The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Lectionary: 166

Reading 1 Prv 8:22-31

Thus says the wisdom of God:
"The LORD possessed me, the beginning of his ways,
the forerunner of his prodigies of long ago;
from of old I was poured forth,
at the first, before the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no fountains or springs of water;
before the mountains were settled into place,
before the hills, I was brought forth;
while as yet the earth and fields were not made,
nor the first clods of the world.

"When the Lord established the heavens I was there,
when he marked out the vault over the face of the deep;
when he made firm the skies above,
when he fixed fast the foundations of the earth;
when he set for the sea its limit,
so that the waters should not transgress his command;
then was I beside him as his craftsman,
and I was his delight day by day,
playing before him all the while,
playing on the surface of his earth;
and I found delight in the human race."

Responsorial Psalm Ps 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (2a) O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars which you set in place —
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet:
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

Reading 2 Rom 5:1-5

Brothers and sisters:
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
to this grace in which we stand,
and we boast in hope of the glory of God.
Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions,
knowing that affliction produces endurance,
and endurance, proven character,
and proven character, hope,
and hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Alleluia Cf. Rv 1:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;
to God who is, who was, and who is to come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 16:12-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you."

Prayers for this Morning

Lord Jesus, I believe in you. I believe you have called me to the faith and to share that faith. I trust that you will fill me with your spirit of courage and truth so that I might faithfully assimilate and transmit the faith. I love you. I want to love you more with my prayer and with my life, and so grow in the unity of the love you share with your Father and the Holy Spirit.

  Dear Jesus, send me your Holy Spirit so that I might better know and love you. Grant me a hunger to know you better, to experience you more deeply. May my knowledge of you set my heart on fire so that I cannot keep you to myself. Aid me in faithfully communicating you and your message of love.

Homily

While blessing them, He was carried up to Heaven. Welcome my brothers and sisters in Christ to today's celebration of the Feast the "Ascension of the Lord" Jesus.

While reflecting on this Feast that the Holy Catholic Church has found worthy of including in the Liturgical Calendar, I asked myself, "What does the Ascension of Jesus mean to us?" After spiritual reflections, I was able to perceive some important factors that are associated with the Ascension of the Lord Jesus.

1. First of all, the visible departure of the Lord concluded the Risen Jesus' sojourn on earth. For 40 days after His Resurrection, Jesus had been appearing to many of His followers and spoke to them about the Kingdom of God. [Acts 1:3] The days of His apparitions had come to an end.

If we are to take Chapter 24 of the Gospel of Luke or Chapter 20 of the Gospel of John as they stand, we would get the impression that all three, the Resurrection, the Ascension and the giving of the Holy Spirit happened on the same day. But this is not so. As I have just mentioned, there was "40 days" [Acts 1:3] between the day of the Resurrection and the day of the Ascension. This knowledge is made known to us by St. Luke who also wrote "The Acts of the Apostles."

2. Secondly, I have come to perceive that the Ascension of Jesus completes our understanding of the awesomeness of the glorious Resurrection. Because the Lord Jesus was raised to Heaven after His glorious Resurrection, it is made known to us that our blessed hope of eternal life does not consist of dwelling in this world, but rather in Heaven.

3. Thirdly, the Ascension of the Lord affirms that Jesus was the Messiah. As the Gospel of Luke tells us, "He was carried up into Heaven." [Lk. 24:51] The questions to ask here are, "Who carried Him?" and "Why did they carry Him?" It was the angels who carried Jesus to Heaven because they were created to "adore Him" [Heb. 1:6] and serve Him.

In concluding the writing of his Gospel, St. Luke emphasized that the proclaiming of repentance and the forgiveness of sins was to be proclaimed in His Name. [Lk. 24:47] This emphasis, in "His Name," shifts the faith of the believers from Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament, to the divinity of Jesus. "For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell bodily." [Col. 1:19, 2:9]

4. Next, the Ascension of the Lord Jesus opened the door for the beginning of the Divine ministry of the Holy Spirit. Jesus had told His disciples not to leave Jerusalem but to wait there for the promise of the Heavenly Father. [Lk. 24:49; Acts 1:4]

5. Fifth, during the Gospel Reading, we heard that Jesus raised His hands and blessed His disciples. [Lk. 24:50] This action echoes a similar action that is found in the Book of Sirach in the Old Testament.

