Readings for Seventh Sunday of Easter[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26
Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers
—there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons
in the one place —.
He said, "My brothers,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled
which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand
through the mouth of David, concerning Judas,
who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.
He was numbered among us
and was allotted a share in this ministry.
"For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
May another take his office.
"Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men
who accompanied us the whole time
the Lord Jesus came and went among us,
beginning from the baptism of John
until the day on which he was taken up from us,
become with us a witness to his resurrection."
So they proposed two, Judas called Barsabbas,
who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
Then they prayed,
"You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,
show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this apostolic ministry
from which Judas turned away to go to his own place."
Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias,
and he was counted with the eleven apostles.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26
We are given the story of how Matthias came to be called as the one to replace Judas. St. Peter assumes the leadership role noting that even the betrayal by Judas was predicted by Holy Scripture.
The two verses omitted (18,19) give St. Luke’s account of the death of Judas which differs from Matthew’s account (in Luke’s version, he buys property with his ill gotten gains and is killed in a gruesome fall). We see here how the Church’s tradition of selecting leaders from among the membership is developed with prayer and a vote.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20
R. (19a) The Lord has set his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord has set his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
R. The Lord has set his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless the LORD, all you his angels,
you mighty in strength, who do his bidding.
R. The Lord has set his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20
Psalm 103 is a song of praise to God for his mercy. These strophes emphasize the establishment of God’s Heavenly Kingdom, the place to which Christ ascends to reign with him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading II: 1 John 4:11-16
Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,
and his love is brought to perfection in us.
This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us,
that he has given us of his Spirit.
Moreover, we have seen and testify
that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world.
Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God remains in him and he in God.
We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.
God is love, and whoever remains in love
remains in God and God in him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Jn 4:11-16
As we look forward to the gift of the Holy Spirit, St. John’s letter follows his profession of God’s love with this instruction regarding how we must join with God’s love. “The testimony of the Spirit and that of faith join the testimony of love to confirm our knowledge of God. Our love is grounded in the confession of Jesus as the Son of God and the example of God's love for us. Christian life is founded on the knowledge of God as love and on his continuing presence that relieves us from fear of judgment.”[4]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: John 17:11b-19
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
"Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me,
so that they may be one just as we are one.
When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me,
and I guarded them, and none of them was lost
except the son of destruction,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
But now I am coming to you.
I speak this in the world
so that they may share my joy completely.
I gave them your word, and the world hated them,
because they do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world
but that you keep them from the evil one.
They do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
so I sent them into the world.
And I consecrate myself for them,
so that they also may be consecrated in truth."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 17:11b-19
This passage is a continuation of the “High Priestly Prayer” started earlier in St. John’s Gospel John 17:1-11a. This part of the prayer begins with a plea for unity between the Father and disciples (note the reference here to Judas Iscariot as the “son of destruction). Still speaking directly to God, Jesus again says he is going to the Father and that the disciples should share his joy at prospect. He then asks the father to keep them safe from the poison of sin (similar here to the petition in the Lord’s Prayer) and to consecrate them in truth (defining truth as the Word).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
We look at the scripture passages given and seek the common theme that we can take with us. We look first at the story unfolding in the Acts of Apostles. This story finds the Apostles seeing God directing them in scripture (they quote the Psalms) to replace Judas who fell, bringing their number back to twelve. The Apostles apparently did this in a very democratic way by voting among themselves as to who would be chosen to take up the ministry. We note that this process is followed today in selecting successors to St. Peter. It is one of the few times when the Church uses this method of choosing those she calls to ministry.
We look next to Psalm 103 and are reminded that God established his Kingdom above all earthly kingdoms and principalities which are mere shadows of God’s Heavenly Home, the place where Christ the Lamb sits on the right side of the Father’s throne, looking down on all creation.
Next comes St. John, his Gospel, the anvil and his epistle, the hammer. The Great Commandment is beaten home as it is so often by the Evangelist. As deeply has he delved into the mind of Christ he kept coming back to that central theme, the reason Jesus, the Son of God, came into the world was to reveal how much God loves us. Jesus, in his life on earth pointed to so many actions and attributes that would bring us peace in this life. In the end, his example on the cross, his words of forgiveness all point to the same thing; God loves us and asks only that we love him and one another.
All of the scripture we have today finds that underlying theme. Why do the Apostles find it necessary to add one more to their number? Their principle role, given to them by Christ was to take the Good News into the world. That Good News was that God’s Heavenly Kingdom, mentioned in the Psalm, was there, real and available. Why, because God loves us and wants for us not only peace in this life but also in the next.
The Lord is praying for us in the Gospel. He is asking the Father to keep those to whom he most clearly showed his intent firm in their mission. He prays that the love of the Father, transmitted through the Son, might continue to grow in them that they might understand the depth of that love and find joy in the knowledge of it.
As we continue to celebrate the Easter of our joy, let us recall in the Eucharist we share his great love and how he invites us to remain in him and he in us.
Pax
[1] ALTRE (7th Sunday of Easter)
[2] The picture used is “The Holy Spirit” by Corrado Giaquinto, 1750s
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
[4] see NAB footnote on 1 Jn 4:11ff
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26
Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers
—there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons
in the one place —.
