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| “St. Justin, Martyr, Patron of the Destitute” from an antique holy card, artist and date are UNKNOWN |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Acts 18:23-28
Commentary on Acts 18:23-28
Commentary on Acts 18:23-28
The story in Acts introduces Apollos who, like St. Paul, continues the rapid spreading of the Gospel. He is clearly an educated Jewish convert (to the “Way”) from Alexandria. Hearing the story unfold, we learn much about him. Note he only had the “baptism of John (the Baptist).” This means that he must have been in Galilee earlier.
We also know that Apollos later becomes a revered leader in the Christian Community. We hear St. Paul speak of him in his First Letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:5-6, 3:22).
CCC: Acts 18:18 2102
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 47:2-3, 8-9, 10
R. (8a) God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Commentary on Ps 47:2-3, 8-9, 10
Psalm 47 is a hymn of praise. It calls all nations to acknowledge the kingship of God. The singer proclaims his belief that the God of Abraham is the creator, the one true God, who reigns over the earth. The song becomes an apologetic exhortation against idols of foreign gods.
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Gospel: John 16:23b-28
Commentary on Jn 16:23b-28
This selection is taken from Jesus’ farewell speech. In this passage Jesus makes a strong connection between his own identity and the Father’s (“whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you”).
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 47:2-3, 8-9, 10
R. (8a) God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Commentary on Ps 47:2-3, 8-9, 10
Psalm 47 is a hymn of praise. It calls all nations to acknowledge the kingship of God. The singer proclaims his belief that the God of Abraham is the creator, the one true God, who reigns over the earth. The song becomes an apologetic exhortation against idols of foreign gods.
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Gospel: John 16:23b-28
Commentary on Jn 16:23b-28
This selection is taken from Jesus’ farewell speech. In this passage Jesus makes a strong connection between his own identity and the Father’s (“whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you”).
From a dogmatic perspective, this section of St. John’s Gospel sets the precedent as to how we are instructed to pray (e.g. to God through the Son, Jesus). He makes it clear that they are to use his name in prayer to the Father and assures them that what they ask for in his name will be given.
CCC: Jn 16:23-27 2615; Jn 16:24 2615, 2815; Jn 16:26 2815; Jn 16:28 661, 2795
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Reflection:
Because of the importance of the Gospel message today, we reflect upon why it is important to be a people of prayer. Jesus tells his disciples that, “Until now you have not asked anything in my name.” That statement would seem to indicate that, up to that point, like Jesus himself, they had been praying to God without the understanding that the Son and the Father are one, and “no one comes to the Father” except through the Son.
Today he establishes the flow of prayer, from us to God, through Christ. That concept has been faithfully passed down to us through the successors of St. Peter from the earliest times of the Church. It is clouded only slightly by our equally rich understanding of the Trinity, three persons, one God. In formula, however, we conclude our prayer with: “through Christ our Lord.” Or: “We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.”
We take great pains to contrast the persons to whom our prayer is directed because, with our enormous faith tradition, we have so many intercessors. Chief among those we turn to is Mary the Mother of God and Queen of Heaven, asking her to intercede for us with her Son. Likewise, with the whole communion of saints at our disposal, we ask frequently for intercession from those holy men and women whom we believe reside in the new Jerusalem, the heavenly kingdom, with the angels and surrounding the throne of the Lamb.
We ask the Father for so much, don’t we? We always seek his support and guidance, his gifts of grace, and salvation. We were taught to be a people of prayer, and we must come to understand what that means if we are to follow Christ more closely. Our most common failing in prayer is forgetting to listen. We talk to God, we plead with God, and we beseech his Son to come to our aid. We ask for his intervention in events and, in our darkest despair, we ask him to undo what has been done.
When do we listen? As a people who ask for God’s help through His Son, we should be doing more listening than talking. Listening is the most difficult part of prayer, that seeming silence where we strain to hear and struggle to understand if it is our voice or God’s that tries to fill the void created by the absence of our own words.
Today, as we reflect upon God’s great gift of his Only Begotten Son, and how gracious he was in his promise that what we prayed for in his name would be done for us by his Father, let us spend more time watching for the fulfillment of those prayers and listening for the answers to our questions. And when answers come, let us give thanks and praise to him, something else our prayer frequently fails to do.
Pax
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Reflection:
Because of the importance of the Gospel message today, we reflect upon why it is important to be a people of prayer. Jesus tells his disciples that, “Until now you have not asked anything in my name.” That statement would seem to indicate that, up to that point, like Jesus himself, they had been praying to God without the understanding that the Son and the Father are one, and “no one comes to the Father” except through the Son.
Today he establishes the flow of prayer, from us to God, through Christ. That concept has been faithfully passed down to us through the successors of St. Peter from the earliest times of the Church. It is clouded only slightly by our equally rich understanding of the Trinity, three persons, one God. In formula, however, we conclude our prayer with: “through Christ our Lord.” Or: “We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.”
We take great pains to contrast the persons to whom our prayer is directed because, with our enormous faith tradition, we have so many intercessors. Chief among those we turn to is Mary the Mother of God and Queen of Heaven, asking her to intercede for us with her Son. Likewise, with the whole communion of saints at our disposal, we ask frequently for intercession from those holy men and women whom we believe reside in the new Jerusalem, the heavenly kingdom, with the angels and surrounding the throne of the Lamb.
We ask the Father for so much, don’t we? We always seek his support and guidance, his gifts of grace, and salvation. We were taught to be a people of prayer, and we must come to understand what that means if we are to follow Christ more closely. Our most common failing in prayer is forgetting to listen. We talk to God, we plead with God, and we beseech his Son to come to our aid. We ask for his intervention in events and, in our darkest despair, we ask him to undo what has been done.
When do we listen? As a people who ask for God’s help through His Son, we should be doing more listening than talking. Listening is the most difficult part of prayer, that seeming silence where we strain to hear and struggle to understand if it is our voice or God’s that tries to fill the void created by the absence of our own words.
Today, as we reflect upon God’s great gift of his Only Begotten Son, and how gracious he was in his promise that what we prayed for in his name would be done for us by his Father, let us spend more time watching for the fulfillment of those prayers and listening for the answers to our questions. And when answers come, let us give thanks and praise to him, something else our prayer frequently fails to do.
Pax
[1] The picture used is “St. Justin, Martyr, Patron of the Destitute” from an antique holy card, artist and date are UNKNOWN.
