Today is Vocations Sunday. the anger of God stays on him.. It is his loving communion with Christ that now drives him. That may have been the experience of many during these Covid times. As Jesus says in todays gospel reading, whoever eats me will draw life from me. He said to them, What matters are you discussing as you walk along? They stopped short, their faces downcast. Our story, the way we talk about it or write about it, is only one way of putting it. A prophet is only despised in his own country. The Lord continues to offer the gospel even to those who have rejected it. We have to open ourselves to Gods love, receive Gods Son, enter into the light and allow it to shine upon us. There are no lengths to which the Lord will not go to hold onto us, to keep us in relationship with him. In that Eucharistic moment, their eyes were finally opened to the full meaning of what had happened in Jerusalem. Andrew, Philip and the other disciples went on to discover that the Lord worked powerfully in and through the few resources that the small boy made available. There came a light from heaven all round him and, as a result, he fell to the ground and he heard the Lord say to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? That kind of dramatic experience of the Lords coming is not an everyday event. The Lord continues to call us to himself, drawing us into an ever deeper relationship with him. Carmelites Our Lady of Mount Carmel Mary Mother of God. Just as the risen Lord would not allow the disciples fear to lock him out of their lives, so he would not allow Thomas doubt to lock him out either. There is a sense in which we never fully appreciate the uniqueness, the specialness, of Jesus in this life. and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep; When they found Jesus, he addresses them and declares that they are looking for him for the wrong reasons. 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. We can sometimes find it difficult to believe in the ultimate triumph of life over death, of joy over sadness, especially during those times in our lives when we feel somewhat sad and lifeless. Thomas doubts speak to our own doubts. The gospel teaches us that if we give generously from our resources to others, the Lord will work powerfully through those resources, small as they may seem to us. The Lords faithfulness encourages us to keep turning back to him, to keep coming to him, even after we have turned away from him. We are committed to safeguarding all people in our care, particularly children, young people and vulnerable adults. Her life shows us very clearly that the life of faith has both an inward and outward dimension. 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. He wanted to be with them, as they were. In the gospel reading, Jesus declares that no one can come to him unless he is drawn by God the Father. As risen Lord he was also working with them. He does not ration his gift of the Spirit. No one who comes to me will ever hunger; no one who believes in me will ever thirst. Yet, all we can do is stay with our questions and be faithful to our search. Like Thomas, they may find it difficult to identify fully with those believers who acclaim with conviction, We have seen the Lord, and whose faith seems so much more assured than theirs. 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 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. A lot of our lives are lived in response to various calls that are made upon us. Daily Reflections. The claims of the gospel reading about Jesus and about what he offers us take time to absorb, so striking and powerful are these claims. Some days we have a cold wind from the north or the east. Vocations Sunday reminds us that the more fundamental call we hear in life is the call of the Lord. He had touched their hearts and they didnt want to let him go. We can all draw strength in these times from that very personal relationship with the Lord he invites us to have with him. Thomas, like the other disciples, saw and believed. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days? And he replied to them, What sort of things? They said to him, The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. We live our lives in response to calls of various kinds. It is a great gift to be able to recognize the good that the Lord is doing through someone or some group and then to encourage it along. The relationship between the shepherd and his sheep was more immediate than it is today. We have asked Creighton faculty, staff and administrators to reflect upon the daily readings each day. It is present again in todays gospel reading. She travelled to Avignon to Pope Gregory XI insisting that he return to Rome. Jesus is the good shepherd in that sense. The first reading from the first letter of Peter and the gospel reading from the gospel of Mark have a theme in common. The question What must we do? is as valid a question for us today, as it was for the people of Jerusalem two thousand years ago. He came to Jesus at night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him. Jesus answered and said to him, Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, How can a man once grown old be born again? Shortly after his return, Pope Gregory died. The birth of a child is one of the greatest causes of joy in human experience, especially for the parents of the child. Each of us is responsible for someone or for some others. It is probably true to say that we are all searching for something. He speaks about the