May 23, 2020 Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter

2020년 5월 23일 부활 제6주간 토요일

 

오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp 

제1독서

사도행전. 18,23-28 

바오로는 안티오키아에서 23 얼마 동안 지낸 뒤 다시 길을 떠나,
갈라티아 지방과 프리기아를 차례로 거쳐 가면서
모든 제자들의 힘을 북돋아 주었다.
24 한편 아폴로라는 어떤 유다인이 에페소에 도착하였는데,
그는 알렉산드리아 출신으로 달변가이며 성경에 정통한 사람이었다.
25 이미 주님의 길을 배워 알고 있던 그는 예수님에 관한 일들을
열정을 가지고 이야기하며 정확히 가르쳤다.
그러나 요한의 세례만 알고 있었다.
26 그가 회당에서 담대히 설교하기 시작하였는데,
프리스킬라와 아퀼라가 그의 말을 듣고 데리고 가서
그에게 하느님의 길을 더 정확히 설명해 주었다.

27 그 뒤에 아폴로가 아카이아로 건너가고 싶어 하자,
형제들이 그를 격려하며,
그곳의 제자들에게 그를 영접해 달라는 편지를 써 보냈다.
아폴로는 그곳에 이르러,
하느님의 은총으로 이미 신자가 된 이들에게 큰 도움을 주었다.
28 그가 성경을 바탕으로 예수님께서 메시아이심을 논증하면서,
공공연히 그리고 확고히 유다인들을 논박하였기 때문이다.

 

복음

요한. 16,23ㄴ-28
그때에 예수님께서 제자들에게 말씀하셨다.
23 “내가 진실로 진실로 너희에게 말한다.
너희가 내 이름으로 아버지께 청하는 것은
무엇이든지 그분께서 너희에게 주실 것이다.
24 지금까지 너희는 내 이름으로 아무것도 청하지 않았다.
청하여라. 받을 것이다.
그리하여 너희 기쁨이 충만해질 것이다.
25 나는 지금까지 너희에게 이런 것들을 비유로 이야기하였다.
그러나 더 이상 너희에게 비유로 이야기하지 않고
아버지에 관하여 드러내 놓고 너희에게 알려 줄 때가 온다.
26 그날에 너희는 내 이름으로 청할 것이다.
내가 너희를 위하여 아버지께 청하겠다는 말이 아니다.
27 바로 아버지께서 너희를 사랑하신다.
너희가 나를 사랑하고 또 내가 하느님에게서 나왔다는 것을 믿었기 때문이다.
28 나는 아버지에게서 나와 세상에 왔다가,
다시 세상을 떠나 아버지께 간다.” 

May 23, 2020
Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter

 

 

Daily Readings — Audio

Daily Reflections — Video

http://www.usccb.org/bible/ 

Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass 

 

Reading 1

Acts 18:23-28
After staying in Antioch some time,
Paul left and traveled in orderly sequence
through the Galatian country and Phrygia,
bringing strength to all the disciples.

A Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria,
an eloquent speaker, arrived in Ephesus.
He was an authority on the Scriptures.
He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord and,
with ardent spirit, spoke and taught accurately about Jesus,
although he knew only the baptism of John.
He began to speak boldly in the synagogue;
but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him,
they took him aside
and explained to him the Way of God more accurately.
And when he wanted to cross to Achaia,
the brothers encouraged him
and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him.
After his arrival he gave great assistance
to those who had come to believe through grace.
He vigorously refuted the Jews in public,

establishing from the Scriptures that the Christ is Jesus.

 

 

Responsorial Psalm

47:2-3, 8-9, 10

R. (8a) God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All you peoples, clap your hands;
shout to God with cries of gladness.
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.
R. God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne. 
R. God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The princes of the peoples are gathered together
with the people of the God of Abraham.
For God’s are the guardians of the earth;
he is supreme. 
R. God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.

