Oneness in Christ Jesus

CATHOLIC DAILY SCRIPTURE READING

Welcome to my blog. The Catholic Church under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit gives us each day at least two readings from the Bible, plus several verses from a psalm which is an inspired response to one of the readings, normally the first.

There is a cycle (a two year cycle for weekdays and a three year cycle for Sundays) which covers the major parts of the Old Testament, the Gospels and the New Testament writings.

Through these readings we can get our spiritual nourishment. In my blog I give the readings and the inspirations I have received in my prayer. I want to share them with others. If they help you to get in touch with God and his image in this world, Jesus the Christ, then my purpose will be fulfilled. May God bless you through his Spirit.

If you find them helpful, read, meditate and use them for your pray. The Word of God will be the food of your life. Jesus said: I am the bread of life, he who follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.

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Wednesday 13 May 2020

ONENESS IN CHRIST JESUS

Cf. Ps 71: 8, 23

Let my mouth be filled with your praise, that I may sing aloud;

my lips shall shout for joy, when I sing to you, alleluia.

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Father, we are sinners and through our sins lose the innocence of our Baptism. But, through our repentance, in your mercy, you restore it to us. You have set us free from the darkness of unbelief through the waters of Baptism. May we never stray from the light of your truth. We make our prayer through your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.

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First reading

Acts 15:1-6

They were to go up to Jerusalem and discuss the problem with the apostles and elders

Some men came down from Judaea and taught the brothers, ‘Unless you have yourselves circumcised in the tradition of Moses you cannot be saved.’ This led to disagreement, and after Paul and Barnabas had had a long argument with these men it was arranged that Paul and Barnabas and others of the church should go up to Jerusalem and discuss the problem with the apostles and elders.

All the members of the church saw them off, and as they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria they told how the pagans had been converted, and this news was received with the greatest satisfaction by the brothers. When they arrived in Jerusalem they were welcomed by the church and by the apostles and elders, and gave an account of all that God had done with them.

But certain members of the Pharisees’ party who had become believers objected, insisting that the pagans should be circumcised and instructed to keep the Law of Moses. The apostles and elders met to look into the matter. The Word of the Lord.

The first Christians were Jews. Jesus had been a Jew. Many priests and pharisees had become believers. They all continued to go to the Temple to pray. They saw no opposition in being a devout Jew and a devout Christian. Did Jesus not say, I have not come to abolish the Law of Moses, but to bring it to fulfilment? They loved the Law of Moses and would give their lives for it. It was God’s great gift to the human race. Gentiles had no idea of the Jewish religion and the Law of Moses, yet they believed now in Jesus. Their faith was true and deep. But, like Jesus and like themselves, the Jewish Christians thought,  should they not also keep the Law of God given through Moses?

The leaders of the Church were deeply divided. Paul would not surrender his view – even if an angel from heaven teaches something different from what I have taught, let him be anathema, he will say later. Paul, he says later too, was afraid that Peter and the others would not agree. That would mean a split in Christianity right down the middle. He would have to depart. But they all put the oneness, the overriding unity of the Church before their own views. They prayed and talked till they found the solution of the Holy Spirit. Would that later generations of Christians would have had the same desire to preserve the unity of the Spirit. We wouldn’t experience the numerous divisions of the Christian Church that we do today. Let us, too, pray and work for unity in faith and worship.

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Psalm 122:1-5

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

I rejoiced when I heard them say:

‘Let us go to God’s house.’

And now our feet are standing

within your gates, O Jerusalem.

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

Jerusalem is built as a city

strongly compact.

It is there that the tribes go up,

the tribes of the Lord.

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

For Israel’s law it is,

there to praise the Lord’s name.

There were set the thrones of judgement

of the house of David.

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

Gospel

John 15:1-8

I am the vine, you are the branches

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘I am the true vine,

and my Father is the vinedresser.

Every branch in me that bears no fruit

he cuts away,

and every branch that does bear fruit

he prunes to make it bear even more.

You are pruned already,

by means of the word that I have spoken to you.

Make your home in me, as I make mine in you.

As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself,

but must remain part of the vine,

neither can you unless you remain in me.

I am the vine,

you are the branches.

Whoever remains in me, with me in him,

bears fruit in plenty;

for cut off from me you can do nothing.

Anyone who does not remain in me

is like a branch that has been thrown away – he withers;

these branches are collected and thrown on the fire,

and they are burnt.

If you remain in me

and my words remain in you,

you may ask what you will

and you shall get it.

It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit,

and then you will be my disciples.’

All believers are to be one in Christ.  We make up the one vine which is Christ Jesus and we are all the branches. We eat his Body and drink his Blood and so he takes us into himself. We live because of him. We become his Body, the branches of him the Vine. Jesus is to bear fruit in the world through us. The sap of his life is to flow abundantly through us. Externally this will show itself through unity in fellowship and worship and love, showing itself in works of charity and justice.

For this to happen, each believer must become intimately united with Jesus. This comes about through living faith, the Holy Eucharist and prayer.

Do you experience, in faith, a loving union with Jesus when you receive Holy Communion? Does Jesus live in and through you afterwards or do you forget?

