7TH WEEK OF EASTER
Psalter: Week 3 / (White)
Ps 68:10-11, 20-21
Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
1st Reading: Acts 20:17-27
From Miletus, Paul sent word to Ephesus, summoning the elders of the Church. When they came to him, he addressed them, ”You know how I lived among you, from the first day I set foot in the province of Asia; how I served the Lord in humility, through the sorrows and trials that the Jews caused me. You know, that I never held back from doing anything that could be useful for you; I spoke publicly and in your homes; and I urged Jews, and non-Jews, alike, to turn to God and believe in our Lord Jesus.
But now, I am going to Jerusalem, chained by the Spirit, without knowing what will happen to me there. Yet, in every city, the Holy Spirit warns me, that imprisonment and troubles await me. Indeed, I put no value on my life; if only I can finish my race; and complete the service to which I have been assigned by the Lord Jesus, to announce the good news of God‘s grace.
I now feel sure, that none of you, among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom of God, will ever see me again. Therefore, I declare to you, this day, that my conscience is clear with regard to all of you. For I have spared no effort in fully declaring to you God‘s will.
Gospel: Jn 17:1-11a
After saying this, Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, ”Father, the hour has come! Give glory to your Son, that the Son may give glory to you. You have given him power over all humanity, so that he may give eternal life to all those you entrusted to him. For this is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and the One you sent, Jesus Christ.
”I have glorified you on earth and finished the work that you gave me to do. Now, Father, give me, in your presence, the same glory I had with you before the world began.
”I have made your name known to those you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they kept your word. And now they know that whatever you entrusted to me, is indeed from you. I have given them the teaching I received from you, and they accepted it, and know in truth that I came from you; and they believe that you sent me.
”I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those who belong to you, and whom you have given to me. Indeed all I have is yours, and all you have is mine; and now they are my glory. I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I come to you. Holy Father, keep those you have given me in your name, so that they may be one, as we also are.”
REFLECTION:
This prayer discloses to us what is most important to Jesus because these are what He remembers and cares for even at the moment of danger. These two things are Jesus‘ deep relationship with the Father, and His love and concern for His own. When He prayed, He brings the two together in unity so that He who was united both to the Father in His essence and to the disciples in love, will have those He loved united also.
This is normal in a way. We want those we love to love each other also and we delight in the act of bridging them together. Now Jesus was confident to present His disciples to the Father. He does so with pride since they have been taught, purified and tested. He has deep confidence that His disciples will not fail Him in front of the Father. When everything has been said and done, it is with strong faith that we look forward to a better future ahead especially for the ones we love.
Daily Reflection
Daily Gospel ® is a product Claretian Publications, a division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) which is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. CCFI aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today.
CCFI is a member of Claret Publishing Group, a consortium of the publishing houses of the Claretian Missionaries all over the world: Bangalore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Chennai, Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Madrid, Macao, Manila, Owerry, São Paolo, Varsaw , Yaoundé.
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
Copyright © 2O16
Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
U.P. P.O. Box 4, Diliman,
1101 Quezon City, Philippines
Tel.: (63-2) 921-3984
Fax: (6352) 921-7429
Email: ccfi@claretianpublicationscom
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.claretianph.com