"The leader of his brothers and the pride of his people was the high priest, Simon son of Onias..." [Sir. 50:1] "Then Simon came down and raised his hands over the whole congregation of Israelites to pronounce the blessing of the Lord with his lips, and to glory in his name." [Sir. 50:20]

From this passage, we come to perceive that the blessing of Jesus was not just an ordinary blessing. It was a blessing from the True High Priest, He who is a priest forever, according to the Order of Melchizedek. [Heb. 5:6, 7:17, 7:21]

6. Sixth, from the moment of the Ascension, the living hope of all Christians has been for the Second Coming of Christ, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him. At the moment of the Ascension of the Lord, the countdown began. "About that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." [Mt. 24:36] "Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour." [Mt. 24:44]

7. Seventh, once the Lord Jesus had ascended into Heaven, He sat at the right hand of God. [Mk. 16:19; Rom. 8:34; Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:3, 8:1, 10:12; 1 Pet. 3:22; Acts 2:33, 7:56-7] Since then, He has been the Mediator between God and humankind. [1 Tim. 2:5] "Jesus has now obtained a more excellent ministry, and to that degree He is the Mediator of a better Covenant, which has been enacted through better promises." [Heb. 8:6]

8. Eight, from the moment of the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven, His glorious reign began as the King of kings. Through the Resurrection of Jesus, death was conquered. "The great dragon was thrown down (out of Heaven), that ancient serpent who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world." [Rev. 12:9]

Following the glorious moment of the Ascension of Jesus, the souls that dwelled in Limbo were finally released "Christ was the first fruits of those who had died." [1 Cor. 15:20]

In theological usage the name "Limbo" has two meanings. The first is the temporary place or state of the souls of the just who, although purified from sin, were excluded from the beatific vision until Christ's triumphant ascension into Heaven (the "limbus patrum").

According to apocryphal Jewish literature that refers to the abode of the departed just, the following condition of the souls is generally agreed upon:

- that their condition is one of happiness,
- that it is temporary, and
- that it is to be replaced by a condition of final and permanent bliss when the Messianic Kingdom is established.

(See Catholic Encyclopedia Online; Subject: Limbo.)

9. Ninth, while Jesus has ascended into Heaven, His Divine Presence continues to be with us where He is adored daily in the Sacred Tabernacles of the Catholic Churches.

The last verse from today's Gospel Reading states, "And they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the Temple blessing God." [Lk. 24:53] What is stressed here is that the believers were "continually" in the Temple and their "great joy."

From this passage, it can be perceived that the physical Church mirrors the invisible Kingdom of God. The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church mirrors the new Jerusalem and the new Temple. The Divine Presence of Jesus in the Sacred Tabernacles mirrors His Divine Presence among the saints and the angels in the Kingdom of God.

Why is there great joy? Because the celebration of the Holy Mass and the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist mirror the Heavenly Feast in which Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the saints and all the angels are partaking. To receive Jesus in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is to "worship God in spirit and truth." [Jn. 4:24]

My brothers and sisters in Christ, the aforementioned raises the importance of the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord above the fact that the Lord Jesus was carried up to Heaven by the angels. While the Resurrection was the turning point in history regarding salvation, the Ascension was the turning point in history regarding the beginning of the Kingdom of God.

Following the glorious Ascension of the Lord, the endless righteous souls who had died from the days of Adam to the days of Jesus, all were finally released from their prison in Limbo. Finally, they could enjoy the eternal Presence of Christ the King. For these souls, the Resurrection of Jesus prepared the way for their freedom from a dwelling where they did not enjoy the beatific vision of Christ.

These are reasons to celebrate the Ascension of the Lord. There may be more than those that I have mentioned. But these are sufficient for us to rejoice, not only for ourselves, but for the countless souls of the days of the Old Testament who finally entered the Kingdom of God.

