She began gathering a group of followers about herself, men and women, priests and religious. The temptation to lock away our faith out of fear can be very strong. Nowadays we can harness the wind to generate electricity, but there is so much about the wind which is beyond our control and understanding. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use. The question that people ask in todays gospel reading is a perfectly understandable one, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? The notion of eatings someones flesh is abhorrent. The gate was the path to life for the sheep. The last we see of Nicodemus in Johns gospel is at the foot of the cross, helping to arrange a dignified burial for Jesus; he had allowed himself to be drawn to Jesus more fully; he had opened himself to the Spirit a little more. We live our lives in response to calls of all sorts. 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. In todays first reading, Gamaliel, a leading Pharisee, spoke wisely when he said with regard to the early church, If this enterprise, this movement of theirs, is of human origin it will break up of its own accord; but if it does in fact come from God you will not only be unable to destroy them, but you might find yourselves fighting against God. The church is the community of those who believe in and love the Lord, without having seen the Lord. Jesus said: I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. For God sent his Son into the world He would not join the community of those who had experienced the risen Lord for themselves. Jesus and his disciples found themselves before a situation that seemed beyond their ability to deal with. Indeed, Jesus describes the good shepherd as one who is prepared to give nothing less than everything, his own life. Catherine stood out as a beacon of light in a dark time in Europe and in the church. We cannot control the Spirit of God; like the wind, it blows where it pleases, or where God pleases. The Lord continues to speak to us, to come to us, through his word today. Paul met the Lord on the road to Damascus; we meet the Lord in the Eucharist. In the words of this mornings gospel reading, we are to believe in the one that God has sent. The Lord is there with us at those moments in all his risen power, calling on us not to be afraid but to trust in his presence. Sunday, October 30 Monday, October 31 Tuesday, November 1 Wednesday, November 2 Thursday, November 3 Friday, November 4 Saturday, November 5 The Celtic Carmelite integration is unique and expresses a distinctive vision of a way to seek and give thanks to the God-among-us, in prayer and in the challenges and blessings of daily life. He respected where they were on their journey. Jesus was concerned about peoples physical needs, their physical hungers. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. Todays gospel reading encourages us to trust that if we are generous with the resources we have, small as they seem to us, the Lord will work powerfully through them in ways that will surprise us. In todays first reading, the Lord came to Saint Paul in a very striking way. It includes access to the writings of and about some of our most influential saints, videos, quizes to test your knowledge of Carmel and the faith, prayers, newsletters and links to websites for further study. I tell you most solemnly, A gate that can be opened, on the other hand, creates an opening in a fence or a hedge that allows people to come in and go out. In the gospel reading this morning we hear of the shepherd who calls his own sheep. The Mark that Peter refers to may well be the author of the first gospel. Gradually the words of Scripture begin to dissolve and the Word is revealed before the eyes of our heart. We can resist for various reasons. The Lord can work powerfully through the members of the church, even when they seem few in number and increasingly frail, especially in the Western world. Mark, in a way, produced a new kind of literature, what became known as a gospel. As the search for God leads to the hearing of the word and as the hearing of the word leads to baptism, so baptism leads us to the Eucharist. The gospel reading suggests that we respond by listening to his voice and allowing his word to make its home in us. The first words of the risen Lord to his disciples in todays gospel reading are, Peace be with you. Yet, eating the bread that is Jesus, in the sense of believing in Jesus, comes before eating his flesh or his body in the Eucharist. It was while the first disciples were at prayer in the upper room on the Jewish feast of Pentecost that the Holy Spirit came down upon them in the form of tongues of fire. Philip and Andrew were both at a loss. We need to listen to his voice and to keep him in view so that we can take our lead from him. Mark may have written his gospel for the church in Rome in the aftermath of that cataclysmic event. If you would like to receive the Daily Reflection via email, please visit our sign up page. In todays gospel reading, Jesus speaks as the shepherd who will never allow any of his sheep to be stolen from him. hates the light and avoids it, How much time should be given to each stage depends very much on whether it is used individually or in a group. the usability. Now the will of him who sent me That dialogue shows us how the perspective of Jesus differs greatly from that of his two disciples. Easter 3rd Week : Wednesday 26th April, 2023 Jesus said to the crowd: 'I am the bread of life. This frightened them, but he said, It is I. Then there is the reaction of Jesus himself. Yet the two disciples on the road to Emmaus opened up to the stranger; perhaps they were feeling so desperate that they were glad of any opportunity to tell their story. Gods gift of his Son to us was not in any way thwarted by the rejection of his Son. The risen Lord continues to work among us in this way today, as power in weakness. Certainly, Jesus did come that we may have life to the full beyond this earthly life, a sharing in his own risen life. Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. Our reflections on the daily readings for Mass are published one day in advance to accommodate our readers who live in different time zones throughout the world. God the Father draws all people to his Son and our coming to Jesus is in response to the drawing of the Father. The Lord journeys with us to lead us towards life, but he needs some openness on our part as well. When we experience the Lord in this way, we will be moved to invite him to stay with us, as the two disciples did when they reached Emmaus. He wants to lead us towards that other horizon; he wants us to be where he now is, so that we can see his glory. is that I should lose nothing of all that he has given to me, He was sent because he was known to be a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. Catherine was one of the great mystics of the church. The message of the Lord working with and confirming his disciples is present in both readings. All of these statements claim that Jesus has a unique relationship with God. The closer we come to him, the more we realize how deeper our relationship with him could be. It is evident that Jesus is not speaking literally. His sisters, too, are they not all here with us? and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep; It is nearly evening they said and the day is almost over. So he went in to stay with them. The Black Death prowled the land; armies fought each other on behalf of their client-cities; the Pope had left Rome for Avignon. If the wind is beyond our control and understanding, this is true to an even greater extent of the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. 