SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR A

Acts 1:12-14

Psalm 27

1 Peter 4:13-16

John 17:1-11

COMMUNING WITH GOD THROUGH PRAYER

Like the disciples in the Upper Room, the whole Church is waiting in prayer for the renewal of the Pentecost experience. Thus, the pervading theme of today’s readings is prayer. In the first reading, we see the disciples together in a continuous prayer. They were praying and waiting for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit who would empower them to bear witness to Christ in spite of the persecutions that awaited them. The second reading invites all Christians to accept suffering and persecution as an opportunity to be more fully united with Christ’s sufferings, to bear witness to their faith and to glorify God.

The gospel is an excerpt of Jesus’ farewell prayer commonly known as Jesus’ high priestly prayer (John 17). Before facing the “hour” of his Passion and death, Jesus prayed to his Father not only for himself but also for his disciples. He prayed for their protection and unity; and he prayed for us too. He did so because even though we are in the world, we belong to God who invites us to eternal life; and the essence of that eternal life is to know God as the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom he sent into the world for our redemption.

By listening to or reading this prayer of Jesus, we discover two things. First, we discover what true prayer should be, because too often our prayers are just complaints and requests. But we must never forget that the most beautiful prayer is praise and thanksgiving, as Jesus often did. Thus, to ask, one must first give thanks.

Second, this prayer reveals the essence of Christian prayer: seeking intimacy and communion with the Triune God, because our whole life depends on it. It is in a constant dialogue with the Lord through prayer that we receive the grace to become day after day true witnesses of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are also empowered to face difficult moments and persecutions, for we cannot face the “hour” of agony and hostility without the grace of God.

Thus, like the disciples, let us ask the Lord to teach us how to pray and to renew in us the gift of his Spirit so as to be able to make him known to the world. Amen.

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR A

Acts 8:5-8, 14-17

Psalm 66

1 Peter 3:15-18

John 14:15-21

THE PROMISE OF THE PARACLETE

This Sunday precedes the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, which will be celebrated next Thursday, and will usher us into the immediate preparation for the celebration of Pentecost. As such, today’s readings make direct reference to the Holy Spirit and invite us to rediscover his presence in our lives.

In the gospel, Jesus promises to his disciples that he will not leave them orphans. He will pray to the Father so that he may send them another Advocate (Paraclete), the Spirit of Truth. As an Advocate, the Holy Spirit will remain with and in them. He will stand by them, comfort, defend and support them. Hence, they will never be alone in their witness to Christ, even in the midst of great sufferings, trials and various kinds of persecution. As the Spirit of Truth, he will teach them everything and remind them of everything that Jesus had told them. This promise cannot but be a source of great joy and hope.

Since the world neither sees nor knows this Advocate, Christians must always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks them for a reason for their hope. As Saint Peter affirms in the second reading, this must be done with gentleness, reverence and clear conscience. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the believer should give a bold testimony to Christ, even in situation of hostility.

In this perspective, Philip’s apostolate may be considered as a concrete example not only of a disciple’s bold witness of his faith and hope, but also of the action of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers. Driven out of Jerusalem by severe persecution against the Church, he arrives in the city of Samaria, where he proclaims Christ to the people. His proclamation brings great joy to the city. The people are baptized, and with the laying of hands of the Apostles Peter and John, they receive the Holy Spirit.

We too have received the Holy Spirit in our baptism and confirmation. He dwells in us. But the question is: are we aware of his actions and power in our lives? Do we allow ourselves to be taught by him? Do we ask him to teach us how to bear witness to our faith and hope?

PALM SUNDAY, YEAR A

Procession: Matthew 21:1-11

Mass: Isaiah 50:4-7;

Psalm 22

Philippians 2:6-11;

Matthew 26:14—27:66

THE LAST DAYS OF JESUS ON EARTH

Today marks the beginning of the Holy Week, during which we are called upon to follow Jesus Christ and live with him the last events of his earthly life. On this day, we celebrate Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem amid the jubilation and chants of Hosanna of the crowd (Matthew 21:1-11). 

Jesus entered the holy city, where he would suffer, die, be buried and resurrect from the dead for our redemption. While the procession with palms celebrates, in its multiple aspects, the triumph and the victory of Jesus as the Son of David and the Messiah, the Mass readings evoke the hard and painful conditions of this victory. These include the persecutions endured like the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 50:4-7), his humility and his obedience until death on the cross (Philippians 2:6-11) and his sorrowful Passion (Matthew 26:14—27:66).

In the Passion narrative, we witness a radical self-emptying of the Son of God: betrayal, abandonment, humiliation, unjust condemnation, death and burial. And yet, this is precisely the way he chose to communicate life to us. He accepts being unjustly condemned to justify us. He humbles himself so as to lift us up. He empties himself in order to fill us. He enters the tomb to bring us to life. 

As such, let the palms remind us that Christ is the King of our hearts. Let us ask him to reign in us, in the Church and in the world. Let us adore him who, by his death on the cross, gives life to the world. Let us ask for the grace so that this Holy Week may be an opportunity for true conversion and renewal. Let us intensify our closeness to Christ. Let each of us repent from his sins and experience God’s forgiveness. May we have a renewed experience of his infinite and merciful love for us. By the merits of our Lord’s sorrowful Passion, may God hear our prayer and save us from the snares of the evil one. May God the Father, who sustained Jesus in his Passion also sustain us especially in moments of betrayal, trials, suffering and persecution. May God the Holy Spirit guide us so that we may have a transforming and fruitful Holy Week. 

Amen

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT, YEAR A

Ezekiel 37:12-14

Psalm 129 (130)

Romans 8:8-11

John 11:1-45

YOU SHALL LIVE!

The celebration of Easter is at hand; and this Sunday’s liturgy is about the victory of life over death. In the first reading, the painful experience of the people of Israel in Babylonian exile is compared to a death experience, expressed in the image of the grave. In Ezekiel’s vision, the Israelites were like dry bones, lifeless corpses in the tomb. But God promises to open their graves; he will put his Spirit in them and they will live. He will raise them up and establish them in their land.

The Gospel is about the death and raising of Lazarus. After four days in the tomb, Jesus brings him back to life. As Lazarus comes out of the tomb alive, Jesus’ mission is fully expressed, for he came so that we may have life and have it more abundantly. In this way, the climax of the story is when Jesus says to Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life.” In the second reading, St. Paul develops what this means for us who believe in Jesus, because He who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to our mortal bodies through his Spirit which we received at Baptism.

Two lessons may be drawn for our meditation. First, our experience of distress, suffering or discouragement at certain times in life may be comparable to that of the people of Israel in exile. In fact, the Israelites thought God had abandoned them; their hope was gone. They thought they were already dead. And yet, God promises them restoration. To us too, God reiterates his infallible presence and closeness. He never abandons his people.

Second, in the gospel everything is for the manifestation of the glory of God. But to see the glory of God, one must believe: “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”, Jesus said to Martha. 

Today, Martha is proposed to us as a model of faith. Like her, we are invited to trust even when it seems impossible or when everything seems lost, because everything is possible for he who believes. Let us ask the Lord to grant us a firm and unshakable faith, by which we shall remain calm and constant in the midst of the crosses and difficulties of life. Amen