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

Reading 1 Acts 1:1-11

In the first book, Theophilus,
I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
until the day he was taken up,
after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit
to the apostles whom he had chosen.
He presented himself alive to them
by many proofs after he had suffered,
appearing to them during forty days
and speaking about the kingdom of God.
While meeting with them,
he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,
but to wait for “the promise of the Father
about which you have heard me speak;
for John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

When they had gathered together they asked him,
“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons
that the Father has established by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.”
When he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
They said, “Men of Galilee,
why are you standing there looking at the sky?
This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven
will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9

R. (6) God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 Eph 1:17-23

Brothers and sisters:
May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation
resulting in knowledge of him.
May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call,
what are the riches of glory
in his inheritance among the holy ones,
and what is the surpassing greatness of his power
for us who believe,
in accord with the exercise of his great might:
which he worked in Christ,
raising him from the dead
and seating him at his right hand in the heavens,
far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion,
and every name that is named
not only in this age but also in the one to come.
And he put all things beneath his feet
and gave him as head over all things to the church,
which is his body,
the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.

or Heb 9:24-28; 10:19-23

Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands,
a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,
that he might now appear before God on our behalf.
Not that he might offer himself repeatedly,
as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary
with blood that is not his own;
if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly
from the foundation of the world.
But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages
to take away sin by his sacrifice.
Just as it is appointed that men and women die once,
and after this the judgment, so also Christ,
offered once to take away the sins of many,
will appear a second time, not to take away sin
but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since through the blood of Jesus
we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary
by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil,
that is, his flesh,
and since we have Aa great priest over the house of God, “
let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust,
with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience
and our bodies washed in pure water.
Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope,
for he who made the promise is trustworthy.

Alleluia Mt 28:19a, 20b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Go and teach all nations, says the Lord;
I am with you always, until the end of the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 24:46-53

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.
And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you;
but stay in the city
until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Then he led them out as far as Bethany,
raised his hands, and blessed them.
As he blessed them he parted from them
and was taken up to heaven.
They did him homage
and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
and they were continually in the temple praising God.

Prayers for Today

"Lord Jesus, through the gift of your Holy Spirit, you fill us with an indomitable spirit of praise and joy which no earthly trial can subdue. Fill me with your resurrection joy and help me to live a life of praise and thanksgiving for your glory. May I witness to those around me the joy of the Gospel and the reality of your great victory over sin and death." 

 

  Lord, I believe in you and all that you have revealed for our salvation. I hope in you because of your overflowing mercy. Every single act of yours on this earth demonstrated your love for us. Your ascent into heaven before the eyes of the Apostles inspires my hope of one day joining you there. I love you and wish you to be the center of my life. 

 

 Jesus, it is hard to forgive others. Sometimes it is hard to forgive myself. I need your strength to move me beyond the pain and struggle. I need the security of your love and your presence in my life. Help me to mend the disharmony in my life that you want me to fix. Heal the brokenness in my heart, in my home, in my family and in my Church.

Homily

During today's Gospel Reading, we heard Our Lord Jesus say, "My sheep hear My voice and follow Me." [Jn. 10:27] In this particular passage of Chapter 10 of the Gospel of John, Jesus was speaking of His Divine title as the Good Shepherd. Earlier in the same Chapter, Jesus had said, "I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." [Jn. 10:11]

The question that comes to mind is, "Who are the sheep of Jesus?" In the same Chapter, Jesus said, "I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd." [Jn. 10:16]

Many Christians take Jesus' reference of "other sheep that do not belong to this fold" as meaning that all Churches are equal. They imply that the sheep that do not belong to this fold are our separated brothers and sisters in Christ. It is obvious that this is a misrepresentation of the Words of Jesus. On this subject, I quote from "The Jerome Biblical Commentary,"

"I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold: The Gentiles, too, must be brought into salvation together with the sheep of the fold of Israel (cf. Mt. 15:24; Gal. 3:28; Eph. 2:11-22). The way to eternal life is the same for both - that they hear in Jesus the voice of God and respond with faith. Then there will be one sheep- herd, one shepherd. This attempts to capture the alliteration of the Gk phrase, mia poimne heis poimen. The Vg has "one fold, one shepherd," but the Greek clearly means "flock." To read "flock" rather than "fold," however, is not to lessen the fact that the text supposes a single Jewish-Gentile Church under the one Shepherd Christ: "There is nothing to suggest that John thought of one flock lodged in a number of different folds" (Barrett). [The Jerome Biblical Commentary; The Gospel According To John, Page 445; Number 16.]

