6TH WEEK OF EASTER
Psalter: Week 2 / (White)
St. Rita of Cascia, religious
Ps 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a & 9b
The Lord takes delight in his people.
1st Reading: Acts 16:11-15
So, we put out to sea from Troas and sailed straight across to Samothrace Island; and the next day, to Neapolis. From there, we went inland to Philippi, the leading city of the district of Macedonia, and a Roman colony. We spent some days in that city.
On the Sabbath, we went outside the city gate, to the bank of the river, where we thought the Jews would gather to pray. We sat down and began speaking to the women who were gathering there. One of them was a God-fearing woman, named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a dealer in purple cloth.
As she listened, the Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying. After she had been baptized, together with her household, she invited us to her house, ”If you think I am faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us to accept her invitation.
Gospel: Jn 15:26—16:4a
Jesus said to his disciples: ”From the Father, I will send you the Spirit of truth. When this Helper has come from the Father, he will be my witness, and you, too, will be my witnesses, for you have been with me from the beginning.
”I tell you all this to keep you from stumbling and falling away. They will put you out of the synagogue. Still more, the hour is coming, when anyone who kills you will claim to be serving God; they will do this, because they have not known the Father or me. I tell you all these things now so that, when the time comes, you may remember that I told you about them. I did not tell you about this in the beginning, because I was with you.”
REFLECTION:
He will not leave them behind with nothing. Thus Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to those whom He considers friends. They will not feel orphaned. This Spirit will be His and the Father‘s abiding presence in their hearts. This tells us a lot about the Holy Spirit, the one least known among the Persons in the Trinity. We get to know that the Spirit is a helper and a witness of the Godhead. The Spirit will not teach anything new but will deepen our understanding of the teachings of Jesus.
It is therefore funny how some sects used the Spirit as justification to their unusual teaching and appeals to the Holy Spirit to legitimize their presently made up beliefs. The Spirit is not a spirit of division. It does not seek to demolish what Jesus had already taught or even bring new teachings coming from its own. If we have the Spirit, following Jesus is easy. Because the Spirit is a witness of Jesus. It automatically recognizes Jesus‘ own.
Daily Reflection
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Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL
With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
Readings and Reflections
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