here the Apostles and disciples had no hesitation in attributing the choice to Christ. The lot fell on Matthias and he was immediately enrolled with the eleven Apostles. APPLICATION: The only activity (apart from prayer) taken by the Apostles and disciples between the Ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit was, according to Acts, this election of a successor to Judas. It was an important step, for the Apostles saw themselves as chosen by Christ to be the twelve Patriarchs of the New Israel. Christ had for this reason (so they understood) chosen twelve and it was necessary that that number should be complete. Secondly, what was very important in this action taken by Peter as head of the Apostles was the question of who should replace Judas. It was necessary that he should have been an eye-witness of Christ's public ministry from the baptism by John until his Ascension. The reason for this was that this new Apostle should, like the other eleven, be able to teach all that Christ had said and done, be an eye-witness, in other words, to the Christian faith, the basic truth and proof of which was the resurrection. Here we have the solid basis for teaching by Tradition, a doctrine always held by the Church, laid down from the very beginning of Christianity. There were not as yet, nor for years afterwards, any written accounts of the teaching and the doings of Jesus. But the facts and the truths of the Christian faith were preached by men who had been eye-witnesses of what they preached---the first and second generation converts accepted their word without questioning, and rightly so. These Apostles had nothing to gain, but everything to lose, by preaching this gospel. They brought on themselves hardships, imprisonment, tortures because they preached Christ. No sane men would take on such a campaign unless absolutely convinced of the truth of what they preached and the necessity of its acceptance by all who heard them. One by one, the Apostles gave their lives gladly for their faith in Christ, but before their departure the torch had been handed on to others who in turn devoted their lives to carrying it further. At least thirty-five years later the first gospel, and almost seventy later St. John's gospel, incorporated this teaching of the Apostles. It was but a faithful account of what Jesus said and did, put in abbreviated form into our four gospels under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and so we got the double stream that flows from the same source---Sacred Scripture and Tradition. In order to fulfill their commission of preaching the true Christian message to all nations the Apostles had, of necessity, the power and authority to interpret and explain what they preached, as well as the compelling duty to correct or condemn any false meaning attributed to what they preached. This power, essential in the Church of Christ for all ages, was handed on by them to their successors and so we have the living teaching authority of the Christian Church stemming from Christ himself. Such an authority was necessary during the first two generations---the age of oral tradition alone when at least some of the Apostles were alive. However, it was even more necessary when the written word came into common use. By then the authoritative voices of the Apostles themselves were silenced. But Christ had provided for the safe-keeping of his doctrine in his Church. In itself the election of Matthias to replace the traitor Judas, may not be of great interest to us. There is not a single mention of this Matthias after that. But the providence of God which, working through Peter, assured us and the Church of Christ for all time that the true faith would be handed down to the Church and preserved in all its purity, is of the greatest importance to us and is a convincing proof that while we follow the definite teaching of the Church we are on the right road laid down for us by our Savior. In an age like ours, an age of doubt, vacillation, agnosticism in matters of faith and morals, it is surely a consolation and a security to know that while we believe and act with the Church, we are believing and acting with Christ. We are living our lives as Christ wants us to live them, in a way, that is, which leads eventually but securely to heaven. ________________________________________ SECOND READING: 1 John 4:11-16. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his own Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. EXPLANATION: These verses read today are a continuation of those from the same Epistle read on the Sixth Sunday of Easter. If God...us: John has described how God's love for us went to the extreme of sending his beloved Son on earth as man. He concludes from this that surely we should give our little bit of finite love to God in return, but the way to prove this gift of ours is to love our fellowman. has...God: God is a pure Spirit not visible to human eyes. We shall be able to see him in our glorified bodies, after our resurrection, with the aid of the grace of the beatific vision. if we...another: Even though we cannot see God on this earth, we can experience his presence and feel the true love for him expand in our hearts if we love one another. God...us: God is in our wills and intellects, urging us on to live according to the truth and to choose what is good always. He is thus proving his loving interest in us and moving us to love him more and more. given...Spirit: On the first Pentecost day the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and made his presence manifest not only to them but to all the Jews who gathered around the Cenacle. He came (visibly by his powers) on all the early Christian converts (see Acts passim; 1 Cor. 12). He is still present to every Christian who is in the state of grace, urging him to what is right and good. Son...world: This is the highest imaginable act of love for us. The Father asked his divine Son to endure the humiliation of the incarnation and the torture of crucifixion so that we, his creatures, could have everlasting life. Jesus...God: To confess this, the central doctrine of the Christian faith, requires the gift of faith which God alone gives. He who makes this confession of faith does so because he is moved to do so by the special gift of God---faith. God is love: His very nature is to love with an infinite, an unlimited love. who...love: The Christian, or he who through no fault of his own has not heard of Christ and his message, who loves his neighbor out of unselfish love, or because he is a fellow-child of God on the road to heaven, is in close intimacy with God. APPLICATION: This teaching of St. John on the necessity of loving our fellowman is well known to all of us but how many of us really and truly practice this kind of unselfish love? Is there one among us who really loves his neighbor as he loves himself? Yet, this is the criterion by which our love is judged. Far too many Christians are so preoccupied with their own difficulties in life that they have little or no time to stop and help a fellowman who is lying idly or helplessly by the roadside. Yet it is exactly by helping our fellowman in need that we successfully overcome our own difficulties. For when we practice charity toward our neighbor "we abide in God and God abides in us," as St. John tells us, and if God is with us it matters not who is against us? Yes, it is God's plan that we travel to heaven in groups, in pre-arranged parties. God wants the whole group there, and in his plan some are less capable of making the journey so that the able-bodied members and the more qualified ones, should have an opportunity of paying for their own passage by helping their needy fellow-travelers. This is part of God's love for us; he puts in our way the opportunity to prove our love for him by bestowing loving help on our neighbor. Let us look around us and see who are those that God in his mercy has put in our particular traveling party. First comes our own family. Not only are we bound by ties of flesh and blood to help them in this life, we are also bound by the commandment of charity to cherish them as we do ourselves. If we ourselves want to be saved---and that is why we are Christians---we must also want to have our families reunited with us later on. Husband and wife must help one another to live according to the Christian standards every day of their lives. Both parents must work in close and fervent cooperation to prepare their children not only to make a living in this world but especially and above all to make them good citizens of heaven. After the family come relatives, nearest neighbors, those we meet at work or casually. They have next claim on our sincere Christian love. We cannot exempt ourselves from carrying out the spiritual works of mercy on the ground that we cannot go on the mission fields. If we are truly charitable, occasions can be found for exercising these good works without ever leaving our own home-town, or maybe our own street. Generous souls will, while carrying out their duties of charity nearer home, also find ways of helping the spread of the faith in foreign lands. We all want to be saved; we shall, if we help our fellow-travelers on the way. These are not only the people who need bodily help, but also and especially those in need of spiritual light and encouragement---the sinners, the lax, the careless and the lapsed Christians. These need our help. It is with these that our Lord would associate if he were among us today, as he did in Palestine. Mary Magdalene. Zachaeus and the thousands of other sinners of that day, are now in heaven because Christ had an encouraging word, a word of love and hope, for them. They reacted to his sincere love. Let us try to imitate that love of Christ, if only from afar, and our sinner neighbors too will react to the little ray of divine love which our charity sheds on them. ________________________________________ GOSPEL: John 17:11-19. Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, "Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in thy name, which thou hast given me; I have guarded them, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not pray that thou should take them out of the world, but that thou should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth. As thou did send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth." EXPLANATION: Our Lord's long discourse at the Last Supper ends with the priestly prayer of Christ for his Apostles and for all those who through the preaching of the Apostles would believe in him---the Christians of all ages. Today's verses deal with the Apostles. Jesus, who knows he is about to finish the work given him on earth and return to his Father in heaven, prays that the disciples the Father has given him will remain united in true faith and love in order to carry out the mission he has given them. Their task will be hard, for though living in this world their activities will be directed to the other world, and the worldly-minded opponents of things spiritual will hate them as they hated him before them. keep...name: Christ appeals to his heavenly Father to protect and keep true to their vocation the disciples he had given Christ. one...one: God the Father and Son were one by nature and divine perfection. The disciples could only imitate this unity from afar, but they could have perfect human unity among themselves. none...but: All his Apostles had remained faithful to him, and continued to remain so in spite of the shock his crucifixion and death caused them. One, however, had defected; this was foreseen, "that the scripture might be fulfilled," but not pre-ordained. Judas acted with full freedom. The fact that God foresaw what he did in no way impeded Judas' freedom of action. God sees now where I shall end up on my judgement day, but I shall end up there because of my own free decision. It is the sum-total of these free decisions that God already sees. I am...thee: As Jesus is very soon to return to his Father, the disciples will be left alone in the world, but Christ prays the Father to