Sunday - May 01, 2016
May I not come before You with empty hands, since we are rewarded according to our deeds.
~~St. Teresa of Jesus
TODAY'S READINGS
May 1, 2016
Sixth Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 57
Reading 1ACTS 15:1-2, 22-29
Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers,
“Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice,
you cannot be saved.”
Because there arose no little dissension and debate
by Paul and Barnabas with them,
it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others
should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders
about this question.
The apostles and elders, in agreement with the whole church,
decided to choose representatives
and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas,
and Silas, leaders among the brothers.
This is the letter delivered by them:
“The apostles and the elders, your brothers,
to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia
of Gentile origin: greetings.
Since we have heard that some of our number
who went out without any mandate from us
have upset you with their teachings
and disturbed your peace of mind,
we have with one accord decided to choose representatives
and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So we are sending Judas and Silas
who will also convey this same message by word of mouth:
‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,
namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols,
from blood, from meats of strangled animals,
and from unlawful marriage.
If you keep free of these,
you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’”
“Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice,
you cannot be saved.”
Because there arose no little dissension and debate
by Paul and Barnabas with them,
it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others
should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders
about this question.
The apostles and elders, in agreement with the whole church,
decided to choose representatives
and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas,
and Silas, leaders among the brothers.
This is the letter delivered by them:
“The apostles and the elders, your brothers,
to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia
of Gentile origin: greetings.
Since we have heard that some of our number
who went out without any mandate from us
have upset you with their teachings
and disturbed your peace of mind,
we have with one accord decided to choose representatives
and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So we are sending Judas and Silas
who will also convey this same message by word of mouth:
‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,
namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols,
from blood, from meats of strangled animals,
and from unlawful marriage.
If you keep free of these,
you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’”
Responsorial PsalmPS 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8
R. (4) O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you!
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
and showed me the holy city Jerusalem
coming down out of heaven from God.
It gleamed with the splendor of God.
Its radiance was like that of a precious stone,
like jasper, clear as crystal.
It had a massive, high wall,
with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed
and on which names were inscribed,
the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites.
There were three gates facing east,
three north, three south, and three west.
The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation,
on which were inscribed the twelve names
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
I saw no temple in the city
for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb.
The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it,
for the glory of God gave it light,
and its lamp was the Lamb.
Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord,
and my Father will love him and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you!
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading 2REV 21:10-14, 22-23
The angel took me in spirit to a great, high mountainand showed me the holy city Jerusalem
coming down out of heaven from God.
It gleamed with the splendor of God.
Its radiance was like that of a precious stone,
like jasper, clear as crystal.
It had a massive, high wall,
with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed
and on which names were inscribed,
the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites.
There were three gates facing east,
three north, three south, and three west.
The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation,
on which were inscribed the twelve names
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
I saw no temple in the city
for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb.
The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it,
for the glory of God gave it light,
and its lamp was the Lamb.
AlleluiaJN 14:23
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord,
and my Father will love him and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 14:23-29
Jesus said to his disciples:
“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 name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me tell you,
‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.”
“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 name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me tell you,
‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.”
******************************
The Key to Successfully Loving as Jesus Loves...
As this Sunday's Gospel reading points out, to love Jesus means to live by his commandments and teachings. In our hearts, we do want to do this. We want to honor Christ by imitating him. We want to love like Jesus loves. We know that God dwells in us when we do this.
However, it isn't easy. Every day, stuff happens that challenges our ability to keep his word and imitate his ways. Either we forget what Jesus would have done in a similar situation, or we don't know. When people afflict us with their faults and failings and unloving behaviors, we fumble around in uncertainty and guesswork and sinful reactions.
There is no list in scripture that spells out clearly how to follow Christ in each and every circumstance: "If such-and-such occurs, apply Godly Principle #127."
This is why Jesus assured us that he'd give us his Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is here to remind us of Jesus and his holy ways every time we face another challenging situation, from the moment we wake up in the morning till the moment we're sleeping again.
So then, our problem is not that we don't know how to keep the commandments of Christ. Our problem is that we forget to rely on the Holy Spirit who teaches us how to keep the commandments. Or we don't know how to be aware of his guidance. We have God's full assistance, but we react to life's challenges as if we must handle it by ourselves.
Here's a spiritual exercise that can help you remember to stay open-eared to the sound of Holy Spirit guiding you: Sanctify each hour. Set your watch or a timer app on your cell phone to beep an alarm at the top of each hour. Whenever it beeps, say a few words thanking the Holy Spirit for being with you and guiding you through the next sixty minutes. After doing this for few weeks, you'll become automatically and constantly aware of the presence of God and his ever-available help.
How often do you pray specifically to the Holy Spirit for guidance and insight and understanding? What would you like the Holy Spirit to explain to you right now? Ask for the help, and then wait, watch and listen for God to open your heart to the truth.
-- As this Sunday's Gospel reading points out, to love Jesus means to live by his commandments and teachings. In our hearts, we do want to do this. We want to honor Christ by imitating him. We want to love like Jesus loves. We know that God dwells in us when we do this.
However, it isn't easy. Every day, stuff happens that challenges our ability to keep his word and imitate his ways. Either we forget what Jesus would have done in a similar situation, or we don't know. When people afflict us with their faults and failings and unloving behaviors, we fumble around in uncertainty and guesswork and sinful reactions.
There is no list in scripture that spells out clearly how to follow Christ in each and every circumstance: "If such-and-such occurs, apply Godly Principle #127."
This is why Jesus assured us that he'd give us his Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is here to remind us of Jesus and his holy ways every time we face another challenging situation, from the moment we wake up in the morning till the moment we're sleeping again.
So then, our problem is not that we don't know how to keep the commandments of Christ. Our problem is that we forget to rely on the Holy Spirit who teaches us how to keep the commandments. Or we don't know how to be aware of his guidance. We have God's full assistance, but we react to life's challenges as if we must handle it by ourselves.
Here's a spiritual exercise that can help you remember to stay open-eared to the sound of Holy Spirit guiding you: Sanctify each hour. Set your watch or a timer app on your cell phone to beep an alarm at the top of each hour. Whenever it beeps, say a few words thanking the Holy Spirit for being with you and guiding you through the next sixty minutes. After doing this for few weeks, you'll become automatically and constantly aware of the presence of God and his ever-available help.
How often do you pray specifically to the Holy Spirit for guidance and insight and understanding? What would you like the Holy Spirit to explain to you right now? Ask for the help, and then wait, watch and listen for God to open your heart to the truth.
God Bless You.....
KONKANI PRAYER GROUP - Abu Dhabi
"Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone" Mark 16:15
