Readings & Reflections: Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter & Blessed Angeline of Marsciano, June 4,2019

In addressing the presbyters in Ephesus, Paul realizes that he is soon going to be killed because of his allegiance to Christ. Like Jesus himself, his prayer proclaims, “Father, the hour has come.” “The Lord controls the passageways of death.” The reality of the Resurrection appears in Paul’s unflagging conviction.

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Opening Prayer

“If only I possessed the grace, good Jesus, to be utterly at one with you! Amidst all the variety of worldly things around me, Lord, the only thing I crave is unity with you. You are all my soul needs. Unite, dear friend of my heart, this unique little soul of mine to your perfect goodness. You are all mine; when shall I be yours? Lord Jesus, my beloved, be the magnet of my heart; clasp, press, unite me forever to your sacred heart. You have made me for yourself; make me one with you. Absorb this tiny drop of life into the ocean of goodness whence it came.” Amen. (Prayer of Francis de Sales, 1567-1622)

Reading 1
Acts 20:17-27

From Miletus Paul had the presbyters
of the Church at Ephesus summoned.
When they came to him, he addressed them,
“You know how I lived among you
the whole time from the day I first came to the province of Asia.
I served the Lord with all humility
and with the tears and trials that came to me
because of the plots of the Jews,
and I did not at all shrink from telling you
what was for your benefit,
or from teaching you in public or in your homes.
I earnestly bore witness for both Jews and Greeks
to repentance before God and to faith in our Lord Jesus.
But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem.
What will happen to me there I do not know,
except that in one city after another
the Holy Spirit has been warning me
that imprisonment and hardships await me.
Yet I consider life of no importance to me,
if only I may finish my course
and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus,
to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace.

“But now I know that none of you
to whom I preached the kingdom during my travels
will ever see my face again.
And so I solemnly declare to you this day
that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you,
for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of God.”

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 68:10-11, 20-21

R. (33a) Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance;
you restored the land when it languished;
Your flock settled in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed day by day be the Lord,
who bears our burdens; God, who is our salvation.
God is a saving God for us;
the LORD, my Lord, controls the passageways of death.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel
Jn 17:1-11a

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said,
“Father, the hour has come.
Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you,
just as you gave him authority over all people,
so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him.
Now this is eternal life,
that they should know you, the only true God,
and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
I glorified you on earth
by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.
Now glorify me, Father, with you,
with the glory that I had with you before the world began.

“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you gave me is from you, because the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me, because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine, and I have been glorified in them. And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection 1 – High priestly prayer

In today’s first reading St Paul speaks of death not as a foe but as a friend. He did not look at death as a tragic end but glory, a crown of victory after a race. Although one could sense a degree of sadness in St Paul as there appears temporary separation from those God gave him to love and minister. Yet one could also feel the fulfillment in his heart of being able to teach them and be with them in the Name of Jesus, our Lord. He said: “You know how I lived among you the whole time from the day I first came to the province of Asia. I served the Lord with all humility and with the tears and trials that came to me because of the plots of the Jews, and I did not at all shrink from telling you what was for your benefit, or from teaching you in public or in your homes. I earnestly bore witness for both Jews and Greeks to repentance before God and to faith in our Lord Jesus. Yet I consider life of no importance to me, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace.”

Jesus in today’s gospel reading, our Lord’s “high priestly prayer”, a prayer for Himself, His disciples and all believers said:  “I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world.” This verse has brought a lot of thought in my heart on the mission God has given our community and the people whom He has called into His work. Our work for the Lord has focused on guiding and molding everyone God gave us through His Word and the victory we all have in Him. The endeavor has been to reveal God to those who have been given to us out of this world.

As we journey back to our true home and work in His vineyard, Jesus wants us to feel assured that even if He is not around and physically present to us, He has not forgotten us and He is always praying for us to the Father.  In spite of all our failures and shortcomings, He credits us with having believed and obeyed His teachings, without even a hint as to what we have done or are about to do in sin. His prayer is a perfect example of how he feels for us as His people as He speaks of us to the Father with the hope that we receive the fullness of His grace. He prays that we may be kept away from what is evil and be separated from the enticements of the world but always be qualified to do His work and reach our final destination, not alone but with the rest of His brethren.

The amazing reality and model we have in Jesus is that we too, imperfect and broken, can be God’s true servant. We too can glorify God in our lives.

We give honor, glory and worship to God when we do His will as He is able express Himself through us, even as we are also able to display His beauty through our daily affairs and the kind of witnessing we give the world as Christians. As God’s people, we have been asked to contribute in His work of saving souls.

How faithful are we in carrying out the task Jesus gave us to do?

Direction

Share in Christ’s work by being an intercessor for His people, by sharing His Word and His victory in our lives.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me reveal your Name to those whom You have given me out of this world. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.