let them also share in the joy of his reunion with his Father. given...word: He has revealed God to them, and his own intimate connection with God in as far as they were, as yet, able to grasp all this. world...them: As nearly always in St. John, the term "world" is used in the sense of the evil that is in this world. This evil wanted to have nothing to do with Christ or his talk of a future spiritual life. This same hatred included his Apostles, especially after his departure. out...world: To carry out their mission the Apostles must remain and work in the midst of this evil world and, therefore, Christ's request to the Father is not to let them be overcome by this evil. sanctify...truth: The Apostles are the priests of the New Law, and as priests of the temple were consecrated before beginning their functions, Christ now asks the Father to consecrate his disciples to the ministry of preaching the word of God which is "truth" itself. did send me: The Father had sent Christ in the incarnation into this world; so now Christ sends his Apostles to preach the truths about God and men, which he had given them. In Jn. 20: 21 their mission is given to the Apostles, but Christ's prayer, as given here, foresees the future as already accomplished. I consecrate myself: Jesus' sacrificial act on Calvary next day was the culmination of his sacerdotal ministry among men on earth. The Apostles are now to begin where Christ left off in his visible activity. APPLICATION: Our divine Lord closed his discourse at the Last Supper with his priestly prayer for the unity of his Apostles in the bond of Christian charity, and for the true Christian brotherhood of all who would accept from them the message of Christ's gospel. During the first six centuries of the Church's history the Father answered this prayer of Christ; a few heresies raised their heads now and then, but the successors of the Apostles, with Peter's representative at their head, condemned these errors and the Church went on in peace and fraternal unity. Later on there were more widespread breaks with the successor of Peter in both the East and the West, and most of these divisions have continued down to our own day. Where was the efficacy of Christ's prayer then; why did God not answer him? Christ's prayer was efficacious and God did answer, but, like God's answer to all prayer, it is given as and when it is of the greatest value. God could not prevent men from exercising the gift of free-will which he himself had given them. When creating man he foresaw that that gift would often be misused to man's own disadvantage, but without it man would not be man; he would be incapable of any single act of merit and of enjoying the future eternal life. So God could not prevent Christians from separating from one another, nor could he force them to return to Christian unity against their free-will. But he is ever ready to assist them by his grace and encouragement to cooperate once more in giving glory to God and in spreading the message of the gospel of love to all men. We are fortunate to be living in an age when the complete reunification of the Christian Church is the aim of all Christians, and has the evident assistance of our heavenly Father. It was not by accident that Pope John XXIII ascended the throne of Peter; it was not by chance that he called a Council---a Council which took its own share of the blame for the divisions in the Church and spoke of those outside it not as "schismatics" and "heretics" but as "separated brethren." All this did not happen by accident. God saw the opportune moment and inspired the parties concerned with feelings of regret for past errors and with resolutions to do all in their power to put right the past. Our leaders and theologians are doing this. Theirs is no easy task, it is not the work of a few months, or even of a few years, but a beginning has been made and with God's grace and goodwill on the part of our leaders it is a task that will have a successful and blessed ending. However, the ordinary Christians in the various churches are not to be idle onlookers; we too have a part, and a big part, to play in bringing about this desired and most desirable unity of all Christians. First of all, we can assist in this noble work, and in a very effective way, by sincere and constant prayer. The grace of God, through our fervent prayers for our leaders and theologians, can and will open their eyes to see ways and means to unification without sacrificing any of the revealed truths of Christianity. There are some human accretions to the basic doctrines of faith in all the various churches which can be jettisoned without loss to the faith, but the revealed dogmas cannot and will not be bartered for any temporary gain. No church can sacrifice the truth, and no church will be asked to do so, for truth is God's gift to us and is necessary for the whole Church. Let us pray frequently, and fervently, that God will show our superiors the way, the one and only way, the way of truth to unity. After prayer, each one of us will in his neighborhood or place of employment, meet members of the other Christian churches. It is our duty to show them by word and deed that we are their brothers in Christ. Some of them may show no interest at first in any kind of brotherhood of Christ or of man, but constant charitable contact will wear down this barrier. We can, if we are unity-minded, that is, Christian-minded, find topics for discussion that involve the Christian faith, and through these discussions our desire and our hope for a united Christian Church can be introduced. Charity will open the best-locked door; true Christian charity will soften the hardest heart. If we have the welfare of all our neighbors, Christian and non-Christian, at heart, we will gladly do everything in our power to bring about the existence of one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church which will have the true light of Christ to illumine its members and lead those fellow-sons of God who are still outside it, to enter it and share in its faith, its hope, and its charity.b211 Click to return to our Home page

Readings for Sunday, May 13th, 2012

A-St Max Bible Study meets at the back of the church in the Mother Cabrini Room Fridays 9AM to 10AM… Please join us! http://facilitator-stmaxbiblestudy.blogspot.com Please click on link for access to more content… Please follow this page! MAY 13, 2012 Sixth Sunday of Easter READING 1 ACTS 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and, falling at his feet, paid him homage. Peter, however, raised him up, saying, "Get up. I myself am also a human being." Then Peter proceeded to speak and said, "In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him." While Peter was still speaking these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word. The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit should have been poured out on the Gentiles also, for they could hear them speaking in tongues and glorifying God. Then Peter responded, "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit even as we have?" He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. RESPONSORIAL PSALM PS 98:1, 2-3, 3-4 R. (cf. 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. or: R. Alleluia. Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; His right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. or: R. Alleluia. The LORD has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. or: R. Alleluia. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. or: R. Alleluia. READING 2 1 JN 4:7-10 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. GOSPEL JN 15:9-17 Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father"s commandments and remain in his love." "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another." FIRST READING: Acts 10: 25-26; 34-35; 44-48. When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am a man." And Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation any one who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him." While Peter was still saying this the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, "Can any one forbid water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days. EXPLANATION: Today's text from the Acts of the Apostles describes the reception of the first Gentiles into the Christian Church. Cornelius, a Roman centurion stationed in Caesarea, had been an admirer of the God of the Jews. He gave alms generously and prayed much. God told him through an angel to send for Simon Peter who was in Jaffa. Peter, already prepared by a vision of clean and unclean animals (10: 8-16) in which he was taught that what God had made clean must not be called unclean, came to Caesarea. The vision given him in Jaffa became clear on seeing the religious faith of Cornelius. He had no hesitation in entering a pagan household, something strictly forbidden to a Jew. He preached Christ's life, death and resurrection to the assembled Gentiles and while he was preaching the Holy Spirit descended on them and they began to praise God in various languages, just as the Apostles and disciples had done on Pentecost day in Jerusalem. What greater proof was needed to convince Peter and his companions that God wanted the Gentiles, as well as the Jews, in his Church? Thus Cornelius and his household were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and became the first Gentiles to enter the Church. Cornelius...feet: The Roman centurion wanted to honor Peter as a God, but Peter made him stand up telling him that he, Peter, was a mere man and should not be honored thus. Peter said: Having learned from Cornelius about the vision of the angel and the command to send for Peter, the Apostle declares that be now under stands that all men, Gentiles as well as Jews, are acceptable to God, if they turn to him. His own vision in Jaffa had prepared him for this. still...this: While Peter was explaining Christ and his teaching (10: 36-43), the Holy Spirit came upon all the Gentiles present. believers...circumcised: The converted Jews "brothers from Jaffa" (10: 23) who had accompanied Peter "were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles," for they still had the idea that Christ was the Messiah of the Jews only. Although Peter had no hesitation in accepting Cornelius and his household into the Church, the Council of Jerusalem had to be called to correct this wrong Jewish idea (Acts 15: 1-29). Can...baptizing: With the incontrovertible evidence that the Holy Spirit had descended on these Gentiles, Peter rightly declared that no man-made opinion could or should prevent them from full membership of the Church. They were then baptized with Christian baptism. APPLICATION: "God shows no partiality but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him." These inspired and inspiring words of Peter, the head of the Apostles, removed any doubts which his fellow-Jewish-Christians from Jaffa had as to the right of Cornelius and his household to be baptized and become Christians like themselves. They should also have opened the minds of all Jewish converts to the mission of Christ as a mission of salvation for all nations and not for Jews only. Unfortunately, there were some who exaggerated their own claims on God and who still looked down on the Gentiles. There were among the Jewish-Christians those who grudgingly admitted that Gentiles could be received into the Christian Church, but only if they became Jews first by accepting circumcision. These people were a serious embarrassment to St. Paul in his missionary activity among the Gentiles. They followed him through Asia Minor telling the converted Gentiles that they were not really members of the Christian Church for they had not first become Jews. These "Judaizers" as they were called, were causing such upsets among the Gentile converts that Paul and Barnabas were forced to ask the Apostles, assembled in the first Council of the Church in Jerusalem, to give a definitive answer to this question (Acts 15: 1-2). They did, and the false teaching of the Judaizers was condemned. Gentiles