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The Word today, Easter5B

  • Writer: Admin
    Admin
  • Apr 27, 2024
  • 2 min read

ree

April 29 - May 04, 2024


St Catherine of Siena, virgin and doctor


1 John 1:5-2:2 The first letter of John manages to be both inspirational and realistic. We need to keep an eye on both, stay on the path of conversion of heart.


Matthew 11:25-30 This passage contains a great truth: the Gospel is for all and not for some élite group. We can all come to Jesus when we are burdened.


St Pius V, bishop of Rome


Acts 14:19-28 In our attempts at evangelisation today, we can still learn from the example of the first preachers: they took risked, were full of zeal and they knew God was with them all along.


John 14:27-31 Peace—the great gift of the risen Lord —means much more in the Bible than usual and especially here in John. It includes life in abundance, on account of the resurrection and even freedom from death and the fear of death.


St Joseph the Worker


Acts 15:1-6 Early Christians had to make up their minds whether or not to impose the full Jewish Law on new believers. It was not easy, as we see from today’s reading which features supporters on each side.


John 15:1-8 In the Fourth Gospel, there are seven I Am sentences, all echoing the name of God as I am who I am. In the same way, the image of the vine for the people of God is rooted in the Old Testament, as well as in the parable of Jesus. We the branches lives because of him.


St Athanasius, bishop


Act 15:7-21 Our reading takes us to a very important moment in the early church. The issue was how much of the divinely ordained ritual practices of Judaism should be retained. None, really, but a compromise was reached about the consumption of blood, for the sake of communion between Jews and Gentiles.


John 15:9-11 The simply word “remain” is important in the Fourth Gospel: it means to live in, to be part of of, to draw life from. It is not only love but joy which will be completed in us.


St Philip and James, apostles


1 Cor 15:1-8 The apostolic proclamation takes us back to the original experiences of those who encountered the risen Lord. It is not enough, of course, to depend on the past: we have to recognise our own moments of encounter.


John 14:6-14 In our Gospel today, Philips seems to blurt out something inappropriate. However, it leads to deep teaching.


St Conleth, bishop


Acts 16:1-10 Today’s reading is odd and inspiring. It is odd that Paul had someone circumcised, because he was so against it. It is inspiring that the same Paul dreams about the Macedonian Greeks who want him to preach among them. It would remind us of St Patrick and his dream about the Irish calling him.


John 15:18-21 It cannot be that our destiny should be different to that of Jesus. He too did not belong “this world” and he too was hated. It is to be expected that being a believer will incite others against us—a mark that we are on the path of true discipleship.


References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024al, April 28). Fifth Sunday of Easter. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042824.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/


 
 
 

The Word today, Easter3B

  • Writer: Admin
    Admin
  • Apr 12, 2024
  • 3 min read

Updated: Apr 20, 2024


ree

April 15 - April 20, 2024



Acts 6:8-15 Stephen, whose feast we celebrate on 26 December, was one of the seven chosen to relieve the pressure on the apostles (Acts 6:5). Today we begin his story, a story of extraordinary witness leading to martyrdom. The Greek for a “witness” is martys, from which our word martyr.


John 6:22-29 The focus throughout John 6 is really on the person of Jesus. This is very evident in today’s Gospel: ‘This is working for God: you must believe in the one he has sent.’



Acts 7:51-8:1 As we listen to the story of Stephen’s death, we might notice echoes of the story of Jesus’ crucifixion peculiar to Luke’s Gospel. This is intentional, because Luke sees Jesus’ death as also that of a prophet-martyr.


John 6:30-35 Appetites, such are hunger and thirst, are often used metaphorically to speak of hungers of the heart. Today, Jesus satisfies our hunger because he is our bread of life.



Acts 8:1-8 Three important characters overlap in today’s narrative: Stephen, Paul and Philip. We will hear much of Paul later; for the moment the story of Philip is taken up. He was also one of the seven chosen in Acts 6:5. Is this the same Philip who was an apostle? This is not so clear, although early tradition affirms it is one and the same person.


John 6:35-40 Our Gospel today is rich in invitation. The words of Pope Francis come to mind: Let the risen Jesus enter your life, welcome him as a friend, with trust: he is life! If up till now you have kept him at a distance, step forward. He will receive you with open arms. If you have been indifferent, take a risk: you won’t be disappointed.


St Laserian (or Molaise), bishop


Acts 8:26-40 Today we hear a memorable anecdote involving an exotic figure, the finance minister of the “Candace” or queen of Ethiopia. There are considerable links with the Emmaus story: the unrecognised “guest”, the explanation of the Scriptures, the sudden disappearance and displacement. Luke wants us to “hear” these stories together.