He said, "My brothers,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled
which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand
through the mouth of David, concerning Judas,
who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.
He was numbered among us
and was allotted a share in this ministry.
"For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
May another take his office.
"Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men
who accompanied us the whole time
the Lord Jesus came and went among us,
beginning from the baptism of John
until the day on which he was taken up from us,
become with us a witness to his resurrection."
So they proposed two, Judas called Barsabbas,
who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
Then they prayed,
"You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,
show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this apostolic ministry
from which Judas turned away to go to his own place."
Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias,
and he was counted with the eleven apostles.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26
We are given the story of how Matthias came to be called as the one to replace Judas. St. Peter assumes the leadership role noting that even the betrayal by Judas was predicted by Holy Scripture.
The two verses omitted (18,19) give St. Luke’s account of the death of Judas which differs from Matthew’s account (in Luke’s version, he buys property with his ill gotten gains and is killed in a gruesome fall). We see here how the Church’s tradition of selecting leaders from among the membership is developed with prayer and a vote.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20
R. (19a) The Lord has set his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord has set his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
R. The Lord has set his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless the LORD, all you his angels,
you mighty in strength, who do his bidding.
R. The Lord has set his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20
Psalm 103 is a song of praise to God for his mercy. These strophes emphasize the establishment of God’s Heavenly Kingdom, the place to which Christ ascends to reign with him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading II: 1 John 4:11-16
Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,
and his love is brought to perfection in us.
This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us,
that he has given us of his Spirit.
Moreover, we have seen and testify
that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world.
Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God remains in him and he in God.
We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.
God is love, and whoever remains in love
remains in God and God in him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Jn 4:11-16
As we look forward to the gift of the Holy Spirit, St. John’s letter follows his profession of God’s love with this instruction regarding how we must join with God’s love. “The testimony of the Spirit and that of faith join the testimony of love to confirm our knowledge of God. Our love is grounded in the confession of Jesus as the Son of God and the example of God's love for us. Christian life is founded on the knowledge of God as love and on his continuing presence that relieves us from fear of judgment.”[4]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: John 17:11b-19
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
"Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me,
so that they may be one just as we are one.
When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me,
and I guarded them, and none of them was lost
except the son of destruction,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
But now I am coming to you.
I speak this in the world
so that they may share my joy completely.
I gave them your word, and the world hated them,
because they do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world
but that you keep them from the evil one.
They do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
so I sent them into the world.
And I consecrate myself for them,
so that they also may be consecrated in truth."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 17:11b-19
This passage is a continuation of the “High Priestly Prayer” started earlier in St. John’s Gospel John 17:1-11a. This part of the prayer begins with a plea for unity between the Father and disciples (note the reference here to Judas Iscariot as the “son of destruction). Still speaking directly to God, Jesus again says he is going to the Father and that the disciples should share his joy at prospect. He then asks the father to keep them safe from the poison of sin (similar here to the petition in the Lord’s Prayer) and to consecrate them in truth (defining truth as the Word).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
We look at the scripture passages given and seek the common theme that we can take with us. We look first at the story unfolding in the Acts of Apostles. This story finds the Apostles seeing God directing them in scripture (they quote the Psalms) to replace Judas who fell, bringing their number back to twelve. The Apostles apparently did this in a very democratic way by voting among themselves as to who would be chosen to take up the ministry. We note that this process is followed today in selecting successors to St. Peter. It is one of the few times when the Church uses this method of choosing those she calls to ministry.
We look next to Psalm 103 and are reminded that God established his Kingdom above all earthly kingdoms and principalities which are mere shadows of God’s Heavenly Home, the place where Christ the Lamb sits on the right side of the Father’s throne, looking down on all creation.
Next comes St. John, his Gospel, the anvil and his epistle, the hammer. The Great Commandment is beaten home as it is so often by the Evangelist. As deeply has he delved into the mind of Christ he kept coming back to that central theme, the reason Jesus, the Son of God, came into the world was to reveal how much God loves us. Jesus, in his life on earth pointed to so many actions and attributes that would bring us peace in this life. In the end, his example on the cross, his words of forgiveness all point to the same thing; God loves us and asks only that we love him and one another.
All of the scripture we have today finds that underlying theme. Why do the Apostles find it necessary to add one more to their number? Their principle role, given to them by Christ was to take the Good News into the world. That Good News was that God’s Heavenly Kingdom, mentioned in the Psalm, was there, real and available. Why, because God loves us and wants for us not only peace in this life but also in the next.
The Lord is praying for us in the Gospel. He is asking the Father to keep those to whom he most clearly showed his intent firm in their mission. He prays that the love of the Father, transmitted through the Son, might continue to grow in them that they might understand the depth of that love and find joy in the knowledge of it.
As we continue to celebrate the Easter of our joy, let us recall in the Eucharist we share his great love and how he invites us to remain in him and he in us.
Pax
[1] ALTRE (7th Sunday of Easter)
[2] The picture used is “The Holy Spirit” by Corrado Giaquinto, 1750s
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
[4] see NAB footnote on 1 Jn 4:11ff
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