When we pray, we open ourselves to the coming of the Holy Spirit upon us and to the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Therein lies our confidence and hope. He was persecuting the church, believing that this was what God wanted him to do. He is present among us and to us, offering us his peace, the gift of his faithful love. Jesus revealed Gods faithfulness to us; he loved us even when we put him to death. The Sanhedrin were the influential group of Jewish leaders most opposed to Jesus, but Gamaliel, a respected member of that group, shows a degree of openness to the preaching of the apostles that was not typical of the group as a whole. These cookies are necessary to let our website work. Listening to the stranger opening up the Scriptures for them led them to the Eucharist. Catherine remained faithful to Urban, in spite of his faults, because he had been duly elected. Daily Scripture, May 1, 2023. Up until then, the story of Jesus live had been passed primarily by word of mouth. The messages that we are constantly receiving from the culture in which we live are not ones that have been strongly shaped by the values that Jesus embodied in his life, death and resurrection. In group prayer, much will depend on the type of group. They were astonished and said, Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? In response to this preoccupation with Jesus as the provider of physical bread, Jesus speaks of the food that endures to eternal life which he is offering. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. It leads him to ask questions which eventually results in his receiving baptism into the church at the hands of Philip. The very personal call that the Lord addresses to each one of us will always be a call to give of ourselves in some way to others, to give life to others by our loving service. For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God. I am the good shepherd; It is to the Eucharist that we too will be lead as we open up our own stories to the Lords story in the Scriptures. Jesus is the good shepherd in that sense. Thankfully in recent years, along with the whole Church, the Carmelite Order has rediscovered the importance of Lectio Divina as a privileged way of growing in the relationship with Jesus Christ. If the Lord is the good shepherd in those two ways, we are called to be good disciples of the Lord in the same two ways. It was Saint Augustine who said that our hearts are restless until they rest in God. Perhaps, like the people of Galilee, our expectations are too small. Gods gift of his Son to us was not in any way thwarted by the rejection of his Son. The general call of baptism to be the Lords disciple, which is addressed to us all, is then lived out in particular ways in response to the Lords very personal, daily call. Yet, in many ways, he too represents us all. Yet, is spite of this resistance, the Lord insisted all the more on the need, not only to eat his flesh, but to drink his blood also. John 6:35-40 The darkness of Good Friday was still too real, for him to be influenced by the Easter proclamation of the other disciples. As a result, many of the Jewish Christians there had to flee from the city. As John the Baptist had earlier said, he is the one on whom the Spirit descended and remained and who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. As the shepherd calls his sheep one by one, so the Lord calls his followers one by one; he calls us by name; he calls us in a way that respects our individuality and uniqueness. There are other places which have been the destination of pilgrims for a much longer period of time, such as Santiago de Compostella. He is not so settled in his own tradition that he doesnt continue to keep seeking God, so as to come to know him more fully. Then, in response to the Lords greeting, the sceptical Thomas made one of the greatest confessions of faith in all four gospels, My Lord and my God. Todays gospel reading suggests that the Lord walks with us through life and listens when we share deeply with him. That is one of the purposes gates can serve. He said to them, What matters are you discussing as you walk along? They stopped short, their faces downcast. Our reflections on the daily reading at Mass for this coming week have now been uploaded to our website: http://www.carmelites.ie/readingsreflect.html 99 10 Comments Share - 6:00 pm Dinner. Parents are called upon by their children and then, as parents get older, it is the children who often get called upon by their parents. Here and now they already share in the life of God which Jesus brings us. In that gospel reading, Jesus declares that the sheep who belong to me listen to my voice they follow me. He calls on us to break new ground, to grow in new ways, as individual believers and as a community of faith. There was a time when gates were an important part of the look of the front of a house in the city or suburbs. The Lords faithfulness encourages us to keep turning back to him, to keep coming to him, even after we have turned away from him. The Father reveals the Son to those who become like little children, those who, like Catherine, are deeply aware of their dependence on God and are completely open to all that God can give us. One of my favourite depictions of this scene is by an artist called Caravaggio. The Ethiopian was not reading silently to himself; he was reading aloud. The Lord is always doing something new among us, and we all need to discern the ways the Lord is leading the church, especially in these times. How can this man, Jesus, give us his flesh to eat? The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. We may not be able to eat the Lords body and drink his blood