Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter Lectionary: 300
Reading 1 Acts 22:30; 23:6-11 Wishing to determine the truth
about why Paul was being accused by the Jews,
the commander freed him
and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene.
Then he brought Paul down and made him stand before them. Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees,
so he called out before the Sanhedrin,
"My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees;
I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead."
When he said this,
a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees,
and the group became divided.
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection
or angels or spirits,
while the Pharisees acknowledge all three.
A great uproar occurred,
and some scribes belonging to the Pharisee party
stood up and sharply argued,
"We find nothing wrong with this man.
Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?"
The dispute was so serious that the commander,
afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them,
ordered his troops to go down and rescue Paul from their midst
and take him into the compound.
The following night the Lord stood by him and said, "Take courage.
For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem,
so you must also bear witness in Rome." Responsorial Psalm Ps 16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11 R. (1) Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, "My Lord are you."
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 17:21 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May they all be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that the world may believe that you sent me, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 17:20-26 Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
"I pray not only for these,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
so that they may all be one,
as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that they also may be in us,
that the world may believe that you sent me.
And I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me,
that they may be brought to perfection as one,
that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.
Father, they are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
I made known to them your name and I will make it known,
that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them." | Daily Meditation: John 17:20-26 . . . that they may be one, as we are one. (John 17:22) Did you know that Jesus prayed these same words twice in the same night? That's how much he desired unity! Yesterday, we looked at this prayer in terms of our relationships with other people within our own Church. But today let's broaden our perspective and consider how we can pray for and work toward unity among all those who profess Christ. "Jesus, on the night before you suffered, you prayed not only for your disciples, but also for all 'those who will believe in [you] through their word' (John 17:20). In your love, you are aware of every single believer throughout time—even me! You know the divisions that exist between believers of different faith traditions, and you know the divisions in my own heart. Help me to join in your prayer that we would all be one in you! "When you prayed for unity, Lord, you were keenly aware of every obstacle that works against it. You know how tempting it is for me to hang onto what differentiates me from others, whether it's which church I attend, my cultural heritage, my unique challenges, or my particular talents. Please grant me the humility to celebrate each brother and sister, to learn from them, and to listen patiently enough to understand their point of view. Let me draw close enough to you so that I can catch a glimpse of how much you love each of your precious children. "Lord, as I look around at all the different faith traditions that confess your name, help me to appreciate the many different people you're drawing together. Male and female, young and old, singles and families both large and small, all join in unison, praying and worshipping you. Help me to see the gifts you've given them and the goodness of your work in their lives. "Lord, help me to share my gifts with others. In your goodness, draw all of us closer together. May our unity be so striking that it would testify to your amazing love and become an invitation for the whole world to believe in you!" "Father, please make all your children more fully and more gloriously one in you." Acts 22:30; 23:6-11
Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11 |  try to hear it read by AI | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Father, they are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
I made known to them your name and I will make it known,
that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them."......" end quote. | We should read these words again, but don't imagine our Lord saying them to the Father, but read them again as if you yourself were praying them to our Father, and Your Father when praying for everyone: now let's try it again, this time, this is your prayer, as our Lord wants them to happen inside of each one of us each and every day:
"Father, they are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
I made known to them your name and I will make it known,
that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them." Our Lord wants the Father's love in each of us, so the world may know Him. Will that happen with you reciting bible verses all the time to people? Not always. Sometimes, though, you will actually have to let the love of God live through you. And this means invoking the Holy Spirit. This is the Holy Spirit of Love. Pentecost is coming.
Wouldn't you like to ask our Lord for the fire of His love into your heart on Pentecost Sunday?
Can you imagine what the world would be like if it were on fire for the love of God? It wouldn't be able to contain itself! It would burst forth and give a whole new life!
And this is exactly what happens with the power and the love of God.
Those who are on fire for God cannot stop making the name and the Word of God known. But the ones who are on fire with the love of God just want to burn that love into other souls, a fire to fire, a light to light. We must light the world on fire.
Pray for me today, I'm in a prison retreat and I want every soul on fire there too. It is possible, every soul is precious in the eyes of our Lord who wants everyone with Him, in Love, In God our Father. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 13:20 20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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