May 19, 2020 Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
2020년 5월 19일 부활 제6주간 화요일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
사도행전 .16,22-34
그 무렵 필리피의 22 군중이 합세하여 바오로와 실라스를 공격하자,
행정관들은 그 두 사람의 옷을 찢어 벗기고 매로 치라고 지시하였다.
23 그렇게 매질을 많이 하게 한 뒤 그들을 감옥에 가두고,
간수에게 단단히 지키라고 명령하였다.
24 이러한 명령을 받은 간수는 그들을 가장 깊은 감방에 가두고
그들의 발에 차꼬를 채웠다.
25 자정 무렵에 바오로와 실라스는 하느님께 찬미가를 부르며 기도하고,
다른 수인들은 거기에 귀를 기울이고 있었다.
26 그런데 갑자기 큰 지진이 일어나 감옥의 기초가 뒤흔들렸다.
그리고 즉시 문들이 모두 열리고 사슬이 다 풀렸다.
27 잠에서 깨어난 간수는 감옥 문들이 열려 있는 것을 보고
칼을 빼어 자결하려고 하였다.
수인들이 달아났으려니 생각하였던 것이다.
28 그때에 바오로가 큰 소리로,
“자신을 해치지 마시오. 우리가 다 여기에 있소.” 하고 말하였다.
29 그러자 간수가 횃불을 달라고 하여 안으로 뛰어 들어가
무서워 떨면서 바오로와 실라스 앞에 엎드렸다.
30 그리고 그들을 밖으로 데리고 나가,
“두 분 선생님, 제가 구원을 받으려면 어떻게 해야 합니까?” 하고 물었다.
31 그들이 대답하였다. “주 예수님을 믿으시오.
그러면 그대와 그대의 집안이 구원을 받을 것이오.”
32 그리고 간수와 그 집의 모든 사람에게 주님의 말씀을 들려주었다.
33 간수는 그날 밤 그 시간에 그들을 데리고 가서 상처를 씻어 주고,
그 자리에서 그와 온 가족이 세례를 받았다.
34 이어서 그들을 자기 집 안으로 데려다가 음식을 대접하고,
하느님을 믿게 된 것을 온 집안과 더불어 기뻐하였다.
복음
요한 .16,5-11
그때에 예수님께서 제자들에게 말씀하셨다.
5 “이제 나는 나를 보내신 분께 간다.
그런데도 ‘어디로 가십니까?’ 하고 묻는 사람이 너희 가운데 아무도 없다.
6 오히려 내가 이 말을 하였기 때문에 너희 마음에 근심이 가득 찼다.
7 그러나 너희에게 진실을 말하는데, 내가 떠나는 것이 너희에게 이롭다.
내가 떠나지 않으면 보호자께서 너희에게 오지 않으신다.
그러나 내가 가면 그분을 너희에게 보내겠다.
8 보호자께서 오시면
죄와 의로움과 심판에 관한 세상의 그릇된 생각을 밝히실 것이다.
9 그들이 죄에 관하여 잘못 생각하는 것은 나를 믿지 않기 때문이고,
10 그들이 의로움에 관하여 잘못 생각하는 것은
내가 아버지께 가고 너희가 더 이상 나를 보지 못할 것이기 때문이며,
11 그들이 심판에 관하여 잘못 생각하는 것은
이 세상의 우두머리가 이미 심판을 받았기 때문이다.”
May 19, 2020
Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
The crowd in Philippi joined in the attack on Paul and Silas,
and the magistrates had them stripped
and ordered them to be beaten with rods.
After inflicting many blows on them,
they threw them into prison
and instructed the jailer to guard them securely.
When he received these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell
and secured their feet to a stake.
About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying
and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened,
there was suddenly such a severe earthquake
that the foundations of the jail shook;
all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose.
When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open,
he drew his sword and was about to kill himself,
thinking that the prisoners had escaped.
