Thursday of the Second Week of Easter
WITNESSING
Introduction
“God has put his Word into the mouth of people in order that it may be communicated to others. When the Word strikes one person, he or she speaks it to others. God has willed that we should seek and find his living Word, in the witness of a brother or sister, in the mouth of his people. Therefore, the Christian needs another Christian who speaks God’s Word to him or her.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together) The core of our faith is that we owe a new life to Jesus, in whom we are reborn. The Spirit, whom he gives us without measure, prompts us to bear witness to Jesus and to his new life in us.
Opening Prayer
Lord, our God,
your Son Jesus Christ, came from you
and bore witness to the things
he had heard and seen.
He could not but bear witness to you.
Give us the Spirit of your Son, we pray you,
to speak your word and to live it,
that we may show Christ, your living Word,
to those who have not seen him.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.
Reading 1: Acts 5:27-33
When the court officers had brought the Apostles in
and made them stand before the Sanhedrin,
the high priest questioned them,
“We gave you strict orders did we not,
to stop teaching in that name.
Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching
and want to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
But Peter and the Apostles said in reply,
“We must obey God rather than men.
The God of our ancestors raised Jesus,
though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree.
God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior
to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.
We are witnesses of these things,
as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”
When they heard this,
they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 34:2 and 9,17-18,19-20
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
Many are the troubles of the just man,
but out of them all the LORD delivers him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia: Jn 20:29
You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord;
blessed are those who have not seen, but still believe!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Jn 3:31-36
The one who comes from above is above all.
The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things.
But the one who comes from heaven is above all.
He testifies to what he has seen and heard,
but no one accepts his testimony.
Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy.
For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God.
He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.
The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,
but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life,
but the wrath of God remains upon him.
Intercessions
– That Christians may be ready to obey God more and to be led by his Spirit than to do what people want us to do, we pray:
– That our Christian communities may be inspired by the Holy Spirit to live the risen life of Christ consistently, we pray:
– That we may be more aware that eternal life is already in us, when even now, we believe that Christ is already raising us up to a deeper, richer life, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord, our God,
it is not comfortable to be a witness
for it demands that like Jesus, your Son,
we live by the truth
and be ready to meet opposition.
Give us the Spirit of strength of your Son,
nourish us with his body and blood,
and when we fail in our mission,
let there be enough love found,
at least in our communities,
to speak of the love and the truth
which Christ brought us,
your Son and our Lord for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord, our God,
we have listened to your Son,
the living Word that you speak to us,
and we have shared his table.
By the power of the Spirit alive in us,
may we in turn speak
to one another and to the world
your liberating word.
May we possess this Word most deeply
when we have given it to others.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.” Yes, we believe in Jesus, but we believe with an active faith, a faith that translates our belief into action, into life. That is a deep form of witnessing to Christ. May God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Reflection
11 April 2004
John 3:31-36
The Messianic plenty
Since the beginning of this week, we have been reading about Nicodemus’ encounter with Jesus. As their conversation progresses, we realise that Nicodemus is no longer around, but Jesus continues teaching on matters of Heaven and the Holy Spirit. Jesus invites all his listeners to be people of God instead of becoming people of the world.
Today’s passage is an appeal as to why one should believe in Jesus – the one who comes from heaven. John, the evangelist, is utilising the instance of Nicodemus meeting Jesus to teach his listeners why they should believe in Jesus. John writes from his long experience with the early Church and enlightened by the Spirit. His objective is to tell his listeners that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.
We usually speak of things that we see, hear and experience. Similarly, when Jesus speaks, he speaks of things that he has seen, heard and experienced with his Father, and therefore, the words of Jesus are words about his Father and about the Kingdom of heaven! But John expresses his frustration and deep pain at the widespread rejection of Jesus. He is pained that no one accepts his testimony!
Of course, the community of believers did believe in Jesus. And to those who believed in the words of Jesus, he has sent the Holy Spirit upon them. John himself had experienced the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the group of disciples without measure. And, of course, whenever God gives, he gives in plenty without measure!
Remember the wedding at Cana – the host runs out of wine, and then comes six stone jars full of wine! And when the Lord fed the 5000 with five loaves of bread, the leftovers were collected in 12 baskets! When the disciples go fishing the whole night and catch nothing, Jesus orders them to put out to the deep – and the catch was miraculous. God does not ration out his blessings in bits and pieces … he gives them in plenty!
Think of the Eucharist. Every time we receive the Lord in the Eucharist, he leaves in us a renewal and deepening of his presence – the presence of his Holy Spirit. What other gifts can we ask from the Lord than the gift of life filled with the Spirit of Jesus – the person of Jesus – in abundance! This is the new birth that Jesus invites us into.