-----------------------------------------. OtherOur website places 3rd party cookies from other 3rd party services which aren't Analytical, Social media or Advertising. Yet, Peter was able to see the working of God in this unexpected development. The Lord comes to us all in our moments of struggle, when we sense our vulnerability, our frailty, when a darkness of spirit threatens to engulf us. It seems that in the course of Jesus public ministry he gradually grew in his relationship with Jesus; he allowed himself to be drawn to Jesus more fully. All of a sudden it is bright beyond 7.00 pm. We gather to celebrate the Eucharist so that we can draw life from the Lord. We can all be like those drooping daffodils. The light which shone from the risen Lord and from the preaching of the Easter gospel could not be extinguished by the powers of darkness. I tell you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand. In this mornings gospel reading, Jesus makes the striking statement, everybody who believes in me has eternal life. In the language of this fourth gospel, it is Jesus, who is close to the Fathers heart, who has made him known. At the end of yesterdays gospel reading, we heard that Jesus, having fed the multitude in the wilderness, withdrew to the mountain by himself. When Philip left him, the Ethiopian went on his journey rejoicing. If we are to come into that abundant life that Jesus came to give us, we must do so by passing through him. He discerned that this unexpected development was from God and that the Lord was asking him to support what was happening in Antioch. It is as the source of life, as the one who can satisfy our deepest hungers and thirsts, that Jesus invites people to come to him, while assuring them that they will never be turned away if they do come. The risen Lord is with his disciples, working with them and confirming them. All the Lord asks is that we are generous with what we have, little as that may be, and he will work through us in ways that will surprise us. What if you should see the Son of man, The Jews started arguing among themselves, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Jesus replied to them: In all truth I tell you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no, Jesus said to the crowd: No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me, and I will raise that person up on the last day. In the gospel reading, Jesus also declares, The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice. In raising his Son from the dead, God gave his Son back to the world that had rejected him. The Lord may not be calling on us to take on some particular work but he may be calling on us to encourage someone else to take it on, as Barnabas encouraged Paul. The Lord was saying to them, in effect, open those doors and get out there. So we can be grateful to Mark for his written gospel. The words of Jesus to Nicodemus in this mornings gospel reading are one of the strongest and most positive statements in the New Testament about God. A little later in this same gospel, Jesus will say to his disciples, those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. He then declared that he was sending them out on mission, in the same way that his Father had sent him into the world on mission. They wanted more; they asked him to stay, and over table they recognized him in the breaking of the bread. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. These stages of Lectio Divina are not fixed rules of procedure but simply guidelines as to how the prayer normally develops. 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. Yes, Jesus gave them bread in the wilderness to eat, but, more importantly, he himself is the Bread of Life who can satisfy their deepest hunger, their spiritual hunger. and they are dead; When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. With the Lords help what seemed impossible became possible. No one has gone up to heaven When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted. So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. Jesus said to Nicodemus that he had to be born from above; he had to be born of water and the Spirit. Even if we try to lock the Lord out of our lives, he comes to us anyway. because you are no sheep of mine. At some deep level, we are unhappy with the direction our lives are taking. What is true of our relationship with others is true to a greater extent of our relationship with Jesus. And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon. In the verse just before this gospel reading begins, John the Baptist had said of Jesus, He must increase, but I must decrease. These basic human physical needs had to be met first. God wants our response, but God cannot force it. The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon. Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking of bread. Jesus is always calling us too to take some new step on our faith journey. Yet, unlike the wind, the Spirit is never a hindrance to us on our journey towards God. 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. In his letter to the Romans he says, we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. We cannot manage the Holy Spirit. Thomas too had locked himself away from the other disciples and from the Lord because of his strong doubt. In the words of todays gospel reading, one by one, the Lord calls his own. As Jesus says in Johns gospel, apart from me you can do nothing. They had forgotten that Jesus had told them that, having been crucified by his enemies, God would raise him from the dead. The Lord points to that relationship to express something of his own relationship to us. The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep as soon as he sees a wolf coming, Jesus said: In all truth I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a bandit. As we listen, we are gradually transformed from within. Mark, in a way, produced a new kind of literature, what became known as a gospel. The Lord calls each of us to be a good shepherd in some shape or form. He insisted not just on seeing the risen Lord for himself, like the other disciples, but on physically touching his wounds. Our coming to Jesus is always in response to the Father drawing us to his Son. It is evident that Jesus is not speaking literally. It is important that people feel safe in their own homes, but all the security can leave us a little bit more cut off from our neighbours and friendly visitors than we would like. When we hear that saying of Jesus, we think immediately of eternal life, life to the full. Her mission was a surprising success. People who go on pilgrimage are often seeking to know God more fully. Click on the "Save cookie settings" button to apply your choice. As Christians, we are all searching for Jesus in some sense. Today we remember Joseph the worker. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. Some days we have a cold wind from the north or the east. A woman who was part of the nativity scene placed a lamb across Pope Franciss shoulders. (ii) Monday, Fourth Week of Easter (Year A). When Andrew chimed in, he too spoke in a way that conveyed a kind of hopelessness. The one whom they had been following, and in whom they had put so much hope, had been crucified by the Romans. Just as shepherd will not allow any of his flock to be stolen, because he is so protective of them, the Lord will not allow us to fall away from him, because he is so protective of us, as long as we want to remain a member of his flock and do not deliberately walk away from him. Great doubt did not prove to be the enemy of great faith. One by one, according to the gospel reading, the shepherd calls his own and leads them out. Ultimately, the object of our faith is beyond full human understanding, at least in this life. As a result of the success of this mission, Barnabas came from Jerusalem to Antioch to give encouragement to this new development, and, in his wisdom, he went to Tarsus and brought Saul to Antioch, recognizing that this was a church where someone like Saul or Paul could flourish. Having recreated them through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord could then send them out as ambassadors of his reconciling love, those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days? And he replied to them, What sort of things? They said to him, The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. Lectio Divina Ebook - English - Espaol - Italiano. That sequence of word leading to sacrament has always been central to the churchs life. As Jesus says in the gospel reading, those who belong to me listen to my voice. Yet, the life that the Lord talks about there is not just a future reality, life beyond death; it is also a present reality. As the Lord said to Ananias, this man is my chosen instrument to bring my name before pagans and pagan kings and before the people of Israel. The word of the Lord nurtures our faith in preparation for our encounter with him in the Sacraments. If the wind is beyond our control and understanding, this is true to an even greater extent of the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. MONDAY 26 TUESDAY 27 WEDNESDAY 28 THURSDAY 29 FRIDAY 30 SATURDAY 31. Yet, we ourselves need to take our own steps towards the Lord, the kind of steps the Ethiopian took, if the drawing of the Father is to bear fruit in our lives. but this is the bread that comes down from heaven, Nicodemus was a Pharisee; he lived by the Jewish Law. 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. In the gospel reading this morning Jesus makes a distinction between food that cannot last and food that endures to eternal life. The Lord comes and stands amongst us, regardless of where we find ourselves. His last appearance in Johns gospel is much less tentative; along with Joseph of Arimathea, he sees to it that Jesus is given a dignified burial. Complete the form below to register. He always comes to us with his gift of peace, a peace the world cannot give. There is a need for different groups of people to take responsibility for different ministries. We listen to him, we follow him, in the confidence that his devotion to us and to our ultimate well-being is unconditional. Jesus speaks about the wind in this mornings gospel reading. He respected where they were on their journey. A Reflection for the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. We spend our lives trying to submit ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus. The relationship between the shepherd and his sheep was more immediate than it is today. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. She insisted that she was betrothed to Christ. We speak of the Spirit as the third person of the Trinity. Then we will indeed have life and have it to the full. Just click on the month of interest and scroll to the day required. From our baptism we are all called to follow Jesus as his disciples, to take our lead from him. There is an ancient tradition which locates the writing of the gospel of Mark in the city of Rome and identifies the evangelist Mark as a disciple of Peter. Yet the gospel ends (the shorter ending) with the young man calling on the faithful women to tell the other disciples that Jesus is going ahead of them to Galilee where they will see him. At the meal that followed they recognised the strangers true identity in the breaking of bread. 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. Then he spoke to Thomas, Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Barnabas was what we would call today, an enabler. The graces never stop flowing. He was also someone who had the insight to see that this new and exciting development in the church of Antioch was the perfect place for the recently converted Saul to exercise his gifts. The gospel reading refers to those who do not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but get in some other way. The darkness of Good Friday was still too real, for him to be influenced by the Easter proclamation of the other disciples. The claims of the gospel reading about Jesus and about what he offers us take time to absorb, so striking and powerful are these claims. This work of Barnabas allowed the risen Lord to continue his work. It is only in eternity that we will see the Lord face to face. When the disciples were full of Easter joy, declaring to Thomas, We have seen the Lord, he couldnt bring himself to believe their good news. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. As Paul says in his first letter to the Corinthians, now we see as in a mirror, dimly. Yet, it is the language of Johns gospel. It is a verse worth pondering and reflecting upon at length. When the gospel reading says that the light has come into the world, the reference is clearly to Jesus. Jesus is the one on whom the Spirit came down and remained and his life is pre-eminently Spirit filled. The Lord wants to do the same for us. That statement has been a source of inspiration for many believers over the centuries. It shows Paul prostrate on the ground beside his horse, looking upwards with a light shining upon him. he has seen the Father. The Lords invitation, Come to me, all who labour and are overburdened, was one she responded to every day of her life. In the gospel reading, Jesus declares that no one can come to him unless he is drawn by God the Father. We have the three elements of word, baptism and eucharist in our two readings. The first reading suggests that no human power can block the preaching of the gospel, not even the imprisonment of the apostles, Jesus closest associates. as soon as he sees a wolf coming, A common security measure in many homes and businesses are strong lights that come on at night when somebody comes within a certain radius and breaks the beam. The church in Jerusalem needed to check out this new and unforeseen development, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. In response, Jesus challenges them to work, not for food that cannot last, but for food that endures to eternal life. He declares that no one will ever steal his followers from him. There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions, who said to them, Yes, it is true. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers. Although Jesus used this figure of speech, the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them. Today is Vocations Sunday. Because of his meeting with the Lord, he went from being a violent persecutor of the church to absorbing the violence of others for the sake of the gospel. Other days we have a warm wind from the south. When he seeks to give an understanding of the kingdom of God, he tells parables, stories that are deeply rooted in everyday life. 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? In one of his letters he wrote, Christ Jesus took hold of me. We can also, of course, have the wind at our back, helping us along, like a friend. Lectio Divina may involve discussing the implications of the Word of God for daily life but it cannot be reduced to this. In the past, we may have turned from him, or even run from him, like those first disciples, but he now stands among us; he stands beside us. In this mornings gospel reading, Nicodemus takes his first tentative steps towards the Lord. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.. The Spirit is always at work furthering the work of the Lord in the world. The disciples now understood that those who put Jesus to death did not have the last word, and would never have the last word. We struggle to empty ourselves sufficiently to receive all the Lord wants to give us. He declares that if their movement is of human origin it will break up of its own accord, whereas if it really is from God they will be unable to destroy it and may even find themselves fighting against God. One thing we can be sure of is that, whatever the Lords personal call to each one of us is, it will always be a call towards life. The Lord can work powerfully through the members of the church, even when they seem few in number and increasingly frail, especially in the Western world. It was this same Saul who went on to become the greatest missionary in the early church, bringing the gospel to major cities in modern day Turkey and Greece. It is notable that the text says that Philip heard him reading Isaiah the prophet. The gospel reading is suggesting that if we are to reach our destination, we cannot do it on our own. It is said of Barnabas in that reading that he was filled with the Holy Spirit. She insisted that the Popes place was beside the bones of the martyrs. Today is Vocations Sunday. Yet, the later experience of Saul suggests that not only does the Lord welcome those who come to him but he seeks out those who are hostile to him. He looks to us not to stand in his way but to allow him to work with us and through us to bring about this great gathering of people from north, south, east and west, around the risen Lord, the good shepherd who laid down his life for all of humanity. There is always another step that the Lord is calling us to take. He saw in his relationship with the risen Lord the completion of his Jewish faith. Our calling is to open our hearts ever more fully to the powerful presence of the Spirit, whom the Lord continues to pour out on all who know their need of the Spirit. The Sacrament of Baptism, like the Sacrament of the Eucharist, also presupposes faith. We can easily miss out on that earlier stage that we find in our readings, the stage of engaging with the Scriptures, questioning them and searching for answers to our questions. and as it is in my power to lay it down, As the wind moves a sailing boat along towards its destination, so the Spirit moves and shapes our lives in ways that allow us to reach our final destination. The gospels suggest that Jesus identified himself with the shepherds of his time because in saw in their work an image of his own ministry. In this mornings gospel reading, Jesus declares, I have come so that they may have life, and have it to the full. The Ethiopian was full of questions as he listened to Gods word. It leads him to ask questions which eventually results in his receiving baptism into the church at the hands of Philip. Going through a particular gate is a choice that has to be made. For my Flesh is true food, and my Blood is true drink. She was such a light because of her deeply personal and mystical relationship with Jesus. If Lectio Divina is used for group prayer, obviously more structure is needed than for individual use. but you do not believe, Paul once persecuted the Lord, but after his experience near Damascus, he went on to draw life from the Lord as he gather with other members of the church at the Eucharist. In the words of todays gospel reading, the Lord was working with them (the disciples) and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it. According to the gospel reading, Jesus came and stood among them, without knocking on the door, without waiting to be let in. Yet, the gospel reading also states that people need to be open to this light, to come out into the light, to love the light of Gods enduring love. Up until the time Mark wrote, there was no continuous written account