A gate that can be opened, on the other hand, creates an opening in a fence or a hedge that allows people to come in and go out. That is why we take Jesus so seriously, why we pay such close attention to what he does and says, to his life, death and resurrection. and that I shall raise him up on the last day.. The Lord wants to do the same for us. The Lord will provide in abundance the means for us to take the path that leads to life. Looking upon the sheepfolds of his day, Jesus identifies with both the gate and the shepherd. Earlier in that gospel reading, Jesus spoke about the intimate relationship he has with God his Father, No one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son. Joseph reminds us that our own personal response to our own calling from God will always have huge consequences for others. For my Flesh is true food, and my Blood is true drink. This Easter season is a good time us all to pray, Stay with us Lord. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. In the first reading, Peter assures the churches he is addressing that even though they are having to suffer for their faith, the Lord will see that all is well again; he will confirm, strengthen and support you. He was a Pharisee and, yet, he somehow was looking for more. The realism of his talk about eating his flesh and drinking his blood is shocking in many ways. Yet, the risen Jesus came and stood among those very same disciples, even though they had locked the doors of the room where they were gathered out of fear. God will seek to draw us to his Son in a variety of ways. - 5:00 pm Registration. Jesus comes to his disciples as God in human form. Mark, in a way, produced a new kind of literature, what became known as a gospel. The Lords faithfulness to us prompts us to keep faith with each other, especially with those who are close to us. In the gospel reading this morning we hear of the shepherd who calls his own sheep. Jesus seems to be saying to Nicodemus and to us that the Spirit of God is not something we can control. he will go freely in and out Syria has been in the news for some time because of the unrest there and Damascus, the capital, has been mentioned more than once. In the gospel reading, Jesus declares, whoever eats me will draw life from me. Click on the underlined name below for the daily reflections. Zacchaeus heard Jesus invite himself to his home. Any passage of Scripture can be used for this way of prayer but the passage should not be too long. According to the gospel reading, Jesus came and stood among them, without knocking on the door, without waiting to be let in. In the gospel reading, Jesus says, no one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. Jesus is portrayed as a young beardless man with a sheep draped around his shoulders. Sundays and Weekdays in Ordinary Time | Weeks 9-16. We keep it under wraps or find ourselves being apologetic about it. Mark portrays Jesus as the suffering Son of Man who came not to be served but to serve, and who was ready to lay down his life in the service of all. That is one of the purposes gates can serve. However, Mark was the pioneer; he was the first to break this new ground. However, the Lord recognizes that only a small group of disciples will see and believe, and, so, he speaks a beatitude over the many future disciples who believe without seeing. In reality, if the event in question is a complex and significant one, especially if it is somewhat mysterious, there are many stories that could be told about it. The evangelist, John, suggests that Jesus needed to be alone with God the Father who had sent him into the world. When Philip, one of the deacons of the church joins him, he invites Philip to join him in his search and to throw light on what he is reading. As a result of that initiative they came to recognize the stranger as Jesus at the very moment when he took, blessed, broke and gave the bread to them. When that happens we begin to remain in his love as he remains in his Fathers love. When the Lord appeared to Thomas, he did not rebuke him. In response to that question Jesus goes on to speak not only of eating his flesh but of drinking his blood. In that sense, we all find ourselves in the situation of Nicodemus. Today is Vocations Sunday. In the gospel reading this morning Jesus makes a distinction between food that cannot last and food that endures to eternal life. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.. It always strikes me as strange that the gospel reading for his feast is taken from the longer ending of Mark which was probably a later addition to the gospel! This content is blocked. Just as he empowered his disciples to get out behind their closed doors and bring his faithful love to all, he empowers us to do the same. At some level it does not make sense to us, or it appears to make too great a demand on us. When we step into this light, there is a sense in which our sins are exposed. In a sense, it condemns the wrong doer. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. He was immersed into the risen life of Jesus. There are different ways of telling the story of the troubles in the North of Ireland over the past thirty five years or more. The wind is a mysterious force which we cannot simply manage to suit ourselves. The Lord recognizes in that relationship between sheep and shepherd something of his own relationship to us. Nov 15, 2022 | Blogs, Carmelite Musings, Reflections, template-updated The awareness of the lessons I'm learning or being taught by the good Lord is reminding me of how faithful God is, and how He is in it all. In this mornings gospel reading, Jesus declares, I have come so that they may have life, and have it to the full. That is why he could say in his letter to the Philippians, a little written from prison, from a very unpromising situation, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. NEW: Catholic Daily Reflections Series Two, Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, The Sorrowful Heart of Our Blessed Mother. Barnabas inspires us to keep listening to what the Lord may be saying to us in and through the circumstances of our daily lives. Click on the "Save cookie settings" button to apply your choice. Our coming to believe in Jesus is always in response to the initiative of God the Father towards us. She commenced her role as a public figure, dictating hundreds of letters to popes, monarchs and other letters of note. We try to hear what he may be saying to us; we seek to follow where he is leading us. Cleopas began to tell their story. The movement of the prayer is towards silence. The gospel reading says that they were talking together about all that happened. Today, we pray that we would listen more attentively to the call of the good shepherd, so that we may choose Jesus as our gate on our journey through life. The religious and political authorities who were responsible for Jesus crucifixion might come after them next. The door of the church here is open from about 9.00 in the morning to 6.00 or 7.00 in the evening every day of the week. Yet, the life that the Lord talks about there is not just a future reality, life beyond death; it is also a present reality. this is because he is only a hired man This particular gate is also the good shepherd who has laid down his life for us so that we might have life and have it to the full. From that moment he knew that Jesus was calling to announce this message to all, especially to the pagans. Sometimes the wind will be at our back and will help us along as we walk. God gives him the Spirit without reserve. From this communion of love we are sent out, as Paul was sent, to proclaim the love of the Lord by our lives, to allow the love of Christ to urge us on and flow through us. In the gospel reading this morning, Jesus makes reference to stealing. We all have opportunities from time to time to create openings for people that allow the Lords work to be done. When we hear that saying of Jesus, we think immediately of eternal life, life to the full. God who began to draw the Ethiopian to his Son through the Scriptures now draws him fully to his Son through the spiritual accompaniment of Philip, the preacher of the gospel. Shortly before her death she had a vision in which it seemed as if the church like a mighty ship was being placed on her back. Rather, his teaching is liberating and life-enhancing. People who are going through a similar grieving experience can give great strength to each other. Certainly, Jesus did come that we may have life to the full beyond this earthly life, a sharing in his own risen life. In todays gospel reading Jesus declares, the sheep that belong to me listen to my voice. and no one can steal from the Father. Nowadays we can harness the wind to generate electricity, but there is so much about the wind which is beyond our control and understanding. There is something wonderfully mysterious about the birth of every child. It is not a condemnatory light; God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but so that, through him, the world may have life and have it to the full. Yet, in Marks gospel the risen Jesus remains faithful to his disciples. As he says in his letter to the Galatians, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. If we offer our own meagre resources to him, he can enhance them beyond all our expectations. Paul saw the Son because the risen Lord appeared to him just outside Damascus. In the gospel reading, Jesus declares that he came to do his Fathers will, which is that all who see the Son and believe in him shall have eternal life. Like the disciples, we can feel hopeless before certain situations. We have deeper, spiritual hungers and thirsts as well that we need to attend to if we are to live a truly balanced life and be at peace within ourselves. At such times of great discouragement, very often we can only see what went wrong. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Mark is assuring all of us, his disciples today, that the risen Lord keeps faith with us, even when we let him down in various ways. They will all be taught by God, This is one of the ways that friendships are formed and relationships take shape and deepen. The Lord will always provide such people at times of transition, like the present time. Read More 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. Discerning where the Holy Spirit is leading us is central to our lives as followers of Jesus. The gospel reading does not state that Thomas actually touched the wounds of Jesus. A little later the Ethiopian asked Philip to baptize him and Philip responded to that request too. Easter celebrates Gods radical faithfulness, his extraordinary mercy. Parents are called upon by their children and then, as parents get older, it is the children who often get called upon by their parents. His way of speaking reflects what he said at the last supper where, having taken, blessed and broken bread, he gave it to his disciples and said, This is my body. When the Lord appeared to Thomas, he did not rebuke him. He no longer sought to impose his religious views on others by violence but he now sought to persuade them by his preaching. Going out about nine o'clock, Jesus suggests that God is always teaching us and encouraging us to be learners. This is a message we need to hear today. We all have a role to play in calling forth the gifts of others by recognizing situations that would be ideally suited to them and by creating space for them in which to work. The Lord can also come to us through other people, just as the Lord came to Paul through