Reflection 2 – All for the greater glory of God

In England at the battle of Agincourt, King Henry V of England faced overwhelming odds in battle with the French. Shakespeare recounts the king’s rousing speech to urge his dwinling army on to victory: “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers…. That fought with us upon St. Crispin’s day.” We can all recall speeches that inspire, inflame and incite people to action. Think, for instance, of John Kennedy on his inauguration day saying, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

In today’s Gospel (Jn 17:1-11) we have such inspiration. Jesus’ disciples hear an extraordinary prayer. His impending death is not to be interpreted as tragedy. No, he sees it as doing the work his Father gave him, and in this way not only does he give glory to the Father but the Father gives glory to him! It is divine spin, a faith-filled interpretation; it is turning the world upside down and allowing heaven access to the earth.

Facing imprisonment in a concentration camp Etty Hillesum, a young Jewish woman, wrote a prayer in her diary: “Dear God, these are anxious times. There doesn’t seem to be much you can do about our circumstances. Neither do I hold you responsible. You cannot help us but we must help you and defend your dwelling place inside us.” This turns a prayer of petition on its head. Etty wanted to help God keep his place in her heart. She did not want to give in to anger, hatred or despair. She simply wanted to keep God’s place within her.

Jesus’ prayer is prayer extraordinaire, too. He wants his death to give honor to God. His whole mission, his entire life is about glorifying God. He knows that by being selfless, by his obedience, he too will be glorified. It was encouragement, inspiration, and a challenge for his disciples. Everything in his life and ours is done for the glory of God. (Source: Norman Langenbrunner, Weekday Homily Helps. Ohio: St. Anthony Messenger Press, May 26, 2009).

Reflection 3 – Do We Know God?

This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. —John 17:3

American writer Mark Twain was known for his wit and charm. On a trip to Europe he was invited to dinner with a head of state. When his daughter learned of the invitation, she said, “Daddy, you know every big person there is to know except God.” Sadly, that was true, because Mark Twain was an unbelieving skeptic.

That daughter’s comment should cause us to ask ourselves if we know God. We may be blessed with life-enriching friendships, acquainted with a wide circle of important people, but do we know God? And is our knowledge of Him more than second-hand information or speculation, the things we might read in books?

Jesus wanted His disciples to have an intimate knowledge of God. He prayed, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). This knowledge is intensely personal, and is gained only through a deep, prolonged friendship. Indeed, the knowledge referred to in this text and elsewhere in Scripture is compared with the intimacy of husband and wife as they become one (Genesis 4:1).

We can have that knowledge as we spend time talking with God, reading His Word, and sharing His love with the world.  — Vernon C. Grounds

Into the heart of Jesus
Deeper and deeper I go;
Seeking to know the reason
Why He should love me so. —Smith (Source: Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries).

Reflection 4 – He wants more

You always sit in the row ahead of Sam in church. You smile and say “Good morning” when you come in. You say “See you next Sunday” when you leave. But one morning, you add a little conversation: “Sam, could you give a hundred dollars?”

Unfortunately, that’s the way some people treat the Lord. They have a Sunday-only relationship with Him until they need something. But God desires much more.

The Lord wants us first of all to know Him as our Savior, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (Jn 17:3).

After we become His child, God desires an ongoing dialog with us and a growing knowledge of who He is and who we can be with His help. He doesn’t want to be a Sunday-only acquaintance or Someone we cry out to only when we’re desperate. God wants us to have a personal relationship with Him. He also wants us to grow in our desire to please Him by obeying Him. “We know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments” (1 John 2:3).

God loves you and wants you to know Him. He does answer desperation prayers. But before you start asking, make sure you know Him personally.

The Lord wants more than platitudes from those for whom He died;

He longs for us to know His love, and in that love abide.

Knowing about God may interest us, but knowing God will change us (Source: Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries).

Reflection 5 – This is eternal life, that they know the Father the only true God

In his Last Supper discourse with his beloved disciples Jesus speaks of his glory and the glory of his Father. What is this glory? It is the cross which Jesus speaks of here and the willing offering of his life for us. How does the cross reveal this glory? In the cross God reveals the breadth of his great love for sinners and the power of Jesus’ redemptive sacrifice which cancels the debt of sin and reverses the curse of our condemnation (Romans 8:1). Jesus gave his Father the supreme honor and glory through his obedience and willingness to go to the cross for our sake. In times of defense the greatest honor belongs not to those who fought and survived but to those who gave the supreme sacrifice of their own lives for their fellow citizens.The Lord Jesus freely and willingly offered up his life out of obedience to his Father and love for us.