John 6:44-51 The sermon on the bread of life continues. You may notice references to the incarnation, the cross and the resurrection. In this Gospel — which has no Lord’s Supper — Jesus “gives” his body and blood on the cross.



Acts 9:1-20 The story of Saul / Paul begins today, a story which will occupy the rest of the Acts. The conversion of Paul was a key event for early Christianity, placing at the service of The Way a remarkable person of faith, intelligence and energy.


John 6:52-59 The “giving of my flesh” takes place in this Gospel at the crucifixion. Eating and drinking are metaphors for faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection, celebrated sacramentally in the Eucharist.


Acts 9:31-42 The story we are about to hear has a double resonance. It resembles the story of Jairus’ daughter in Luke 8, which in turn resembles the story of Elijah and the widow’s son in 1 Kings 17. Luke’s message is clear: great prophetic and life-giving actions continue among the followers of The Way.


John 6:60-69 There are several things “going on” in this reading. The departure of some mostly likely refers to a split in the community when some walked away (not unknown today, alas). The close of John 6 is a Johannine version of the scene in Caesarea Philippi—who do you say I am? The wording is very different, but Peter is the spokesman and this affirmation of faith is one of the strongest in this Gospel.


References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024ah, April 14). Third Sunday of Easter. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041424.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/


 
 
 

The Word today, Easter2B

  • Writer: Admin
    Admin
  • Apr 5, 2024
  • 3 min read

Updated: Apr 20, 2024


ree

April 08 - April 13, 2024


The Annunciation of the Lord


Isaiah 7:10-14, 8:10 The birth of a child—as in this reading—is always a sign of hope. Hebrews 10:4-10 Our reading today reflects on the death of Jesus, in the light of the incarnation.


Luke 1:26-38 There are several annunciation stories in the Old Testament. Our annunciation is similar, yet significantly different on account of the child to be born — son of the Most High, descendant of Jacob and David, Jesus the Messiah.



Acts 4:32-37 The ideal community Every so often, Luke gives us a general summary—perhaps looking back somewhat idealistically. The vignette has inspired many across the centuries—not least St Augustine of Hippo in his Rule of life.


John 3:7-15 Halfway through, Nicodemus falls silent and is in effect absent (he will return in John 7 and 19). Instead, we have faith affirmation in the catechetical language of the Johannine community. V. 13 evokes Jacob’s Ladder from Genesis. Vv. 14 and 15, direct us to the story of Moses and the bronze serpent, a story of healing. This “lifting up” is fundamental to the theology of the Fourth Gospel.



Acts 5:17-26 This miraculous anecdote (not lacking in humour) illustrates how irrepressible the preaching of The Way was and how its bearers were and are still today under God’s protection.


John 3:16-21 The opening words in this Gospel are justly famous—surely one of the greatest affirmations in Scripture. They echo the story of the sacrifice of Isaac. The rest of the Gospel is difficult for us, until we remember that we are overhearing the robust dialogue between the Church and Synagogue from about AD 90. It may be best to understand the harsh line on judgment to refer to full believers who have chosen to walk away.


St Stanislaus, bishop and martyr


Acts 5:27-33 In this passage, Peter responds to those who would silence him. The clarity of his defence might help us today: obedience to God comes before obedience to humans.


John 3:31-36 Our reading of John 3 moves forward to the teaching on the lips of John the Baptist. The writer is looking back with the 20/20 vision of (theological) hindsight. Our reading gives us a rich reflection on Jesus and what Jesus means to us today.



Acts 5:34-42 As we continued the tale of the aftermath to the escape, a certain Gamaliel speaks. His advice is sound both as law and as strategy.


John 6:1-15 Today we hear a version of the multiplication of the loaves from John’s Gospel. The evangelist signals that the time is Passover—and he uses the story to explore Jesus' identity as a Moses-type figure: he feeds in the wilderness, he acts as a prophet and is misunderstood as a king. The sensitive reader will notice that the superabundant feeding also echoes the Christian Eucharist: bread, took, gave thanks, gave.


St Martin I, bishop of Rome, martyr


1 John 1:5-2:2 The first letter of John manages to be both inspirational and realistic. We need to keep an eye on both, to stay on the path of conversion of heart.


Matthew 11:25-30 This passage contains a great truth: the Gospel is for all and not for some élite group. We can all come to Jesus when we are burdened.


References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024af, April 7). Second Sunday of Easter. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040724.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/


 
 
 
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