In His own Words, Jesus affirmed, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." [Mt. 15:24] During today's First Reading from "The Acts of the Apostles," we heard that some of the people from the house of Israel were rejecting the grace of God.

Consequently, Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you reject it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we are now turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, 'I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and praised the word of the Lord; and as many as had been destined for eternal life became believers." [Acts 13:46-8]

As the letter of Paul to the Galatians reveals to us, "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise." [Gal. 3:28-9; Col. 3:11]

Therefore, to summarize what has been said until now, there is only one Shepherd for all. There is one fold, one flock, to which all the sheep belong. There is only one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church through which is found the fullness of grace for the salvation of all. Those who seek out the Spirit of Truth with a sincerity of heart, they hear the voice of Jesus and they follow Him accordingly.

On the subject of Paul turning to the Gentiles to preach the salvation of God through Jesus Christ, it is important to keep in mind that Paul, who himself was a member of the Jewish community, had spent much time preaching the Good News to his own people. [Acts 14:1; 16:13; 17:1, 10, 17; 18:4, 6, 19; 19:8; 28:28] Unfortunately, many of them were not open to the grace of God and rejected the truth. The Jewish nation's rejection of Christ as the Messiah is not to be lamented. For it is through their rejection that salvation came upon us as Gentiles. When the Jewish nation rejected Christ as the Messiah, over and above opening the door to our salvation, they consequently placed themselves on an equal basis with us as Gentiles. By the grace of our Lord, those of us who have answered our call to be saved, we became one spiritual nation of God, without discrimination of nationality, race, culture, gender or age.

When Paul informed the Jewish people that he was turning to the Gentiles, he quoted from the Book of Isaiah in the Old Testament. "I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth." [Acts 13:47; Is. 49:6]

In this particular case, the word "light" had a double meaning. There is no question that Jesus is the true Light of the world. [Jn. 8:12] At the same time, while Jesus is the Light of the world, Paul was the fruit of the seed that Jesus planted beforehand as the Light of the world. Consequently, the light of Christ was shining through Paul. As a child of God, Paul "Let his light shine before others, so that they may see his good works and give glory to our Father in Heaven" [Jn. 5:16] Through Christ, Paul himself became a light of the world." [Mt. 5:14]

To provide you with an example, let us suppose that someone took a burning branch from a brilliant campfire and carried it over to another location where dry wood had been pilled up. Before long, there was a second campfire burning. While the light of the second campfire may have become as brilliant as the light of the first one, it must be remembered that the origin of the light was from the first campfire. The second one could not have been lit without the fire from the first campfire.

In the same way, Jesus, as the first Light of the world, is the Divine Source of all lights that have shined in the past, those that shine today and those that shall shine tomorrow.

During today's Second Reading from the Book of Revelation, we heard of those "who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." [Rev. 7:14] Some have interpreted the white robes to mean those who have been martyred. But this is not the case.

When reviewing the Book of Revelation in its entirety, we learn that the white garments represent all the Christians who have been chosen by God. [Rev. 3:5, 6:11, 7:9, 7:13, 19:8] In other words, those who wear the white garments, they are the living saints who form the fullness of the mystical Body of Christ.

From the vision of John that we have heard today, no matter how much suffering it may refer to, it is important for us to understand that it ends with a promise.

There will come a time when we will no longer hunger or thirst. [Rev. 7:16; Is. 49:10; Jn. 6:35, 7:37] The sun will no longer strike us, nor any of its scorching heat. [Rev. 7:16; Ps. 121:6] The Lamb shall be our Shepherd [Rev. 7:17; Ps. 23:1-17; Is. 40:11; Ez. 34:11-6] and He will guide us [Rev. 7:17; Jn. 10:11-6; Ex. 15:13; Deut. 1:33; Wis. 9:11] to the springs of the water of life. [Rev. 7:17; Jn. 4:14; Jer. 2;13] And God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. [Rev. 7:17, 21:4; Is. 25:8]

When that day shall come upon each and every one of us, we shall remember the fulfillment of the prophecy that we have heard today. We shall remember that our salvation came through the Lamb of God. And at that time, we shall perceive the fulness of the mystery as to exactly when and how we first heard the voice of the Good Shepherd and followed it.

May the grace of the Lord be with you all this week as you continue to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd.