of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Sheep went one way through the gate to reach the security of the sheepfold and they went the other way through the gate to reach pasture. It was while Jesus was at prayer after his baptism that the Holy Spirit come down upon him. Once in the sheepfold, a gate keeper would keep watch during the night, to protect the sheep from thieves. Nothing we do or fail to do will prevent the light of the gospel of Gods love from shining upon us, but we can chose to turn away from the light, to block it out, just as Judas left the presence of Jesus at the last supper and went out into the night. The language Jesus had used about eating his flesh was shocking. They understood, as Jesus did, that prayerful attentiveness to Gods word would allow their lives to be shaped by Gods purpose and would best serve the life of the believing community. Yet, the Lords part in our relationship with him is always so much greater than ours. This deeper hunger is more easily neglected than our physical hunger. Do not be afraid. John 6:35-40 The letter also concludes with a greeting from my son Mark. Indeed this gospel would go further and state that Jesus is God in human form. Places associated with Mary are important places of pilgrimage for many Catholics, such as Knock Fatima and Lourdes. So slow to believe the full message of the prophets! Our calling is to allow the Spirit of God to be the driving force of our life, as it was the driving force of Jesus life. Each day we need to open ourselves afresh to the movement of the Holy Spirit within us. It follows that the Lord will never call us to something that would result in a diminishment of life for ourselves or for others. Jesus says to him that he needs to be born from above, to be born of the Spirit, if he is to see and enter the kingdom of God. The two disciples were struggling with a deep sense of loss. Fear and anxiety is much more prevalent than it used to be. but the sheep took no notice of them. As Paul says in one of his letters, now we see as in a mirror, dimly. Paul portrays such a Spirit-filled life when he says in his letter to the Galatians that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Many different kinds of people meet with Jesus in the course of Johns gospel. Do not be surprised when I say: The Easter proclamation cannot be imprisoned, just as the guards at the tomb of Easter could not prevent Jesus bursting forth into new life. Perhaps we can all be a little bit like those disciples, especially in these times. One of the features of Marks gospel is its very negative portrayal of Jesus first disciples, including Peter, those who were closest to him. For this Liturgical Year: Weekday Reflections for 2019/2020 'The Word of God is Living and Active' available at messenger.ie & 'Journeying with . Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. The power of the Lords faithful love to recreate people, to transform them with new life, is at the heart of the Easter message. When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. Reflections - Carmelite Spirit Reflections "But only now, with inward jubilee, I come upon earth's most amazing knowledge: someone is hidden in this dark with me." - Jessica Powers - Glorious Failure Embracing failure, imperfection, and incompleteness can be a spiritual practice that brings us closer to the heart of God in Jesus Christ. Irish Province of Carmelites | All Rights Reserved | Site by Marketing Inputs. I know them and they follow me. When he spoke, it was to place their sad, hopeless, story in a whole new light. In the gospel reading this morning, Jesus makes reference to stealing. The Lord journeys with us to lead us towards life, but he needs some openness on our part as well. If the Father is to draw us to his Son, we need to be ready both to receive from the faith of others and to give to others from our own faith. Elsewhere in the gospels, Jesus says, Give and it will be given to you. The cross Pope Francis wears around his neck bears the image of the Good Shepherd, bearing the lost sheep upon his shoulders. The rapid expansion of new means of communication in recent decades can mean that we are on call more often. 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. In that image Jesus paints in the gospel reading, the shepherd does not lead the sheep to pasture one at a time, but together as a flock. Reflections on Daily Readings 2022 October 30th - November 26th, 2022 October 30 - November 5, 2022 Ordinary Time - The Thirty-First Week | Readings: Sunday Cycle C; Weekday Cycle 2. God the Father has entrusted everything to his Son. Mom or Dad or elder sibling drives the tractor or truck []. He like what he saw and gave them all great encouragement, urging them all to remain faithful to the Lord. Sometimes a conversation about a loved one who has just died can have laughter as well as sadness in it. We all know from our own experience that liturgical time doesnt always correspond to where we are on our own lifes journey. As the search for God leads to the hearing of the word and as the hearing of the word leads to baptism, so baptism leads us to the Eucharist. Whenever two people share a significant experience together, they invariably talk about it together afterwards; they each tell their own story about what happened. He did not send them out in the strength of their own resources alone. Our heart sinks a bit when we realize that the days have begun to get shorter. There is a wonderful painting of the scene in todays first reading, the call of Paul, in a church in Rome by the artist Caravaggio. Even though we may turn from the Lord at times, he never turns from us. Videos on Carmelite Spirituality, vocation stories of the sisters, reflections which will inspire you and draw you to a deeper friendship with the Lord. In the gospel reading, Jesus speaks about the wind, declaring that it blows where it pleases; you hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. Gospel (Except USA) The Lord is always with his church in the various storms that will assail it. In his message for Vocations Sunday, Pope Francis says that our response to the Lords personal call to us always requires an exodus from oneself in order to centre ones life on Christ and on his gospel. Because of the chaos and dangers of Rome, the Popes had left Rome for Avignon.
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