Author: admin

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Acts 20: 28-38

At Miletus, Paul spoke to the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus:
“Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock
of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers,
in which you tend the Church of God
that he acquired with his own Blood.
I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you,
and they will not spare the flock.
And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth
to draw the disciples away after them.
So be vigilant and remember that for three years, night and day,
I unceasingly admonished each of you with tears.
And now I commend you to God
and to that gracious word of his that can build you up
and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated.
I have never wanted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.
You know well that these very hands
have served my needs and my companions.
In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort
we must help the weak,
and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said,
‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

When he had finished speaking
he knelt down and prayed with them all.
They were all weeping loudly
as they threw their arms around Paul and kissed him,
for they were deeply distressed that he had said
that they would never see his face again.
Then they escorted him to the ship.

The Word of the Lord.

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“They threw their arms around Paul and kissed him…They were deeply distressed, because they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship.”

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For the last three years, Paul has been living within a Christian community in Ephesus, which he helped to establish. Now the time of his departure is at hand; it has been revealed to him in prayer that he must leave for Jerusalem, revealing Paul’s docility to the Spirit.

“What will happen to me there,” he says, “I do not know.”

While this community was heartbroken by his departure, it was also a blessing in disguise – at least for Christians today.

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Paul was always a man on the go. He’d establish one community, then depart for another. In his absence, he wrote at least fourteen pastoral letters, encouraging these early believers to remain steadfast in their faith.

These letters, along with the Acts of the Apostles, form almost half of the New Testament. 

So, what do Paul’s words reveal about the early Church? And what was some of his parting advice? 

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From the beginning, there was the handing on of apostolic authority, which the Catholic Church has continued for 100 generations. This power was also given to Paul, who ordained priests through prayer and the laying on of hands.

With every departure, Paul warned these communities that “savage wolves” – false preachers – would come among them, unraveling some of his hard fought teaching. But they were encouraged to remain faithful to his teachings – as Pope Leo reminds us to be today.

Finally, Paul lived a life of surrender – freely accepting whatever happened to him: rejection, imprisonment, even death, which he will receive upon arriving in Rome.

Everything Paul did was for the glory of God.

May his courageous spirit spurn us on to continue God’s good work today.

Saint Paul, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) Saint Paul, Pompeo Batoni (2) DeviantArt (3) cfan.eu

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Gospel: John 17: 1-11

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said,
“Father, the hour has come.
Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you,
just as you gave him authority over all people,
so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him.
Now this is eternal life,
that they should know you, the only true God,
and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
I glorified you on earth
by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.
Now glorify me, Father, with you,
with the glory that I had with you before the world began.

“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world.
They belonged to you, and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,
because the words you gave to me I have given to them,
and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you,
and they have believed that you sent me.
I pray for them.
I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me,
because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours
and everything of yours is mine,
and I have been glorified in them.
And now I will no longer be in the world,
but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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When do you sing out loud?

Perhaps at a concert or on a hot summer day while driving in the car alone – windows down, hair blowing in the wind, not a care in the world.

To me, singing is a bit like whistling – it’s hard to do when your sad or angry, but easy to do when joyful.

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Today we celebrate the feast of Charles Lwanga and his companions, who sang to God during the most difficult moments in their lives.

By the end of the 19^th century, Catholicism was spreading like wildfire throughout Africa. But often when the Church begins to flourish, it also meets resistance. 

Such was the case in in Uganda.

The local king didn’t pay any attention to Christianity taking root, budding beneath his throne, until he was confronted directly by Christ’s teachings through Saint Charles Lwanga.

Charles told the king that he was living a life of immorality and debauchery, and that his actions offended God. The king should repent.

Much like King Herod after being confronted by John the Baptist, this earthly royal became so enraged that he forced Charles and his Christian companions to march into the woods for two dreadful days, then he burned them on wooden stakes.

As they endured their death march, Charles and his companions sang songs to God – a sign of just how deeply rooted their faith in Christ had become.

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As the old Swedish proverb reminds us, “Those who wish to sing always find a song.”

It’s not only true on good days, while jamming out a concert or cruising down the highway; it can also be true while under duress. 

May Charles and his companions pray for us, that even in the darker hours of life, we’d turn trustingly to God, finding a song to sing.

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Image credits: (1) Saint Charles Lwanga, The Saints Project (2) Singin’ in the Rain, The Guardian (3) StickPNG

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Gospel: John 16: 29-33

The disciples said to Jesus,
“Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech.
Now we realize that you know everything
and that you do not need to have anyone question you.
Because of this we believe that you came from God.”
Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now?
Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived
when each of you will be scattered to his own home
and you will leave me alone.
But I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
I have told you this so that you might have peace in me.
In the world you will have trouble,
but take courage, I have conquered the world.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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During the last few weeks at daily Mass, we’ve been reading from Jesus’ “Farewell Discourse,” his final words to his Apostles before his arrest, crucifixion, and death.

This seems odd in the Easter season, when we’re focused on the joy of the resurrection! But today we’re invited to hear Christ’s words in light of Pentecost, which we will celebrate on Sunday.

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After Jesus ascends into heaven and sends forth his Spirit upon the Apostles, he leaves the life – and the future – of the Church in their hands.

And with this authority, a series of lessons – some of which are shared during his “Farewell Discourse,” and others, which are taught by his actions.

For example, as Jesus reaches the end of his earthly life at the tender age of 33, he teaches his Apostles that life is not about duration, but donation.

Time is God’s gift to us. What matters is not how much time we have, as much as how well we use it.

In his case, Jesus spent every word, every moment, every ounce of his energy glorifying his heavenly Father and serving his neighbor. 

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How do we use our own time, especially in regard to faith and charity? 

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Make a “donation” today. 

Set aside a few moments to do something beautiful for God. 

In some small way, be like Jesus, “who has loved us and given himself for us.”

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Image credits: (1) X, Quote by John Lennon (2) The Sacrament of the Last Supper, Salvador Dali, 1955 (3) AZ Quotes