Monday, June 02, 2014

 

Tuesday 7th Week of Easter

June 3, 2014
Tuesday 7th Week of Easter
[Memorial, St Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs]

Acts 20: 17-27  / Ps 68:10-11, 20-21 / Jn 17: 1-11a 

Reading: Acts 20:17-27
From Miletus Paul sent word to Ephesus, summoning the elders of the Church. When they came to him, he addressed them, "You know how I lived among you from the first day I set foot in the province of Asia, how I served the Lord in humility through the sorrows and trials that the Jews caused me. You know that I never held back from doing anything that could be useful for you; I spoke publicly and in your homes and I urged Jews and non-Jews alike to turn to God and believe in our Lord Jesus. But now I am going to Jerusalem, chained by the Spirit, without knowing what will happen to me there. Yet in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that imprisonment and troubles await me. Indeed I put no value on my life, if only I can finish my race and complete the service to which I have been assigned by the Lord Jesus, to announce the good news of God's grace. I now feel sure that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom of God will ever see me again. Therefore I declare to you this day that my conscience is clear with regard to all of you. For I have spared no effort in fully declaring to you God's will.   

Gospel: John 17: 1-11a
After saying this, Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; give glory to your Son, that the Son may give glory to you. You have given him power over all mortals, and you want him to bring eternal life to all you have entrusted to him. For this is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and the One you sent, Jesus Christ. I have glorified you on earth and finished the work that you gave me to do. Now, Father, give me in your presence the same Glory I had with you before the world began. I have made your name known to those you gave me from the world. They were yours and you gave them to me, and they kept your word.  And now they know that all you have given me comes indeed from you. I have given them the teaching I received from you, and they received it and know in truth that I came from you; and they believe that you have sent me. I pray for them; I do not pray for the world but for those who belong to you and whom you have given to me - indeed all I have is yours and all you have is mine - and now they are my glory. I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world whereas I am going to you. Holy Father, keep them in your Name (that you have given me,) so that they may be one, just as we are.

Reflection:
     In the first reading, St. Paul gives his farewell address to the elders of Ephesus. He says that the Holy Spirit has made it clear to him that imprisonment and persecution await him.  Yet it seems that he was ready for all these and he treats his own life as of no consequence.  What was important for him was that he had preached the Good News and fulfilled the mission God had given him. The truth is that by his subsequent sufferings and martyrdom even more people will be converted to the faith.
     In the gospel, Jesus does the same.  He is sort of saying his farewell to his apostles in the cenacle because he knows he will be entering his Passion the next day. So he prays for them to his Father in heaven. He asks the Father to protect them and then to glorify him. This means to return him to his place at the right hand of God the Father in heaven. But Jesus knew that in order to return to the Father, first he would have to undergo the sufferings on the cross. Death first, resurrection after. Yet we can also say that by dying on the cross, Jesus was giving glory to his Father. He was showing to the world how much God loves them to the point of letting His own Son die on the cross. From now on, we need not be afraid of death. We know that Jesus has gained heaven and eternal life for us by his death and resurrection. So once again we see how much Jesus trusted in his Father's plan of salvation for mankind by entering his Passion willingly. All he asks is that he be restored to the glory he had with the Father from time immemorial. 

Prayer Requests:
We pray ...
... for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn
... for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary
... for families who are in need of healing
     * Joy Droke, Chief Samrose Anyaugo
... for world peace and reconciliation
... for personal intentions
     * Chuba Anyaugo & Ngozi Ugwu
... for eternal repose - Marie Grace Mabunay Bongalo

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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