Saints Nereus and Achilleus, Martyrs
Saint Pancras, Martyr
Biographical information about Sts Nereus and Achilleus
Biographical Information about St. Pancras
Readings for Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Acts 14:19-28
In those days, some Jews from Antioch and Iconium
arrived and won over the crowds.
They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city,
supposing that he was dead.
But when the disciples gathered around him,
he got up and entered the city.
On the following day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.
After they had proclaimed the good news to that city
and made a considerable number of disciples,
they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch.
They strengthened the spirits of the disciples
and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying,
"It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships
to enter the Kingdom of God."
They appointed presbyters for them in each Church and,
with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord
in whom they had put their faith.
Then they traveled through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia.
After proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia.
From there they sailed to Antioch,
where they had been commended to the grace of God
for the work they had now accomplished.
And when they arrived, they called the Church together
and reported what God had done with them
and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
Then they spent no little time with the disciples.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Acts 14:19-28
In the first part of this passage, Paul is beaten and stoned but his zeal is not dampened. This selection recounts the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas. It describes the model of how the church was built. Paul and Barnabas would enter a region and proclaim the Good News. They would then identify leaders among the converted, entrust the word to them and then move on. Since the scripture says those converted were Gentiles we assume they did not, as they tried in Antioch, begin with the Synagogues.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 21
R. (see 12) Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
or:
R. Alleluia.
May my mouth speak the praise of the LORD,
and may all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
or:
R. Alleluia.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 21
Psalm 145 is a hymn of praise and thanksgiving. The link we are given is back to the first reading as the psalmist proclaims: “May my mouth speak the praise of the Lord, and may all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.” We give thanks for St. Paul and the other evangelists who fearlessly proclaimed Christ and him crucified.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: John 14:27-31a
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me tell you,
'I am going away and I will come back to you.'
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.
I will no longer speak much with you,
for the ruler of the world is coming.
He has no power over me,
but the world must know that I love the Father
and that I do just as the Father has commanded me."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 14:27-31a
We hear Jesus continue his monologue to the disciples at the Last Supper. They are afraid because of what he has told them and now he calms their fears. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you.” He explains once more that he is returning to the Father so that the world might know his love for God and his faithfulness to the Father’s will.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
This is probably the understatement of two millennia. Besides giving us forgiveness (which is a necessary first step toward achieving peace) and his body and blood so that he could be in us and we in him, peace is a most precious gift. It is a gift we can enjoy both in this world and in the next.
The peace of Christ is so different it should probably have its own name. Yes, in the modern Church there is a peace movement called “Pax Christi” and several Christian communities have that name. But it seems that just the word “peace”, even when modified by Christ’s title does not convey the wonder of that state of being.
The peace Christ gives is a deep sense of love and contentment. It is knowledge that God infuses us with his love and nothing in this world can harm us as long as we remain in that state of grace[4]. The peace of Christ allowed the martyrs to go joyfully to death and feel no pain – how could they, the Lord himself had surrounded them with a shield of pure love that defeated even death. It is this complete sense of peace in Christ that allows the Apostles to heal the sick and perform all sorts of signs in the name of Jesus. It has been referred to as spiritual ecstasy experienced by some of the saints.
We can almost picture the process and have heard it referred to as a “spiritual high” by some. We must let ourselves be completely subservient to the will of God and that is something rare and difficult to do. Charismatic Christians seek it constantly but even they too must be very careful of spiritual hedonism. You see the peace of Christ makes one feel so wonderful that once that complete sense of peace is achieved it is a constant goal – perhaps for purposes other than the glory of the Father.
Can the true and complete peace of Christ be achieved on earth? Perhaps it is one of those completely transformative events that can only occur when we are face to face with the Son of God. But we can feel some part of it on earth. It is a sense of oneness with God and of being infused with the Holy Spirit. There is no fear, doubt, and there can be no hatred because that is anathema to God.
If we can put aside the unworthy attitudes of hate, envy, greed, and sloth, and let the faith, guided by the Holy Spirit, place within us the certainty that we are walking with God and he is in us then His peace arrives like a thunderclap of serenity and we are truly at peace.
Ironically-Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used today is “Peace” by Théodore Chassériau, 1844-48
[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] “Grace” can be viewed as being totally in communion with the Triune God. That is a oneness that can only come from being reconciled with God sacramentally and spiritually.
