30-APL-'24, Tuesday of Fifth Week of Easter

Tuesday of Fifth Week of Easter

Lectionary: 286

Reading 1

Acts 14:19-28

In those days, some Jews from Antioch and Iconium

arrived and won over the crowds.

They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city,

supposing that he was dead.

But when the disciples gathered around him,

he got up and entered the city.

On the following day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.

After they had proclaimed the good news to that city

and made a considerable number of disciples,

they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch.

They strengthened the spirits of the disciples

and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying,

"It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships

to enter the Kingdom of God."

They appointed presbyters for them in each Church and,

with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord

in whom they had put their faith.

Then they traveled through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia.

After proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia.

From there they sailed to Antioch,

where they had been commended to the grace of God

for the work they had now accomplished.

And when they arrived, they called the Church together

and reported what God had done with them

and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

Then they spent no little time with the disciples.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 21

R.(see 12) Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,

and let your faithful ones bless you.

Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom

and speak of your might.

R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Making known to men your might

and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages,

and your dominion endures through all generations.

R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

or:

R. Alleluia.

May my mouth speak the praise of the LORD,

and may all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Alleluia

See Luke 24:46, 26

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead,

and so enter into his glory.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

John 14:27-31a

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.

Not as the world gives do I give it to you.

Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.

You heard me tell you,

'I am going away and I will come back to you.'

If you loved me,

you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;

for the Father is greater than I.

And now I have told you this before it happens,

so that when it happens you may believe.

I will no longer speak much with you,

for the ruler of the world is coming.

He has no power over me,

but the world must know that I love the Father

and that I do just as the Father has commanded me."

Reflection 1

Catholic Daily Reflections

The Peace of Christ

Jesus said to his disciples: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.” John 14:27

So how does the peace that Jesus gives you differ from the apparent peace that the world gives? We all want peace in life. The desire for interior peace is written upon our very nature. And though many people make choices that lead to interior disorder and even chaos, those choices are often made out of a confused sense of what actually provides fulfillment.

For example, those who choose to feed an addiction to drugs or alcohol often began that addiction out of a misguided desire for happiness. The temporary fix experienced gives the temporary sense of well-being. But objectively speaking, it is very clear that the temporary “peace” one receives from these actions leads ultimately to a loss of the very thing they desire. And when these choices become addictions, the person often finds themself trapped in a downward spiral.

There are also countless other ways in which people find themselves seeking satisfaction and fulfillment in life. Money, promiscuity, cheating, selfishness, anger, deception, and the like are all actions that are done with the intent of some satisfaction. Our daily goal must be to unmask those deceptive actions so that we can see them for what they are and for the fruit that they produce. These are clearly among the many ways that the “world” offers us peace.

When it comes to true happiness in life, the gift of true interior peace is one of the clearest signs that we are on the right track and are making the right decisions. When we choose the will of God each and every day, those choices may be difficult and require much initial sacrifice. Love can be hard. Faithfulness to the moral law of God can be challenging. And refusing to sin is difficult. But choosing the will of God throughout our day, every day, will begin to produce within us the consoling and sustaining gift of the peace of Christ.

True peace produces strength. It leads to interior integrity and wholeness. It produces clarity of thought and certitude in convictions. God’s peace leads to more peace. It leads to choices based on well-thought-out actions of love. Peace leads us to the will of God, and the will of God leads to peace. The cyclical effect is exponential and is one of the clearest guides to happiness in life.

Reflect, today, upon whether you truly have peace in your heart. Do you recognize the still, strong and sustaining presence of God within your soul? Do your daily choices produce greater integrity of heart and clarity of mind? Do you find that you have joy and calm, even in the midst of life’s greatest challenges? Seek out this peace, for if you do, you will be seeking out the good God Who produces this glorious gift within your heart.

Reflection 2

One Bread, One Body

OPENING THE DOOR OF FAITH

“They called the congregation together and related all that God had helped them accomplish, and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.” —Acts 14:27

Because God is Love (1 Jn 4:16), He wants all people to be saved (1 Tm 2:4). Because all people are naturally alienated from God, we all need God to do something extreme to open the door of faith and break through our resistance to His saving grace. God even became a man and we “put to death the Author of Life” (Acts 3:15). Jesus did this to show us His love for, and obedience to, the Father. Jesus said: “The prince of this world is at hand. He has no hold on Me, but the world must know that I love the Father and do as the Father has commanded Me” (Jn 14:30-31). Jesus led us through His crucifixion and death to love and obey God the Father and to accept Him as our Savior.