Jesus reveals the glory of God to us
Jesus speaks of the Father bringing glory to the Son through the great mystery of the Incarnation – the eternal Word who became flesh for our sake (John 1:14) – and the Cross of Christ which won for us pardon, freedom, and new life in the Holy Spirit. God the Father gave us his only begotten Son to set us free from slavery to sin, guilt, and condemnation. His sacrificial death brings us new life – the abundant life of peace and joy which God wishes to share with each one of us. There is no greater proof of God’s love for each and every person on the face of the earth than the Cross of Jesus Christ. In the cross we see a new way of love – a love that is merciful, sacrificial, and generous beyond measure.

Jesus offers abundant life without end
Jesus offers us eternal life. What is eternal life? It is more than simply a life without end or an eternal state of being. Science and medicine look for ways to extend the duration of human life – but God offers us something vastly greater and more surpassing than a simple extension of physical life. Eternal life is qualitative more than quantitative. To have eternal life is to have the very life of God within us. When we possess eternal life we experience here and now something of God’s majesty, glory, and holiness which he shares with us. Through the gift and working of the Holy Spirit, God fills us with the abundant fruit of his peace, joy and love.

We can know God personally
Jesus also speaks of the knowledge of God. Jesus tells his disciples that they can know the only true God. Knowledge of God is not simply limited to knowing something about God, but we can know God personally and be united with God in a personal relationship of love and friendship. The essence of Christianity, and what makes it distinct from Judaism and other religions, is the personal and experiential knowledge of God as our eternal Father – the one who knew us before creation (Ephesians 1:4 and Romans 8:29) and who knit us in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13 and Jeremiah 1:5). Jesus makes it possible for each of us to personally know God as our Father. To see Jesus is to see what God is like.

A unity of love that endures forever
In Jesus Christ we see the perfect love of God – a God who cares intensely and who yearns over men and women, loving them to the point of laying down his life for them upon the Cross. Jesus is the revelation of God – a God who loves us completely, unconditionally and perfectly. Do you hunger to know God personally and to be united with the Father in his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, through the unity of the Holy Spirit who dwells with us? The Lord Jesus invites each of us to enter more deeply into a personal relationship of love and oneness of mind, heart, and spirit with the eternal Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who created us in love for love.

“If only I possessed the grace, good Jesus, to be utterly at one with you! Amidst all the variety of worldly things around me, Lord, the only thing I crave is unity with you. You are all my soul needs. Unite, dear friend of my heart, this unique little soul of mine to your perfect goodness.You are all mine; when shall I be yours? Lord Jesus, my beloved, be the magnet of my heart; clasp, press, unite me for ever to your sacred heart. You have made me for yourself; make me one with you. Absorb this tiny drop of life into the ocean of goodness whence it came.” (Prayer of Francis de Sales, 1567-1622) –Read the source: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/2018/may15.htm

Reflection 6 – The transforming power of the risen Lord

During the 50 days of Easter, the Church gives priority to two books of the New Testament in the Scripture readings at Mass. 1.) The Acts of the Apostles brings us into the life of the early Church and the spread of the Good News following the Ascension of the Lord. It is more than a history or chronicle, but a testimony to the transforming power of the Risen Lord in the life of the disciples. The Church is led by the Spirit and the Risen Christ continues to be present. Beginning with Peter, the disciples lives are transformed by the Holy Spirit from a spirit of fear to a spirit “strong, loving and wise.” The disciples devote themselves “to prayer with one accord” (Acts 1:14). The Church suffers persecution and rejoices to share in the suffering of Christ. Many come to believe in Christ and accept the Holy Spirit by the witness of the disciples to the mercy of Christ and his redemption of sinners. 2.) The Gospel according to John brings us to Jesus as he speaks to his disciples before his passion. In the liturgy, these words are now the word of the Risen Lord speaking to his disciples, his Church. He tells us that he is the Good Shepherd and the gate for the sheep. He is the true vine and we are the branches nourished by that vine. He calls us to the love that “lays down one’s life for one’s friends.” He promises to send us the Advocate/Paraclete who leads us into all truth. He promises to prepare a place for us in the Father’s house which has many dwelling places.

Today, Jesus does not speak to us directly. He now addresses his Father. What a privileged moment for us. Throughout his public ministry, the disciples would find Jesus retreating to be alone in prayer. The disciples would watch but did not join him in these moments. Now, we are caught up in his prayer to the Father. We not only hear his words, but we are in the prayer, in the relationship, held between them. We are not bystanders watching an intimate relationship unfold at a distance; we are brought into that relationship of love that exists from eternity. And the love of the Father is revealed by Jesus to be such that we are the gift of the Father to the Son. Jesus prepares to be glorified, i.e., to give his life on the cross, and calls us to an amazing reality that he been glorified in us, his disciples (John 17:10). We will share in his sufferings, we will accomplish his works, we will know the “only true God, and the one he has sent, Jesus Christ.”

