May 6, 2017

May 6

May 6, 2017:  Saturday, 3rd week, Easter


  • 'Peace sign' tie bar:  The Church was at peace (1st reading)
  • 'Phone' tie pin:  I will 'call' on the Lord's name (psalm)
  • 'Eyeball' tie pin:  Tabitha opened her eyes (1st reading); "precious in the Lord's eyes..." (psalm)
  • Red and white shirt:  Red for "...is the death of his faithful" (psalm), white for Easter
  • 'Wheat' pin:  Bread of Life discourse (gospel)
  • Tie with bread and other food:  feeding of the 5,000 (Jn 6:1-15, pre-gospel), Jesus as Bread of Life (gospel)
  • 'Dove' pin:  Spirit consoled early Church (1st reading); the Spirit gives live (gospel)
Listen
For the gospel
Read

  • Acts 9:31-42  The Church was at peace, being built up, walking in the fear of the Lord, consoled by the Spirit, and growing in numbers.  Peter, finding paralytic Aeneas in Lydda:  “Jesus Christ heals you.”  All who saw turned to the Lord.  When disciple Tabitha died, the disciples sent for Peter who prayed, and she rose.  Many came to believe in the Lord.
  • Ps 116:12-17  "How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?"  I'll call on the Lord's name.  Precious in the Lord's eyes is the death of his faithful.  You have loosed my bonds; I'll offer you sacrifice of thanksgiving.
  • Jn 6:60-69  Disciples / Jesus:  “Who can accept this hard saying?” / “The Spirit, not the flesh, gives life.  No one comes to me unless my Father grants it.”  Many returned and no longer walked with him.  Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”  Peter:  “To whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  We're convinced you're God's Holy One.”
Reflect
  • Creighton:  “The Spirit gives life; the flesh is of no avail.”  That's easy to lose sight of and hard to accept; note how many disciples left instead of continuing to follow Jesus. We can become convinced of the importance of this life,.  "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience” (Teilhard).  Our life, our true self, is not of this world but spiritual and more wonderful.  Then why is it so hard to prepare for the life to come?  As spiritual beings living now we sin; we can give up trying to live for the spiritual....
  • One Bread, One Body:  "Make a run for it":  The first healing by the early Church recorded in Acts was of the cripple.  Later, Peter healed Aeneas, and Paul healed a lame man.  "How beautiful are the feet of those who announce good news!" Christian life is "foot work"; we must walk in the Spirit before talking to the world, not paralyzed but "walking, jumping, and praising God."  We're healed and freed through Baptism. "While all runners in the stadium take part in the race, the award goes to one."  May our attention be on the finish line as we run toward the prize God calls us to, life in Christ. "Run to win!"
    Healing of the cripple and raising of Tabitha
    (Masolino)
  • Passionist:  What did Peter think when miracles started happening at his hand?  “Wow; I denied Jesus and now he uses me to do his work”?  “If Jesus chose me to do his work, I must be special”?  Our gifts are from God to be used for his work.  As we try to live Jesus' message, we may  say “This saying is hard” as those in today's gospel did; it's easier to talk about things that don’t cost us and avoid what's hard.  It is hard to live the gospel, to share our resources with those in need, to take time to visit the sick and imprisoned, to go against popular opinion to work for peace and justice....  May we walk the Jesus' path of service in his name and be grateful for God's gifts to us.
  • DailyScripture.net:  "You have the words of everlasting life":  Many were attracted to Jesus because he offered them a sign of God's mercy and favor through his healings, deliverances, and miracles.  But many stumbled when he made claims only God can make, such as being the bread of heaven.  God helps us grow in faith and trust in his word, even his hard sayings.  Faith is a response to God's revelation of himself, based on the truth and reliability of God's word.  The Spirit enlightens us to understand the truth and wisdom from God.  Faith is the key to understanding and experiencing God's action and work in our lives. We can know God personally and grow in recognizing him as we listen to and obey him....
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