Lectionary: 564
Reading 1
Acts 1:15-17, 20-26
Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and sisters
(there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons
in the one place).
He said, “My brothers and sisters,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled
which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand
through the mouth of David, concerning Judas,
who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.
Judas was numbered among us
and was allotted a share in this ministry.
For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
Let his encampment become desolate,
and may no one dwell in it.
and:
May another take his office.
Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men
who accompanied us the whole time
the Lord Jesus came and went among us,
beginning from the baptism of John
until the day on which he was taken up from us,
become with us a witness to his resurrection.”
So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas,
who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
Then they prayed,
“You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,
show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this apostolic ministry
from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.”
Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias,
and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
R. (8) The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high
and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor
To seat them with princes,
with the princes of his own people.
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
John 15:9-17
Jesus said to his disciples:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you
and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”
REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: THE ETERNAL FRUIT OF LOVE
"As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you." –John 15:9
"God is love" (1 Jn 4:16). The Persons of the Holy Trinity love Each other eternally. The Father and the Son love each other eternally, and the eternal Fruit of this love is the Holy Spirit. Thus, the Holy Spirit not only produces fruit (Gal 5:22) but is Himself the Fruit of the love of the Father and the Son.
In receiving the Holy Spirit, we receive the power to obey God's very first command to the human race: "Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it" (Gn 1:28). In the Spirit, we bear abundant (Jn 15:5), lasting fruit (Jn 15:16).
However, we live in a contraceptive, abortifacient society. As Pope John Paul II has taught, we live in a "culture of death." This is true both physically and spiritually. For example, many Christians in the Western world would never even entertain the thought of trying to bear fruit by evangelizing. Even those who will share their faith under ideal circumstances abort their attempts to evangelize when they see they will have to die to themselves to bear fruit (see Jn 12:24).
As Pentecost approaches, we must decide whether we want the Holy Spirit, the Fruit of the love of the Father and the Son, or if we want to remain in the "culture of death." "Choose life" (Dt 30:19) and life in the Spirit.
PRAYER: Father, I choose life, love, fruitfulness, and death to self.
PROMISE: "He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill He lifts up the poor." –Ps 113:7
PRAISE: St. Matthias performed great signs and wonders among the people of Jerusalem. As a result, "more and more believers, men and women in great numbers, were continually added to the Lord" (Acts 5:12-14).
Be an inspiration, Share!
No comments:
Post a Comment