Lectionary: 300
Reading 1
Acts 22:30; 23:6-11
Wishing to determine the truth
about why Paul was being accused by the Jews,
the commander freed him
and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene.
Then he brought Paul down and made him stand before them.
Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees,
so he called out before the Sanhedrin,
“My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees;
I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.”
When he said this,
a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees,
and the group became divided.
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection
or angels or spirits,
while the Pharisees acknowledge all three.
A great uproar occurred,
and some scribes belonging to the Pharisee party
stood up and sharply argued,
“We find nothing wrong with this man.
Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
The dispute was so serious that the commander,
afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them,
ordered his troops to go down and rescue Paul from their midst
and take him into the compound.
The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage.
For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem,
so you must also bear witness in Rome.”
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
R. (1) Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.”
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
John 17:20-26
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
“I pray not only for these,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
so that they may all be one,
as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that they also may be in us,
that the world may believe that you sent me.
And I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me,
that they may be brought to perfection as one,
that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.
Father, they are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
I made known to them your name and I will make it known,
that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them.”
REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: THE BEST LAID PLANS OF MEN
"Paul, it should be noted, was aware that some of them were Sadducees and some Pharisees." –Acts 23:6
St. Paul's trial before the Sanhedrin was not going well. The high priest had already "ordered his attendants to strike Paul on the mouth" (Acts 23:2). Paul's audience was obviously not receptive. Then Paul had a great idea on how to get out of the mess he was in. He turned the Sadducees of the Sanhedrin against the Pharisees of the Sanhedrin. His trick seemed to work at first, as the Pharisees and the Sadducees started fighting each other (Acts 23:9). However, Paul's trick soon backfired, and he was almost torn to pieces in the ensuing riot (Acts 23:10). Paul subsequently was left in prison for two years (Acts 24:27), almost drowned in a shipwreck (Acts 27:14ff), and kept under house arrest in Rome for two more years (Acts 28:30).
The "morals of the story" are:
Human ingenuity can backfire on you.You can lose four years by taking short cuts to save time.The Lord is merciful and is willing to work all things together for the good of those who love Him (Rm 8:28).
"Flesh begets flesh, spirit begets spirit" (Jn 3:6). Don't do your thing. Follow the lead of the Spirit (Gal 5:25). Our best laid plans fail. The Lord's plans always succeed.
PRAYER: Father, I will crucify my flesh (Gal 5:24) and live by the Spirit.
PROMISE: "I do not pray for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their word, that all may be one as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; I pray that they may be [one] in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me." –Jn 17:20-21
PRAISE: St. Boniface wrote: "What we ourselves cannot bear let us bear with the help of Christ."
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