Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: John 14: 1-6

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going you know the way.”
Thomas said to him,
“Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today’s Gospel passage comes from part of Jesus’ Last Supper discourse as he begins revealing to his disciples that this will be his final night on earth. 

Their faith will be shaken. Their world will be turned upside down. Their Lord will be taken from their midst, soon placed in a tomb. Tomorrow will be dramatically different from today.

Yet he tells them, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

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To be “troubled” in the sense that Jesus used it meant to be, “overwhelmed by the fear of death or some other grave evil.”

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Although dark hours are ahead, Jesus assures them, they can proceed in peace. The disciples are being challenged to believe – as sometimes we are – that God is stronger than the evil we face. 

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What troubles my heart? When do I feel overwhelmed?

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In those moments, turn to the Lord, who whispers quietly, “Do not let your heart be troubled.” 

The Lord will journey with us through every trial.

As Saint Paul once wrote, “No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

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May the God who opens otherwise impossible doors calm our hearts with peace.

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Image credits: (1) Revival Christian Fellowship (2) National Catholic Reporter (3) T.D. Jakes, Twitter

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Acts 13: 13-25:

From Paphos, Paul and his companions
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.’”

The Word of the Lord.

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Saint Paul is an extraordinary role model for me as a priest. He was celibate, a zealous convert, and a man deeply in love with Jesus. 

But one aspect of his life is often overlooked. Though he traveled far and wide, Paul rarely traveled alone.

As the Risen Lord said to the disciples in our first reading yesterday, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Paul for the work to which I have called them.”

Paul and Barnabas were commissioned to preach the Gospel in Greece, Cyprus, modern-day Turkey and Iraq. 

We get a sliver of Paul’s sermon in today’s first reading. He’s explaining to the Jews in Antioch how Jesus is their long-awaited king.

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It’s a message that will convert some, but not all. Occasionally, Paul pokes the hornet’s nest, so to speak, enraging the crowds. His life will be in danger more than once.

I can only imagine how much harder his journey would’ve been if he didn’t have a community to write to while in prison; if he had no person to pray for him on his travels; if he had no open heart to receive his sermons.

Even Paul’s life was marked by more than one set of footprints: those of trustworthy friends.

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As it’s written in the Book of Sirach:

Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter; whoever finds one finds a treasure.

Faithful friends are beyond price, no amount can balance their worth.

Paul knew that. We know that.

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So, how might we offer that support system and be a faithful friend for another today?

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Image credits: (1) Goodnet.org (2) Saint Paul Writing His Epistles, Valentine de Boulogne (3) Bibliatodo

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Acts 12: 24 – 13:5

“The word of God continued to spread and grow. 

After Barnabas and Saul completed their relief mission,
they returned to Jerusalem,
taking with them John, who is called Mark. 

Now there were in the Church at Antioch prophets and teachers:
Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene,
Manaen who was a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,
“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul
for the work to which I have called them.” 
Then, completing their fasting and prayer,
they laid hands on them and sent them off.

So they, sent forth by the Holy Spirit,
went down to Seleucia
and from there sailed to Cyprus. 
When they arrived in Salamis,
they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues.”

The Word of the Lord.

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Today we hear about the first missionary journey ever recorded in Christianity.

Starting in Antioch, Paul and Barnabas sail west to Cyprus, north into Turkey, south to Jerusalem, and finally back into Syria.

It was a three-year journey filled with risk and reward. Paul was stoned at least once. He and Barnabas fled for their lives several times. They performed miracles, such as healing a crippled man, and converted many along the way.

This journey also inspired Paul to write some of his pastoral letters, including his Letter to the Galatians.

In spite of widespread persecution, the infant Church grew at a rapid pace. 

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How did they do it?

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They were courageous. Even when it meant risking their lives, these first Christians believed so strongly in the resurrection that not even the threat of death could stop them.

They were open to the Holy Spirit. As we hear in our first reading, the disciples send Paul and Barnabas on mission only after much prayer and fasting.

They worked in teams. Saint Paul is one of the most travelled missionaries in history. But he was rarely alone. Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, Luke, Priscilla, and Aquila, among others, accompanied him on his journeys.

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The Lord needs the same type of disciples today: people who are courageous, who are open to the Holy Spirit, and who are team players.

Meaning, if we work together like Paul and Barnabas, then the Good News will undoubtedly spread.

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Image credits: (1) Charolette’s Hope Church (2) www.orthochristian.com (3) Viz.Bible