Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
THERE IS JOY IN GIVING
AND IN BEING ONE!
One of the songs used much in Church today says, “there’s joy in giving.” In his farewell address, Jesus said to his apostles that he wanted to share his joy with them to the full. And Paul, speaking from his own experience, says that there is more happiness in giving than in receiving. The Lord and the apostles gave themselves to others. In how far can we do this? And what a joy it would be if we could all be one!
Reading 1: Acts 20:28-38
“Now it’s up to you. Be on your toes—both for yourselves and your congregation of sheep. The Holy Spirit has put you in charge of these people—God’s people they are—to guard and protect them. God himself thought they were worth dying for.
29-31 “I know that as soon as I’m gone, vicious wolves are going to show up and rip into this flock, men from your very own ranks twisting words so as to seduce disciples into following them instead of Jesus. So stay awake and keep up your guard. Remember those three years I kept at it with you, never letting up, pouring my heart out with you, one after another.
32 “Now I’m turning you over to God, our marvelous God whose gracious Word can make you into what he wants you to be and give you everything you could possibly need in this community of holy friends.
33-35 “I’ve never, as you so well know, had any taste for wealth or fashion. With these bare hands I took care of my own basic needs and those who worked with me. In everything I’ve done, I have demonstrated to you how necessary it is to work on behalf of the weak and not exploit them. You’ll not likely go wrong here if you keep remembering that our Master said, ‘You’re far happier giving than getting.’”
36-38 Then Paul went down on his knees, all of them kneeling with him, and prayed. And then a river of tears. Much clinging to Paul, not wanting to let him go. They knew they would never see him again—he had told them quite plainly. The pain cut deep. Then, bravely, they walked him down to the ship.
Gospel: Jn 17:11b-19
Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life
That you conferred as a gift through me,
So they can be one heart and mind
As we are one heart and mind.
As long as I was with them, I guarded them
In the pursuit of the life you gave through me;
I even posted a lookout.
And not one of them got away,
Except for the rebel bent on destruction
13-19 Now I’m returning to you.
I’m saying these things in the world’s hearing
So my people can experience
My joy completed in them.
I gave them your word;
The godless world hated them because of it,
Because they didn’t join the world’s ways,
Just as I didn’t join the world’s ways.
I’m not asking that you take them out of the world
But that you guard them from the Evil One.
They are no more defined by the world
Than I am defined by the world.
Make them holy—consecrated—with the truth;
Your word is consecrating truth.
In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world,
I give them a mission in the world.
I’m consecrating myself for their sakes
So they’ll be truth-consecrated in their mission.
Prayer
Lord, our God,
your Son Jesus, gave himself totally
to those he loved – that is, to all.
Give us a bit of his unselfish love
that we too, may learn from experience
that there is more joy in giving ourselves
than in receiving honors or favors.
May the Spirit make us also one
that we graciously share with one another
our God-given riches and gifts as persons.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.
Reflection:
7th Week of Easter, Wednesday
24 May 2023
John 17:11-19
A vocation to be one in Christ
Today is the “World Day of Prayer for the Church in China.” Today the Catholic faithful in China celebrate with particular devotion the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Help of Christians and Patroness of China, venerated in the Shrine of Sheshan in Shanghai. We entrust to the guidance and protection of our Heavenly Mother, the Pastors and faithful of the Church in China.
John reminisces about the final hours of Jesus’ life to tell his community that before he entered into his passion and death, Jesus prayed for them. Jesus does not let himself be overwhelmed by grief; he does not retreat into the bitterness of the defeated; instead, he looks toward his Father.
This is the advice John wants to give to his disciples: when the believing community is persecuted, their cities are invaded by armies, and people flee in fear amid the devastation, he tells them to look up to heaven in hope and prayer. To keep the faith is to keep our gaze fixed on heaven. To keep faith is to refuse to yield to the logic of hatred and vengeance but to keep our gaze fixed on the God of love, who calls us to be brothers and sisters to one another.
In today’s Gospel, we see the second part of Jesus’ “priestly prayer.” The passage expresses Jesus’ concern for his disciples, who could be influenced by the powers of this world. The “evil” present in the world is the spirit of lies, deceit, and death that Jesus himself has experienced. The disciples’ situation is delicate: they must remain uncontaminated.
Today, the message of the Gospel has become all the more relevant. We live in danger of “making faith worldly” and interpreting the scripture according to the criterion of the world. This demands the constant exercise of discernment by the disciple. Our Christian lives can easily be influenced by values and our way of living that are contrary to the Gospel. Therefore, the Gospel invites us to pray for the gift of discernment.
Jesus prays for unity among those who believe in him: “That they may be one just as we are one.” Jesus prayed that we might be one. Do we wish to be? May the Spirit of Jesus give us the grace to become one in Him.