could and should be received directly into the Church, without passing through any form of Judaism or without accepting any of the Jewish ritualistic practices. God, through the Holy Spirit, has been with his Church right down through the ages and from its very beginning. The case of conversion of Cornelius, narrated in today's reading, happened in order that Peter, the head of the Apostles and the principal speaker at the Council of Jerusalem, should have visible proof from God that he wished Gentiles to be taken directly into his Church without any of the Jewish ritual observances. Peter's address to the Council, describing what happened at Caesarea, silenced all opposition and settled this question for all time. But before the vision of the clean and unclean animals shown him in Jaffa, and the proofs of the presence of the Holy Spirit which he witnessed in Caesarea, Peter too had his narrow judaizing tendencies. The lesson for all Christians is that God has been, and will be, always with his Church. Christ has committed it to the care of mortal and fallible men but he has given them (and us) the assurance that he will be with them always even unto the end of time (Mt. 28: 20). Today, many devout and sincere Christians are worried because of evident dissension between theologians on moral and dogmatic questions. Since the second Vatican Council there has been a flood of writings from the pens of reputable theologians and sometimes from men with less depth of knowledge and less balanced judgement. This is but a natural consequence of the winds of change to which the saintly Pope John opened the windows of the Church. Ever since Trent (1546), when the cold-war with the Reformers began, the Catholic Church had remained rather static in its exposition of faith and morals. While the world around us had made giant strides in the study of man and the world in which he lived, and also in the study of ancient literature and culture, our seminary text-books were faithfully copying the sixteenth century expositions of the theologians of that day. This in itself was right as far as it went, since the defined dogmas of the Church remain fixed for all time. However, it did not go far enough; it paid little or no heed to the immense growth in secular knowledge, or to the change in terminology and linguistics which the new philosophies had introduced. Scripture especially which, with Tradition, is the basis of all theology, was very much neglected, to the detriment of our people's knowledge of the revealed world of God. Thanks to the Holy Spirit, who worked through Pope John and Vatican II, that has all been changed, or rather is being gradually changed. As in all change, there must be upsets and a disturbance of the status quo ante. There will be naturally men who oppose change, and on the other hand there are likely to be men who want to change too much. We are going through this period of change at present, and some people are surprised, if not shocked, at some of the moral and dogmatic pronouncements of present-day writers. Knowing, as we do, that the Holy Spirit is with the Church we need have no fear. She has had similar experiences in the past---nearly all her great General Councils were preceded by disputes between theologians and would-be theologizers. The Councils, guided by the Holy Spirit, defined and expounded the true faith. Truth will prevail; we can look forward confidently to the day when present disputes will end. Our Christian faith and morals will continue to be expounded authoritatively with the backing of the Holy Spirit, by the successors of the Apostles whom he sent to teach all nations. ________________________________________ SECOND READING: 1 John 4: 7-10. Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God; for God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins. EXPLANATION: On this Epistle see, the second Sunday of Easter. In today's four verses, St. John is urging us to love one another, for we are sons of God whose very essence is love. He proved this when out of the infinity of his love he sent his own divine Son to give us eternal life and make expiation for the sins of the world. let...another: The love St. John urges us to have for our fellowman is not the natural attraction which has its basis in family bonds, or sex, or some qualities we hold in common. It is that supernatural respect, interest and esteem which we have for all men. It is, based on our knowledge of God as our common Father. love is of God: This supernatural love of neighbor derives from God, whose very nature is love, and it is a free gift which he has instilled into us together with faith and hope in our baptism. born...God: The man who has this supernatural love is a son of God by adoption, it was in his adoption ceremony that he was given this gift. He therefore knows God, not in the sense of the Gnostics but in the true sense; he is intimately associated with God through participation in the very nature of God which has been given him in baptism, in the divine gift of love. God...Son: This is the manifestation of God's love for us: he sent his only Son to live and die among us. might...him: Through the incarnation, the coming of God the Son as man among us, we have been made sons of God and heirs of eternal life. not that we loved God: John is stressing the gratuitousness of God's love for us. He loved us when we were incapable of loving him; even before we existed. His Son died for us while we were still sinners. As St. Paul says: "for someone really worthy a man might be prepared to die---but what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners" (Rom. 5: 7-8). APPLICATION: It is told that when St. John was too old and feeble to say Mass, he insisted on being carried to the Church on Sundays to preach to the congregation. Sunday after Sunday his sermon consisted of one short sentence: "Little children, love one another." After some weeks of this repetition, the presiding priest had the courage to say to the Apostle: "Father, could you not say something more?" The answer that he got was: "No, for if they do this they are doing everything." Undoubtedly the Beloved Disciple was the Apostle of love. His gospel and Epistles are dominated by the thought of "the Word made flesh," the mystery of God's love for us which brought about the incarnation. Having been made children of God, we must, of course, love God for this gratuitious gift; but the real proof of our love of God is our love for our neighbor. "He who does not love (his neighbor) does not know God." This hardly needs proof. If we do know God we know the marvelous thing he has done for us in making us his children and heirs to heaven through the incarnation, and the natural and supernatural reaction to such knowledge should be the, desire to do something for God in return. And God himself through Christ has told us what we can do for him---we can be charitable toward his little ones, our fellow-children of God on earth. Everything kind and good we do for them, we are doing it for himself, he tells us (Mt. 25: 40). Therefore, we are expected, and what is more, we are commanded to love all God's children. This is the way in which the good God allows us to make some little return for all he has done for us. Generous souls would not need a commandment, they would rejoice at the opportunity of doing something for God, but most of us are not too given to generosity, and so God has given us a commandment to do our duty. On the fulfilling of that commandment our own eternal welfare will depend. "I was hungry and you fed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick, I was in prison, and you visited me; well done good and faithful servant enter into the joy of the Lord." These are words we all would like to hear when called to judgement. We shall hear them if we keep our part of the contract. If we carry out the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, whenever and wherever we can, we need have no fear about God doing his part. We may not have much of this world's goods, and we may not be able therefore to help our neighbor much in his bodily needs, but we can help him with our prayers, with words of consolation and encouragement. There is a little poem on kindness written by Father Faber which brings out what a help even the poorest of us can be to his neighbor, if only true charity inspires us. It runs like this: "It was but a sunny smile and little it cost in the giving, But it scattered the night like the morning light, And made the day worth living. It was only a kindly word, a word that was easily spoken, But it was not in vain for it chilled the pain, Of a heart that was nearly broken. It was but a helping hand and it seemed of little availing, But its clasp was warm and it saved from harm, A brother whose strength was failing." Which of us is so poor in spirit, so weak in charity, that he cannot give a sunny smile to his neighbor whenever he meets him, or speak a kind word to someone in need of consoling, or give a helping hand, be it ever so little, to one in greater need than himself? ________________________________________ GOSPEL: John 15: 9-17. Jesus said to his disciples, "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. This I command you, to love one another." EXPLANATION: Today's verses are a continuation of last Sunday's quotation from our Lord's Last Supper discourse to his disciples on Holy Thursday night. In last Sunday's gospel, our Lord used the image of the vine and the branches to describe the intimate association between himself and his followers that was necessary if his disciples were to produce fruit for eternal life. Today, our Lord urges his followers to abide in his love and to love one another. This love for neighbor must have as its model and exemplar Christ's love for his disciples, which made him lay down his life for them. The disciples are not Christ's servants but his intimate associates: they will bear lasting fruit in their life-work if they trust in God and are motivated by true love of God and neighbor. As the Father has loved me: The Father loves the Son with an infinite love. As God, Christ's love for his followers (represented by the disciples) is infinite; as man, it is as complete as human love can be. if...commandments: God's commandments were Christ's also. Keeping the commandment's is man's way of proving his love for Christ. I have...commandments: As man, he obeyed every wish and command of the Father in every detail, "not my will but thine be done." greater...friends: There is nothing greater that a man can do for those he loves, than to give his life for them. Christ did this. servant...know: His relationship with his disciples was not that of master and servant, for he had brought them into the intimacy of the divine family. He had revealed the Father to them during his years with them; he had made them adopted sons of the Father. I chose you: Their vocation was Christ's free gift to them. He chose them, not they him. bear fruit: That fruit for heaven was the number of their brothers who would be brought to eternal life. This fruit will last forever. ask...name: He is their (and our) mediator with God. All our petitions to the Father, made through him, will be answered because by his life, death and resurrection he has earned for us all spiritual and where necessary for the spiritual, temporal rewards. This I command you: Christ ends by repeating the second of the greatest commandments: love of neighbor. APPLICATION: It is only a few weeks since Good Friday when we commemorated the agonizing death of Christ on Mount Calvary. This was an excruciating, shameful death even for hardened criminals who deserved it. But for our loving Savior, the innocent lamb of God, one who had never offended God or neighbor, it was something of which the whole human race should be ashamed forever. What caused Christ that torment and death on the cross was our sins, the sins of all mankind and not the spite and hatred of his Jewish opponents, who were only instruments in the tragedy. Atonement had to be made to God for the