Readings for Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Acts 13:13-25
This is the first of several instances recorded in Acts that St. Paul uses his scholarly knowledge of the Hebrew tradition to build up logical rationale for Jesus as savior and Messiah. In this passage that development ends as he recounts the history of God’s covenant with the Jewish people from their exodus from Egypt under Moses to the appearance of John the Baptist, a contemporary figure about whom these people would have been aware.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 89:2-3, 21-22, 25 and 27
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Psalm 89, taken as a whole, is a communal lament. This selection rejoices in God’s establishment of the Davidic Dynasty and the promise of heavenly support for his kingdom.
Gospel John 13:16-20
This passage from St. John’s Gospel is set in the upper room following the Passover meal that was to be the Last Supper. The author’s account of the washing of the disciple’s feet and the immediate aftermath differs from the Synoptic versions in that here the Lord announces his foreknowledge of the events to follow. Jesus uses this predictive ability to bring the reader to belief in Christ as the Son of God (“…I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”)
Homily:
Have you ever walked into a place, whether it was the workplace, school, or even the kitchen and known in your heart, “this is going to be a good day”? The final passage from St. John’s Gospel must have given that feeling to St. Paul as he was called to “exhort the people”.
It is hard for us in this modern age to appreciate how large the world was in the day of Jesus (and Paul). The fact that St. Paul (Saul) the student of the famous Rabbi Gamaliel, had been converted to Christianity would probably not have been known to the local Jewish community. It would have been logical for the local leadership to have known about him as a prominent figure from Jerusalem and invite him, as a guest and student of that famous teacher, to speak to the community. When St. Paul received that invitation he must of thought, praising God, “this is going to be a good day.”
With all that educated credibility behind him he was able to walk the listening Jewish faithful right through the history of God’s revelation to them. Starting with Moses, the giver of the law, he recalled the judges, the kings, and the prophets and how God’s promise flowed from one to the next down to King David and how God’s promise to David lead first to John the Baptist, herald of he Messiah who followed him, the one sent by God, who was God. It must have been glorious to see the light of realization dawn upon them.
For us too, we look for opportunities to reveal Jesus to those about us. We hear not just the command to take that word to the world in Jesus’ conversation with his disciples (“Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master, nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.”) We also hear the promised support “…whoever receives the one I send receives me”. What a tremendous gift we take to those who find Christ in us. We will truly be blessed.
Pax
Pleas pray for Esther, the Lord calls her more urgently now.
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture today is “Washing of the Feet” by Giovanni Agostino da Lodi, 1500
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Acts 13:13-25
This is the first of several instances recorded in Acts that St. Paul uses his scholarly knowledge of the Hebrew tradition to build up logical rationale for Jesus as savior and Messiah. In this passage that development ends as he recounts the history of God’s covenant with the Jewish people from their exodus from Egypt under Moses to the appearance of John the Baptist, a contemporary figure about whom these people would have been aware.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 89:2-3, 21-22, 25 and 27
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Psalm 89, taken as a whole, is a communal lament. This selection rejoices in God’s establishment of the Davidic Dynasty and the promise of heavenly support for his kingdom.
Gospel John 13:16-20
This passage from St. John’s Gospel is set in the upper room following the Passover meal that was to be the Last Supper. The author’s account of the washing of the disciple’s feet and the immediate aftermath differs from the Synoptic versions in that here the Lord announces his foreknowledge of the events to follow. Jesus uses this predictive ability to bring the reader to belief in Christ as the Son of God (“…I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”)
Homily:
Have you ever walked into a place, whether it was the workplace, school, or even the kitchen and known in your heart, “this is going to be a good day”? The final passage from St. John’s Gospel must have given that feeling to St. Paul as he was called to “exhort the people”.
It is hard for us in this modern age to appreciate how large the world was in the day of Jesus (and Paul). The fact that St. Paul (Saul) the student of the famous Rabbi Gamaliel, had been converted to Christianity would probably not have been known to the local Jewish community. It would have been logical for the local leadership to have known about him as a prominent figure from Jerusalem and invite him, as a guest and student of that famous teacher, to speak to the community. When St. Paul received that invitation he must of thought, praising God, “this is going to be a good day.”
With all that educated credibility behind him he was able to walk the listening Jewish faithful right through the history of God’s revelation to them. Starting with Moses, the giver of the law, he recalled the judges, the kings, and the prophets and how God’s promise flowed from one to the next down to King David and how God’s promise to David lead first to John the Baptist, herald of he Messiah who followed him, the one sent by God, who was God. It must have been glorious to see the light of realization dawn upon them.
For us too, we look for opportunities to reveal Jesus to those about us. We hear not just the command to take that word to the world in Jesus’ conversation with his disciples (“Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master, nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.”) We also hear the promised support “…whoever receives the one I send receives me”. What a tremendous gift we take to those who find Christ in us. We will truly be blessed.
Pax
Pleas pray for Esther, the Lord calls her more urgently now.
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture today is “Washing of the Feet” by Giovanni Agostino da Lodi, 1500
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