---

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Reading 1 Acts 13:14, 43-52

Paul and Barnabas continued on from Perga
and reached Antioch in Pisidia.
On the sabbath they entered the synagogue and took their seats.
Many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism
followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them
and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God.

On the following sabbath almost the whole city gathered
to hear the word of the Lord.
When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy
and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said.
Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said,
“It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first,
but since you reject it
and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life,
we now turn to the Gentiles.
For so the Lord has commanded us,
I have made you a light to the Gentiles,
that you may be an instrument of salvation
to the ends of the earth.”

The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this
and glorified the word of the Lord.
All who were destined for eternal life came to believe,
and the word of the Lord continued to spread
through the whole region.
The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers
and the leading men of the city,
stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas,
and expelled them from their territory.
So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them,
and went to Iconium.
The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 100:1-2, 3, 5

R. (3c) We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD is good:
his kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 Rev 7:9, 14b-17

I, John, had a vision of a great multitude,
which no one could count,
from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.

Then one of the elders said to me,
“These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

“For this reason they stand before God’s throne
and worship him day and night in his temple.
The one who sits on the throne will shelter them.
They will not hunger or thirst anymore,
nor will the sun or any heat strike them.
For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne
will shepherd them
and lead them to springs of life-giving water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Alleluia Jn 10:14

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my sheep, and mine know me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 10:27-30

Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”

Prayers to Start

"Lord Jesus, you have the words of eternal life. Open my ears to hear your voice and to follow your ways. Give me understanding that I may grow in the knowledge of your great love and wisdom for my life."

 

 Lord, you are my Shepherd. With you, there is nothing I shall want. I will always keep my eyes fixed on your rod and staff. My courage will never falter if you are at my side.

Interesting New Site

I have found this new site to me and have decided to share.
It is called Flame of Love. Check it out and let me know how you like it.

From Catholic Exchange

ril 8, 2016

Fulton J. Sheen’s Guide to Victory over Vice

K. V. Turley

Fulton Sheen’s Victory over Vice is a joy to read and a nightmare to review. Why? It is so quotable. The matter is made worse by the fact that it is a relatively short book. There is no padding, no excess, just thought provoking prose, judicious observation, and interesting anecdote.
Is there anyone reading this who has not heard of Fulton Sheen? The man was a priest and a bishop, but his legacy remains chiefly around his gift as a communicator. He gave sermons, wrote books, and proclaimed the Gospel in ways one would expect of a man of his calling, but there was something else besides. He was one of the first to see the potential of the media. For many, the chief form of media in the 1930s was radio so he started the Catholic Radio Hour. It was a great success. By the 1950s, it was television that was in the ascendant, so he started a show there that ended up being broadcast on networks across America. Using both media he was able to access people’s free time, enter their living rooms, present his ideas at the very centre of the family home. One can only imagine how excited and active he would be with the possibilities offered by the Digital Age.
That said Sheen would have been all too aware of the dark side to this our Digital Age. Certain vices have never before been more available due to the freely had and anonymously consumed offerings online. And, here I speak not solely of one vice: lust. How much does the internet fuel envy, with so much on display and so many displaying what they have and what others want? And what of time wasted on line wanting what we see but know we can’t have? If gluttony is over consumption, then how many wasted hours, days even, are spent on line? How many duties abandoned due to the sloth induced by the easy lure of the website that captivates our interest? Or, the anger produced by reading on line what we should have avoided? And, behind it all, there is the pride of knowledge – knowing a little but not enough to know how little, or how superficial it all is? To examine the Seven Deadly Sins in our lives perhaps we need look no further than the screen in front of us.
We know of these problems, they are all around us, therefore, I was curious to see what Victory over Vice, written in 1939, and recently republished by Sophia Institute Press, had to say – would its pages have any relevance?
Sheen’s outline is simple enough. There are seven deadly sins, and so there are seven chapters. Each chapter is a brief look at each sin – anger, lust etc. – and the means to counter it. As I said at the beginning this is a hard book to review. The author was more than able to speak for himself, so I shall step aside and give you a taste, albeit all too brief, of Sheen’s thought and style:

Anger:

It is not hatred that is wrong; it is hating the wrong thing that is wrong. It is not anger that is wrong; it is being angry at the wrong thing that is wrong. Tell me your enemy, and I will tell you what you are. Tell me your hatred, and I will tell you your character.