But Paul shouted out in a loud voice,
“Do no harm to yourself; we are all here.”
He asked for a light and rushed in and,
trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas.
Then he brought them out and said,
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus
and you and your household will be saved.”
So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.
He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds;
then he and all his family were baptized at once.
He brought them up into his house and provided a meal
and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God.
R. (7c) Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple,
and give thanks to your name.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Because of your kindness and your truth,
you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Now I am going to the one who sent me,
and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’
But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.
But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.
For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes he will convict the world
in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:
sin, because they do not believe in me;
righteousness, because I am going to the Father
and you will no longer see me;
condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.”
http://evangeli.net/gospel/tomorrow
«It is better for you that I go away»
Fr. Joseph A. PELLEGRINO
(Tarpon Springs, Florida, United States)
Today, we are presented with a deeper understanding of the reality of the Ascension of the Lord. In the reading from the Gospel of John on Easter Sunday, Mary of Magdala is told not to cling to the Lord because «I have not yet ascended to my Father» (Jn 20:17). In today's Gospel Jesus notes that the disciples «are overcome with grief because of what I have said», but that «it is better for you that I go away» (Jn 16:6-7). Jesus must ascend to the Father. Yet, He still remains with us.
How can he go, yet still remain? This mystery was explained by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI: «Given that God embraces and sustains the whole cosmos, the Lord's Ascension means that Christ has not gone far away from us, but now, thanks to the fact that He is with the Father, He is close to each one of us forever».
Our hope is in Jesus Christ. His conquest of death gave us the life that death can never destroy, His Life. His resurrection is a verification that the spiritual is real. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Nothing can diminish our hope. The negatives of the world cannot destroy the positive of Jesus Christ.
The imperfect world we live in, a world where the innocent suffer, can point us to pessimism. But Jesus Christ has transformed us into eternal optimists.
The living presence of the Lord in our community, in our families, in those aspects of our society that can rightfully be called “Christian” have given us a reason for hope. The Living Presence of the Lord within each one of us has given us joy. No matter how great the barrage of negatives that the media delights in presenting, the positives of the world far outweigh the negatives, for Jesus Christ has risen.
He ascended, but He has not left us.
«It is better for you that I go away»
+ Fr. Lluís ROQUÉ i Roqué
(Manresa, Barcelona, Spain)
Today, we contemplate another farewell by Jesus, necessary for the setting up of his Kingdom. There is, however, a promise included therein: «As long as I do not leave, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go away, it is to send him to you» (Jn 16:7).
A promise come true in a most striking way in Whitsun Day, ten days after Jesus ascended into Heaven. In addition to remove all sadness from the Apostles' hearts and from those gathered around the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus (cf. Acts 1:13-14) that day, so much confirms and strengthens their faith, that «they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim» (Acts 2:4).
A fact that, throughout centuries, “becomes present” through the only one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church, inasmuch as, by the action of the same promised Spirit, it is announced, everywhere and to everybody, that Jesus of Nazareth —God's Son, born of the Virgin Mary, who was crucified, suffered, died and was buried— truly resurrected and is seated in glory at the right hand of the Father (cf. Creed) and is living among ourselves. His Spirit lives in us through our Baptism, constituting us to be the Son's children, and reaffirming his presence in each one of us through the sacrament of Confirmation. All this, to carry out our vocation towards sanctity and to reinforce our mission to bring others closer to God, too.
Thus, thanks to the Father's will, to the Son's redemption and to the constant action of the Holy Spirit, we can all react in faithfulness to that call, by becoming saints; and, with a bold apostolic charity, without any exclusivity, to carry out the mission to a good end, to propose and help others towards sanctity, too.
And as the first ones did —as the ever faithful ones did— with Mary, we pray, and trusting that the Helper will come again in glory and that there will be a new Pentecost, we say: «Send forth your Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your Love» (Pentecost Alleluia).