A university student came to me to ask for a letter attesting to his practice of the faith so he could be a godfather at the baptism of his nephew. In the interview he acknowledged that his Sunday Mass attendance was not the best. He said he would “try to do better.” I eventually wrote a letter for him to his pastor after a series of conversations with him. I told him that the “trying” would be more paralyzing than fortifying. “It’s not your work; it’s Jesus’ work,” I said. “Make it to confession and DON’T say ‘I try,’ but say, instead, ‘Lord, I need you; I need your help.’ He knows you better than you know yourself.” The young man came back to tell me he did this and went to Mass. He would find that his decision to be more faithful to Sunday Mass was not from his “working at it,” but from a growing sense of trust in the One who wants to heal him. He came back to visit after the baptism to share a profound experience. He said that as he held the infant in his arms and looked into the innocent face, he felt that the two of them were not alone. He experienced a presence that “held the two of us together.” I made a silent prayer of gratitude for the Love that was revealed to him and that he could receive it and share it with a conviction that he didn’t yet understand but knew that he wanted this to grow in him.

As we move toward the Solemnity of Pentecost, let us renew our commitment to the life of prayer and the life of service. First, we remember that prayer is not something we DO; it is the entrance into the relationship with God, into the eternal prayer of Christ before the Father. We are held in the communion of eternal love. Prayer is, therefore, a dynamism of receiving from God and offering ourselves to Him in trust. Second, our call to the humble service of love of neighbor is the fruit or our prayer and the place where we can practice AND experience our communion in the love of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, so that in the presence of the neighbor we serve we encounter the Love that “held the two of us together.” – Read the source: http://www.hprweb.com/2017/05/homilies-for-may-2017/

Reflection 7 – Finishing the work despite hardships

“Development needs Christians with their arms raised towards God in prayer, Christians moved by the knowledge that truth-filled love, caritas in veritate, from which authentic development proceeds, is not produced by us, but given to us. For this reason, even in the most difficult and complex times, besides recognizing what is happening, we must above all else turn to God’s love.

“Development requires attention to the spiritual life, a serious consideration of the experiences of trust in God, spiritual fellowship in Christ, reliance upon God’s providence and mercy, love and forgiveness, self-denial, acceptance of others, justice and peace. All this is essential if hearts of stone are to be transformed into hearts of flesh(Ez 36:26), rendering life on earth divine and thus more worthy of humanity. All this is of man, because man is the subject of his own existence; and at the same time it is of God, because God is at the beginning and end of all that is good, all that leads to salvation: the world or life or death or the present or the future, all are yours; and you are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s (1 Cor 3:22-23).

“Christians long for the entire human family to call upon God as “Our Father!” In union with the Only Begotten Son may all people learn to pray to the Father and to ask him, in the words that Jesus himself taught us, for the grace to glorify him by living according to his will, to receive the daily bread that we need, to be understanding and generous towards our debtors, not to be tempted beyond our limits, and to be delivered from evil (cf. Mt 6:9-13)” (Pope Benedict XVI, Magnificat, Vol. 19, No. 3, May 2017, pp. 404-405).

Reflection 10 – Blessed Angeline of Marsciano (1374-1435 A.D.)

Blessed Angeline founded the first community of Franciscan women other than Poor Clares to receive papal approval.

Angeline was born to the Duke of Marsciano (near Orvieto). She was 12 when her mother died. Three years later the young woman made a vow of perpetual chastity. That same year, however, she yielded to her father’s decision that she marry the Duke of Civitella. Her husband agreed to respect her previous vow.

When he died two years later, Angeline joined the Secular Franciscans and with several other women dedicated herself to caring for the sick, the poor, widows and orphans. When many other young women were attracted to Angeline’s community, some people accused her of condemning the married vocation. Legend has it that when she came before the King of Naples to answer these charges, she had burning coals hidden in the folds of her cloak. When she proclaimed her innocence and showed the king that these coals had not harmed her, he dropped the case.

Angeline and her companions later went to Foligno, where her community of Third Order sisters received papal approval in 1397. She soon established 15 similar communities of women in other Italian cities.

Angeline died on July 14, 1435, and was beatified in 1825.

Comment:

Priests, sisters and brothers cannot be signs of God’s love for the human family if they belittle the vocation of marriage. Angeline respected marriage but felt called to another way of living out the gospel. Her choice was life-giving in its own way.

Quote:

Blessed Pope Paul VI wrote in 1971: “Without in any way undervaluing human love and marriage— is not the latter, according to faith, the image and sharing of the union of love joining Christ and the Church?— consecrated chastity evokes this union in a more immediate way and brings that surpassing excellence to which all human love should tend” (Apostolic Exhortation on the Renewal of Religious Life, #13).

Read the source:   http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1448

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