Reading 1 Acts 13:13-25
set sail and arrived at Perga in Pamphylia.
But John left them and returned to Jerusalem.
They continued on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia.
On the sabbath they entered into the synagogue and took their seats.
After the reading of the law and the prophets,
the synagogue officials sent word to them,
“My brothers, if one of you has a word of exhortation
for the people, please speak.”
So Paul got up, motioned with his hand, and said,
“Fellow children of Israel and you others who are God-fearing, listen.
The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors
and exalted the people during their sojourn in the land of Egypt.
With uplifted arm he led them out,
and for about forty years he put up with them in the desert.
When he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan,
he gave them their land as an inheritance
at the end of about four hundred and fifty years.
After these things he provided judges up to Samuel the prophet.
Then they asked for a king.
God gave them Saul, son of Kish,
a man from the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
Then he removed him and raised up David as their king;
of him he testified,
I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;
he will carry out my every wish.
From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise,
has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.
John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance
to all the people of Israel;
and as John was completing his course, he would say,
‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he.
Behold, one is coming after me;
I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.’”
Responsorial Psalm PS 89:2-3, 21-22, 25 and 27
or:
R. Alleluia.
The favors of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”;
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
That my hand may be always with him,
and that my arm may make him strong.”
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him,
and through my name shall his horn be exalted.
He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.’”
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia See Rev 1:5ab
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Jesus Christ, you are the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead,
you have loved us and freed us from our sins by your Blood.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Jn 13:16-20
“Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master
nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him.
If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.
I am not speaking of all of you.
I know those whom I have chosen.
But so that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
The one who ate my food has raised his heel against me.
From now on I am telling you before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe that I AM.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send
receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”
I FOR I AM
"When it takes place you may believe that I AM." –John 13:19
Jesus is God. We, His disciples, should take and make every opportunity to proclaim Jesus' divinity. Always, and especially during this Easter season, we should declare that Jesus is the Son of God, that is, God, "in power according to the spirit of holiness, by His resurrection from the dead" (Rm 1:4).
Jesus Himself made an opportunity to proclaim His divinity by foretelling His betrayal by Judas. Jesus told His disciples: "I tell you this now, before it takes place, so that when it takes place you may believe that I AM" (Jn 13:19). Likewise, we can convert those times we have been betrayed or rejected into opportunities to proclaim Jesus as the great I AM. We can do this especially by receiving the divine power to forgive. The old saying is true: "To err is human; to forgive is divine." When we truly forgive those Judases in our lives, when we embrace, kiss, gift, and honor the prodigal sons and daughters in our lives (Lk 15:20ff), others will either say we are crazy or acknowledge Jesus as God. They know that to truly forgive enemies is not normal for human beings. So either we are crazy, or this Jesus, Whom we are following, is God, Who alone has the power to forgive.
Whatever takes place, try to use the events of your life to proclaim that Jesus is the I AM.
| PRAYER: | Father, in the next month may many knees bow for the first time at the name of Jesus, the Lord God (see Phil 2:10-11). |
| PROMISE: | "John heralded the coming of Jesus by proclaiming a baptism of repentance." –Acts 13:24 |
| PRAISE: | St. Anselm led the Council of Rockingham to side with the Pope rather than the king. |
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