Ananias who entered Sauls house in todays first reading. He now knew that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah; he was the Son of God. Click here to read today's Lectio Divina from the website of Carmelite Order. In that opening scene of todays gospel reading, none of the disciples are named. They want more of the bread that he multiplied in the wilderness. Paul went on to make an important contribution to the life of the church in Antioch, and the church there, in turn, was a great support to Paul in his future missionary work. We are then sent from the Eucharist to live with his life, to live his life. They declared to the other members of the church that as the leaders they should be devoting themselves to prayer and to the service of Gods word. To look upon the flesh of Jesus, his human life, is to look upon God. God's blessings! If human birth makes the child a son or daughter of his or her parents, birth from above or birth of the Spirit, makes us sons and daughters of God, thereby giving us a share in Jesus own relationship with God as Son. I am the good shepherd; In the gospel reading, Jesus calls on Nicodemus to allow himself to be born of water and the Spirit, to surrender to the movement of the Spirit. We received the gift of the Holy Spirit at our baptism and our confirmation, but we need fresh outpourings of the Holy Spirit as we go through life. We are all seekers. Yet, the Lord had wonderful plans for this almost helpless figure. If the group is comfortable with silence, more time could be spent resting in the Word. They feared that what was done to Jesus could be done to them. The Ethiopian was searching, but he needed help from someone who was a little further down the road of faith that he himself was. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. It was St Irenaeus, one of the early theologians of the church, who said that the glory of God is the human person fully alive. There will always be forces in our world that are hostile to our coming to Jesus. He is always at work drawing us into his Easter people. In the words of the gospel reading, we certainly cannot control where it comes from or where it goes to. and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, He gave all he had to give. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs. He is speaking here as the good Shepherd who is prepared to lay down his life so that the members of his flock can have life and have it to the full. In this situation different people reacted in different ways. His first approach to Jesus is tentative, coming to Jesus under cover of darkness. Jesus is presented as working powerfully through very meagre resources. God the Father has entrusted everything to his Son. The helplessness and weakness of Paul is conveyed in the first reading by the blind Paul having to be led by the hand into the city of Damascus, a city he had expected to be riding into confidently and authoritatively. No one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. Yet, the Lord managed to break through to him and completely turn his life around, so that the zealous persecutor became the equally zealous preacher of the gospel to the Gentiles. He can give them not just physical food that cannot last, but food that endures to eternal life. The Lord calls each of us in accordance with our own particular nature. Our communion with the Lord in the Eucharist calls us to this ongoing form of communion. That Spirit is available to us all. When you arrived at the stadium there were a whole array of small gates, turn styles. Yet, Luke, who wrote the Acts of the Apostles, highlights that this experience of persecution was actually a blessing for the church. But, as I have told you, you can see me and still you do not believe. Here and now the Lord wants us to know something of that life to the full which is our ultimate destiny. He wanted them to know that his love for them had endured even though they had failed him. In the world of Jesus, there were no sheepdogs to do the shepherds work for him. The gospel reading is suggesting that if we are to reach our destination, we cannot do it on our own. The first words of the risen Lord to his disciples in todays gospel reading are, Peace be with you. Can he go back into his mothers womb and be born again? Jesus replied: I tell you most solemnly, However, once we set out for that other side, we often find ourselves struggling, like the disciples. Jesus, the light of God, seeks us draw us to himself so that we may have life and have it to the full. We can be tempted to ask the somewhat despairing question of Andrew in todays gospel reading, What is that between so many? We sense that there is much for the church to do and our resources seem so small at times. Perhaps, therefore, we find it easy to identify with Thomas in todays gospel reading. As he said earlier, No one has greater love than this, to lay down ones life for ones friends. Jesus told them this parable but they failed to understand what he meant by telling it to them. Yet, God pours this Spirit of his love into our lives. A prophet is only despised in his own country. Gates are just there to be passed through; they dont as a rule call out to us; if we pass through a gate it is because we have decided to do so. so it is in my power to take it up again; he who is born of the earth is earthly himself In todays gospel reading Jesus declares that our coming to Jesus is in response to the drawing of the Father, no one can come to me unless they are drawn by the Father who sent me. The origin and destination of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is wrapped in the mystery of God. The Lords unique call to each one of us is with a view to our being fully alive. However, the Spirit can enter a human life and we know what