Readings for Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Acts 16:1-10
Paul finds Timothy, in this passage from Acts, that he later writes his great descriptions on the infrastructure of the Church. Together, they travel throughout the region and, as the reading says; “Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number.” Paul had Timothy circumcised so he could minister to the Jews as well as the Greeks in their travels. Paul himself held fast to Jewish Law. God calls them onward.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 100:1b-2, 3, 5
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Psalm 100 is a song of praise and thanksgiving. It is also the alternate invitatory psalm offered by the faithful in the Liturgy of the Hours as appropriate to begin the day’s prayer of the Church.
Gospel John 15:18-21
Jesus gives the disciples a paradox in telling them that while they are part of the world (meaning here, secular society) they are separated from that society through their association with Christ. He then reminds them that because they are his, they too will suffer persecution by those he (and they) come to save.
Reflection:
As we hear once more about the exploits of St. Paul on his great missionary journeys and the Lord in St. John’s Gospel instructing his disciples as to the kind of reception they will receive we are reminded of the story of the Magic Raincoat.
There was once a young boy who was terribly frightened of rain storms. The thunder and lightening caused him to run and hide and his parents were hard pressed to get him to come out from under the covers of his bead even for meals.
His mother knew that this fear was something the boy would have to overcome if he wanted to live a normal life so she went out and bought a brand new rain coat for her son. When she gave it to him she told him it was magic; that it had the power to resist even the most horrific storms and she was so lucky to have found it.
The very next time a storm came, she hurriedly put it on him and had him stand by the window. The storm winds whipped the trees, lightening flashed and thunder bellowed and the mother stayed there with her son in his yellow raincoat inside the windows and watched. The boy trembled at first, but the coat’s insulating protection and his mothers arm around his shoulders strengthened him and he was able to face his fear. The time after that, when again the storm clouds gathered, his mother had him run and put on the magic raincoat once more. This time she put on hers as well and they went out side. It was scarier when the boy could feel the wind blowing and the thunder was much louder; but again, he had the coat and it kept him dry, his mother was there and he could face his fear.
Like all good stories this one has a happy ending. The young boy eventually out grew his fear of storms (but he kept that magic raincoat anyway because his mother gave it to him). He went on to become a meteorologist of some renown.
The story of course is an allegory. The storm represents the secular world that rages against us. Jesus said to his friends “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first”. He knew the world would not like the message of love they would bring in his name.
In the story the little boy put on his magic coat to protect him from the storm’s fury. It is just like us, only we put on Christ. We first did this at our baptism. We were given the Holy Spirit that invites the power of God to be with us, to shelter us. We where that white robe proudly and it protects us from any storm.
I don’t think I need to go into who the mother in the story represents. How wise she was to accept her role as mother and bring us that savior to put on.
Today as we once more walk into the storm outside our doors we must remember to always put on Christ, his attitude of lover for all, his faith in His Father to whom all glory belongs.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture today is a woodcut “Jesus Teaches the Disciples” Artist UNKNOWN, published 1563
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Acts 16:1-10
Paul finds Timothy, in this passage from Acts, that he later writes his great descriptions on the infrastructure of the Church. Together, they travel throughout the region and, as the reading says; “Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number.” Paul had Timothy circumcised so he could minister to the Jews as well as the Greeks in their travels. Paul himself held fast to Jewish Law. God calls them onward.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 100:1b-2, 3, 5
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Psalm 100 is a song of praise and thanksgiving. It is also the alternate invitatory psalm offered by the faithful in the Liturgy of the Hours as appropriate to begin the day’s prayer of the Church.
Gospel John 15:18-21
Jesus gives the disciples a paradox in telling them that while they are part of the world (meaning here, secular society) they are separated from that society through their association with Christ. He then reminds them that because they are his, they too will suffer persecution by those he (and they) come to save.
Reflection:
As we hear once more about the exploits of St. Paul on his great missionary journeys and the Lord in St. John’s Gospel instructing his disciples as to the kind of reception they will receive we are reminded of the story of the Magic Raincoat.
There was once a young boy who was terribly frightened of rain storms. The thunder and lightening caused him to run and hide and his parents were hard pressed to get him to come out from under the covers of his bead even for meals.
His mother knew that this fear was something the boy would have to overcome if he wanted to live a normal life so she went out and bought a brand new rain coat for her son. When she gave it to him she told him it was magic; that it had the power to resist even the most horrific storms and she was so lucky to have found it.
The very next time a storm came, she hurriedly put it on him and had him stand by the window. The storm winds whipped the trees, lightening flashed and thunder bellowed and the mother stayed there with her son in his yellow raincoat inside the windows and watched. The boy trembled at first, but the coat’s insulating protection and his mothers arm around his shoulders strengthened him and he was able to face his fear. The time after that, when again the storm clouds gathered, his mother had him run and put on the magic raincoat once more. This time she put on hers as well and they went out side. It was scarier when the boy could feel the wind blowing and the thunder was much louder; but again, he had the coat and it kept him dry, his mother was there and he could face his fear.
Like all good stories this one has a happy ending. The young boy eventually out grew his fear of storms (but he kept that magic raincoat anyway because his mother gave it to him). He went on to become a meteorologist of some renown.
The story of course is an allegory. The storm represents the secular world that rages against us. Jesus said to his friends “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first”. He knew the world would not like the message of love they would bring in his name.
In the story the little boy put on his magic coat to protect him from the storm’s fury. It is just like us, only we put on Christ. We first did this at our baptism. We were given the Holy Spirit that invites the power of God to be with us, to shelter us. We where that white robe proudly and it protects us from any storm.
I don’t think I need to go into who the mother in the story represents. How wise she was to accept her role as mother and bring us that savior to put on.
Today as we once more walk into the storm outside our doors we must remember to always put on Christ, his attitude of lover for all, his faith in His Father to whom all glory belongs.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture today is a woodcut “Jesus Teaches the Disciples” Artist UNKNOWN, published 1563
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