Wednesday, May 20, 2015
THURSDAY, 7th Week of Easter
May 21, 2015 THURSDAY, 7th Week of Easter
Sts. Cristobal Magallanes, Priest and Companions, Martyrs
White
Acts 22: 30; 23:6 – 11 / Jn 17: 20 - 26
[St. Cristobal Magallanes (1869 – 1927), a Mexican priest, together with 21 diocesan priests and three lay people were martyred during the anti-Catholic years in Mexico in the 1920s – 1930s.]
Reading: Acts 22: 30; 23: 6 – 11
The next day the commander wanted to know for certain the charges the Jews were making against Paul. So he released him from prison and called together the High Priest and the whole Council; and they brought Paul down and made him stand before them.
Paul knew that part of the Council were Sadducees and others Pharisees; so he spoke out in the Council, "Brothers, I am a Pharisee, son of a Pharisee. It is for the hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial here."
At these words, an argument broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the whole assembly was divided. For the Sadducees claim that there is neither resurrection, nor angels nor spirits, while the Pharisees acknowledge all these things.
Then the shouting grew louder, and some teachers of the Law of the Pharisee party protested, "We find nothing wrong with this man. Maybe a spirit or an angel has spoken to him."
With this the argument became so violent that the commander feared that Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He therefore ordered the soldiers to go down and rescue him from their midst and take him back to the fortress.
That night the Lord stood by Paul and said, "Courage! As you have borne witness to me here in Jerusalem, so must you do in Rome."
Gospel: Jn 17: 20 - 26
Jesus said to his disciples, "I pray not only for these but also for those who through their word will believe in me. May they all be one as you Father are in me and I am in you. May they be one in us; so the world may believe that you have sent me.
"I have given them the Glory you have given me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. Thus they shall reach perfection in unity and the world shall know that you have sent me and that I have loved them just as you loved me.
"Father, since you have given them to me, I want them to be with me where I am and see the Glory you gave me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world.
"Righteous Father, the world has not known you but I have known you, and these have known that you have sent me. As I revealed your Name to them, so will I continue to reveal it, so that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I also may be in them."
Reflection:
In the first reading, St. Paul, knowing that his audience was composed of two factions, Pharisees and Sadducees, starts to talk about a point of contention between them. This led to a bitter dispute between the two groups, and they forget about Paul whom they opposed because of his preaching of Jesus.
When there is no unity in a group, there is chaos, and that is what happened in the first reading. There are many obstacles to overcome in order to achieve unity.
We must work to achieve the unity that Christ prayed for at the Last Supper. In the Church the Eucharist is the sacrament which unifies all its members with Christ and with one another.
The sacrament of matrimony is also meant to portray the unity of the members of the Church with Christ, its head. Couples are called to be one in love for each other.
The Triune God is One in the Godhead, "three Persons equal in majesty, undivided in splendor, yet one Lord, one God."
May all the believers and followers of Christ achieve the unity Christ prayed for at the Last Supper, as we pray on the feast of the Chair of St. Peter, Apostle, "Grant, we pray, almighty God, that no tempests may disturb us, for you have set us fast on the rock of the Apostle Peter's confession of faith."
WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:
BIRTHDAY
BEA TAN
DADA M. DEL CARMEN
JOHANN DYGO
RONIELLE T. DE JESUS
WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
GEORGE & EVELYN WONG
NAM & CECILLE J. LE
IN MEMORIAM (+)
GO KUN ONG
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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# posted by F O O D F O R T H O U G H T @ 5:36 AM 