 

 

Gospel

Jn 16:23b-28

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.
Until now you have not asked anything in my name;
ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

“I have told you this in figures of speech.
The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures
but I will tell you clearly about the Father.
On that day you will ask in my name,
and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you.
For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me
and have come to believe that I came from God.
I came from the Father and have come into the world.
Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

http://evangeli.net/gospel/tomorrow

«As I came from the Father (...) so I am leaving the world and going to the Father»

Fr. Xavier ROMERO i Galdeano 
(Cervera, Lleida, Spain)

 

Today, vigil of our Lord's Ascension into Heaven, the Gospel leaves us with some very fond farewell words. Jesus let us share his most precious mystery; God Father is his origin and, at the same time, his destination: «As I came from the Father and have come into the world, so I am leaving the world and going to the Father» (Jn 16:28).

This great Truth of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity should be constantly hammering into our heads: Jesus is really the Son of God: God Father is his origin and God Father is his destination.

For those who claim to know everything on God, but question Jesus' Divine filiation, today's Gospel has an important thing they should remember: “He, who” the Jews name God is who sent Jesus to us; He is, therefore, the Father to those who believe. With this we are clearly told that God can only and truly be known by those who accept Jesus' Father is God. 

But Jesus' Divine filiation also reminds us of another important thing for our lives: those baptized into Christ are sons of God through the Holy Spirit. And this hides a most beautiful mystery for us: this adoptive fatherhood by God towards us is different of human adoption insofar it has a true foundation in each one of us, as it implies a new birth. Consequently, he who has been accepted in the great Divine Family is no longer a stranger to it.

This is why in the Mass Collects of the Ascension Day we shall all be reminded that all children must follow the steps of the Son: «Grant us, we pray, almighty God, the gift of a blessed joy and the rejoicing of a burning thanksgiving, for the Ascension into the heavens of Christ, your Son, also is our submission and glory, for where the Head ascended the body hopes to ascend, too». So no Christian should therefore let be left behind, for this is far more important than participating in any marathon race, the finishing line being in Heaven, with the very God!

http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

 

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you." John 16:23

At this time of our dealing with a pandemic, the readings seem to take on a special opportunity for us to be nourished. In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we are introduced to Apollos. He was an effective preacher, who knew the Hebrew scriptures and had been introduced into "the Way of the Lord," but only about the Lord's baptism. Acquilla and his wife, Priscilla - tent makers, like Paul - take Apollos aside and instruct him with the full story of Jesus. I thought it important to remind ourselves in these challenging times that we need to refresh ourselves in the full story of Jesus, and his Way, to help us trust in the redeeming love of our God and our call to be self-sacrificing as Jesus was.

In Chapter 16 of the Fourth Gospel, Jesus is saying farewell to his followers. He is clearly offering them hope and encouragement. There will be, we are told in the passage two days ago, hard times ahead. In yesterday's gospel, Jesus compares it with a time of childbirth, which ultimately brings joy. In today's selection, Jesus urges us to turn to the Father in our troubles, and ask the Father for anything, in Jesus' name.

Let's chew that assurance a bit. I don't suspect Jesus meant that we could ask for just anything - especially anything that isn't good for us or part of God's plan, for example, that I become rich and famous and conquer my enemies. I think the force of "anything" or "whatever" reaches to the really deep stuff - the areas of asking which are the most difficult to ask for and trust. It's as though Jesus is saying we can even ask to totally put our trust in God, and give our lives over to complete self-sacrificing love, and the Father will give us even that.

He says we can ask, "in my name." He saying that we can ask this way because our deepest desires will, in fact, be Jesus' deepest desires for us. We are asking for what Jesus wants for us. Jesus is asking, when we go to the depths of our desires, inspired by Jesus. Jesus makes it clear that he doesn't mean that he'll ask the Father for us. No, we can ask, in Jesus' name, and it will be the same as Jesus' asking the Father directly.

How do we approach our Father with this confidence, especially in this time of unsettling, disturbing and challenging circumstances? Some of us have experienced the loss of loved ones. Some are living in the midst of hot spots that are frightening. Others of us are at high risk because of age or other health issues. This is a time to turn to our Lord and ask him to offer us peace and trust and to align our hearts with his. He will help us shape desires to bring to our Father. We can certainly pray, "Take away everything bad." The closer we come to the heart of Jesus the closer desires will come to a prayer that begs, "Give me courage and hope in your love and care for me, whatever happens." We can even pray, "I place my life and the lives of my loved ones, and the most vulnerable around us, in your most loving hands, dear Father." We can ask, "Loving Father, let me know you are always with us on this journey." The results are real whenever we ask the very things our Father deeply desires to give us. We can even ask, "Let me grow in greater compassion for those who suffer, and greater generosity in reaching out, comforting, and serving those I can help at this time." It is easy to discern that these prayers are in Jesus' name.