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? His wounds were not just the marks of human cruelty but signs of his enduring love. In this mornings gospel reading Jesus speaks as the shepherd who looks after each member of his flock and keeps them all united to himself. Yet, without Marks gospel the church would not have had the gospels of Matthew or Luke in the form they have come down to us. The wounds on his hands and his side that he showed them were now glorious signs of his love for them. The cardinals, regretting their choice, elected another Pope, but failed to persuade Urban to retire. We were drawn to Jesus through our parents, through our teachers at school, through our parish community. God is always drawing us towards his Son and if we come to Jesus, Gods Son, it is because we have responded to the drawing of God the Father. Barnabas continued to listen to what the Lord was saying to him. In this mornings gospel reading, Jesus declares, I have come so that they may have life, and have it to the full. In the first reading we have an Ethiopian returning home from his pilgrimage to Jerusalem. We never stand still; we are always looking for more. There is a mysterious quality to the wind. The Lord always meets us where we are, very often in our brokenness, but he also works to lead us beyond where we are. They were turning their backs on the city where their hopes had been dashed. He never ceases to draw us to himself. Each page includes a reference to each reading, as well as a link to the text of the readings. The Father loves me, I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. We do not take the Spirit where we want it to go; the Spirit takes us where God wants us to go. In Lukes second volume, the Acts of the Apostles, the risen Lord preaches the gospel again to the Samaritans through Philip, as described in our first reading, and on this occasion the Samaritans united in welcoming the message Philip preached. The Lord is there before us even if we have not invited him in, even if we have locked ourselves away from him. It only compounded their grief. Then there are other kinds of losses that we experience in the course of our lives, such as the loss of a job, or the loss of full health, or the loss of our good name. There is an ancient tradition which locates the writing of the gospel of Mark in the city of Rome and identifies the evangelist Mark as a disciple of Peter. There were many other signs that Jesus worked and the disciples saw, but they are not recorded in this book. On Good Friday, humanity had crucified the one whom we believe to be Gods love made flesh. The rapid expansion of new means of communication in recent decades can mean that we are on call more often. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, Peace be with you. Then he said to Thomas, Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe. Thomas answered and said to him, My Lord and my God! Jesus said to him, Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Barnabas was what we would call today, an enabler. This is the bread that came down from heaven. He is described as a Pharisee and a leading Jew. Reflections on Daily Readings November 22 - Carmelites He only gradually came to believe in Jesus as Gods Son given to the world out of love. Jesus was pleased that they came looking for him, but he wanted to refine their search. The purpose of all that Jesus said and did - of his life, death and resurrection - is that we might have life, and have it in abundance. God has given his Son to us; it falls to us to give ourselves to Gods Son. She offered herself as a victim for the Church in its agony. Alarms, security lighting, codes to get in and out of premises, strong gates and doors have become much more the norm than they used to be. In that sense, each of us is called to be a shepherd to others. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: When a parent dies in a family, for example, the siblings can be a great support to one another in the weeks and the months that follow. Even though we may be basically at home in our own religious tradition, our Catholic faith in our case, God is always beyond us. It appears that eating Jesus the bread of life is an image for believing in Jesus. Whereas the story of the two disciples was basically a tragic story, one which ended in death and confusion, the stranger told a very different story, one that contained the story of the two disciples but brought it much further. though all who do accept his testimony The Lord wants to do the same for us. Then he said to them, You foolish men! AdvertisingOur website places advertising cookies to show you 3rd party advertisements based on your interests. Accept cookies within the '%CC%' category to view this content. Sundays and Weekdays in Ordinary Time | Weeks 9-16. Then they said to each other, Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?. Below you can choose which kind of cookies you allow on this website. We lock everything we can. We are taking in his loving commitment to God and to humanity. That may have been the experience of many during these Covid times. The evangelist declares that Jesus, Gods Son, reveals Gods love for the world and for each of us individually. because he has refused to believe in the name of Gods only Son. In calling us to himself he also sends us into the world afire with the flame of his love. He wants us to go freely in and out through him. Reflection: While all Scripture is the living word of God carrying a message to us as individuals and as part of the Community of Faith there is something very special about the readings during the Easter season. Obviously this transformation will have a profound effect on the way we actually live and the way we live is the test of the authenticity of our prayer. In Lukes first volume, Jesus had attempted to preach the gospel to a Samaritan village but they rejected Jesus because he was heading for Jerusalem. Videos on Carmelite Spirituality, vocation stories of the sisters, reflections which will inspire you and draw you to a deeper friendship with the Lord. 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. Wherever we happen to find ourselves on our life journey, the Lord will always speak a word to us that leaves us more hopeful, more joyful, more assured that we are faithfully loved by God. The Lords concern is not just with the community as a whole, but with the individuals who make it up. It shows Paul prostrate on the ground beside his horse, looking upwards with a light shining upon him. God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, Free Resources | Our Lady of Mercy Yet, the life that the Lord talks about there is not just a future reality, life beyond death; it is also a present reality. The stranger who unexpectedly enters our lives can turn out to be a messenger of the Lord. Coming as he was from Jerusalem, he was clearly drawn to the Jewish faith. and witness only to what we have seen Today is vocation Sunday. When the other disciples approached him with the good news of Easter, We have seen the Lord, their message did not resonate with him in any way.
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