Saint Pancras, Martyr
Biographical information about Sts Nereus and Achilleus
Biographical Information about St. Pancras
Readings for Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Acts 14:19-28
In those days, some Jews from Antioch and Iconium
arrived and won over the crowds.
They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city,
supposing that he was dead.
But when the disciples gathered around him,
he got up and entered the city.
On the following day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.
After they had proclaimed the good news to that city
and made a considerable number of disciples,
they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch.
They strengthened the spirits of the disciples
and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying,
"It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships
to enter the Kingdom of God."
They appointed presbyters for them in each Church and,
with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord
in whom they had put their faith.
Then they traveled through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia.
After proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia.
From there they sailed to Antioch,
where they had been commended to the grace of God
for the work they had now accomplished.
And when they arrived, they called the Church together
and reported what God had done with them
and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
Then they spent no little time with the disciples.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Acts 14:19-28
In the first part of this passage, Paul is beaten and stoned but his zeal is not dampened. This selection recounts the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas. It describes the model of how the church was built. Paul and Barnabas would enter a region and proclaim the Good News. They would then identify leaders among the converted, entrust the word to them and then move on. Since the scripture says those converted were Gentiles we assume they did not, as they tried in Antioch, begin with the Synagogues.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 21
R. (see 12) Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
or:
R. Alleluia.
May my mouth speak the praise of the LORD,
and may all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
or:
R. Alleluia.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 21
Psalm 145 is a hymn of praise and thanksgiving. The link we are given is back to the first reading as the psalmist proclaims: “May my mouth speak the praise of the Lord, and may all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.” We give thanks for St. Paul and the other evangelists who fearlessly proclaimed Christ and him crucified.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: John 14:27-31a
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me tell you,
'I am going away and I will come back to you.'
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.
I will no longer speak much with you,
for the ruler of the world is coming.
He has no power over me,
but the world must know that I love the Father
and that I do just as the Father has commanded me."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 14:27-31a
We hear Jesus continue his monologue to the disciples at the Last Supper. They are afraid because of what he has told them and now he calms their fears. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you.” He explains once more that he is returning to the Father so that the world might know his love for God and his faithfulness to the Father’s will.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
This is probably the understatement of two millennia. Besides giving us forgiveness (which is a necessary first step toward achieving peace) and his body and blood so that he could be in us and we in him, peace is a most precious gift. It is a gift we can enjoy both in this world and in the next.
The peace of Christ is so different it should probably have its own name. Yes, in the modern Church there is a peace movement called “Pax Christi” and several Christian communities have that name. But it seems that just the word “peace”, even when modified by Christ’s title does not convey the wonder of that state of being.
The peace Christ gives is a deep sense of love and contentment. It is knowledge that God infuses us with his love and nothing in this world can harm us as long as we remain in that state of grace[4]. The peace of Christ allowed the martyrs to go joyfully to death and feel no pain – how could they, the Lord himself had surrounded them with a shield of pure love that defeated even death. It is this complete sense of peace in Christ that allows the Apostles to heal the sick and perform all sorts of signs in the name of Jesus. It has been referred to as spiritual ecstasy experienced by some of the saints.
We can almost picture the process and have heard it referred to as a “spiritual high” by some. We must let ourselves be completely subservient to the will of God and that is something rare and difficult to do. Charismatic Christians seek it constantly but even they too must be very careful of spiritual hedonism. You see the peace of Christ makes one feel so wonderful that once that complete sense of peace is achieved it is a constant goal – perhaps for purposes other than the glory of the Father.
Can the true and complete peace of Christ be achieved on earth? Perhaps it is one of those completely transformative events that can only occur when we are face to face with the Son of God. But we can feel some part of it on earth. It is a sense of oneness with God and of being infused with the Holy Spirit. There is no fear, doubt, and there can be no hatred because that is anathema to God.
If we can put aside the unworthy attitudes of hate, envy, greed, and sloth, and let the faith, guided by the Holy Spirit, place within us the certainty that we are walking with God and he is in us then His peace arrives like a thunderclap of serenity and we are truly at peace.
Ironically-Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used today is “Peace” by Théodore Chassériau, 1844-48
[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] “Grace” can be viewed as being totally in communion with the Triune God. That is a oneness that can only come from being reconciled with God sacramentally and spiritually.
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