Tag: Father

“. . . and the last will be first.” | Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

From the Gospel acclamation: “Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 10:28-31)

Peter began to say to Jesus, “We have given up everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age.”

Picking up from where yesterday’s Gospel left off, today’s passage begins as Peter responds to Jesus’ teaching about selling material possessions, giving to the poor, and only then following him to enter the kingdom of God here and now, and to be a partaker of eternal life. Peter affirms that he has given up everything for the sake of the Gospel and for Jesus, who then reveals something of the reward awaiting him in heaven: “there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters . . . who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age.” In teaching that “many that are first will be last, and the last will be first,” Jesus encourages us to trust in God’s fidelity and promises and emphasizes the ultimate reward of eternal life in the age to come.

God, help me keep in mind Peter’s response to Jesus and to his encounter with the rich man: “We have given up everything and followed you,” Peter said. Having followed Jesus for the rest of his life, Peter trusted and hoped in the Lord. This is the same man who would later write these words of encouragement as our first pope: “Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, live soberly, and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“You are lacking in one thing.” | Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

From the Gospel acclamation: “Jesus Christ became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 10:17-27)

Jesus, looking at [the man], loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” At that statement, his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

While Jesus is on a journey with the disciples, a man approaches him and wishes to know what he needs to do to gain eternal life. He tells the man to follow the commandments and lists them. The man responds, saying that he has done all these things since he was young. Sell everything you own, Jesus tells him, and give the money to the poor, and then come follow me so that you will have treasure in heaven. At this, the man goes away. After seeing the sadness in the man’s face as he walks away, Jesus tells the disciples how hard it is for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God. The disciples are astonished by this. “Who then can be saved?” they ask Jesus. He looks around at them and says, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” What are the things we hold onto that keep us from storing up treasure in heaven?

God, help me be attentive in obedience to your will, and give me the wisdom to know the limits of material wealth and the depth and breadth of my complete dependence on you for holiness. Jesus, as you said to the man who approached you, tell me also in what way I am lacking. Help me see this. You alone are the Lord; you alone make possible what is impossible for me. “Then who can be saved?” the disciples ask Jesus. Direct me, Lord, with your gifts of the Holy Spirit so that I know the path to my salvation and have the fortitude to follow it. Saint Augustine of Canterbury, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“I am with you always.” | The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

From the responsorial psalm: “Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield. May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us who have put our hope in you. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 28:16-20)

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

The last words of the Gospel according to Matthew, this passage gives us Jesus’ parting words with the disciples. Only eleven disciples are present since Saint Matthias had not yet been chosen. Although they had not yet seen the risen Christ, Matthew tells us that Jesus ordered the disciples to go to the mountain. On first seeing him after the resurrection, they nonetheless face interior doubts even as they worship him. At that moment, Jesus approaches them to reveal in words what he has accomplished through the resurrection. As he approaches, he tells them as the second person of the Trinity: “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” For that reason, the disciples are able to go forth preaching and baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the fulfillment of his earthly mission, Jesus is also able to say to the disciples and to all who believe in him, “I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

In the Gospel acclamation, we pray: “Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; to God who is, who was, and who is to come.” Father in heaven, guide me today according to your will. Help me call to mind throughout the day the last words of Jesus. Unbound by time, the risen Christ is able to say that he is with us always—”until the end of the age.” In obedience to you, he was able to approach the disciples and invite them to go out to all the world, teaching all that he commanded them. Give me the grace to do the same as I ponder the mystery of the Trinity and understand the relationship I am invited into union with. Glory to the holy and undivided Trinity, now and forever!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Behold, your mother.” | Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church

From the Gospel acclamation: “O joyful Virgin, who gave birth to the Lord; O blessed Mother of the Church, who nurture in us the Spirit of your Son Jesus Christ!”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 19:25-34)

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst.” There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.” And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

At the crucifixion of Jesus, only a few stood by him at the cross. Among the ones present, John and Mary stand out because Jesus speaks to each of them. By the fullness of her participation in the suffering and death of Jesus and the role Jesus assigns her from the cross, Mary becomes not only the mother of Jesus but Our Mother, the Mother of the Church. Jesus says to Mary, “Woman, behold your son.” From that moment on, John takes Mary into his home. Through that exchange, Jesus invites us to go to Mary, our spiritual mother, to guide us to her Son and who intercedes for us to him. As Jesus is pierced by a lance, blood and water flow out of him immediately. Since the dawn of the Church, the blood and water flowing from Jesus’ side have been seen as symbols of the sacraments of the Eucharist and Baptism. From the cross, Jesus poured out his mercy on us to the last. We have his real presence in the sacraments to see us through this life and the intercessory aid of Mary, our spiritual mother, to care for us and guide us.