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
Two days from today, in a few dioceses, and next Sunday, the Church will celebrate the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. In the two Readings for today’s liturgy, there is the answering of the ancient question, “Is God with us or not!” Ancient it is and present as well.
The story from the book of Acts has a picture of God’s being present to Paul and Silas who have been arrested because they were preaching the Gospel. It is an interesting story about why they were arrested, lashed and locked securely in a double-locked cell. God was with them, and continued to be, so that the spread of the early Church might continue.
The Gospel-reading is from the maturing Church fifty years or more after Paul and Silas’ sailing and preaching the New Good News. The Church of John’s time was a “come-and-go” community. People were attracted to believing that Jesus was the Messiah, but then drifted away and back to their former Jewish traditions and beliefs that the Messiah was still to come.
The whole of John’s narrative has to do with the areas of exactly how to get into this “Christ-Believing” community and how to remain a member. We hear today the words of Jesus, according to John, speaking to His disciples about His going away and yet remaining. He knows their questions and worries. He does not explain, but invites belief. He makes a promise about a Companion, an Advocate, who will be present and active. The Holy Spirit will not be a convincing answer, but rather a comforting and alive presence.
Being abandoned or alone is so central to our human experience of fear. From our earliest years we experience subtle, and sometime not so subtle, fears about having a friend, friends, companions, others to assist our singular journey. We all have experienced our awareness that there are actually inside-cells, double-locked, where no one else can know or find us. It is our “mystery” our “longing-place” and it can result in our sense of being abandoned or unloved even by God. Paul and Silas, as well as the early Church and followers of Jesus ever since, have trusted, not in easy answers, but in the Promise, the “Present-One” which is sometimes like a quake of our earthliness or a quiet voice.
Maybe some of you have done something “wrong” which you thought might cause your being excluded. I was once fishing with my father and casting an artificial bait, one of my dad’s favorites. He had taught me well about casting, when to let the line loose, at what angle at which to let it fly. Don’t ya know, one very good launching and the yellow and red plug flew off my line like a flying fish. I expected to have to walk home across the lake’s water or underneath it. I had done something “wrong” and was going to receive the punishment of being disowned as fisher-pal or maybe even as son.
My dad, watching the arch of his favorite lure said, “I didn’t tie it to your line very well. Here’s another and you tie it on.”
John has Jesus quite aware that the “world” is doing something very wrong, not by killing Him, but by not believing that He is the one Who is Sent. Yes, they are going to abandon Him to His death, but His Father is not tossing them out of the boat, but is confirming, companioning and missioning them all to continue fishing for the human response to their being loved and included.
http://www.presentationministries.com/
GOD IN THE WORKPLACE
"The jailer was given instructions to guard them well. Upon receipt of these instructions, he put them in maximum security, going so far as to chain their feet to a stake." —Acts 16:23-24
The jailer of Paul and Silas did his job to the best of his ability. He may have even gone above and beyond in his job performance, "going so far as to chain [the feet of Paul and Silas] to a stake." That was probably unnecessary when they were already in maximum security. However, the jailer planned to do his job well.
An earthquake shook the jailer's prison compound, and "all the doors flew open and everyone's chains were pulled loose" (Acts 16:26). This was the absolute worst disaster the jailer could have ever imagined. A Roman jailer paid for escaped prisoners with his own life. The jailer knew he was going to die at the hands of his bosses, so "he drew his sword to kill himself" (Acts 16:27).
That's when the jailer met God in the workplace. His most notorious prisoners pleaded with him to spare his life. They also prevented all the other prisoners from escaping. He knew this was impossible! only God could have transformed his worst nightmare into his greatest day on the job. The jailer was convicted at the depth of his heart and humbly begged for salvation (Acts 16:30ff).
The jailer was an expert at his job. Yet God showed him His omnipotence and mercy in the midst of his area of expertise, and the jailer recognized in an instant the God of the impossible. May we likewise recognize God moving in our workplace, receive His mercy, and spread His saving love to our coworkers.
