23 May 2011

23 May 2011, Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter

Reading 1
Acts 14:5-18


There was an attempt in Iconium
by both the Gentiles and the Jews,
together with their leaders,
to attack and stone Paul and Barnabas.
They realized it,
and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe
and to the surrounding countryside,
where they continued to proclaim the Good News.

At Lystra there was a crippled man, lame from birth,
who had never walked.
He listened to Paul speaking, who looked intently at him,
saw that he had the faith to be healed,
and called out in a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet.”
He jumped up and began to walk about.
When the crowds saw what Paul had done,
they cried out in Lycaonian,
“The gods have come down to us in human form.”
They called Barnabas “Zeus” and Paul “Hermes,”
because he was the chief speaker.
And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city,
brought oxen and garlands to the gates,
for he together with the people intended to offer sacrifice.

The Apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their garments
when they heard this and rushed out into the crowd, shouting,
“Men, why are you doing this?
We are of the same nature as you, human beings.
We proclaim to you good news
that you should turn from these idols to the living God,
who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them.
In past generations he allowed all Gentiles to go their own ways;
yet, in bestowing his goodness,
he did not leave himself without witness,
for he gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons,
and filled you with nourishment and gladness for your hearts.”
Even with these words, they scarcely restrained the crowds
from offering sacrifice to them.


115:1-2, 3-4, 15-16
Responsorial Psalm R. (1ab)


Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to your name give glory
because of your mercy, because of your truth.
Why should the pagans say,
“Where is their God?”
R. Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Our God is in heaven;
whatever he wills, he does.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the handiwork of men.
R. Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
May you be blessed by the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
Heaven is the heaven of the LORD,
but the earth he has given to the children of men.
R. Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel
Jn 14:21-26


Jesus said to his disciples:
“Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”
Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him,
“Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us
and not to the world?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.

“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit
whom the Father will send in my nameB
he will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.”

Meditation: Acts 14:5-18

“Paul saw that he had the faith to be healed.” (Acts 14:9)


Imagine you were given mil­lions of dollars and told you could share it with any person, group, or organization you wanted. It would be wonderful to see the faces of the ones who received a check from you—completely unexpected but deeply appreciated. Since the money wasn’t yours in the first place, it is easy for you to be gener­ous and change people’s lives.

Paul and Barnabas had been given something much greater than money: God’s very life. And they wasted no time sharing that gift with other people. They saw lives transformed, and they knew that the change didn’t come from their own resources. They were simply being generous with the gift that God had given them.

Though Paul and Barnabas were intelligent and devoted men, they knew that it was God who was teaching and inspiring the people, not them. They prayed for God’s wisdom, shared that wisdom, and then stepped aside to see what God would do. The more they opened their hearts to Jesus, the more he filled them—and the more his grace flowed out to other people. Diseases were cured, demons were cast out, and human dignity was restored!

Jesus longs to give us his grace, love, and mercy just as he gave it to Paul and Barnabas. Every day we can come to him and receive. So let’s ask him to fill us again and again. God loves it when we tum to him at dif­ferent points during the day because he has an endless supply of grace to give us. His Spirit is always ready to empower us to proclaim God’s faithfulness and to reach out to the poor and needy. The Spirit is always with us, giving us the wisdom and compassion we need to deepen our love for one another, to forgive when we have been hurt, and to bring healing to the wounded in our midst. Like Paul and Barnabas, we too can have tremendous confidence in God’s power to work in us and through us.

“Jesus, I praise you for your overflowing love.I am so grateful that you never stop showering your mercy and strength on us. Right now, I want to open my heart to receive all that you want to give me. I love you, Jesus.”

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