The Lord has risen and shone his light upon us,

whom he has redeemed by his Blood, alleluia.

Prayer

Loving Father, you give us your love through giving us your Son, Jesus. He is the food of life for us. We in our turn give you our love and our lives. May this holy exchange make us fruitful in this life and bring us to the joys of life with you in the next. We make our prayer through your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.

CATHOLIC DAILY SCRIPTURE READING

Welcome to my blog. The Catholic Church under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit gives us each day at least two readings from the Bible, plus several verses from a psalm which is an inspired response to one of the readings, normally the first.

There is a cycle (a two year cycle for weekdays and a three year cycle for Sundays) which covers the major parts of the Old Testament, the Gospels and the New Testament writings.

Through these readings we can get our spiritual nourishment. In my blog I give the readings and the inspirations I have received in my prayer. I want to share them with others. If they help some to get in touch with God and his image in this world, Jesus the Christ, then my purpose will be fulfilled. May God bless you through his Holy Spirit.

Tuesday 12 May 2020

LOVE AND PEACE

Prayer:

Jesus, you have risen from the dead and live among us. Through your Holy Spirit, show us the way to meet you. Speak to us and grant us the grace that we may never lose hope in your promises.

First reading

Acts 14:19-28

They gave an account of how God had opened the door of faith to the pagans

Some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium, and turned the people against the apostles. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the town, thinking he was dead. The disciples came crowding round him but, as they did so, he stood up and went back to the town. The next day he and Barnabas went off to Derbe.

Having preached the Good News in that town and made a considerable number of disciples, they went back through Lystra and Iconium to Antioch. They put fresh heart into the disciples, encouraging them to persevere in the faith. ‘We all have to experience many hardships’ they said ‘before we enter the kingdom of God.’ In each of these churches they appointed elders, and with prayer and fasting they commended them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.

They passed through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia. Then after proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia and from there sailed for Antioch, where they had originally been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.

On their arrival they assembled the church and gave an account of all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith to the pagans. They stayed there with the disciples for some time.

There is no doubt that Paul was gifted with a personality which desired to excel in all things. He could not tolerate mediocrity in himself, nor really in others. He had met Jesus on the road to Damascus. He knew him – ‘he loved me and gave his life for me’. His love for Jesus was deep and passionate. There was nothing he would not suffer for the one who had given his life for him. He wanted everyone to know Jesus, Son of God and Lord and have the same experience. Thus, he was driven on relentlessly by his love.

Such Christians are an example to us all. Have you really met Jesus?

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Our response to the reading

Psalm 144(145):10-13a,21

Your friends, O Lord, shall make known the glorious splendour of your reign.

or

Alleluia!

All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,

and your friends shall repeat their blessing.

They shall speak of the glory of your reign

and declare your might, O God,

to make known to men your mighty deeds

and the glorious splendour of your reign.

Your friends, O Lord, shall make known the glorious splendour of your reign.

or

Alleluia!

Yours is an everlasting kingdom;

your rule lasts from age to age.

Your friends, O Lord, shall make known the glorious splendour of your reign.

or

Alleluia!

Let me speak the praise of the Lord,

let all mankind bless his holy name

for ever, for ages unending.

Your friends, O Lord, shall make known the glorious splendour of your reign.

or

Alleluia!

Gospel

John 14:27-31

A peace the world cannot give is my gift to you

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you,

a peace the world cannot give,

this is my gift to you.

Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.

You heard me say: I am going away, and shall return.

If you loved me you would have been glad to know that I am going to the Father,

for the Father is greater than I.

I have told you this now before it happens,

so that when it does happen you may believe.

I shall not talk with you any longer,

because the prince of this world is on his way.

He has no power over me,

but the world must be brought to know

that I love the Father

and that I am doing exactly what the Father told me.’

The whole of the Gospel hangs together. In order to receive his gift of peace – a gift which we enjoy whatever happens in our life – we must love Jesus. A mutually loving relationship is the key to everything. But to love Jesus, I must know him. To know him, I must meet him. Meeting him often, I will build up a relationship with him. There is no end to this, as to any relationship. But how do I meet him? How can I get to know him?

For Catholic Christians the supreme way is through the Blessed Sacrament. Jesus is truly present with his Body, Body, Soul and Divinity. Our faith makes us absolutely certain of his presence. Through the Holy Eucharist we can have the experience of Jesus, present. It is through this Sacrament that we must cultivate our relationship with him. There is no end to the depth of this very personal relationship. It is in proportion to our faith in his presence.

Through the Gospels and the inspiration of the Spirit to us personally, he will speak to us and tell us who is – for us, as individuals. In this loving relationship he will give us his peace. This peace will become the hallmark of our life.

This is only the starting point. Through the Spirit’s inspiration we will find Jesus everywhere

and in everyone. Life become our living and loving relationship with him.

Do you want to know Jesus, as someone real in your life?

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Rm 6: 8

If we have died with Christ,

we believe that we shall also live with Christ, alleluia.

Lord Jesus, through your Word, may we come to know you. May we, who through your infinite mercy, believe in you, come one day to share, in our own bodies, the glory of your Resurrection.

Experience of Jesus and Witness

CATHOLIC DAILY SCRIPTURE READING

Welcome to my blog. The Catholic Church under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit gives us each day at least two readings from the Bible, plus several verses from a psalm which is an inspired response to one of the readings, normally the first.

There is a cycle (a two year cycle for weekdays and a three year cycle for Sundays) which covers the major parts of the Old Testament, the Gospels and the New Testament writings.

Through these readings we can get our spiritual nourishment. In my blog I will give the readings and the inspirations I have received in my prayer. I want to share them with others. If they help some to get in touch with God and his image in this world, Jesus the Christ, then my purpose will be fulfilled. May God bless you through his Spirit.

 

Monday 11 May 2020

 

First reading

Acts 14:5-18

We have come with good news to turn you to the living God

Eventually with the connivance of the authorities a move was made by pagans as well as Jews to make attacks on the apostles and to stone them. When the apostles came to hear of this, they went off for safety to Lycaonia where, in the towns of Lystra and Derbe and in the surrounding country, they preached the Good News.

[Nothing is going to stop them witnessing to Jesus. They go to those who are open to the Good News. Let us remember that wherever we are, we are to witness by our life and our words to the truth of Jesus.]

A man sat there who had never walked in his life, because his feet were crippled from birth; and as he listened to Paul preaching, he managed to catch his eye. Seeing that the man had the faith to be cured, Paul said in a loud voice, ‘Get to your feet – stand up’, and the cripple jumped up and began to walk.

 [May be Jesus does not work such miracles today. Nonetheless we should have the faith and trust in Jesus to pray openly for the sick and expect Jesus to heal. Every sincere prayer is answered for our good. We have a Father who will do anything for our eternal good, even to the point of allowing his Only Son to undergo the suffering of the Cross. Such is his love for us. To believe this is the key to the Christian life].

When the crowd saw what Paul had done they shouted in the language of Lycaonia, ‘These people are gods who have come down to us disguised as men.’ They addressed Barnabas as Zeus, and since Paul was the principal speaker they called him Hermes. The priests of Zeus-outside-the-Gate, proposing that all the people should offer sacrifice with them, brought garlanded oxen to the gates. When the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening they tore their clothes, and rushed into the crowd, shouting, ‘Friends, what do you think you are doing? We are only human beings like you. We have come with good news to make you turn from these empty idols to the living God who made heaven and earth and the sea and all that these hold. In the past he allowed each nation to go its own way; but even then he did not leave you without evidence of himself in the good things he does for you: he sends you rain from heaven, he makes your crops grow when they should, he gives you food and makes you happy.’ Even this speech, however, was scarcely enough to stop the crowd offering them sacrifice.

[Paul and Barnabas give us a example of the true Christian response. It is so easy to take the glory for ourselves. That will vitiate everything. We are nothing in ourselves and must never forget this. Everything we ever do, is by his power and love. We must always sincerely and humbly acknowledge this].

 

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 113B(115):1-4,15-16

Not to us, Lord, but to your name give the glory.

or

Alleluia!

Not to us, Lord, not to us,

but to your name give the glory

for the sake of your love and your truth,

lest the heathen say: ‘Where is their God?’

Not to us, Lord, but to your name give the glory.

or

Alleluia!

But our God is in the heavens;

he does whatever he wills.

Their idols are silver and gold,

the work of human hands.

Not to us, Lord, but to your name give the glory.

or

Alleluia!

May you be blessed by the Lord,

the maker of heaven and earth.

The heavens belong to the Lord

but the earth he has given to men.

Not to us, Lord, but to your name give the glory.

or

Alleluia!

 

 

Gospel

John 14:21-26

The Advocate, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘Anybody who receives my commandments and keeps them

will be one who loves me;

and anybody who loves me will be loved by my Father,

and I shall love him and show myself to him.’

Judas – this was not Judas Iscariot – said to him, ‘Lord, what is all this about? Do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?’ Jesus replied:

‘If anyone loves me he will keep my word,

and my Father will love him,

and we shall come to him and make our home with him.

Those who do not love me do not keep my words.

And my word is not my own:

it is the word of the one who sent me.

I have said these things to you while still with you;

but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit,

whom the Father will send in my name,

will teach you everything

and remind you of all I have said to you.’

 

Do you want to experience Jesus in your life – as really present? Do you want him to come to you and reveal himself to you so that your life is overwhelmed with joy?

Then receive his commandments with love and keep them with all your heart. Then, ‘I shall love him and show myself to him.” His commandment is: love one another as I have loved you. Love then with the love of the Cross – forgiveness, prayer, gentleness. Give your life for others. “Your commandments are my delight”. [psalm 119]

 

Therefore, as far as you love, that is, as far as you keep his commandments, so far you will see Jesus and experience his love.

 

The Father will love you too and the three Persons will make their home with you. though through faith Revelation 21:1-8 will be fulfilled in you. Experience then the indwelling of God.

 

Through the Holy Spirit, God will guide and teach you everything you need.

 

THIS IS FOR NOW, NOT JUST IN HEAVEN.

 

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