http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp

open-heart surgery

Apollos established "from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah." —Acts 18:28

While in the city of Ephesus, Apollos unpacked the Old Testament Scriptures that referred to Jesus and established that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah (Acts 18:28). In so doing, Apollos imitated Jesus, Who, while walking on the road to Emmaus, unpacked the Old Testament Scriptures "beginning with Moses and all the prophets" and "interpreted for them every passage of Scripture which referred to Him" (Lk 24:27).

As we progress through the Pentecost Novena, we increase our thirst to receive the Holy Spirit. A great way to open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit is to review the Scriptures which reveal Jesus' identity. The Church has been doing this throughout the daily and Sunday Eucharistic readings during the seasons of Lent and Easter. To help you receive the Holy Spirit more deeply this Pentecost, take some time today and next week to look back over the key Scriptures of Lent and Easter. Focus especially on the readings of Holy Week, which summarize the Scriptures that prove that Jesus is the Messiah (Acts 18:28). May the Word of God open your heart to receive the Holy Spirit in a new and life-changing way (see Lk 24:32) this Pentecost.

Prayer:  Father, stir into flame the Holy Spirit in my life today and next week (2 Tm 1:6).

Promise:  "The Father already loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God." —Jn 16:27

Praise:  Praying the Pentecost Novena led to Jane's most Spirit-filled Pentecost yet.

 

 http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/

"Ask in Jesus' name, that your joy may be full"

 

  Do you pray with confidence to your heavenly Father? Jesus often taught his disciples by way of illustration or parable. Here he speaks not in "figures" (the same word used for parables), but in plain speech. Jesus revealed to them the hidden treasure of the heavenly kingdom and he taught them how to pray to the Father in his name. Now Jesus opens his heart and speaks in the plainest of language: "The Father himself loves you!" How can the disciples be certain of this?

The Lord Jesus unites us with the Father through the love and power of the Holy Spirit
Paul the Apostle states that "All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God" (Romans 8:14). Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, Jesus makes it possible for his disciples to have a new relationship as sons and daughters of God the Father (Romans 8:14-17). No one would have dared to call God his or her Father before this! Because of what Jesus has done for us in offering his life for our redemption we now can boldly and confidently pray to God as our Father in heaven.  

The presence and action of the Holy Spirit within us is living proof of this new relationship with the Father. Paul the Apostles says that "when we cry, ‘Abba! Father!' it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Romans 8:15-16).

We can boldly approach God as our Father and ask him for the things we need. In love he bids us to draw near to his throne of grace and mercy. Do you approach the Father with confidence in his love and with expectant faith in his promise to hear your prayers?

"Heavenly Father, your love knows no bounds and your mercies are new every day. Fill me with gratitude for your countless blessings and draw me near to your throne of grace and mercy. Give me confidence and boldness to pray that your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

Psalm 47:2-3,7-9

2 For the LORD, the Most High, is awesome, a great king over all the earth. 
3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. 
7 For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! 
8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. 
9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham.  For the shields of the earth belong to God;  he is highly exalted!

Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Offer prayers in Christ's name, by Cyril of Alexandria, 376-444 A.D.

"He urges the disciples to seek for spiritual gifts and at the same time gives them confidence that, if they ask for them, they will not fail to obtain them. He adds the word Amen, that he might confirm their belief that if they ask the Father for anything they would receive it from him. He would act as their mediator and make known their request and, being one with the Father, grant it. For this is what he means by 'in my name'. For we cannot draw near to God the Father in any other way than through the Son. For it is by him that we have access in the one Spirit to the Father (Ephesians 2:8). It was because of this that he said, 'I am the door. I am the way. No one comes to the Father but by me' (John 10:7; 14:6). For as the Son is God, he being one with the Father provides good things for his sanctified people and is found to be generous of his wealth to us... Let us then offer our prayers in Christ's name. For in this way, the Father will most readily consent to them and grant his graces to those who seek them, that receiving them we may rejoice." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 11.2)

More Homilies

May 12, 2018 Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter