May 21, 2020 Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter
2020년 5월 21일 부활 제6주간 목요일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
사도행전 .18,1-8
그 무렵 1 바오로는 아테네를 떠나 코린토로 갔다.
2 거기에서 그는 폰토스 출신의 아퀼라라는 어떤 유다인을 만났다.
아퀼라는 클라우디우스 황제가
모든 유다인은 로마를 떠나라는 칙령을 내렸기 때문에
자기 아내 프리스킬라와 함께 얼마 전에 이탈리아에서 온 사람이었다.
바오로가 그들을 찾아갔는데,
3 마침 생업이 같아 그들과 함께 지내며 일을 하였다.
천막을 만드는 것이 그들의 생업이었다.
4 바오로는 안식일마다 회당에서 토론하며
유다인들과 그리스인들을 설득하려고 애썼다.
5 실라스와 티모테오가 마케도니아에서 내려온 뒤로,
바오로는 유다인들에게 예수님께서 메시아시라고 증언하면서
말씀 전파에만 전념하였다.
6 그러나 그들이 반대하며 모독하는 말을 퍼붓자
바오로는 옷의 먼지를 털고 나서,
“여러분의 멸망은 여러분의 책임입니다.
나에게는 잘못이 없습니다.
이제부터 나는 다른 민족들에게로 갑니다.” 하고 그들에게 말하였다.
7 그리고 그 자리를 떠나 티티우스 유스투스라는 사람의 집으로 갔는데,
그는 하느님을 섬기는 이였다. 그 집은 바로 회당 옆에 있었다.
8 회당장 크리스포스는 온 집안과 함께 주님을 믿게 되었다.
코린토 사람들 가운데에서
바오로의 설교를 들은 다른 많은 사람도 믿고 세례를 받았다.
복음
요한. 16,16-20
그때에 예수님께서 제자들에게 말씀하셨다.
16 “조금 있으면 너희는 나를 더 이상 보지 못할 것이다.
그러나 다시 조금 더 있으면 나를 보게 될 것이다.”
17 그러자 제자들 가운데 몇 사람이 서로 말하였다.
“‘조금 있으면 너희는 나를 보지 못할 것이다.
그러나 다시 조금 더 있으면 나를 보게 될 것이다.’
또 ‘내가 아버지께 가기 때문이다.’ 하고 우리에게 말씀하시는데,
그것이 무슨 뜻일까?”
18 그들은 또 “‘조금 있으면’이라고 말씀하시는데, 그것이 무슨 뜻일까?
무슨 이야기를 하시는지 알 수가 없군.” 하고 말하였다.
19 예수님께서는 제자들이 묻고 싶어 하는 것을 아시고 그들에게 이르셨다.
“‘조금 있으면 너희는 나를 보지 못할 것이다.
그러나 다시 조금 더 있으면 나를 보게 될 것이다.’ 하고
내가 말한 것을 가지고 서로 묻고 있느냐?
20 내가 진실로 진실로 너희에게 말한다.
너희는 울며 애통해하겠지만 세상은 기뻐할 것이다.
너희가 근심하겠지만, 그러나 너희의 근심은 기쁨으로 바뀔 것이다.”
May 21, 2020
Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass Reading 1Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. When Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia,
Responsorial Psalm R. (see 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. R. Alleluia. Gospel Jesus said to his disciples: |
http://evangeli.net/gospel/tomorrow
«You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy»
Fr. Joan Pere PULIDO i Gutiérrez
(Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Spain)
Today, we again contemplate the Word of God with the help of Evangelist John. In these final days of Easter we feel an especial uneasiness to make God's Word ours and be able to understand it. The very uneasiness shared by the first disciples. Which is profoundly expressed in Jesus' words —«A little while and you will see me no more; and then a little while, and you will see me» (Jn 16:16). These words concentrate our tension and concern about our faith and our research of God in our daily life.
We, Christians of the 21st century, feel the same urge than those of the 1st century. We also want to see Jesus, to experiment his presence amidst us, to reinforce the virtues of faith, hope and charity. This is why we feel sad if we think He is not among us, or if we may not feel and detect his presence, or hear and listen to his words. But this sadness becomes deep joy when we experiment his definite presence among us.
