Sixth Week in Easter
The Test of Suffering and Renewal
Introduction
Jesus was going to pass through his passion and death on the way to the joy of his resurrection. In him, a new risen and glorious life would be born from his sufferings. The disciples would have to pass through the pains of separation from Jesus, and so there came the uncertainty of their faith as it would be violently tested, to give birth to a renewed faith and a new presence of the Lord. Similarly, the Church has to constantly pass through the childbirth of renewal, to return again and again to Christ and to the heart of his Gospel, so as to be more authentically Christ to the world today. Pain is a childbirth, delivery – literally, a liberation – opening the way to new life and joy.
Opening Prayer
Lord God, merciful Father,
it is hard for us to accept pain,
for we know that you have made us
for happiness and joy.
When suffering challenges us
with a provocative “why me?”
Help us to discover the depth
of our inner freedom and love
and of all the faith and loyalty
of which we are capable,
together with, and by the power of
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Reading 1 Acts 18:9-18
One night while Paul was in Corinth, the Lord said to him in a vision,
“Do not be afraid.
Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you.
No one will attack and harm you,
for I have many people in this city.”
He settled there for a year and a half
and taught the word of God among them.
But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia,
the Jews rose up together against Paul
and brought him to the tribunal, saying,
“This man is inducing people to worship God contrary to the law.”
When Paul was about to reply, Gallio spoke to the Jews,
“If it were a matter of some crime or malicious fraud,
I should with reason hear the complaint of you Jews;
but since it is a question of arguments over doctrine and titles
and your own law, see to it yourselves.
I do not wish to be a judge of such matters.”
And he drove them away from the tribunal.
They all seized Sosthenes, the synagogue official,
and beat him in full view of the tribunal.
But none of this was of concern to Gallio.
Paul remained for quite some time,
and after saying farewell to the brothers he sailed for Syria,
together with Priscilla and Aquila.
At Cenchreae he had shaved his head because he had taken a vow.
Responsorial Psalm 47:2-3,4-5,6-7
(8a) God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.
R. God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He brings people under us;
nations under our feet.
He chooses for us our inheritance,
the glory of Jacob, whom he loves.
R. God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
R. God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia Lk 24:46, 26
Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead,
and so enter into his glory.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: John 16:20-23
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn,
while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.
When a woman is in labour, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived;
but when she has given birth to a child,
she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy
that a child has been born into the world.
So you also are now in anguish.
But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you.
On that day you will not question me about anything.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.”
Intercessions
– May the Holy Spirit give us peace and serenity in times of pain and trial, for God has made us for joy and happiness, we pray:
– May the Spirit give us the wisdom and strength to let suffering and contradiction help us grow in the likeness of Christ, we pray:
– May the Spirit keep us anchored in faith and joy when we are groping in the dark of misunderstanding and loneliness, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God, loving Father,
we share in this Eucharist
in the saving death and resurrection
of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Give us your Son as the bread of life,
that by the strength of his Spirit,
we may face pain and suffering
without revolt or refusal.
Let it be for us too,
the liberating pain of birth
for new life and fresh joy
that will last forever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord God, loyal Father,
you do not ask from us the impossible
and we know that you love us.
Help us to accept the realities of life
and the demands of loyalty and love
with the strength of your Son.
Give us the courage not to refuse
the pains of renewal
in Christ and in his Gospel,
that our hearts may be full of joy
that can never be taken away,
for your Son is our Lord forever.
Blessing
We have the assurance of Jesus that if we ask anything from the Father in his name, he will give it. If we have enough faith, we would never doubt or worry. May God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
Birthing God
My Roots and My Destiny is a book that contains the diary writings of a little orphan Indian girl who was adopted by a Belgian family. As an adult, Julie Hendrix returns to India twice, in search of her mother and her roots. The searing pain of the search she captures in this line poignantly: “I am giving birth to my mother.”
Aren’t we all called to be mothers, giving birth to God? We are like the woman in childbirth who “is in distress because her time is at hand”— to give birth to God in the world. As in any childbirth, it involves searing pain, sorrow, and tears. Yet, a mother looks forward to this moment, embraces this moment of sorrow as a moment of grace; because, this sorrow is not a negative one, but a life-giving, creative one. It is a sorrow that would soon be transformed into joy. It is the very birthing of joy itself. And this is our vocation on earth.
Coffee With God: Your sorrows will turn into joy