God, help me recall throughout the day the scene at the foot of the cross. I have the last words of Jesus to John to ponder: “Behold, your mother.” As Jesus entrusts the care of Mary to John, he invites all believers to do the same. John takes Mary into her home from that time on; let John’s response to Jesus be mine. Mary becomes John’s spiritual mother, and by the same response to Jesus, Mary becomes my mother and I become part of a new spiritual family. Give me the grace, Lord, to have no hesitation to ask for Mary’s intercession every day and especially in times of suffering and anguish. Help me, Lord, remember Mary’s role in bringing me to your Son: “Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Receive the Holy Spirit.” | Pentecost Sunday

From the Gospel acclamation: “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 20:19-23)

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

The Gospel reading for Pentecost takes place just after the resurrection of Jesus. Earlier in John’s Gospel, Jesus first appears to Mary Magdalene and then to the disciples in the upper room. He wishes them peace, showing them his hands and his side so that they know it is him and not a ghost. The disciples rejoice when they see the Lord and Jesus says to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” While Luke describes the descent of the Holy Spirit as a strong driving wind and tongues of fire, John describes the quiet outpouring of the Holy Spirit as Jesus breathes on them. The result is the same: filled with the Holy Spirit, the disciples go out to proclaim the Gospel to every nation on earth.

Father in heaven, help me understand that the accounts of Pentecost are not frozen in time as musty historical accounts of the disciples who lived long ago but relate to me today in the reality of the risen Christ in the Eucharist and in the invisible presence of the Holy Spirit. Through the saving work of Jesus your Son, he sent the Advocate as he promised, infusing the disciples with the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit. The same spirit of Truth lives today in the Father, in the Son, and in the love between them, the Holy Spirit. “Come, Holy Spirit, come! / And from your celestial home / Shed a ray of light divine! / Come, Father of the poor! / Come, source of all our store! / Come, within our bosoms shine.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“And we know that his testimony is true.” | Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter

From the responsorial psalm: “The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold, his searching glance is on mankind. The just will gaze on your face, O Lord.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 21:20-25)

Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved, the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper and had said, “Master, who is the one who will betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus said to him, “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me.”

Today’s Gospel begins where yesterday’s left off, after Jesus says to Peter, “Follow me.” Peter’s question, “Lord, what about him?” concerns John, who follows close behind them. Jesus’ response to Peter tells us that he knows what will happen to each of the disciples because they follow him; more than that, he suggests that each disciple has a unique role as individual persons in spreading the Gospel. “What concern is it of yours?” Jesus asks, as if to say, “Don’t have any concern at all about the way that I call others to serve me. “You, Peter, follow me.” John himself as a witness confirms the conversation that had taken place between Jesus and Peter. “It is this disciple who testifies to these things
and has written them,” he says, “and we know that his testimony is true.” As with Peter and John, in what personal way does Jesus invite you to follow him?

Father in heaven, in his searching for answers, Peter seems to look for something more from Jesus, questioning him. Today’s Gospel acclamation reminds me that constant guidance is available from the Holy Spirit. “I will send to you the Spirit of truth, says the Lord; he will guide you to all truth.” John testifies to the many things that Jesus did. Paul, in prison, received all who came to him and “without hindrance he proclaimed the Kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.” Give me the gift of fortitude, Lord, to be strong in my faith and witness to you for the sake of your glory. The just will gaze on your face, O Lord.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” | Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter

From the responsorial psalm: “Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. The Lord has established his throne in heaven.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 21:15-19)

Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Feed my sheep. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

After his resurrection, Jesus meets the disciples by the sea and asks Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Peter responds, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Two more times he asks Peter the same question until the third time Peter becomes distressed. “Lord, you know everything,” Peter says, “you know that I love you.” For each response from Peter, Jesus says, “Feed my lambs,” “Tend my sheep,” and “Feed my sheep.” By doing this, he asks Peter to lead the Church, to care for those Jesus himself guarded and protected. Although Peter may not have understood what Jesus meant, he told him that he would “stretch out his hands” as he is crucified as a martyr, glorifying God by laying down his life for the Gospel. As disciples facing rejection, persecution, and martyrdom, how far are we willing to go to glorify God?

