Catechism Links [1]
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“St Peter in Penitence”
by El Greco, 1580s |
Readings for the Seventh Week of Easter [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and
Commentary:[4]
Reading 1: Acts 1:12-14
After Jesus had been taken up
to heaven the apostles
returned to Jerusalem
from the mount called Olivet,
which is near Jerusalem,
a sabbath day’s journey away.
When they entered the city
they went to the upper room
where they were staying,
Peter and John and James and
Andrew,
Philip and Thomas,
Bartholomew and Matthew,
James son of Alphaeus, Simon
the Zealot,
and Judas son of James.
All these devoted themselves
with one accord to prayer,
together with some women,
and Mary the mother of Jesus,
and his brothers.
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Commentary on Acts 1:12-14
This passage provides part of the introductory comments of St.
Luke as he begins the Acts of the Apostles. Like any well written story, he
connects the events that have just taken place in his first volume –The Gospel of Luke, with what will follow. In the first verses
Jesus ascended and told them to expect the gift of the Holy Spirit. In this
selection the disciples with Mary the Mother of Jesus and his extended family
return to Jerusalem and enter the locked room. Important to recognize is the
presence not just of the apostles but of Mary, ever faithful to her son.
"Here we see Mary as the spiritual center round which Jesus'
intimate friends gather: tradition has meditated on this 'tableau', and found
it to depict our Lady's motherhood over the whole Church, both at its beginning
and over the course of the centuries." [5]
CCC: Acts
1:14 726,
1310, 2617, 2623, 2673
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 27:1, 4, 7-8
R. (13) I believe that I shall see the good things
of the Lord in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The Lord is my light and my
salvation;
whom should I fear?
The Lord is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the
Lord in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
One thing I ask of the Lord;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the
Lord
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the
loveliness of the Lord
and contemplate his temple.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the
Lord in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Hear, O Lord, the sound of my
call;
have pity on me, and answer
me.
Of you my heart speaks; you
my glance seeks.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the
Lord in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 27:1, 4, 7-8
Psalm 27 is an individual lament with two distinct parts. This
passage focuses on the singer's hope in the mercy of God and his salvation. Pleading
for God’s salvation, the psalmist seeks his saving hand.
CCC: Ps 27:8 2730
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Reading II: 1 Peter 4:13-16
Beloved:
Rejoice to the extent that
you share in the
sufferings of Christ,
so that when his glory is
revealed
you may also rejoice
exultantly.
If you are insulted for the
name of Christ, blessed are you,
for the Spirit of glory and
of God rests upon you.
But let no one among you be
made to suffer
as a murderer, a thief, an
evildoer, or as an intriguer.
But whoever is made to suffer
as a Christian should not be ashamed
but glorify God because of
the name.
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Commentary on 1 Pt 4:13-16
The Apostle speaks clearly of persecution experienced in the
infant church. Many scholars believe he is referring to actual events rather
than making a prophetic statement. He asks the faithful to rejoice in being so
blessed as to share in Christ’s sufferings since they are shouldering the
mission of Christ by doing so and in that work they give glory to the Father.
CCC: 1 Pt 4:14 693
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Gospel: John 17:1-11a
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.
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Commentary on Jn 17:1-11a
Raising his eyes to heaven, Jesus begins what is known as the
“High Priestly Prayer.” In this first section, the Lord begins a petition
for the disciples (those he has at that time and those to come), speaking
directly to the Father (not to the disciples, they are just overhearing this
prayer). The emphasis is clearly that the disciples have become what the Lord
wanted, faithful believers, and he asks the Father to support them. He
intercedes for those who were given to him by the Father (“I revealed your
name to those whom you gave me out of the world,” the Apostles and their
followers). The Lord singles out the faithful for the Father’s special care,
asking that they be glorified with him as he departs the world.
CCC: Jn 17 2604,
2746, 2758; Jn 17:1 730,
1085, 2750; Jn 17:2 2750;
Jn 17:3 217,
684, 1721, 1996, 2751, Sans; Jn 17:4 1069,
2750; Jn 17:5 2750;
Jn 17:6-10 2751;
Jn 17:6 589,
2750, 2750, 2812; Jn 17:7 2765;
Jn 17:8 2812;
Jn 17:9 2750;
Jn 17:10 2750;
Jn 17:11 2747,
2749, 2750, 2750, 2815, 2849
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Reflection:
The Easter season draws to a
close and the Church begins to look forward to its mission. The Lord leaves us both his Holy Spirit and
his blessing in the High Priestly Prayer initiated in the Gospel from St. John. We hear in his passionate words how much he
loves us, asking his Heavenly Father to care for those whom he has called and
who remain faithful to his word and work.
St. Peter was there hearing these words and it was
because of this that in his later ministry we hear him enjoining the early
Christians to not only accept the persecution they received because of their
identity as followers of Christ, but to rejoice because in their suffering the
Lord’s work still goes on, to the Father’s Glory. Their suffering should be a source of
consolation. Indeed the mission the Lord
leaves us is not one loved by the world.
It was not loved when Jesus walked the earth, it was not loved when the
early Church struggled to spread the Gospel message, and it is not loved today.
The Lord’s death and
resurrection were the starting point, not the conclusion of Christ’s life with
his people. He did not leave the Holy
Spirit as a caretaker; he left it as a goad, as an encouragement and strength
so that God’s revelation might be continued through those God had given him and
those the Triune God continues to give.
As our season of joy comes to
a close in the last week of Easter, we leave you with a wise saying that should
be a great solace to all who suffer for the mission of Christ – “You cannot
wring your hands and roll up your sleeves at the same time.”
Pax
[1]
Catechism links are taken from the
Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for
Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014
[2]
The picture is “St Peter in Penitence” by El Greco, 1580s.
[3]
S.S. Commemoratio[4]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and
is for private use only.
[5]
The Navarre Bible, Gospels and Acts (Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002),
722.
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