Welcome to my blog.
You will find the daily readings from the Bible which the Catholic Church under
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit has chosen and provides for our spiritual
nourishment. If we use them seriously each day, we will grow in our relationship
with God – ‘in whom we live, move and have our being’ – and come to know Jesus
who loved us and gave his life for us on the Cross. He gives us life and gives
it in abundance.
How to pray with the
Bible. 1. Set aside a time each day when alone or in a group, you can in
silence listen to God speaking to you. He speaks gently as with Elijah (1 Kings
19:12), Jesus, (Rev 3:20). 2.Sit comfortably where you will not be distracted
or disturbed. You are to enter into the presence of God who loves and cares for
you. 3.Pray for the Holy Spirit who teaches us how to pray (Rom 8:26-27). Ask
Mary to intercede with her Son to send the Spirit upon you. (Luke 11:13). 4.
Read slowly in the Spirit who inspired the reading, asking him to speak to you
too. Phrases will strike you. “Speak Lord your servant is listening” (1 Sam
3:11). “All Scripture is inspired and profitable for teaching… and instruction
in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16”. 5. Pray to Jesus with gratitude for the
inspiration he has given you. 6. Go back in the Spirit of Jesus to your
ordinary life.
Friday 29 May
2020
The just may fall, but they rise again because
they are with God
Rev 1: 5-6
Christ loved
us and washed us clean of our sins by his Blood,
and made us
into a kingdom,
priests for
his God and Father, alleluia.
____________________
Father,
created by you out of love and pure in your sight, through our sin and
rebellion we fell into darkness and decay. Life lost all meaning. But, in your
boundless mercy, you sent your only Son who won for us your Holy Spirit.
Through your Spirit we have been re-created and the gates of eternal life are
now wide open for us. Grant that our love for you grow stronger each day and
our faith in your goodness be invincible. We make our prayer through your Son,
Christ Jesus our Lord.
____________________
First reading
Acts 25:13-21 ·
'I ordered Paul to be remanded until I could send him to Caesar'
King Agrippa
and Bernice arrived in Caesarea and paid their respects to Festus. Their visit
lasted several days, and Festus put Paul’s case before the king. ‘There is a
man here’ he said ‘whom Felix left behind in custody, and while I was in
Jerusalem the chief priests and elders of the Jews laid information against
him, demanding his condemnation. But I told them that Romans are not in the
habit of surrendering any man, until the accused confronts his accusers and is
given an opportunity to defend himself against the charge. So they came here
with me, and I wasted no time but took my seat on the tribunal the very next
day and had the man brought in. When confronted with him, his accusers did not
charge him with any of the crimes I had expected; but they had some argument or
other with him about their own religion and about a dead man called Jesus whom
Paul alleged to be alive. Not feeling qualified to deal with questions of this
sort, I asked him if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem to be tried there
on this issue. But Paul put in an appeal for his case to be reserved for the
judgement of the august emperor, so I ordered him to be remanded until I could
send him to Caesar.’
Prayerful reflection
Jesus had foretold that his disciples would be brought before the
Jewish leaders, kings and rulers. Paul has been dragged before the Jews who
want to kill him. Though declared innocent he remains in prison. As Jesus had
declared, it would give them the opportunity to bear witness to him. Here Paul
will bear witness to the Resurrection of Jesus. Paul is determined to bear
witness to Jesus in Rome, the capital of the Empire. Both to avoid execution by
the Jews in Jerusalem and to witness to his Lord in Rome, he has used his Roman
citizenship to appeal to the judgement of the Emperor. That takes his case out
of the hands of lower Roman officials and reserves it to the highest court. By
doing this, Paul will be able to preach ‘to the ends of the earth’. He will
ultimately give his life for Jesus in Rome.
The greatness of the Christian is to bear witness to the truth of
Jesus before an unbelieving world. Following in the steps of St. Paul, we are
to live the Christian life with courage and conviction. We are to speak openly
of our faith in the Risen Lord. We are not to be afraid. Jesus proclaimed: ‘I
have overcome the world’.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 103:1-2,11-12,19-20
The Lord has set his
sway in heaven.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
all my being, bless his holy name.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
and never forget all his blessings.
The Lord has set his
sway in heaven
For as the heavens are high above the earth
so strong is his love for those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west
so far does he remove our sins.
The Lord has set his
sway in heaven
The Lord has set his sway in heaven
and his kingdom is ruling over all.
Give thanks to the Lord, all his angels,
mighty in power, fulfilling his word.
The Lord has set his sway in heaven
Jn14:26
Alleluia,
The Holy
Spirit will teach you everything
and remind
you of all I have said to you.
Alleluia!
Gospel
John 21:15-19
Feed my lambs, feed my sheep
Jesus showed
himself to his disciples, and after they had eaten he said to Simon Peter,
‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?’ He answered,
‘Yes Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second
time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He replied, ‘Yes, Lord,
you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Look after my sheep.’ Then he said to
him a third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was upset that he
asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and said, ‘Lord, you know
everything; you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.
‘I tell you
most solemnly,
when you were
young
you put on
your own belt
and walked
where you liked;
but when you
grow old
you will
stretch out your hands,
and somebody
else will put a belt round you
and take you
where you would rather not go.’
In these
words he indicated the kind of death by which Peter would give glory to God.
After this he said, ‘Follow me.’
Prayerful reflection
Peter had denied Jesus three times, even though
he had been warned. It was a grave fall. But Jesus will not reject him, nor withdraw
his promise to make him the chief shepherd of his Church. Such is the mercy of
our Lord. We can all expect and experience his forgiveness. There can be no
forgiveness, however, without repentance and a renewal of our love.
Jesus wants all his disciples to know that Peter,
the sinner, loves him with all his heart and so he asks him, gently but publicly
whether Peter loves him. Peter with great vehemence professes his love. Love
for Jesus is what will impel Peter to give his life for God’s people. The more
love, the happier Peter will be to sacrifice everything, even his very life,
for the welfare of the people for whom his Master died.
It is love for Jesus, which makes us good
shepherds to the flock entrusted to us. We are all shepherds to some extent.
The welfare of our people, be they our children and family, various groups of
people, the sick, lonely, imprisoned, or a parish or diocese, they will be our
first priority. Like Jesus, the Chief Shepherd, we will happily give our lives
for them.
What sacrifice will you happily make today for your flock?
When the
Spirit of truth comes,
he will teach
you all truth, says the Lord, alleluia.
Prayer
Father,
through the Sacraments of the Church you cleanse us from sin and nourish us.
This is particularly true of the Holy Eucharist which because it is the
presence of Jesus Christ himself is the source and summit of our Catholic and
Christian Faith. Through this Sacrament may Jesus make us fit for eternal life.
We make our prayer through the same Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.
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