sins of the world, so that men could reach the eternal inheritance which the incarnation made available to them. However, not all the acts of the entire human race could make a sufficient atonement to God. A sacrifice, an expiation of infinite value was needed. The death of the Son of God in his human nature was alone capable of making such an expiation. That Christ willingly accepted crucifixion for our sakes, that he gave the greatest proof of love which the world has ever known, by laying down his life for his friends, did not make his sufferings any less, did not ease any of the pains of Calvary. His agony in the Garden before his arrest shows this: he foresaw all the tortures and pains which he was to undergo and sweated blood at the thought of what awaited him. But he was to keep his Father's commandment: "not my will but thine be done." We Christians must have hearts of stone, hearts devoid of all sense of gratitude, when we forget what Christ has done for us and deliberately offend him! Alas, this is what all of us do sometimes, and many of us do all the time. Christ died to bring us to heaven but we tell him, by our sins, that he was wasting his time. We do not want to go to heaven, we are making our happiness here! How far can human ingratitude and thanklessness go? Christ told us, through the disciples on Holy Thursday night, that he had made us his friends, his intimates. We are no longer servants in the household, who merely earn their daily wage and have no intimacy with the family and no hope of ever sharing in the family possessions. Instead, we have been adopted into the family by Christ becoming man, we have been guaranteed all the rights of children: intimacy with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and the future sharing in the eternal happiness of that divine household. Christ's incarnation made us God's children; Christ's death on the cross removed sin. Sin is the one obstacle that could prevent us reaching our eternal inheritance. Because God gave us a free will we can in a moment of folly, a moment of madness really, deprive ourselves of the privileges and possessions which Christ has made available to us. We can choose to exchange an eternity of happiness for a few fleeting years of self-indulgence on earth. We can fling Christ's gift of love back in his face and tell him we don't want it. God forbid that we should ever act like this, that we should ever forget God's purpose in creating us. It is a marvelous thing to be alive, if we have hope in a future life. If nothing awaited us but the grave, then to live on this earth, which is a valley of sorrow and tears for the vast majority, would be the cruelest of jests. But of this we need have no fear. Life on earth is but a short prelude to our real existence. If we use this brief period as Christ has told us how to use it, death for us will be the passage into the eternal mansions. Be grateful to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, love the Blessed Trinity; prove your love by loving your fellowman. By doing this you are fulfilling the whole law and the prophets; and you are assuring yourself of the place in heaven which Christ has won for you.b196 ________________________________________ Click to return to our Home page

05.03.12~Readings for Sunday May 13, 2012 + Catholic Matters

A-St Max Bible Study meets at the back of the church in the Mother Cabrini Room Fridays 9AM to 10AM… Please join us! http://facilitator-stmaxbiblestudy.blogspot.com Please click on link for access to more content… Please follow this page! MAY 13, 2012 Sixth Sunday of Easter READING 1 ACTS 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and, falling at his feet, paid him homage. Peter, however, raised him up, saying, "Get up. I myself am also a human being." Then Peter proceeded to speak and said, "In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him." While Peter was still speaking these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word. The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit should have been poured out on the Gentiles also, for they could hear them speaking in tongues and glorifying God. Then Peter responded, "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit even as we have?" He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. RESPONSORIAL PSALM PS 98:1, 2-3, 3-4 R. (cf. 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. or: R. Alleluia. Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; His right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. or: R. Alleluia. The LORD has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. or: R. Alleluia. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. or: R. Alleluia. READING 2 1 JN 4:7-10 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. GOSPEL JN 15:9-17 Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father"s commandments and remain in his love." "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another." FIRST READING: Acts 10: 25-26; 34-35; 44-48. When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am a man." And Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation any one who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him." While Peter was still saying this the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, "Can any one forbid water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days. EXPLANATION: Today's text from the Acts of the Apostles describes the reception of the first Gentiles into the Christian Church. Cornelius, a Roman centurion stationed in Caesarea, had been an admirer of the God of the Jews. He gave alms generously and prayed much. God told him through an angel to send for Simon Peter who was in Jaffa. Peter, already prepared by a vision of clean and unclean animals (10: 8-16) in which he was taught that what God had made clean must not be called unclean, came to Caesarea. The vision given him in Jaffa became clear on seeing the religious faith of Cornelius. He had no hesitation in entering a pagan household, something strictly forbidden to a Jew. He preached Christ's life, death and resurrection to the assembled Gentiles and while he was preaching the Holy Spirit descended on them and they began to praise God in various languages, just as the Apostles and disciples had done on Pentecost day in Jerusalem. What greater proof was needed to convince Peter and his companions that God wanted the Gentiles, as well as the Jews, in his Church? Thus Cornelius and his household were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and became the first Gentiles to enter the Church. Cornelius...feet: The Roman centurion wanted to honor Peter as a God, but Peter made him stand up telling him that he, Peter, was a mere man and should not be honored thus. Peter said: Having learned from Cornelius about the vision of the angel and the command to send for Peter, the Apostle declares that be now under stands that all men, Gentiles as well as Jews, are acceptable to God, if they turn to him. His own vision in Jaffa had prepared him for this. still...this: While Peter was explaining Christ and his teaching (10: 36-43), the Holy Spirit came upon all the Gentiles present. believers...circumcised: The converted Jews "brothers from Jaffa" (10: 23) who had accompanied Peter "were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles," for they still had the idea that Christ was the Messiah of the Jews only. Although Peter had no hesitation in accepting Cornelius and his household into the Church, the Council of Jerusalem had to be called to correct this wrong Jewish idea (Acts 15: 1-29). Can...baptizing: With the incontrovertible evidence that the Holy Spirit had descended on these Gentiles, Peter rightly declared that no man-made opinion could or should prevent them from full membership of the Church. They were then baptized with Christian baptism. APPLICATION: "God shows no partiality but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him." These inspired and inspiring words of Peter, the head of the Apostles, removed any doubts which his fellow-Jewish-Christians from Jaffa had as to the right of Cornelius and his household to be baptized and become Christians like themselves. They should also have opened the minds of all Jewish converts to the mission of Christ as a mission of salvation for all nations and not for Jews only. Unfortunately, there were some who exaggerated their own claims on God and who still looked down on the Gentiles. There were among the Jewish-Christians those who grudgingly admitted that Gentiles could be received into the Christian Church, but only if they became Jews first by accepting circumcision. These people were a serious embarrassment to St. Paul in his missionary activity among the Gentiles. They followed him through Asia Minor telling the converted Gentiles that they were not really members of the Christian Church for they had not first become Jews. These "Judaizers" as they were called, were causing such upsets among the Gentile converts that Paul and Barnabas were forced to ask the Apostles, assembled in the first Council of the Church in Jerusalem, to give a definitive answer to this question (Acts 15: 1-2). They did, and the false teaching of the Judaizers was condemned. Gentiles could and should be received directly into the Church, without passing through any form of Judaism or without accepting any of the Jewish ritualistic practices. God, through the Holy Spirit, has been with his Church right down through the ages and from its very beginning. The case of conversion of Cornelius, narrated in today's reading, happened in order that Peter, the head of the Apostles and the principal speaker at the Council of Jerusalem, should have visible proof from God that he wished Gentiles to be taken directly into his Church without any of the Jewish ritual observances. Peter's address to the Council, describing what happened at Caesarea, silenced all opposition and settled this question for all time. But before the vision of the clean and unclean animals shown him in Jaffa, and the proofs of the presence of the Holy Spirit which he witnessed in Caesarea, Peter too had his narrow judaizing tendencies. The lesson for all Christians is that God has been, and will be, always with his Church. Christ has committed it to the care of mortal and fallible men but he has given them (and us) the assurance that he will be with them always even unto the end of time (Mt. 28: 20). Today, many devout and sincere Christians are worried because of evident dissension between theologians on moral and dogmatic questions. Since the second Vatican Council there has been a flood of writings from the pens of reputable theologians and sometimes from men with less depth of knowledge and less balanced judgement. This is but a natural consequence of the winds of change to which the saintly Pope John opened the windows of the Church. Ever since Trent (1546), when the cold-war with the Reformers began, the Catholic Church had remained rather static in its exposition of faith and morals. While the world around us had made giant strides in the study of man and the world in which he lived, and also in the study of ancient literature and culture, our seminary text-books were faithfully copying the sixteenth century expositions of the theologians of that day. This in itself was right as far as it went, since the defined dogmas of the Church remain fixed for all time. However, it did not go far enough; it paid little or no heed to the immense growth in secular knowledge, or to the change in terminology and linguistics which the new philosophies had introduced. Scripture especially which, with Tradition, is the basis of all theology, was very much neglected, to the detriment of our people's knowledge of the revealed world of God. Thanks to the Holy Spirit, who worked through Pope John and Vatican II, that has all been changed, or rather is being gradually changed. As in all change, there must be upsets and a disturbance of the status quo ante. There will be naturally men who oppose change, and on the other hand there are likely to be men who want to change too much. We are going through this period of change at present, and some people are surprised, if not shocked, at some of the moral and dogmatic pronouncements of present-day writers. Knowing, as we do, that the Holy Spirit is with the Church we need have no fear. She has had similar experiences in the past---nearly all her great General Councils were preceded by disputes between theologians and would-be theologizers. The Councils, guided by the Holy Spirit, defined and expounded the true faith. Truth will prevail; we can look forward confidently to the day when present disputes will end. Our Christian faith and morals will continue to be expounded authoritatively with the backing of the Holy Spirit, by the successors of the Apostles whom he sent to teach all nations. ________________________________________ SECOND READING: 1 John 4: 7-10. Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God; for God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins. EXPLANATION: On this Epistle see, the second Sunday of Easter. In today's four verses, St. John is urging us to love one another, for we are sons of God whose very essence is love. He proved this when out of the infinity of his love he sent his own divine Son to give us eternal life and make expiation for the sins of the world. let...another: The love St. John urges us to have for our fellowman is not the natural attraction which has its basis in family bonds, or sex, or some qualities we hold in common. It is that supernatural respect, interest and esteem which we have for all men. It is, based on our knowledge of God as our common Father. love is of God: This supernatural love of neighbor derives from God, whose very nature is love, and it is a free gift which he has instilled into us together with faith and hope in our baptism. born...God: The man who has this supernatural love is a son of God by adoption, it was in his adoption ceremony that he was given this gift. He therefore knows God, not in the sense of the Gnostics but in the true sense; he is intimately associated with God through participation in the very nature of God which has been given him in baptism, in the divine gift of love. God...Son: This is the manifestation of God's love for us: he sent his only Son to live and die among us. might...him: Through the incarnation, the coming of God the Son as man among us, we have been made sons of God and heirs of eternal life. not that we loved God: John is stressing the gratuitousness of God's love for us. He loved us when we were incapable of loving him; even before we existed. His Son died for us while we were still sinners. As St. Paul says: "for someone really worthy a man might be prepared to die---but what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners" (Rom. 5: 7-8). APPLICATION: It is told that when St. John was too old and feeble to say Mass, he insisted on being carried to the Church on Sundays to preach to the congregation. Sunday after Sunday his sermon consisted of one short sentence: "Little children, love one another." After some weeks of this repetition, the presiding priest had the courage to say to the Apostle: "Father, could you not say something more?" The answer that he got was: "No, for if they do this they are doing everything." Undoubtedly the Beloved Disciple was the Apostle of love. His gospel and Epistles are dominated by the thought of "the Word made flesh," the mystery of God's love for us which brought about the incarnation. Having been made children of God, we must, of course, love God for this gratuitious gift; but the real proof of our love of God is our love for our neighbor. "He who does not love (his neighbor) does not know God." This hardly needs proof. If we do know God we know the marvelous thing he has done for us in making us his children and heirs to heaven through the incarnation, and the natural and supernatural reaction to such knowledge should be the, desire to do something for God in return. And God himself through Christ has told us what we can do for him---we can be charitable toward his little ones, our fellow-children of God on earth. Everything kind and good we do for them, we are doing it for himself, he tells us (Mt. 25: 40). Therefore, we are expected, and what is more, we are commanded to love all God's children. This is the way in which the good God allows us to make some little return for all he has done for us. Generous souls would not need a commandment, they would rejoice at the opportunity of doing something for God, but most of us are not too given to generosity, and so God has given us a commandment to do our duty. On the fulfilling of that commandment our own eternal welfare will depend. "I was hungry and you fed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick, I was in prison, and you visited me; well done good and faithful servant enter into the joy of the Lord." These are words we all would like to hear when called to judgement. We shall hear them if we keep our part of the contract. If we carry out the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, whenever and wherever we can, we need have no fear about God doing his part. We may not have much of this world's goods, and we may not be able therefore to help our neighbor much in his bodily needs, but we can help him with our prayers, with words of consolation and encouragement. There is a little poem on kindness written by Father Faber which brings out what a help even the poorest of us can be to his neighbor, if only true charity inspires us. It runs like this: "It was but a sunny smile and little it cost in the giving, But it scattered the night like the morning light, And made the day worth living. It was only a kindly word, a word that was easily spoken, But it was not in vain for it chilled the pain, Of a heart that was nearly broken. It was but a helping hand and it seemed of little availing, But its clasp was warm and it saved from harm, A brother whose strength was failing." Which of us is so poor in spirit, so weak in charity, that he cannot give a sunny smile to his neighbor whenever he meets him, or speak a kind word to someone in need of consoling, or give a helping hand, be it ever so little, to one in greater need than himself? ________________________________________ GOSPEL: John 15: 9-17. Jesus said to his disciples, "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. This I command you, to love one another." EXPLANATION: Today's verses are a continuation of last Sunday's quotation from our Lord's Last Supper discourse to his disciples on Holy Thursday night. In last Sunday's gospel, our Lord used the image of the vine and the branches to describe the intimate association between himself and his followers that was necessary if his disciples were to produce fruit for eternal life. Today, our Lord urges his followers to abide in his love and to love one another. This love for neighbor must have as its model and exemplar Christ's love for his disciples, which made him lay down his life for them. The disciples are not Christ's servants but his intimate associates: they will bear lasting fruit in their life-work if they trust in God and are motivated by true love of God and neighbor. As the Father has loved me: The Father loves the Son with an infinite love. As God, Christ's love for his followers (represented by the disciples) is infinite; as man, it is as complete as human love can be. if...commandments: God's commandments were Christ's also. Keeping the commandment's is man's way of proving his love for Christ. I have...commandments: As man, he obeyed every wish and command of the Father in every detail, "not my will but thine be done." greater...friends: There is nothing greater that a man can do for those he loves, than to give his life for them. Christ did this. servant...know: His relationship with his disciples was not that of master and servant, for he had brought them into the intimacy of the divine family. He had revealed the Father to them during his years with them; he had made them adopted sons of the Father. I chose you: Their vocation was Christ's free gift to them. He chose them, not they him. bear fruit: That fruit for heaven was the number of their brothers who would be brought to eternal life. This fruit will last forever. ask...name: He is their (and our) mediator with God. All our petitions to the Father, made through him, will be answered because by his life, death and resurrection he has earned for us all spiritual and where necessary for the spiritual, temporal rewards. This I command you: Christ ends by repeating the second of the greatest commandments: love of neighbor. APPLICATION: It is only a few weeks since Good Friday when we commemorated the agonizing death of Christ on Mount Calvary. This was an excruciating, shameful death even for hardened criminals who deserved it. But for our loving Savior, the innocent lamb of God, one who had never offended God or neighbor, it was something of which the whole human race should be ashamed forever. What caused Christ that torment and death on the cross was our sins, the sins of all mankind and not the spite and hatred of his Jewish opponents, who were only instruments in the tragedy. Atonement had to be made to God for the sins of the world, so that men could reach the eternal inheritance which the incarnation made available to them. However, not all the acts of the entire human race could make a sufficient atonement to God. A sacrifice, an expiation of infinite value was needed. The death of the Son of God in his human nature was alone capable of making such an expiation. That Christ willingly accepted crucifixion for our sakes, that he gave the greatest proof of love which the world has ever known, by laying down his life for his friends, did not make his sufferings any less, did not ease any of the pains of Calvary. His agony in the Garden before his arrest shows this: he foresaw all the tortures and pains which he was to undergo and sweated blood at the thought of what awaited him. But he was to keep his Father's commandment: "not my will but thine be done." We Christians must have hearts of stone, hearts devoid of all sense of gratitude, when we forget what Christ has done for us and deliberately offend him! Alas, this is what all of us do sometimes, and many of us do all the time. Christ died to bring us to heaven but we tell him, by our sins, that he was wasting his time. We do not want to go to heaven, we are making our happiness here! How far can human ingratitude and thanklessness go? Christ told us, through the disciples on Holy Thursday night, that he had made us his friends, his intimates. We are no longer servants in the household, who merely earn their daily wage and have no intimacy with the family and no hope of ever sharing in the family possessions. Instead, we have been adopted into the family by Christ becoming man, we have been guaranteed all the rights of children: intimacy with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and the future sharing in the eternal happiness of that divine household. Christ's incarnation made us God's children; Christ's death on the cross removed sin. Sin is the one obstacle that could prevent us reaching our eternal inheritance. Because God gave us a free will we can in a moment of folly, a moment of madness really, deprive ourselves of the privileges and possessions which Christ has made available to us. We can choose to exchange an eternity of happiness for a few fleeting years of self-indulgence on earth. We can fling Christ's gift of love back in his face and tell him we don't want it. God forbid that we should ever act like this, that we should ever forget God's purpose in creating us. It is a marvelous thing to be alive, if we have hope in a future life. If nothing awaited us but the grave, then to live on this earth, which is a valley of sorrow and tears for the vast majority, would be the cruelest of jests. But of this we need have no fear. Life on earth is but a short prelude to our real existence. If we use this brief period as Christ has told us how to use it, death for us will be the passage into the eternal mansions. Be grateful to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, love the Blessed Trinity; prove your love by loving your fellowman. By doing this you are fulfilling the whole law and the prophets; and you are assuring yourself of the place in heaven which Christ has won for you.b196 ________________________________________ Click to return to our Home page