Prayer: "In my work, Lord, be glorified..."
Promise: "The Lord will complete what He has done for me." —Ps 138:8
Praise: Albert started a Bible study during his lunch break at work.
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
"I will send the Counselor to you"
Why does God seem far from us at times? Separation and loss of relationship often lead to grief and pain. The apostles were filled with sorrow when Jesus spoke about his imminent departure. Jesus explained that it was for their sake that he must leave them and return to his Father. He promised, however, that they would never be left alone. He will send in his place the best of friends, the Holy Spirit.
Paul reminds us that "nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:39). By sending the Holy Spirit to his followers, the Lord Jesus makes his presence known to us in a new and on-going way. We are not left as orphans, but the Lord himself dwells within us through the power of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 4:9; 6:16b).
The work of the Holy Spirit
Jesus tells his disciples three very important things about the work of the Holy Spirit - to convince the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. The original word for convince also means convict. The Holy Spirit is our Sanctifier. He makes us holy as God is holy. He does this first by convicting us of our unbelief and sin and by bringing us humbly to the foot of the Cross. The Spirit convinces us of God's love and forgiveness and of our utter dependence on God for his mercy and grace. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to lead us from the error of our unbelief and sinful ways and to show us the way of love and truth.
The Jews who had condemned Jesus as a blasphemer and false messiah thought they were serving God rather than sinning when they crucified Jesus. When the Gospel was later preached on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:37), many were pricked in their heart and convicted of their sin. What made them change their mind about Jesus? The Holy Spirit opened their hearts to recognize Jesus as the true Messiah sent by the Father in heaven.
It is the work of the Holy Spirit to both convict us of our unbelief and wrongdoing and to convince us of God's truth. The Spirit convinces us of the righteousness (moral truth and goodness) of Christ, backed by the fact that Jesus rose again and went to his Father. The Holy Spirit also convicts us of judgment. The Spirit gives us the inner and unshakable conviction that we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God. God's judgments are just and good. He not only forgives those who repent of their wrongdoing, he also vindicates the innocent who have been unjustly treated and restores their rights and he rewards those who have done what is just and good. When we heed his judgments we find true peace, joy and reconciliation with God. Do you allow the Holy Spirit free reign in your life that he may set you free from the grip of sin and set you ablaze with the fire of God's love?
"Come Holy Spirit, and let the fire of your love burn in my heart. Let me desire only what is pure, lovely, holy and good and in accord with the will of God and give me the courage to put away all that is not pleasing in your sight."
Psalm 138:1-3,7-8
1 I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the angels I sing your praise;
2 I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; for you have exalted above everything your name and your word.
3 on the day I called, you answered me, my strength of soul you increased.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.
8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures for ever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Whatever is not of faith is sin, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"When the Lord said of the Holy Spirit, 'He shall convict the world of sin,' he meant unbelief. For this is what he meant when he said, “Of sin because they believed not on me.' And he means the same when he says, 'If I had not come and spoken to them, they should not have sin.' (John 15:22). He was not talking about [a time] before they had no sin. Rather, he wanted to indicate that very lack of faith by which they did not believe him even when he was present to them and speaking to them. These were the people who belonged to 'the prince of the power of the air, who now works in the children of unbelief' (Ephesians 2:2). Therefore those in whom there is no faith are the children of the devil because they have nothing in their inner being that would cause them to be forgiven for whatever is committed either by human infirmity, ignorance or any evil will whatever. But the children of God are those who certainly, if they should 'say that they have no sin, deceive themselves, and the truth is not in them,' but immediately (as it continues) 'when they confess their sins' (which the children of the devil do not do, or do not do according to the faith which is peculiar to the children of God), 'he is faithful and just to forgive them their sins and to cleanse them from all unrighteousness'" (1 John 1:9). (excerpt from AGAINST TWO LETTERS OF THE PELAGIANS 3.4)
More Homilies
May 27, 2014 Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