in the Eucharist in these times, but we can still remain in communion with him. but the sheep took no notice of them. However, having fed the physical hunger of the crowd, some of that crowd now want Jesus to give them more of the same. Although we can hear the sound of the wind, it is not always easy to judge the direction the wind is blowing from and the direction towards which it is blowing. Pope Francis sees himself as a shepherd of his flock, his diocesan flock in Rome and the world-wide flock of the church. Above is the Holy Spirit radiating down on this ministry of mercy and compassion. Like Nicodemus we can find ourselves at an impasse. This is a powerful image of how Jesus wishes to relate to us. The Father loves me, The gospel reading says that they were talking together about all that happened. Todays gospel reading assures us that the Lord understands a doubting, questioning, faith. Please join us in praying these daily Lenten Reflections with Fr. From that moment he knew that Jesus was calling to announce this message to all, especially to the pagans. You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned and have revealed them to the childlike. Pauls story reminds us that the Lords plans for us may be a great deal bolder than what we might have in mind for ourselves. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him. The gate was the opening to safety at night and to nourishment by day, and it was the shepherd who led the sheep through the gate to safety and to nourishment. Even though Gods quest for us is the more fundamental one, we need to be engaged in our own quest for God. She began gathering a group of followers about herself, men and women, priests and religious. Elsewhere Paul suggests that a Spirit-filled life is also a prayerful life. He calls and he waits for us to respond to his call. Mark portrays Jesus as the suffering Son of Man who came not to be served but to serve, and who was ready to lay down his life in the service of all. How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! They were supporting each other. That is what Jesus conveys in todays gospel reading. Our website uses cookies to give you the best online experience. Our calling is to come out into the light, in the words of the gospel reading. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.. He is the good shepherd because he is the faithful shepherd. If we become too attached to our way of telling the story, we can become blind to other ways of seeing and of understanding what has happened in our lives. These two disciples were not alone in their grief. Nicodemus, who features in this mornings gospel reading, was very much at home in his own Jewish tradition. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. We can make that same discovery. and the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus in Lukes first volume, his gospel. In receiving the Lord in the Eucharist we give him the opportunity to shape us in the way he wants to. Jesus was making peace with his disciples who had failed him in the hour of his passion and death. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. We are not left to ourselves in trying to distinguish the gate that is Jesus from the many other gates that that lead us in very different directions. The Lord continues to offer the gospel even to those who have rejected it. The gospel was perhaps intended as a word of encouragement to the church, assuring them that just as they had travelled and were still travelling the way of the cross, Jesus had travelled that way before them. The risen Lord stood among them to replace that mood with the mood of Easter. Gates seem to be less common in the more modern estates. We feel the need to lock ourselves in and lock others out. It is with confidence that we can pray, Come Holy Spirit, fill our hearts. The words he used were very defeatist, Two hundred denarii would only buy enough to give them a small piece each. Here in the early church was the life of God in human form. Its natural movement is towards greater simplicity, with less and less talking and more listening. At the heart of that search for more is a search for God, a search for the Lord who is God with us. OtherOur website places 3rd party cookies from other 3rd party services which aren't Analytical, Social media or Advertising. The disciples now understood that those who put Jesus to death did not have the last word, and would never have the last word. Given my very particular circumstances, the relationships and commitments I have at this time, the unique set of gifts and limitations that are mine, what is the Lord asking of me now? and as it is in my power to lay it down, John was very aware that none of those things could be said about himself. The evangelist declares that Jesus, Gods Son, reveals Gods love for the world and for each of us individually. They can lead, rather, to a deepening of our faith. It is evident that Jesus is not speaking literally. That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. There are no lengths to which the Lord will not go to hold onto us, to keep us in relationship with him. He calls us to eat his flesh and to drink his blood. We can also, of course, have the wind at our back, helping us along, like a friend. is that I should lose nothing of all that he has given to me, It seems that it wasnt possible to lock the Lord out. I am the bread of life. He wants to reveal his Father to us, to share the love of the Father with us. He was reconciling them to himself, displaying his faithfulness to them, in spite of how they had failed him. The Jewish Sanhedrin were worried about the growing popularity of the disciples of Jesus. All of these