Envy:

…There is a bit of jealousy, a bit of envy, behind every cutting remark and barbed whispering we hear about our neighbor. It is always good to remember that there are always more sticks under the tree that has the most apples. There should be some consolation for those who are so unjustly attacked to remember that it is a physical impossibility for any man to get ahead of us who stays behind to kick us.

Lust:

Lust is selfishness or perverted love. It looks not so much at the good of the other, as to the pleasure of self. It breaks the glass that holds the wine; it breaks the lute to snare the music…Deny the quality of ‘otherness’, it seeks to make the other person care for us, but not to make us care for the other person.

Pride:

Nothing is more difficult to conquer in all the world than intellectual pride. If battleships could be lined with it instead of armour, no shell could ever pierce it. This is easy to understand, for if a man thinks he knows it all, there is nothing left for him to know, not even what God might tell him.

Gluttony:

The development of character depends on which hunger and thirst we cultivate…Tell me your hungers and your thirsts, and I will tell you who you are.

Sloth:

We lose our souls not only by the evil we do, but also by the good we leave undone…Heaven is a city on a hill. Hence we cannot coast into it; we have to climb…In any case, it is better to burn out than rust out.

Covetousness:

Man becomes like unto that which he loves, and if he loves gold, he becomes like it – cold, hard and yellow.

As you can see, none of these quotations are dated; all of them apply to us today as much as to the originally intended audience. The simple fact is these seven vices and their offspring are as old as the hills, and will be around until the hills disappear.
In 1920s, Sheen spent time in London. The parish he was assigned was in a notorious part of the city – an accursed magnet for vices of various hues. It was there that the young priest heard Confessions on a regular basis. One senses within these pages his wealth of experience of the human heart with all its travails and thwarted desires. It is, perhaps, the type of insight only a priest is able to gain whilst sat day in day out listening through a darkened grill to the whole sad experience of life repeated over and over, and, where, as the Sign of the Cross is made, the same liberating words are uttered again and again: Ego te absolvo.
Be under no illusions, this is not a self-help book with easy solutions. It may be a short book but its message is ambitious, calling its reader to a better life, a fuller life, a happier life; one lived in Christ. And, what comes across strongly is that the vices displayed on these pages are often little more than futile attempts to avoid suffering. It is as if Sheen shakes his head at such folly, knowing there is no escape from pain in this life; but there is an answer to it, and one that opens the door to another life liberated from it.
There may be numerous drawbacks to this Digital Age, but there are many benefits too. One such is the possibility of access to rare film, footage not normally shown on mainstream television. Such is the case with Sheen’s television shows of the 1950s and 60s. A few minutes search online and there he is. Even in that era his screen presence was not the norm. Stood in full Roman clericals he had a penetrating look that seemed to gaze right through the camera. There is another quality though, one even more unusual. He had a passionate form of delivery tempered by the intellect that controlled it.  Nevertheless, at times, in that delivery, the passion of the man for his message breaks through – it was, it still is, compelling viewing.
There is one episode dedicated to overcoming addiction. It is typical of the shows with everything one expects from its host – wise, witty, worthwhile advice. His solution is as practical as it is thought provoking – put succinctly, we must ‘crowd out our addictions’, fill our lives with other things, better things, good obsessions, pure passions – simple enough, but so simple as to be missed in the all too common search for more complex solutions.
The name of Sheen’s television show was Life is Worth Living. What it wanted for each viewer was that they would live life to the full, to wring the last drop from every moment offered, to be as happy as is possible on this earth without clinging to the pleasures it affords. In contrast, each vice is a sort of spiritual death, repeated endlessly for those so enslaved. Therefore, to be victorious over these tendencies one must seek in the opposite direction, both practically and spiritually; and then, in any victory over vice, one shall glimpse the true Victor who has already conquered Death itself.
Editor’s note: Ven. Fulton J. Sheen’s Victory Over Vice is available in paperback or ebook from Sophia Institute Press.