Father in heaven, guide me with your hand today as I freely choose to serve you and do your will. Describing the ultimate price Peter would pay as he led the Church for the sake of the Gospel, Jesus says to Peter, “Follow me.” This is not an invitation I would readily accept. Yet, Peter’s threefold confirmation of his love for Christ reveals the depth of his faith and trust in him, even in the face of suffering and death. Lord, give me the grace needed, when the time comes, to trust you completely. Let me be attentive to what Jesus told the disciples: “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Help me today hear and take up the invitation of Christ to follow him.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“So that they may all be one.” | Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter

From the responsorial psalm: “Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge; I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.” O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 17:20-26)

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying: “I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.”

Jesus continues his prayer for the disciples, what has been called the “high priestly prayer.” The night before his crucifixion, he intercedes for the disciples, addressing God directly, as he prepares to leave his earthly ministry and return to the Father. The prayer is a petition to the Father for the disciples to be in union with the Father just as Jesus is in union with him. Jesus desires beyond what the mind can comprehend that we may go where he is going. The eternal gift that the Father made of his Son, Jesus wishes for the disciples and all who believe in him: “Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” In this prayer, the unity that Jesus wishes for us is made possible as sharers in his divinity through the Eucharistic gift of his body and blood, soul and divinity.

God, help me understand through the events of the day and my relationship with others what it means to see Jesus’ wish fulfilled “that they may be brought to perfection as one.” Jesus prays, “Father, they are your gift to me.” As one among others who is a gift to Jesus, give me wisdom and understanding to fully recognize what this means. Open my heart and mind to receive whatever I need most for eternal life to fulfill Jesus’ wish so that where he is I may also be. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of your mercy! Show me the path to life.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“So that they may be one just as we are one.” | Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter

From the responsorial psalm: “You kingdoms of the earth, sing to God, chant praise to the Lord who rides on the heights of the ancient heavens. Behold, his voice resounds, the voice of power: “Confess the power of God!” Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 17:11b-19)

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying: “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you. I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy completely.”

In the presence of his disciples, Jesus lifts up his heart in prayer to his Father. Jesus acknowledges that he is departing from the world and returning to the Father so that they may share in his joy fully. The prayer is for the disciples who will be sent out into the world, not taken from it. God, whose word and being is truth, hears the prayer of his Son, who asks that the disciples be consecrated in truth as Jesus consecrates himself for them “so that they also may be consecrated in truth.” Just as the Father sent Jesus into the world, Jesus sends the disciples and all who believe in him to witness to his truth so that all may be one.

God of mercy, consecrate me in your truth. That is the prayer of Jesus your Son; in him is the way and the truth and the life. Protect me and guard me, Lord, as Jesus protected the disciples in your name. Let me be sent out into the world as a courageous witness to your truth. There will be trouble in the world, trials to face today and in days to come. Despite this, Lord, let me know the joy that comes from being in union with you and Jesus Christ your Son. Saint Isidore, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Remain in my love.” | Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle

From the responsorial psalm: “He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill he lifts up the poor To seat them with princes, with the princes of his own people. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 15:9-17)

Jesus said to his disciples: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. “I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.”

The love of the Father is the same love Jesus commands the disciples to remain in. By keeping the Father’s commandments, Jesus remains in his love. Jesus tells this to the disciples so that their joy might be in them and be complete. No one who is commanded to feel joy experiences it; love isn’t love if it holds one captive. How is it Jesus can say, “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love?” What seems a mystery is integral to how God made us. As Saint Augustine says, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Jesus’ commandment to love one another as he loves us is his invitation to rest our hearts in his.

God, free me today in realizing that in doing as you commanded, Jesus was able to say, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you. . . . This I command you: love one another.” Chosen by Christ as friend and doing what he commands, I am able to boldly ask you anything in his name. Grant me the grace, Lord, to remain in your love even to the point of dying to self in the commandment to love one another. Accomplish through your Son, what I can’t accomplish on my own. Saint Matthias, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.