experiences of loss are life-draining and debilitating. In coming to us there he directs us to take the path he wants us to take, just as he directed Paul. The journey of faith is not always straightforward. It is not a condemnatory light; God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but so that, through him, the world may have life and have it to the full. In various ways, calls are made upon our time, upon our gifts, upon our energies and resources. They were fearful that those who put Jesus to death would come looking for his followers. The Lord points to that relationship to express something of his own relationship to his disciples. There is no other city that is such a significant a pilgrim destination for three major world religions. The Celtic Carmelite integration is unique and expresses a distinctive vision of a way to seek and give thanks to the God-among-us, in prayer and in the challenges and blessings of daily life. He says in that gospel reading, anyone who enters through me will be safe, he will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture. Very ancient tradition suggests that Marks gospel was written in Rome and that Mark was a disciple of Peter. It is not that the Spirit is lawless, but the Spirit takes us beyond where law can take us. This is the will of my Father, that all who see the Son may have eternal life. The College of Cardinals elected Urban VI who turned out disastrously. Practical Carmelite spirituality for your daily life. After all, Paul knew the Lord was calling him to be the apostle to the Gentiles and here was a church with a significant number of Gentile converts. As he now comes to meet his Lord face to face, we pray that his hopeful faith will continue to inspire us all. Then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. Paul went on to make an important contribution to the life of the church in Antioch, and the church there, in turn, was a great support to Paul in his future missionary work. Our website places advertising cookies to show you 3rd party advertisements based on your interests. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. If human birth makes the child a son or daughter of his or her parents, birth from above or birth of the Spirit, makes us sons and daughters of God, thereby giving us a share in Jesus own relationship with God as Son. He is the good shepherd who knows us through and through and who loves us so completely that he laid down his life for us. They too will listen to my voice, That is how it is with all who are born of the Spirit.. These cookies may track your personal data. and has entrusted everything to him. It is quite usual just to have an opening in the front wall, for a car to park. Barnabas was one of those people who made way for others, who have the generosity of spirit to see that that a certain situation could benefit from the gifts of someone else. Our story, the way we talk about it or write about it, is only one way of putting it. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. The message of the Lord working with and confirming his disciples is present in both readings. In the immediate aftermath of the martyrdom of Stephen, Saul, the zealous Pharisee, set himself the task of destroying this heretical Jewish movement. This step will always entail for us, as it did for Nicodemus, a greater surrender to the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Even when we turn from his presence, he remains present to us and will work with us as we strive to proclaim the gospel by our lives. The Lord journeys with us at such times, as he walked with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, whose spirits were certainly drooping. the anger of God stays on him.. He gave instructions to the disciples, he prayed aloud to God, and somehow the crowd got fed with the young boys small fare. Gates can be understood as both barring the way and opening up a way. The way the Lord related to those two disciples is how he relates to all of us. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Mark wrote the first of the four gospels. We all know from our own experience that liturgical time does not always resonate with where we are on our own lifes journey. As Jesus says in todays gospel reading, whoever eats me will draw life from me. The Lord is with his struggling churches to keep them faithful to the end. Our coming to Jesus is always in response to the Father drawing us to his Son. The gospel reading does not state that Thomas actually touched the wounds of Jesus. She insisted that the Popes place was beside the bones of the martyrs. When something traumatic happens to us, we feel the need to talk about it to someone we trust, whom we know will listen to us with care and attention. the usability. Are not his sisters all with us? In this mornings gospel reading Jesus declares that he wants he wants his relationship with us his followers to be as close as his relationship with God his Father. He no longer sought to impose his religious views on others by violence but he now sought to persuade them by his preaching. We struggle to believe that Jesus could want to be as close to us as he is to his heavenly Father. According to Luke, the public ministry of Jesus wasnt the time for the Samaritans to respond to the gospel (contrary to the gospel of John!) The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. [After Jesus had fed the five thousand men, his disciples saw him walking on the sea.] but this is the bread that comes down from heaven, The Eucharist, like all the sacraments, presupposes faith. This is the carpenters son, surely? But he said to them, It is I. Any passage of Scripture can be used for this way of