By K. V. Turley

K. V. Turley is a London based freelance writer and filmmaker with a degree in theology from the Maryvale Institute.

Homily

I welcome you all, children of God, to today's beautiful gathering of your spiritual brothers and sisters who hunger to participate in the celebration of the Holy Mass so the grace of the Lord Jesus may be bestowed upon all of them. How pleased the Lord Jesus must be with each and everyone of you who continuously accept His special invitation to participate in the spiritual feast of the Holy Eucharist.

Reviewing today's three readings, I noticed that they have one common denominator. They all speak of loyalty to the Lord Jesus.

Beginning with today's Second Reading from the Book of Revelation, [Rev. 5:11-4] we were told that in his vision, John heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders. They numbered myriads and myriads, thousands and thousands. In this description of the event, we can perceive that this great gathering included the whole created universe, all the human beings of the past, present and future, and all the heavenly beings.

What were the creations of God doing? Through their singing, they were manifesting their loyalty to the Lamb of God. In humility, they were acknowledging the almighty authority of the Lord Jesus over them. In servitude, they were professing that all power, wealth, wisdom, might, honour, glory and blessing belongs to Jesus.

This event that John has seen echoes the prophesy of God in the Old and New Testament. "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God." [Rom. 14:11; Phil. 2:10] At that awesome event which will come at the time of judgment, everyone, that including you and I, shall be present. At that awesome event, everyone, saved or damned for eternity, shall bow before the Lamb of God and give praise to the most Holy Name of Jesus. At that time shall come the decisive moment for each of us.

Remember how impressed you are when you go to a Wedding Feast and there are 400 or 1,000 guests present. How about when you go to the beach and there are 5,000 persons present, each covering a square yard of land. You cannot begin to count them. All you can see are heads and heads, as far as the eyes can see. What about those of you who have visited Rome on a special event, or even Fatima, Portugal on its feast? Surely, you must know what it feels like to be surrounded by 100,000 persons or even half a million.

While these events are so overwhelming in the eyes of many, being deeply rooted in one's memories for years to come, they are nothing in magnitude compared to the great gathering that awaits us all! It is a gathering that shall be remembered for eternity.

Today's First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles [Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41] echoed the loyalty of the disciples of Jesus. We heard that the captain and the Temple police went to the Temple to gather the disciples who were teaching. From this Bible passage, we perceive that the Temple is the proper place for apostolic teaching. Within the Temple of God, the Apostles were doing the work of the Lord.

The Apostles were taken before the Council and condemned for continuing to preach in the Name of Jesus. Prior to this event, they had been warned not to spread the teachings of the Lord Jesus in the Temple. The members of the Council wanted their preaching stopped because of their guilt. It was they who had crucified Jesus. They did not want to be reminded of it. They did not want anyone to spread this knowledge throughout the land. They were trying to oppress the truth.

Worthy of noticing is that this is the first reading in the New Testament in which we find the title of Saviour. In those days, this special title was reserved for the exalted One who was to save mankind.

As leader of the Apostles and the Holy, Catholic Church instituted on earth by Jesus, Peter spoke up boldly before the council. "We must obey God rather than any human authority." This comment was like a slap in the face to the members of the Council. It was telling them that their authority was meaningless before God. For God is above all! You can imagine the reaction of the members of the Council.

What reasoning was Saint Peter using to support that God must be obeyed first? Peter said, "We are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him." There are two parts to this response. First of all, the Apostles were witnesses to the events surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus, His glorious Resurrection and His ascension into Heaven.

Secondly, those who obey Jesus' commission to "Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.", [Mk. 16:15] when they speak, it is not them who are speaking, but rather, the Holy Spirit Who is speaking through them. Did Jesus not say, "When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say." [Lk. 12:11-2; Mk. 13:11; Mt. 10:20] Peter remembered these words of Jesus and he placed his complete trust in the Lord. This is a beautiful example of pure and unshaken loyalty.

Because of their steadfast loyalty to the Lord Jesus, the Apostles were flogged and then released. [Acts 5:40] In those days, when someone was flogged on his back, it meant being whipped 40 times. I have no doubt that with all the torn flesh as a result of being flogged, great pain must have followed. While most of us would not be rejoicing after having been flogged, Peter and the Apostles did rejoice. They rejoiced because in their eyes, they were considered worthy to have suffered dishonour for the sake of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. Through their suffering, surely, an additional treasure awaited them all in Heaven.