a Spirit-filled life looks life. There are several stories in the gospels of people who go looking for Jesus. However, he was just as concerned, if not more concerned, with peoples spiritual hungers. The Spirit is an indispensable help to us on our life journey. We all have something to receive from someone else. Catherine was one of the great mystics of the church. Philips ministry to the Ethiopian led the Ethiopian to take an initiative of his own, Look, there is some water here; is there anything to stop me being baptized? It is as if the final step of God drawing the Ethiopian to his Son was through the medium of creation, water. In that sense we are always seeking after God, striving to know God more fully and to love God more deeply. In this mornings gospel, Jesus calls on us to search for him for who he is rather than for what he can give us. Jesus prayer did not remove him from the struggles of his disciples. The Father loves the Son and has entrusted everything to him. Indeed, we can all take heart from it, because there is something of Thomas in all of us. Thomas story assures us that no matter where we are on our faith journey, even if we are full of doubt and scepticism, the Lord stands beside us, gently calling out to us, doubt no longer, but believe. We need to come to Gods Son, to come out into the light, in the words of gospel reading. If we do that we can be sure that we will never lose the firm hold of the good Shepherd. This Barnabas proceeded to do, urging the whole church to remain faithful to the Lord. When Cleopas had finished telling the stranger their story, the stranger began to tell a different story about the person and the events that were at the centre of Cleopass story. He was a pioneer, someone who blazed a trail, soon to be followed by the evangelists we know as Matthew, Luke and John. We appreciate it when someone listens to our story and takes it seriously and then, in response, shares something of their story with us. She was born in 1347 and died in 1380, at the age of thirty three. In the words of todays gospel reading, one by one, the Lord calls his own. He can offer himself to them as the Bread of Life who responds to the deepest yearnings of their heart, for truth, for a love that endures, for a life over which death has no power. Here was a philosopher Pope, a questioning Pope, whose whole life proclaimed My Lord and my God. The people in todays gospel reading heard Jesus say to them that they were looking for him for the wrong reasons. God sent his Son that the world might be saved through him. Our website uses cookies to give you the best online experience. 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. Yet, without Marks gospel the church would not have had the gospels of Matthew or Luke in the form they have come down to us. They began to see that there was more to what had happened than they realized; this stranger was giving them a whole new understanding of what they had come to see as an awful tragedy. The ruins of the city are still to be seen today. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. In other words, the wind does not blow in accordance with our wishes. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. When myself and my brothers were very small my parents used to tie a cloth around where the gate met the railings so that we could not open the gate. Today we remember Joseph the worker. These anxious days, when some have more time and space than they might usually have, can be a good moment to enter more fully into our search for the Lord who is always seeking us. and I lay down my life for my sheep. Jesus goes on to state that he gives himself to us as food and drink so that we might draw life from him. A little later in that same gospel of John, Jesus declares that, after his death and resurrection, he will send us the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit, who will guide us into all the truth. The temptation is always to relate to people for what they might be able to give to us rather than relating to them for who they are. In our own lives, the sequence is not so much word, baptism, eucharist as baptism, word, eucharist. Saul eventually came to Jesus because Jesus went after him. It was shortly before the Jewish feast of Passover. When those who look for Jesus eventually find him, they often discover that they get more than they had bargained for. We speak of the Spirit as the third person of the Trinity. The Jewish feast of Passover was near. For a three year period she devoted herself to prayer and seclusion. everybody who believes has eternal life. Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. Yet, unlike the wind, the Spirit is never a hindrance to us on our journey towards God. If we look across the two readings this morning we find an interesting sequence. In this mornings gospel reading, Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night. In the passage of Johns gospel that follows our gospel reading, Jesus identifies himself as the good shepherd. Resistance, even hostility, to the churchs message can allow the Lord to work in new ways. We try to open our hearts to the gift that the risen Lord is offering us, the gift of his peace, of his reconciling love. He is calling on those who have gone looking for him to attend to the deeper hunger in their lives, their spiritual hunger. What are we looking to him for? they will never be lost The response of Peter and John was to go the community of believers and in their presence to pray, asking God for help to proclaim the gospel with all boldness. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. It is my Father's will that whoever sees the Son should have eternal life. If we are open and honest, the Lord will draw us to himself in time, in his time and in ours. In todays gospel reading, the people who had been fed by Jesus in the wilderness go looking for him, getting into boats and crossing the Sea of Galilee to find him. However, such stormy moments can be times of grace, opportunities for the Spirit in work in new ways in the church. Others followed his example, leaving us with four gospels altogether. The very public dying, death, and burial of John Paul II may have been an occasion when many people heard the Lords call more clearly. This was a very small and powerless movement and, yet, the Lord was working powerfully in and through it. Daily Scripture, May 1, 2023. The gospel reminds us that, while the physical and material is vital because we are physical and material beings, our searching must not stop at the physical and the material. What he did for Paul in a very dramatic way, he can do for all of us in smaller ways. He continues to speak to us in and through the Scriptures, inviting us to see our own personal journey in the light of Gods loving journey towards us. Most days in this part of the world we have a damp wind from the west. The works I do in my Fathers name are my witness; He meets us where we are. To enter through Jesus the gate is to respond to his call, the very personal call that he addresses to each one of us. We need to keep praying for the coming of the Holy Spirit afresh upon us, if we are to live our faith to the full in todays world. When Jesus says in this mornings gospel reading, I am the gate or I am the door, he was thinking of the gate or the door as an opening through which people could pass rather than as a barrier which prevented people from passing. men have shown they prefer darkness to the light In the gospel reading this morning, Jesus calls on the crowd to hear the teaching of the Father, and to learn from it. On our pilgrimage of life, the Spirit is always at our back. He entered into their situation; he invited them to tell their story, What matters were you discussing as you walk along? The story they told was the reason they were leaving Jerusalem, the very city where the Lord wanted them to remain. He was an enabler; he brought out the best in others. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. and there will be only one flock, We all have the potential to be a Barnabas, to open doors for others so that the Lord can work powerfully through them. Yet, there is something that we must do as well. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.. Philips proclaiming of the gospel moved the Ethiopian to ask for baptism. In the language of this fourth gospel, it is Jesus, who is close to the Fathers heart, who has made him known. That is how the Lord is present to us. We are not left to ourselves in trying to distinguish the gate that is Jesus from the many other gates that that lead us in very different directions. Within that community of faith, no member was ever in want, because all who had more than they needed shared with those in need, through the agency of the Apostles. The prayer of one of the more minor gospel characters, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief, finds a ready place in most of our hearts. It is not a light to be feared or avoided. They wanted more; they asked him to stay, and over table they recognized him in the breaking of the bread. The Gratuitous Gift of Our Blessed Mother, Gifts of the Holy Spirit in Superabundance, Rejoicing in the Blessings Given to Others. Just as the risen Lord stood before his fearful disciples, he stood before the disbelieving Thomas, offering him the same gift of his peace, inviting him to satisfy the conditions he laid down. Now as they talked this over, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side; but something prevented them from recognising him. As the Word of God, Jesus is the Bread of Life because his words can satisfy the deepest hunger in our hearts, our hunger for truth and for an assurance of Gods love. and I shall raise him up on the last day. Yet, Peter was able to see the working of God in this unexpected development. When we dont come to him, he comes after us, not in anger but in love. The two disciples were suddenly joined by a stranger who invited them to share their story with him, What matters are you discussing as you walk along? He was inviting them to open their hearts to him. 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, in accordance with our own particular nature. Yet, he is always with us at such moments, as he was with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Because of the Lords gracious accommodation of Thomas the great sceptic went on to make the great confession of faith, My Lord and my God. There is a time for every matter under heaven, according to the Book of Ecclesiastes. It appears that eating Jesus the bread of life is an image for believing in Jesus. He walked with them with a view to getting them to change direction, but before he could do that, he had to walk with them in the wrong direction for a while. Yet, the Father draws us to his Son in and through each other, just as God drew the Ethiopian to Jesus in and through Philip. This frightened them, but he said, It is I. We spend our lives learning to receive like little children. His reading of the passage gave rise to a question for him that he sought an answer to from Philip, Tell me, is the prophet referring to himself or someone else? When Philip then proclaimed the gospel to him, the Ethiopian took a further initiative on his spiritual quest, again in the form of a question, Look, there is some water here; is there anything to stop me being baptized? Having been baptized by Philip, the Ethiopian went on his way rejoicing. He calls us into a personal relationship with himself.
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