prayer, but the passage should not be too long. That is how the Lord is present to us. Looking upon the sheepfolds of his day, Jesus identifies with both the gate and the shepherd. In their own words, their hearts began to burn within them. Do not be afraid. These days when we are deprived of the Eucharist can sharpen our awareness of the many other ways the Lord is always coming to us. just as the Father knows me What is it that makes us more alive? He speaks Gods own words. We spend our lives trying to submit ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus. We all have something to receive from someone else. He is always driven by God the Fathers will that all should see the Son and believe in him and so have eternal life. Ultimately, the object of our faith is beyond full human understanding, at least in this life. Two of the disciples of Jesus were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all that had happened. Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. In response to that question Jesus goes on to speak not only of eating his flesh but of drinking his blood. We know that Jesus has a unique relationship with God his Father; that relationship is characterized by a profound loving intimacy. One of the images of Jesus that you find in the catacombs is that of the Good Shepherd. Yet, the life that the Lord talks about there is not just a future reality, life beyond death; it is also a present reality. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The initiative we take towards the Lord is always one we take with other disciples. The risen Lord continues to pour out his Spirit into our hearts so that our lives may be Spirit-filled. The other evangelists took their lead from Mark. We have no control over the direction of the wind; sometimes its direction will be a help to us, at other times it will be a hindrance to us. The probing question he asks Philip about the text gives Philip an opening to speak to him about Jesus. In todays gospel reading, Jesus tells Nicodemus, a leading Pharisee and expert in the Jewish Law, that he needs the Holy Spirit. When the other disciples approached him with the good news of Easter, We have seen the Lord, their message did not resonate with him in any way. Perhaps, therefore, we will find it easy to identify with Thomas in todays gospel reading. In the gospel reading this morning, he describes a scene that would have been familiar to his contemporaries in Galilee. That is because, in the words of todays gospel reading, God so loved the world. Each of us has a responsibility for a flock of our own, whether we are married or ordained or a religious or a single person. He did not understand what he was reading. She was born in 1347, the daughter of a prosperous wool dyer, and died in 1380, at the age of thirty three. When the other disciples came to him in the power to the Holy Spirit to announce, We have seen the Lord, he could not bring himself to believe this news. The story is a reminder to us that we need each other on the journey of faith. Saint Paul expresses that truth in these terms: Gods power is made perfect in weakness. Todays first reading makes reference to the persecution of the early church. At baptism we were born of water and the Spirit, but we spend our lives allowing the Spirit to have his way in us, to shape and mould us. His small income allowed him to support his family, from day to day. His own reasoning did not allow him to believe that life had triumphed over death, that the crucified Jesus was now the risen Lord. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. JANUARY DEC 26th to JAN 29th Click here FEBRUARY JAN 30th to FEB 26th Click here MARCH FEB 27th to MAR 26th Click here APRIL The gospel reading reminds us that the Lord can work powerfully through humble and meagre resources if they are made available to him. Those disciples represent us all. It is based on the presumption that light is the enemy of anyone who might want to break into the premises. I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. The church has endured for over 2,000 years because it is from God. Vocations Sunday reminds us that the most fundamental call that come to us in life is the call of the Lord. Do not work for food that cannot last, In that sense, each of us is called to be a shepherd to others. That is our fundamental calling, to come to the Lord in faith; all else follows from that. Just as Jesus was always in communion with his Father so he wants us to be always in communion with him. He was a leader of the church in Jerusalem and he approved very much of what he saw happening in the church of Antioch where the gospel was being preached not only to Jews but to pagans as well. His call comes to us in all kinds of ways. Many different kinds of people meet with Jesus in the course of Johns gospel. The wind blows wherever it pleases; These cookies are necessary to let our website work. They had rowed three or four miles when they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming towards the boat. However, shortly after his return to Rome, Gregory died. If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you and you do not believe. The Ethiopian was searching, but he needed help from someone who was a little further down the road of faith that he himself was. His meeting with Jesus convinced him that Jesus was alive, risen from the dead. He who comes from above is above all others; He is not saying, in other words, I am a gate, but, rather, I am the gate. All of these experiences of loss are life-draining and debilitating. Jesus was looking beyond the group of Jewish disciples he had gathered.
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