As His Holiness John Paul II reminded us in his last encyclical letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia, this presence is concrete —specifically— in the Eucharist: «The Church draws her life from the Eucharist. This truth does not simply express a daily experience of faith, but recapitulates the heart of the mystery of the Church. In a variety of ways she joyfully experiences the constant fulfillment of the promise: ‘I am with you always, to the close of the age’ (Mt 28:20) (...). The Eucharist is both a mystery of faith and a “mystery of light”. Whenever the Church celebrates the Eucharist, the faithful can in some way relive the experience of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: ‘Their eyes were opened and they recognized him’ (Lk 24:31)».
Let us turn to God and beg for a deep faith, a constant uneasiness to quench our thirst in the Eucharist Source, while listening to and understanding God's Word; by eating and satiating our spiritual hunger with the Body of Christ. Let the Holy Spirit fill out with light our research of God.
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
“Within a short time you will lose sight of Me, but soon after that you shall see Me again.”
Do we grieve over Christ's death? Do we even feel the apparent absence of Jesus in our daily lives today? It is not that Jesus is missing, the difficulty is that we have let Jesus disappear from our lives by paying Him no real attention.
Sometimes that is only a matter of clinging to popular images of Jesus or to understandings of Him that were more appropriate when we were children; we can move on from Santa Claus and Jack Frost, but have we learned to seek a Jesus – and a personal relationship with Him, His Father, and His Spirit – that is more fitting to our maturity?
Hungering and thirsting for Jesus is not all fun; it calls for our entering the darker places in our lives and dealing with all the nitty gritty of who we have chosen to be, but unless we do that we can never recognize Him when He lets us feel His presence and activity in our lives and in our world.
It actually doesn't matter in some ways. Seeking and finding God is certainly a matter of missed opportunities as we look at our lives, but that is one wonderful thing about God: no matter what we have done or what we have made of ourselves by ignoring Him, He is always right there where we are – and we are at that moment – to help us find Him and to know His compassion and forgiveness. We do not have to meet any requirements for Him to be willing to hear us and to heal us and draw us to Him.
But taking that path is for those who believe in doing things at the last minute, like the imprudent virgins of Matthew 25:1-13.
Maybe we could pray especially hard today to find Him where He is, right now, close to us in His Spirit. And pray that the Good Shepherd might lift us, in our weakness and ignorance, and carry us home to His Father's house.
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
"perfect storm"
"They opposed him and insulted him." —Acts 18:6
As I write this, a storm has just blown in. There's a strong, driving wind outside (cf Acts 2:2). Lightning is darting throughout the sky and powerful blasts of thunder shake the windows. I hear sirens from fire trucks, police cars, and a tornado warning. It seems like this storm is turning the town upside down.
Tomorrow we begin praying the Pentecost Novena, nine days of fervent prayer to prepare for receiving a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. What storm will result if you receive the Holy Spirit during or after this Novena? It may mean that:
- you must leave your job, as did St. Joseph (Mt 2:14),
- you start a new job, which becomes the launching pad for a new ministry (Acts 18:3, 5),
- you pack up and move where the Spirit leads (Acts 18:1),
- you lose your spiritual mentor (Jn 16:17) and have to step out and take leadership, as did the apostles,
- you will weep, mourn, and grieve (Jn 16:20),
- you step out in bold obedience to the Holy Spirit, and because of that, your church is instantly divided (Acts 18:4ff),
- talented leaders are converted and raised up (Acts 18:8),
- many hear the Word of God and come to believe in Jesus (Acts 18:8), or
- you "shake" off the spiritual and physical debris left by the storm (Acts 18:6), and, undaunted, continue bearing fruit in the power of the Spirit (see Mt 7:24-25).
"Receive the Holy Spirit" (Jn 20:22), and let Him "stir" up your world (2 Tm 1:6).
Prayer: Father, may I be more concerned with being separated from the Holy Spirit than I am with having to endure upheaval.
Promise: "Your grief will be turned into joy." —Jn 16:20
Praise: St. Christopher continued to spread the Good News despite government persecution. In the end, it cost him his life.
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
"The Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven"
Why did Jesus leave his disciples forty days after his resurrection? Forty is a significant number in the Scriptures. Moses went to the mountain to seek the face of God for forty days in prayer and fasting. The people of Israel were in the wilderness for forty years in preparation for their entry into the promised land. Elijah fasted for forty days as he journeyed in the wilderness to the mountain of God. For forty days after his resurrection Jesus appeared numerous times to his disciples to assure them that he had risen indeed and to prepare them for the task of carrying on the work which he began during his earthy ministry.