mysterious reality of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, with reference to the everyday reality of the wind. Free Resources The Free Resources section provides information about the Carmelite Order, Spirituality and Catholicism. so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.. The Lord will always take the initiative towards us but he will never force himself upon us. When he seeks to give an understanding of the kingdom of God, he tells parables, stories that are deeply rooted in everyday life. We may not be physically present at the Eucharist these days, but we are spiritually present and we continue to recognize the Lord in the breaking of bread. It is my Father's will that whoever sees the Son should have eternal life. In this situation different people reacted in different ways. He was persecuting the church, believing that this was what God wanted him to do. I am the good shepherd; On his way home from the pilgrimage, he continued to engage in his spiritual quest, reading from the prophet Isaiah. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained., Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. Even older again is Rome, and older again is Jerusalem. Even though we may be basically at home in our own religious tradition, our Catholic faith in our case, God is always beyond us. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.. Perhaps, therefore, we will find it easy to identify with Thomas in todays gospel reading. Keep the flock that you have gathered, preserve us in your love, now and forever. He first of all breathed on them, saying, Receive the Holy Spirit. If we really listen to the Lord with the help of the Holy Spirit, the Lord will work through us in ways that build up the church and enrich our world, just as he worked through Barnabas. We might even find ourselves walking away from something or somewhere when, in reality, we should be staying put, or walking towards it. God continues to draw us to his Son through the Word of God and through the ministry of other people of faith, like Philip. In todays gospel reading, Jesus says, whoever comes to me I shall not turn away. We can each make our own those words of Saint Paul. Although Paul had seen the risen Lord in a unique sense, he didnt consider the members of the church to whom he wrote, including ourselves, to be any less privileged than himself. These cookies may track your personal data. In todays gospel reading, Jesus tells Nicodemus, a leading Pharisee and expert in the Jewish Law, that he needs the Holy Spirit. No one who comes to me will ever hunger; no one who believes in me will ever thirst. At the deepest level of our being, we are searching for God. To believe is always to wait in joyful hope. A large horse stands behind the prone Paul, occupying the centre of the painting. Yet, in many ways, he too represents us all. Having identified himself as the gate or the door, he immediately goes on to say, anyone who enters through me will be safe; they will go freely in and out'. The words he used were very defeatist, Two hundred denarii would only buy enough to give them a small piece each. You must be born from above. and that I shall raise him up on the last day.. The Lord journeys with us to lead us towards life, but he needs some openness on our part as well. Our calling is to allow the Spirit of God to be the driving force of our life, as it was the driving force of Jesus life. This was what Paul came to realize when the risen Lord appeared to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Yet, the Lord had great plans for this persecutor of the church, but first he had to endure a period of blindness, during which this proud man was completely dependent on others, they had to lead him into Damascus by the hand. He is not saying, in other words, I am a gate, but, rather, I am the gate. Before Mark came to write, much of the tradition about Jesus circulated within the early church in oral form; there were also some written traditions about Jesus. This was a very small and powerless movement and, yet, the Lord was working powerfully in and through it. since he whom God has sent Seeing that they were in need of food, he asked Philip where food could be bought to give them something to eat. Discerning where the Holy Spirit is leading us is central to our lives as followers of Jesus. However, once we set out for that other side, we often find ourselves struggling, like the disciples. As a result, they invited the members of the church to choose people of wisdom and of the Spirit who could attend to this important work of providing for the most vulnerable. In the words of todays gospel reading, one by one, the Lord calls his own. That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. The hunger of the crowd was satisfied and there was food left over. We cannot ignore our physical hunger; when we are hungry, we eat. At the empty tomb on the first Easter morning, the women are told by the young man to tell the disciples to go to Galilee where Jesus will meet them, not to reprimand them but to renew their discipleship. In this mornings gospel reading, Jesus makes the striking statement, everybody who believes in me has eternal life. Reflections - Carmelite Spirit Reflections "But only now, with inward jubilee, I come upon earth's most amazing knowledge: someone is hidden in this dark with me." - Jessica Powers - Glorious Failure Embracing failure, imperfection, and incompleteness can be a spiritual practice that brings us closer to the heart of God