Catholic Matters for May 6, 2012

SUNDAY READINGS - Fifth Sunday of Easter FIRST READING: Acts 9: 26-31. When Saul had come to Jerusalem he attempted to join the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists; but they were seeking to kill him. And when the brethren knew it, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him off to Tarsus. So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was built up; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit it was multiplied. EXPLANATION: Saul, who later changed his name to Paul, was born of Jewish parents in Tarsus in Cicilia. He came to Jerusalem as a youth to study the Law (of Moses) and become a rabbi. He had qualified as a rabbi about the year that Jesus was crucified. He took a firm stand against the young Christian Church, looking on it as an heretical sect which had to be crushed. Having harassed the Christians in Jerusalem, he set out for Damascus to arrest and bring to Jerusalem any Christians he found there. On the road to Damascus he was converted by a vision of the risen Christ. Having spent some time in Damascus preaching to the Jews of the city that Jesus was the Son of God, he paid his first visit to Jerusalem, This visit is the subject of today's reading. join the disciples: Saul wanted to join with the Christians of Jerusalem at their prayers and meetings, but, remembering too well his past conduct in the city they did not trust him, for they thought he had not become a disciple of Christ, but was there to spy on them. Barnabas...Apostles: Barnabas, a man of standing in the church in Jerusalem (Acts 4: 32-37). was convinced that Saul had become a sincere Christian. He, therefore, introduced him to the Apostles telling them about Saul's conversion on the road to Damascus when "the Lord spoke to him," and about his great work for the spread of the Christian faith in Damascus. Barnabas could have had contacts with Damascus and heard of the conversion and work of Saul there, and could even have had confirmation of this from Saul himself. went...them: The result of Barnabas' intervention was that Saul was fully accepted by the Christians in Jerusalem. against the Hellenists: Jerusalem had many Jews who had been born outside of Palestine and spoke only Greek. These were called Hellenists. Paul was a native speaker of Greek, and was well qualified to argue about Christ with them, which he did. seeking...him: Not all of these Hellenists were willing to accept Christ. Some, unable to answer his arguments, were planning to put him to death. They probably knew his past history and looked on him as a traitor, and traitors, they thought, deserved death. The other Apostles had not been Pharisees or rabbis, and so were not as guilty, in their eyes, as Saul. Caesarea...Tarsus: To save him from death by stoning, the death Stephen suffered a few years previously (Acts 6 and 7), the Christians of Jerusalem saw him safely to the port of Caesarea in Palestine, from whence he went by ship to Tarsus, his native town. church...built up: The open persecution of the Christians during the first years seems to have ceased. The leaders of the Jews may have grown tired of arrests and trials, or perhaps they had paid heed to the wise words of one of their members, Gamaliel, who said at one of their trial sessions: "If this enterprise (Christianity) is of human origin it will break up of its own accord; but if it does in fact come from God you will not only be unable to destroy them (the Christians) but you might find yourself fighting against God" (Acts 5: 39). Whatever the reason, the Christians in Jerusalem were allowed to live in peace. Their numbers increased daily, not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judea, Samaria and Galilee, that is, in all of Palestine. walking...Lord: This is living the full Christian life, giving offense to neither God nor man. comfort...Spirit: The visible effects of the descent of the Holy Spirit in baptism on the converted were there to strengthen and encourage the Christians and to attract other converts. Hence the great growth of the Church. APPLICATION: Although the verses of today's reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, begin with Saul and his first visit to Jerusalem, the point of interest for us is the growth, and marvelous spread of the Christian faith among the Jews of Palestine. "The Church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was built up." If we were dealing with human achievement and human endeavor only, we would have an incredible story in those few words. During his public life of over two years Christ had traveled around Palestine. He had worked many miracles, but evidently these were soon forgotten. He had stated that he was the promised Messiah, but very few, if any, believed him. On many occasions he had referred to his sonship with the Father, but even his disciples did not grasp that. The leaders of the Jews were against him from the very beginning, and the people followed their leaders. Like their leaders, the Jews of that day were looking not for a spiritual kingdom after death, but a prosperous, wealthy kingdom here on earth in their own lifetime. So, with the few exceptions, all his calls to repentance and to love of God and neighbor fell on deaf ears. His death at the hands of his enemies was the last straw---that proved the absurdity of his claims to be the Messiah and the Son of God. Yet what do we find a few years later, after the apparent failure of Calvary? Thousands of those same Jews who ignored or derided Jesus while he was amongst them, were becoming his fervent followers and ardent admirers. They were spreading his teaching among their neighbors. There is no natural explanation for such a change of attitude in a whole people. There is, of course, a supernatural explanation for this change of mind: the resurrection. This fact alone explains the change of outlook on the part of thousands of Jews: this alone explains the fearless courage of the Apostles---the one-time timid group who huddled in an upper-room behind locked doors "for fear of the Jews." Now they were confronting the very Sanhedrin in their stronghold, preaching the risen Christ in the streets of Jerusalem and throughout the land of Palestine. Their power of working miracles, and the visible assistance of the Holy Spirit was moving not only the ordinary laity but many of the priests and leaders in Jerusalem itself, to accept Christ and Christianity (see Acts 6: 7). This fact. the resurrection of Christ, is the very foundation stone of our Christian religion. If it had not happened, no Jew would have been converted in Palestine, no Apostle would have the foolhardiness to preach of one who had failed. The Church which Christ promised would have been stillborn and would never have survived. But it did exist and it spread. It is still in existence and will be, as long as men are on earth who must be directed to heaven. The resurrection of Christ is not only the solid basis of our faith, it is also the guarantee for us that we too shall rise, in glorified bodies like his, one day. That day will be our real birthday, the day we are born to unending life. Let us thank God for his love and mercy; he could have ignored us and left us to our fate, but his infinite love did not let him do so. His goodness moved him to share his eternal happiness. That we shall do, if we do what is asked of us while we are here below. When the crosses of life come our way (and who can avoid them?), let us grasp them firmly. We want, and we hope, to be like the risen Christ hereafter; we shall if we, like him, carry our cross cheerfully whenever he asks us to do so. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECOND READING: 1 John 3:18-24. Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandments that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as be has commanded us. All who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he had given us. EXPLANATION: See second Sunday of Easter for an explanation of the first Epistle of John. In today's seven verses, the Beloved Disciple is urging his readers, and all Christians, to believe firmly in Jesus Christ the Son of God, and to love their neighbor with a practical love, a love which will help him in his corporal and spiritual needs. not...in deed: Our love of God and neighbor must prove itself by good deeds. Actions, not declarations, are needed. we...truth: Our charity---love of God and neighbor---alone will prove to us that we have the true faith of Christ, that we are children of God. reassure our hearts: "hearts" stand for conscience here. If a Christian has doubts about the sincerity of his faith, his practice of true charity should reassure him. He may have some defects but: God...hearts: God's mercy and love are infinite; where one has true charity, his smaller offenses will be generously forgiven---"charity covers a multitude of sins." he knows everything: Because of his infinite knowledge God is certainly better able to examine our consciences than we ourselves are. confidence before God: The Christian whose conscience tells him that he is living in true faith and charity, can feel assured that God will answer all his lawful requests for divine grace and help. keep his commandments: To keep God's commandments is to please God and when God is pleased with us he will, like a kind Father, help us on our way to heaven. believe...name: This means: to accept Jesus for what he is, not the Messiah only, but the true Son of God himself. This has been the foundation-stone of the Christian religion from its very beginning. love one another: Fraternal charity for all our fellowman was the command of Christ and the proof of the sincerity of Christians: "By this will all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another" (Jn. 13: 35). abide in him: All who keep Christ's commandments are assured of continued communion with God. by the Spirit: The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Blessed Trinity, dwells in the Christian who is loyal and true to God. The effects of the presence of the Holy Spirit were especially noticeable in the early Church. Wherever the Holy Spirit is there also are the Father and the Son. APPLICATION: The sincere, active faith and charity which St. John demanded of the first and second generation of Christians in Asia Minor is still demanded of all of us today. Nineteen centuries have elapsed since John wrote that letter, but the essence of the Christian faith has not changed in all those years. If anything, the need today for a living faith, that is, a faith lived daily, and an active charity, is greater than it was in the first century after Christ. The opponents of the Christian faith (the unbelievers, the Agnostics and the humanists) are more numerous in our world today than they were then in Asia Minor. What these opponents of our faith need is not rhetoric or apologetics or logical argument but the living example of sincere Christians. There is far too much counterfeit Christianity---a nominal adherence to Christ---while he and everything he taught are denied in practice. Perhaps, therefore, unbelievers and others have some excuse today for despising the Christian religion. But what they are despising is the counterfeit, the false currency, which is being passed around as Christianity. Some of them, it is true, may not accept the real faith if it is put before them in the lives of true Christians, but many will, and we have, therefore, a grave obligation to put it before them. Instead of denouncing atheistic communism, humanism and all the other substitutes for the truth which men have invented, let us