The Lord wants so much for all to be saved. Yet so many are so resistant that the Lord sends the members of His body to be persecuted and crucified with Jesus (Gal 2:19). As we share in Christ’s sufferings (Col 1:24), the bolted doors and hardest hearts are opened to the Lord’s saving mercy. Thus, St. Paul and St. Barnabas “gave their disciples reassurances, and encouraged them to persevere in the faith with this instruction: ‘We must undergo many trials if we are to enter into the reign of God’ ” (Acts 14:22).

Because of God’s love and our fallen nature, Jesus suffered and died. If we accept God’s love, we rejoice to share Christ’s sufferings (1 Pt 4:13), for the cross is the key to the door of faith.

Prayer:  Father, whatever it takes, use me to lead others to salvation.

Promise:  “ ‘Peace’ is My farewell to you, My peace is My gift to you; I do not give it to you as the world gives peace. Do not be distressed or fearful.” —Jn 14:27

Praise:  Pope St. Pius V had the task of implementing the Council of Trent. His personal life was grounded in being a holy Dominican Friar.

Reflection 3

By Fr. Martin Hogan

In the gospel reading this morning, Jesus promises the gift of peace to his followers. He immediately goes on to contrast the peace he gives with the peace the world gives. In the time Jesus lived and in the time John’s gospel was written, the Pax Romana, the Roman peace, was being heralded and praised throughout the empire. This peace that Rome brought was the fruit of conquest and oppression. This peace which the world of the time gave is not the peace that Jesus gives. The Lord’s peace is not the fruit of conquest, but is what Paul would call the fruit of the Spirit. It is the peace which comes to those whose lives are led by the Spirit and shaped by the Spirit. The primary fruit of the Spirit is love. Love and peace are dimensions of the one fruit of the Spirit. When we love with the Lord’s love then we will know his peace and we will become channels of that peace to others.

Prayers

My Lord of true peace, You and Your holy will are the only path to the deepest fulfillment of all of my desires in life. When I make poor choices that lead to disorder and confusion, help me to turn to You with all my heart. Please unmask any deception I struggle with and give me the strength I need to seek You and Your peace alone. Jesus, I trust in You.

Lord Jesus, may your peace be always with me. May no troubling thought, trial or affliction rob me of the peace which passes all understanding. You, alone, O Lord, are my Peace. May I always reside in that peace by believing in your word and by doing your will.

Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy

Reflection 120: Pure Love of God

The ultimate purpose of your life is love.  And, more specifically, it is first to love God with a pure love.  For love to be pure, it must be freed from all selfishness.  Pure love looks only at the one being loved.  When we love God with a pure love, we will find that we are drawn to God for His sake, because He is glorious and worthy of our love, and because loving Him is right and just.  When we can love in this way, selflessly and focused only on God’s greatness and beauty, then we will discover something else quite glorious.  We will discover that, as a result of our pure love of God, we are also filled with a joy so abundant and powerful that we need no other reward.  The joy that fills us as a result of loving God with a pure love, becomes so strong that it overflows into a profound and sincere love for others.  This is the greatest satisfaction in life.  We truly need nothing else to be happy beyond measure (See Diary #576).

Are you happy?  If not, what do you blame for your lack of happiness?  It’s easy to point and assign blame.  However, we must realize that happiness comes only as a result of our choice to love God with a pure heart of love.  Reflect upon whether this is something you are experiencing in your life.  Ponder the love and affection you have for God.  Think about how strong or how weak this love is.  And remind yourself that, if you love God purely and above all else, this love will order your life so perfectly that the joy you experience will satisfy you above any other earthly consolation.  If you want to be happy, seek to love God with a complete and pure heart.

Lord, I know my love for You is far from perfect.  Help me, this day, to turn my eyes and heart more fully to You so that my love of You may be purified, allowing me to love You above all things for Your own sake, because You do deserve my total love.  In my love of You, I thank You for the joy that this produces.  May that joy overflow so abundantly that I find perfect satisfaction and happiness in this love.  Jesus, I trust in You.