in Jesus Christ. AdvertisingOur website places advertising cookies to show you 3rd party advertisements based on your interests. and I live in him. Our calling is to open our hearts ever more fully to the powerful presence of the Spirit, whom the Lord continues to pour out on all who know their need of the Spirit. There are times in all our lives when we feel a strong need to talk to somebody, even a sympathetic stranger who seems welcoming and genuinely interested in what we have to say. Philip and Andrew were very sceptical about Jesus ability to feed the crowds. The attitude of the apostles shows us what is at the heart of our own lives as Christians. In the gospel reading this morning Jesus speaks of the shepherd who calls his own sheep one by one and leads them out. And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon. The way the Lord relates to Nicodemus in this passage is perhaps not all that different to how he relates to all of us. The questioning of our reason that is an inevitable part of seeing dimly is not an enemy of faith. This mornings first reading is set in Damascus and its vicinity. Gods love was revealed most powerfuuly in the sending of his Son so that we might have life and have it to the full. According to the Book of Genesis, God created Adam by breathing into his nostrils the breath of life. They can lead, rather, to a deepening of our faith. Todays first reading makes reference to the persecution of the early church. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; but he had vanished from their sight. The bread that we break, is it not a communion with the body of Christ? It was the Lords wish that in the Eucharist we would enter into communion with his body and his blood. All of these statements claim that Jesus has a unique relationship with God. That sequence of word leading to sacrament has always been central to the churchs life. A lot of our lives are lived in response to various calls that are made upon us. Jesus goes on to make a comparison between the wind and the Spirit, or more precisely with all who are born of the Spirit. Nicodemus journeyed closer to Jesus in the course of the gospel of John. The Father loves me, Almost immediately, they arrived at their destination that they had just been struggling to reach. The Holy Spirit had a major role to play in bringing the Ethiopian to Jesus, but Philip the evangelist and the Ethiopian himself had their roles to play as well. He feeds a multitude with five loaves and two fish. Philips proclaiming of the gospel moved the Ethiopian to ask for baptism. We lock everything we can. The Jews gathered round him and said, How much longer are you going to keep us. It was while Jesus was at prayer after his baptism that the Holy Spirit come down upon him. The story they told ended in death, but the full story ended in life. When Philip saw the large hungry crowd, he almost despaired, Six months wages wouldnt buy enough to give each of them a little Andrew was just a little more hopeful. the good shepherd is one who lays down his life for his sheep. It is the light of God who so loved the world that he gave his only Son, in the language of the gospel reading. The Lord will do his work; it doesnt all depend on us. Easter celebrates Gods radical faithfulness, his extraordinary mercy. Jesus argues that if there is a mysterious quality about the wind, there is an even more mysterious quality about the Spirit of God. He is not in the business of locking people out. We are being reminded that people come to faith in the Lord by different ways, at different paces. Her mission in person to the Pope was a surprising success. When they had eaten enough he said to the disciples, Pick up the pieces left over, so that nothing gets wasted. So they picked them up, and filled twelve hampers with scraps left over from the meal of five barley loaves. On this occasion Jesus did not break through the resistance of those to whom he spoke. In the gospel reading this morning, he describes a scene that would have been familiar to his contemporaries in Galilee. To enter through Jesus the gate is to respond to his call, the very personal call that he addresses to each one of us. Pope Francis sees himself as a shepherd of his flock, his diocesan flock in Rome and the world-wide flock of the church. How much time should be given to each stage depends very much on whether it is used individually or in a group. Then we will indeed have life and have it to the full. He presents himself to the crowd as someone who can satisfy not just their physical hunger but their spiritual hunger. We meet every Friday at 10am (Australian Eastern Daylight Time) [You are welcome to join from other time zones, eg. It is with confidence that we can pray, Come Holy Spirit, fill our hearts. Your fathers ate the manna in the desert Catherine was a great mystic or contemplative, but her mysticism did not withdraw her from the world. The Carmelites invite you to participate with us for Lectio Divina On-line. The life of God is a life of love given and received. When the Lord speaks about life to the full there, we might be inclined to think only in terms of eternal life, life beyond death. Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.. Because we do not yet see him face to face, our faith is always a faith that hopes. Today we might call such a person a facilitator or an enabler of others. They saw the Lord; they now knew that the crucified one had been raised from the dead, as he promised. The gospel reading declares that God gives him (Jesus) the Spirit without reserve, and in this fourth gospel Jesus declares that his words are spirit and life. - 8:00 pm Exposition followed by Conference, Night Prayer, and Confessions. As he said earlier, No one has greater love than this, to lay down ones life for ones friends. You do not cease to gather together with Your Word, a holy people from every land, city, and nation, so that in charity they may offer worship that is pleasing to you. Jesus has entered fully into our human condition. When he spoke, it was to place their sad, hopeless, story in a whole new light. 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. On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, Peace be with you. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. you hear its sound, He lifted the story of the two disciples into this bigger story of Gods faithful love. It may seem as small as the two barley loaves and five fish, but the Lord can work powerfully through our efforts, small as they may seem to us. Just click on the month of interest and scroll to the day required. In this mornings first reading we have a striking example of faith seeking understanding. Reflections on Daily Readings 2022 October 30th - November 26th, 2022 October 30 - November 5, 2022 Ordinary Time - The Thirty-First Week | Readings: Sunday Cycle C; Weekday Cycle 2. God will find many ways of bringing us to his Son, if we allow ourselves to be drawn. It is above all in the Eucharist that we recognize and celebrate that the crucified Jesus is also the risen Lord who is present to us on our life journey as our faithful companion. When you reflect on that saying of Jesus, it is indeed very reassuring. Far from rebuking Thomas for his refusal to believe, the Lord accommodated himself to Thomas demands and, as a result, out of the mouth of the sceptic came one of the greatest confessions of faith in the gospels, My Lord and my God. 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. The strangers story ended not in death but in glory. The Father reveals the Son to those who become like little children, those who, like Catherine, are deeply aware of their dependence on God and are completely open to all that God can give us. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. In todays first reading, an Ethiopian court official comes to faith in Jesus. He calls out to all of us to come to him, to know and love him as he knows and loves us. Listening to Gods word prepares us, disposes us, to recognize and receive the Lord who comes to us in the Sacraments. Very often when Jesus uses an image, like that of the gate, he takes it from his observation of life all around him. These cookies may track your personal data. As Peter puts it in todays second reading, You did not see him, yet you love him. At every Mass we first have the Liturgy of the Word, and then the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Here and now they already share in the life of God which Jesus brings us. Jesus comes to his disciples as God in human form. In the gospel reading, darkness came over the disciples in the boat, and they found themselves facing into a strong wind and having to sail through a sea that was getting rougher. To look upon the flesh of Jesus, his human life, is to look upon God. No one can do that for us. He walks with us, even when we are walking in the wrong direction. Sometimes a conversation about a loved one who has just died can have laughter as well as sadness in it. There are two ways of looking at gates. That is why, as the two disciples told the stranger, when the women went to the tomb in the early morning, they did not find the body of Jesus but, instead, had seen a vision of angels who announced that Jesus was alive. Here at the very early days of the church we have a good example of how the church must function in every age. We do not take the Spirit where we want it to go; the Spirit takes us where God wants us to go. The Lord is always working with us to confirm, strengthen and support us in our efforts to answer his call in todays world. The message of the Lord working with and confirming his disciples is present in both readings. Our website uses functional cookies. It is generally dated to around about the year 70. They were missing the most important bit of the story. When we find ourselves struggling with great religious doubts, and, as a result, maybe putting a distance between ourselves and the Lord and between ourselves and the community of believers, the Lord continues to engage with us and seek us out. The people in todays gospel reading heard Jesus say to them that they were looking for him for the wrong reasons. One of the tasks of life is to try and listen to the particular call that the Lord is addressing to me here and now. OtherOur website places 3rd party cookies from other 3rd party services which aren't Analytical, Social media or Advertising. Jesus immediately challenges him to take a much bigger step towards him; he calls on Nicodemus to allow himself to be born from above, to be born of water and the Spirit. Yet, it is language which expresses the depth of communion which Jesus wants to create between himself and his disciples. The first reading puts before us a troubling moment in the life of the church, conflict between Greek speaking and Aramaic speaking Jewish Christian widows regarding the distribution of food. 