During today's reading from the Gospel of John, [Jn. 21:1-19] we heard Jesus asking Peter on three different occasions, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" And three times, Peter affirmed his loyalty to Jesus, promising to serve Him, even to death. The Lord's threefold question that demanded a threefold profession of love from Peter was in response to Peter's threefold denial. Undoubtedly, Peter knew that he was being reminded that on three past occasions, he denied knowing the Lord Jesus.

Knowing the transformation that took part in the heart of Peter since the Resurrection, Jesus believed him and transferred His authority to him. When Jesus said three times, "Feed My sheep.", He was commissioning Peter to lead the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church that He Himself had instituted on earth. At that moment, Jesus surrendered His own office of Shepherd to Peter. At that moment, it became the destiny of Peter to follow the Good Shepherd in every detail, even to the laying down of his life. [Jn. 10:11]

There are other parts of the Gospel Reading that are worthy of mentioning because they are symbolic in nature.

While there are no explanation given as to why the disciples suddenly departed from Jerusalem to return to their former way of life as fishermen, it can be said that the role of fishing symbolizes the apostolic mission.

When Jesus said to cast the nets on the right side of the boat, this was symbolic of the authority of the High Priest who guides the Church. When the Apostles obeyed the advise of Jesus, this echoed the complete submission of the ministers of the Word of God who are called to be fisher of men.

When we consider that it was Jesus who prepared the meal, we are reminded of the multiplication of the five barley loaves and the two fish when Jesus fed five thousands. [Jn. 6:9] In turn, this is a sign of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, the distribution of the life of the Spirit.

Finally my brothers and sisters in Christ, by our presence here today to receive the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, we are publicly showing our loyalty to Jesus. Through the reception of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, we are professing our faith in the Divine Presence of Jesus manifested in the Living Bread. By our presence here today, we are saying to Jesus, "My Lord, all authority is Yours! You are my Lord and my God! Guide me! I humbly obey Your commission!"

---

Third Sunday of Easter

Reading 1 Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41

When the captain and the court officers had brought the apostles in
and made them stand before the Sanhedrin,
the high priest questioned them,
“We gave you strict orders, did we not,
to stop teaching in that name?
Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching
and want to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
But Peter and the apostles said in reply,
“We must obey God rather than men.
The God of our ancestors raised Jesus,
though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree.
God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior
to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.
We are witnesses of these things,
as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”

The Sanhedrin ordered the apostles
to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, and dismissed them.
So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin,
rejoicing that they had been found worthy
to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13

R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 Rev 5:11-14

I, John, looked and heard the voices of many angels
who surrounded the throne
and the living creatures and the elders.
They were countless in number, and they cried out in a loud voice:
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength,
honor and glory and blessing.”
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth
and under the earth and in the sea,
everything in the universe, cry out:
“To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor, glory and might,
forever and ever.”
The four living creatures answered, “Amen,”
and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ is risen, creator of all;
he has shown pity on all people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 21:1-19

At that time, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”
They said to him, “We also will come with you.”
So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore;
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”
They answered him, “No.”
So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something.”
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.”
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad,
and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat,
for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards,
dragging the net with the fish.
When they climbed out on shore,
they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore
full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.”
And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?”
because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples
after being raised from the dead.

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
He then said to Simon Peter a second time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
Jesus said to him the third time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was distressed that Jesus had said to him a third time,
“Do you love me?” and he said to him,
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,
you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted;
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,
and someone else will dress you
and lead you where you do not want to go.”
He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

or JN 21:1-14

At that time, Jesus revealed himself to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them, “ am going fishing.”
They said to him, “We also will come with you.”
So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore;
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”
They answered him, “No.”
So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something.”
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.”
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad,
and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat,
for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards,
dragging the net with the fish.
When they climbed out on shore,
they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore
full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.”
And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?”
because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples
after being raised from the dead.

Prayers for Today

"Lord Jesus, inflame my heart with your merciful love and remove everything that is unkind, ungrateful, unloving and unholy, and that is not in accord with your will. May I always seek to love you above all else and follow you wherever you wish to lead me." 

Lord, I believe that you are present here and now as I turn to you in prayer. I trust and have confidence in your desire to give me every grace I need to receive today. Thank you for your love, thank you for your immense generosity toward me. I give you my life and my love in return.