show them the truth by living it to the full. Let us convince them that the future life which God has planned for us, and made available to us through his divine Son Jesus, is a fact of which we are certain and for which we are ready to sacrifice every earthly power, pleasure and gain. If we are true Christians we must desire and hope that all our fellowmen will become obedient to God, for this is God's desire. That is why his divine Son became man. But, as St. John tells us today, it is not enough to desire and hope for this blessing for all our neighbors, we must show our true desire "in deed and in truth." This we shall do if we ourselves live up to the teaching of our Christian faith. There are many historical explanations for the loss of the true faith in many of the once Christian nations of the Western world, but the basic cause is the lack of a living, active faith and charity in those who by their position, education and influence, were the leaders of the people. The "isms" of today, the substitutes for true religion, would never take root in a truly Christian soil; they took root and they spread where Christianity was but a name, or worse still a veneer which covered injustice and corruption. We Christians owe a debt of reparation to all lapsed Christians. We have a grave obligation to bring our brothers who have been led astray by lax and false Christians, back on the true road to heaven. Let us begin today to put our own house in order. Let us see to it that our conscience is right with God and resolve to keep it so. Then we can hope to exercise a quiet but effective influence on our neighbors who have wandered off the highway. Christ told his followers to let their light (of faith and good works) shine before men. If we have not been doing so let us begin today. There are millions groping in the darkness of spiritual despair; we can light their way to God. In God's name let us do so! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GOSPEL: John 15: 1-8. Jesus said to his disciples, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes that it may bear more fruit. You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me, I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my, disciples." EXPLANATION: Today's excerpt from St. John's gospel is part of the long discourse our Lord delivered to the Apostles at the Last Supper. It was in the form of a farewell address delivered on the eve of his death. Its purpose was to console and strengthen them to face the ordeals of the coming days. He told them not to be troubled, but to trust in God. Where he was going they would follow him later. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is in the Father and the Father is in him, "if you knew me you would know the Father too." His death will not be the end; he will still live, and they too shall live. His life is not being taken from him, he is laying it down in obedience to his Father. Keeping his commandments will be the proof that they love him : "and anybody who loves me will be loved by my Father" (Jn. 14). Christ goes on (in chapter 15) to describe the intimate union that must exist between him and his followers, under the image of a vine and its branches. His Father is the vinedresser who will encourage the good and cut off the useless branches. The fruit produced by the vine and branches, by Christ and his followers, will be to God's eternal glory. I am...vine: The image of a vine or a vineyard to represent the Chosen People of God was often used in the Old Testament (Is. 5: 1-7; Jer. 2: 21; Ez. 15, Ps. 80: 9-16). Here Christ says that he and his followers will form the new Chosen People. He is the true vine, the vine that will bear fruit; the Old Testament was only a shadow, a type of what was to come. Father...vinedresser: Christ frequently stresses that he is only the instrument used by his Father. His success as a vine depends on his Father who planted the good vine and cares for it. takes away: Useless branches are lopped off, the fruit-bearing branches are pruned so that they will produce more fruit. clean...spoken: The revelation of God, which he has already given to them, has pruned them, that is, cleansed them from useless growths. abide in me: As branches, they will wither and die unless they remain attached, that is, united with, the vine. apart...nothing: No purely human act can have any salutary value, any value for eternal life, but if it is done under the influence of grace, then it can and is effective. Christ, by his incarnation, death and resurrection, opened the channels of divine grace for man. Because of the foreseen merits of Christ, the effects of the incarnation were retroactive and grace was obtainable before he came. cast...withers: If they persevere in this sinful attitude Christ's followers who fail in their duty will be cut off from the life-giving vine and must of necessity wither and die (spiritually). ask...will: The follower of Christ, who is in intimate union with him, will have every request he makes in prayer granted. Such a Christian's prayer will always be according to the will of God. my Father is glorified: The followers of Christ will add to God's external glory by the good works they do and the fruit they produce. They will produce such fruits only because they are united to the vine who is Christ. They are his true disciples. Through him they glorify the Father. APPLICATION: The words of consolation and encouragement which our Lord spoke to his Apostles on Holy Thursday night were intended to console and encourage all his followers for all time. They encourage and console us today, and we need encouragement to persevere on the road to heaven. Living a truly Christian life is never easy. We have always the attraction of the world, and the temptations by the agents of evil, to make that life less easy still. But in our own day these difficulties have increased a hundredfold. The attractions of this world have been multiplied by the increased comforts, pleasures and means of self-indulgence which science and technology have put within our reach. Human nature, always inclined to choose the easiest way out, has been given so many means of escape from the strain of self-control that even for a fervent Christian it is frequently very difficult to avoid these worldly allurements. Having the ordinary comforts of life and the possession of some of this world's goods, is not wrong or anti-Christian, but the natural temptation is to get more and more of these comforts and riches, and the point is soon reached where this becomes the only purpose in life. When this sad stage is arrived at God and our future life are forgotten; this world becomes our idol and our prison. The temptations which the agents of evil put in Christ's way are also multiplied today. The communications media are now very technically improved and perfected and can be, and sometimes are, a means for good. Unfortunately more frequently they are the channels of bad example. The evil deeds of men have more "news value" than their good deeds. And it is so much easier to follow the bad example! Permissiveness, rejection of authority, glorification of unlawful sexual indulgence, drug addiction, and other such crimes are placed before the minds and the eyes of the youth of today, and are unfortunately copied by far too many. It is indeed hard to swim against the current; it is so much more pleasant to allow oneself to be carried along without effort by the rushing tide. But when there are rocks and shoals ahead, the thoughtless and ease-seeking swimmer will end in grief. Our Lord has warned us today, as he warned his first followers, to abide in him, to remain closely united with him, as is the branch to the vine, if we hope to bear fruit worthy of heaven. He promises us that if we remain closely united to him, that is, if we strive daily to keep his commandments, he will be ever ready to answer our requests, and to heed all our prayers. The sincere prayer today of every man who is trying to lead a Christian life is for the grace to overcome the allurements of the world, the flesh and the devil. Let us take courage, then. Christ has promised to remain beside us during life if only we stay close to him. While we remain healthy branches of the vine, Christ, we will be on the road to heaven. Our daily tasks, our work as well as our prayer, our recreations as well as our rest, our joys as well as our sorrows, will give glory to God and prove that we are worthy to be called disciples of Christ.-b189 Click to return to

RE: 05.03.12~Readings for Sunday, May 6th-2012

Saint Max Bible Study meets at the back of the church in the Mother Cabrini Room Fridays 9AM-10AM… Please join us! Fifth Sunday of Easter May 6, 2012 READING 1 ACTS 9:26-31 When Saul arrived in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. Then Barnabas took charge of him and brought him to the apostles, and he reported to them how he had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. He moved about freely with them in Jerusalem, and spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord. He also spoke and debated with the Hellenists, but they tried to kill him. And when the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him on his way to Tarsus. The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace. It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord, and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit it grew in numbers. RESPONSORIAL PSALM PS 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32 R. (26a) I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people. or: R. Alleluia. I will fulfill my vows before those who fear the LORD. The lowly shall eat their fill; they who seek the LORD shall praise him: "May your hearts live forever!" R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people. or: R. Alleluia. All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; all the families of the nations shall bow down before him. R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people. or: R. Alleluia. To him alone shall bow down all who sleep in the earth; before him shall bend all who go down into the dust. R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people. or: R. Alleluia. And to him my soul shall live; my descendants shall serve him. Let the coming generation be told of the LORD that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born the justice he has shown. R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people. or: R. Alleluia. READING 2 1 JN 3:18-24 Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth. Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth and reassure our hearts before him in whatever our hearts condemn, for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in God and receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us. Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he gave us. GOSPEL JN 15:1-8 Jesus said to his disciples: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples." FIRST READING: Acts 9: 26-31. When Saul had come to Jerusalem he attempted to join the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists; but they were seeking to kill him. And when the brethren knew it, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him off to Tarsus. So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was built up; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit it was multiplied. EXPLANATION: Saul, who later changed his name to Paul, was born of Jewish parents in Tarsus in Cicilia. He came to Jerusalem as a youth to study the Law (of Moses) and become a rabbi. He had qualified as a rabbi about the year that Jesus was crucified. He took a firm stand against the young Christian Church, looking on it as an heretical sect which had to be crushed. Having harassed the Christians in Jerusalem, he set out for Damascus to arrest and bring to Jerusalem any Christians he found there. On the road to Damascus he was converted by a vision of the risen Christ. Having spent some time in Damascus preaching to the Jews of the city that Jesus was the Son of God, he paid his first visit to Jerusalem, This visit is the subject of today's reading. join the disciples: Saul wanted to join with the Christians of Jerusalem at their prayers and meetings, but, remembering too well his past conduct in the city they did not trust him, for they thought he had not become a disciple of Christ, but was there to spy on them. Barnabas...Apostles: Barnabas, a man of standing in the church in Jerusalem (Acts 4: 32-37). was convinced that Saul had become a sincere Christian. He, therefore, introduced him to the Apostles telling them about Saul's conversion on the road to Damascus when "the Lord spoke to him," and about his great work for the spread of the Christian faith in Damascus. Barnabas could have had contacts with Damascus and heard of the conversion and work of Saul there, and could even have had confirmation of this from Saul himself. went...them: The result of Barnabas' intervention was that Saul was fully accepted by the Christians in Jerusalem. against the Hellenists: Jerusalem had many Jews who had been born outside of Palestine and spoke only Greek. These were called Hellenists. Paul was a native speaker of Greek, and was well qualified to argue about Christ with them, which he did. seeking...him: Not all of these Hellenists were willing to accept Christ. Some, unable to answer his arguments, were planning to put him to death. They probably knew his past history and looked on him as a traitor, and traitors, they thought, deserved death. The other Apostles had not been Pharisees or rabbis, and so were not as guilty, in their eyes, as Saul. Caesarea...Tarsus: To save him from death by stoning, the death Stephen suffered a few years previously (Acts 6 and 7), the Christians of Jerusalem saw him safely to the port of Caesarea in Palestine, from whence he went by ship to Tarsus, his native town. church...built up: The open persecution of the Christians during the first years seems to have ceased. The leaders of the Jews may have grown tired of arrests and trials, or perhaps they had paid heed to the wise words of one of their members, Gamaliel, who said at one of their trial sessions: "If this enterprise (Christianity) is of human origin it will break up of its own accord; but if it does in fact come from God you will not only be unable to destroy them (the Christians) but you might find yourself fighting against God" (Acts 5: 39). Whatever the reason, the Christians in Jerusalem were allowed to live in peace. Their numbers increased daily, not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judea, Samaria and Galilee, that is, in all of Palestine. walking...Lord: This is living the full Christian life, giving offense to neither God nor man. comfort...Spirit: The visible effects of the descent of the Holy Spirit in baptism on the converted were there to strengthen and encourage the Christians and to attract other converts. Hence the great growth of the Church. APPLICATION: Although the verses of today's reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, begin with Saul and his first visit to Jerusalem, the point of interest for us is the growth, and marvelous spread of the Christian faith among the Jews of Palestine. "The Church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was built up." If we were dealing with human achievement and human endeavor only, we would have an incredible story in those few words. During his public life of over two years Christ had traveled around Palestine. He had worked many miracles, but evidently these were soon forgotten. He had stated that he was the promised Messiah, but very few, if any, believed him. On many occasions he had referred to his sonship with the Father, but even his disciples did not grasp that. The leaders of the Jews were against him from the very beginning, and the people followed their leaders. Like their leaders, the Jews of that day were looking not for a spiritual kingdom after death, but a prosperous, wealthy kingdom here on earth in their own lifetime. So, with the few exceptions, all his calls to repentance and to love of God and neighbor fell on deaf ears. His death at the hands of his enemies was the last straw---that proved the absurdity of his claims to be the Messiah and the Son of God. Yet what do we find a few years later, after the apparent failure of Calvary? Thousands of those same Jews who ignored or derided Jesus while he was amongst them, were becoming his fervent followers and ardent admirers. They were spreading his teaching among their neighbors. There is no natural explanation for such a change of attitude in a whole people. There is, of course, a supernatural explanation for this change of mind: the resurrection. This fact alone explains the change of outlook on the part of thousands of Jews: this alone explains the fearless courage of the Apostles---the one-time timid group who huddled in an upper-room behind locked doors "for fear of the Jews." Now they were confronting the very Sanhedrin in their stronghold, preaching the risen Christ in the streets of Jerusalem and throughout the land of Palestine. Their power of working miracles, and the visible assistance of the Holy Spirit was moving not only the ordinary laity but many of the priests and leaders in Jerusalem itself, to accept Christ and Christianity (see Acts 6: 7). This fact. the resurrection of Christ, is the very foundation stone of our Christian religion. If it had not happened, no Jew would have been converted in Palestine, no Apostle would have the foolhardiness to preach of one who had failed. The Church which Christ promised would have been stillborn and would never have survived. But it did exist and it spread. It is still in existence and will be, as long as men are on earth who must be directed to heaven. The resurrection of Christ is not only the solid basis of our faith, it is also the guarantee for us that we too shall rise, in glorified bodies like his, one day. That day will be our real birthday, the day we are born to unending life. Let us thank God for his love and mercy; he could have ignored us and left us to our fate, but his infinite love did not let him do so. His goodness moved him to share his eternal happiness. That we shall do, if we do what is asked of us while we are here below. When the crosses of life come our way (and who can avoid them?), let us grasp them firmly. We want, and we hope, to be like the risen Christ hereafter; we shall if we, like him, carry our cross cheerfully whenever he asks us to do so. ________________________________________ SECOND READING: 1 John 3:18-24. Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandments that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as be has commanded us. All who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he had given us. EXPLANATION: See second Sunday of Easter for an explanation of the first Epistle of John. In today's seven verses, the Beloved Disciple is urging his readers, and all Christians, to believe firmly in Jesus Christ the Son of God, and to love their neighbor with a practical love, a love which will help him in his corporal and spiritual needs. not...in deed: Our love of God and neighbor must prove itself by good deeds. Actions, not declarations, are needed. we...truth: Our charity---love of God and neighbor---alone will prove to us that we have the true faith of Christ, that we are children of God. reassure our hearts: "hearts" stand for conscience here. If a Christian has doubts about the sincerity of his faith, his practice of true charity should reassure him. He may have some defects but: God...hearts: God's mercy and love are infinite; where one has true charity, his smaller offenses will be generously forgiven---"charity covers a multitude of sins." he knows everything: Because of his infinite knowledge God is certainly better able to examine our consciences than we ourselves are. confidence before God: The Christian whose conscience tells him that he is living in true faith and charity, can feel assured that God will answer all his lawful requests for divine grace and help. keep his commandments: To keep God's commandments is to please God and when God is pleased with us he will, like a kind Father, help us on our way to heaven. believe...name: This means: to accept Jesus for what he is, not the Messiah only, but the true Son of God himself. This has been the foundation-stone of the Christian religion from its very beginning. love one another: Fraternal charity for all our fellowman was the command of Christ and the proof of the sincerity of Christians: "By this will all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another" (Jn. 13: 35). abide in him: All who keep Christ's commandments are assured of continued communion with God. by the Spirit: The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Blessed Trinity, dwells in the Christian who is loyal and true to God. The effects of the presence of the Holy Spirit were especially noticeable in the early Church. Wherever the Holy Spirit is there also are the Father and the Son. APPLICATION: The sincere, active faith and charity which St. John demanded of the first and second generation of Christians in Asia Minor is still demanded of all of us today. Nineteen centuries have elapsed since John wrote that letter, but the essence of the Christian faith has not changed in all those years. If anything, the need today for a living faith, that is, a faith lived daily, and an active charity, is greater than it was in the first century after Christ. The opponents of the Christian faith (the unbelievers, the Agnostics and the humanists) are more numerous in our world today than they were then in Asia Minor. What these opponents of our faith need is not rhetoric or apologetics or logical argument but the living example of sincere Christians. There is far too much counterfeit Christianity---a nominal adherence to Christ---while he and everything he taught are denied in practice. Perhaps, therefore, unbelievers and others have some excuse today for despising the Christian religion. But what they are despising is the counterfeit, the false currency, which is being passed around as Christianity. Some of them, it is true, may not accept the real faith if it is put before them in the lives of true Christians, but many will, and we have, therefore, a grave obligation to put it before them. Instead of denouncing atheistic communism, humanism and all the other substitutes for the truth which men have invented, let us show them the truth by living it to the full. Let us convince them that the future life which God has planned for us, and made available to us through his divine Son Jesus, is a fact of which we are certain and for which we are ready to sacrifice every earthly power, pleasure and gain. If we are true Christians we must desire and hope that all our fellowmen will become obedient to God, for this is God's desire. That is why his divine Son became man. But, as St. John tells us today, it is not enough to desire and hope for this blessing for all our neighbors, we must show our true desire "in deed and in truth." This we shall do if we ourselves live up to the teaching of our Christian faith. There are many historical explanations for the loss of the true faith in many of the once Christian nations of the Western world, but the basic cause is the lack of a living, active faith and charity in those who by their position, education and influence, were the leaders of the people. The "isms" of today, the substitutes for true religion, would never take root in a truly Christian soil; they took root and they spread where Christianity was but a name, or worse still a veneer which covered injustice and corruption. We Christians owe a debt of reparation to all lapsed Christians. We have a grave obligation to bring our brothers who have been led astray by lax and false Christians, back on the true road to heaven. Let us begin today to put our own house in order. Let us see to it that our conscience is right with God and resolve to keep it so. Then we can hope to exercise a quiet but effective influence on our