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. His call sets us out on a communal journey, a journey with others who are trying to respond to his call. We need to listen to his voice and to keep him in view so that we can take our lead from him. Our Healing Mass enrolment card expresses to an enrolled person the knowledge that they are included in daily prayers and Mass. The religious leaders may have wanted to put a lid on what was happening but they discovered that, in the words of Jesus to Nathanael in the gospel reading, the Spirit, like the wind, blows where it pleases. Given my very particular circumstances, the relationships and commitments I have at this time, the unique set of gifts and limitations that are mine, what is the Lord asking of me? Perth/Singapore/Philippines: 7am; Timor-Leste/Tokyo: 8am; New Zealand: 12pm; Los Angeles: Thursday 4pm; New York/Toronto: Thursday 7pm] to prayerfully reflect on the Gospel of the coming Sunday. That appears to be the situation of the two disciples in todays gospel reading. Life is never the same for a couple after the birth of their child. Jesus said: Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. He who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets, After hearing his doctrine, many of the followers of Jesus said, This is intolerable language. When that happens, our lives will give expression to Gods personal love for the world. This led to the Ethiopian asking Philip on coming upon some water, Is there anything to stop me being baptized? God the Father brought him to the point where he asked for baptism. It is not a light to be feared or avoided. I have come They are searching for the material bread that Jesus had given them earlier, rather than for Jesus himself. In that opening scene of todays gospel reading, none of the disciples are named. Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy. Jesus presents himself as the one who can satisfy this spiritual hunger. That is why the Eucharist is at the heart of our lives as disciples of the Lord. This content is blocked. Because we do not yet see him face to face, our faith is always a faith that hopes. The risen Lord remains faithful to his failed disciples and his faithfulness finally allows them to see clearly and to go out afresh to preach the gospel. 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. He comes to recreate us through the Holy Spirit. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. It didnt really matter which gate you went through. and the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus in Lukes first volume, his gospel. If you would like to receive the Daily Reflection via email, please visit our sign up page. The good news is that even when we turn from the light and chose darkness, the light shines in the darkness and, if there is even the smallest opening in us to the light, the darkness will not overcome the light of Gods loving presence. That is our fundamental calling, to come to the Lord in faith; all else follows from that. The Ethiopian was searching, but he needed help from someone who was a little further down the road of faith that he himself was. The ruins of the city are still to be seen today. After the question Jesus went on to speak not only of eating his flesh but of drinking his blood, which would have sounded even more shocking. He did not understand what he was reading. Yet, there is always something we can do, no matter how small. Everyones journey towards faith is unique to them. In the words of todays second reading, we can find ourselves being plagued by all sorts of trials in the season of Easter as much as in any other season. Daily Reflections Each new day is a day of grace and opportunity to reflect. In the language of this fourth gospel, it is Jesus, who is close to the Fathers heart, who has made him known. Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. We appreciate it when someone listens to our story and takes it seriously and then, in response, shares something of their story with us. The light of Jesus is a light of love, the light of God who so loved the world that he gave his only Son. Alternatively, please click the Cookie settings button to adjust which cookies this website stores during your visit. Like a flag blowing in the wind, we are to move in response to the movement of the Spirit. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. During the hour of his passion and death, Jesus disciples, with the exception of the beloved disciple and the women, ran from him. It is a statement worth reflecting upon. When the Lord calls us to himself it is not to take us out of the world but to send us into the world afire with the flame of his love. Reflections on Daily Readings. We find a similar pattern in the first reading. In time, Mark came to be appreciated on its own terms, and not just as a poorer version of Matthew. Sunday, October 30 Monday, October 31 Tuesday, November 1 Wednesday, November 2 Thursday, November 3 Friday, November 4 Saturday, November 5 Yet, the light of Easter is not like the light of the interrogation room. To use another image in that gospel reading, he is the gate, the gateway, to a full life. Daily Homilies. MONDAY 26 TUESDAY 27 WEDNESDAY 28 THURSDAY 29 FRIDAY 30 SATURDAY 31. I tell you most solemnly, Indeed, the shepherd leads us through the gate. Catholic Daily Mass Readings and Reflections A CATHOLIC MOMENT Saturday April 29, 2023: "This is hard!" John Ciribassi, DVM, Dipl. It is a statement that reveals the welcoming nature of the Lords presence. Jesus was looking beyond the group of Jewish disciples he had gathered.
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