The Risen Lord is with us always to the end of time
Jesus' departure and ascension into heaven was both an end and a beginning for his disciples. While it was the end of Jesus' physical presence with his beloved disciples, it marked the beginning of Jesus' presence with them in a new way. Jesus promised that he would be with them always to the end of time (Matthew 28:20). Now as the glorified and risen Lord and Savior, ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven, Jesus promised to send them the Holy Spirit who would anoint them with power from on high on the Feast of Pentecost, just as Jesus was anointed for his ministry at the River Jordan (Luke 3:21-22, 4:1,18). When the Lord Jesus departed physically from the apostles, they were not left in sorrow or grief. Instead, they were filled with joy and with great anticipation for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
The Risen Lord empowers us to carry on his work
Why did the Risen Lord ascend into heaven? The Father raised the glorified body of his Son and enthroned him in glory at his right hand in heaven. The Lord Jesus in his glorified body now reigns as Lord over the heavens and the earth - over all that he has created. The Risen Lord reigns from the throne in heaven as our Merciful Redeemer and Gracious King. He intercedes for us and he empowers us through the outpouring of his Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus gives us new life in his Spirit and he strengthens us in faith, hope and love so we can serve him and carry on his work as citizens of his kingdom here on earth.
You will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth
Jesus' last words to his disciples point to the key mission and task he has entrusted to his followers on earth - to be his witnesses and ambassadors to the ends of the earth so that all peoples, tribes, and nations may hear the good news that Jesus Christ has come to set us free from sin, Satan, and death and has won for us a kingdom of peace, joy, and righteousness that will last forever.
How can we be effective witnesses for Christ? Jesus told his disciples, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you - and you shall be my witnesses... to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Jesus gives his followers the same power he received when the Holy Spirit came upon him and anointed him at the beginning of his mission (John 1:32-33). The Gospel is the power of God, the power to release people from their burden of sin, guilt, and oppression, and the power to heal, restore, and make us whole. Do you believe in the power of the Gospel to change and transform your life?
We are ambassadors for Jesus Christ
Paul the Apostle reminds us that we are called to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ. Just as ambassadors are appointed to represent their country and to speak on behalf of their nation's ruler, we, too are appointed by the Lord Jesus to speak on his behalf and to bring others into a close and personal encounter with the Lord and Ruler of heaven and earth. This is the great commission which the risen Christ gives to the whole church. All believers have been given a share in this task - to be heralds of the good news and ambassadors for Jesus Christ, the only savior of the world. We have not been left alone in this task, for the risen Lord works in and through us by the power of his Holy Spirit. Today we witness a new Pentecost as the Lord pours out his Holy Spirit upon his people to renew and strengthen the body of Christ and to equip it for effective ministry and mission world-wide. Do you witness to others the joy of the Gospel and the hope of the resurrection?
“Lord Jesus, through the gift of your Holy Spirit, you fill us with an indomitable spirit of praise and joy which no earthly trial can subdue. Fill me with your resurrection joy and help me to live a life of praise and thanksgiving for your glory. May I witness to those around me the joy of the Gospel and the reality of your great victory over sin and death.”
Psalm 47:1-9
1 Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
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.
4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. [Selah]
5 God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
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: Jesus ascends to heaven in his body - divine and human nature, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"You heard what came to our ears just now from the Gospel: 'Lifting up his hands, he blessed them. And it happened, while he was blessing them he withdrew from them, and was carried up to heaven.' Who was carried up to heaven? The Lord Christ was. Who is the Lord Christ? He is the Lord Jesus. What is this? Are you going to separate the human from the divine and make one person of God, another of the man, so that there is no longer a trinity of three but a quaternary of four? Just as you, a human being, are soul and body, so the Lord Christ is Word, soul and body. The Word did not depart from the Father. He both came to us and did not forsake the Father. He both took flesh in the womb and continued to govern the universe. What was lifted up into heaven, if not what had been taken from earth? That is to say, the very flesh, the very body, about which he was speaking when he said to the disciples, 'Feel, and see that a spirit does not have bones and flesh, as you can see that I have' (Luke 24:39). Let us believe this, brothers and sisters, and if we have difficulty in meeting the arguments of the philosophers, let us hold on to what was demonstrated in the Lord's case without any difficulty of faith. Let them chatter, but let us believe." (excerpt from Sermon 242,6)
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