Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter

“Jesus Prays With His Disciples”
by Alexandre Bida 1874

Readings for Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Acts 22:30; 23:6-11
 
Wishing to determine the truth
about why Paul was being accused by the Jews,
the commander freed him
and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene.
Then he brought Paul down and made him stand before them.
 
Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees,
so he called out before the Sanhedrin,
"My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees;
I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead."
When he said this,
a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees,
and the group became divided.
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection
or angels or spirits,
while the Pharisees acknowledge all three.
A great uproar occurred,
and some scribes belonging to the Pharisee party
stood up and sharply argued,
"We find nothing wrong with this man.
Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?"
The dispute was so serious that the commander,
afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them,
ordered his troops to go down and rescue Paul from their midst
and take him into the compound.
The following night the Lord stood by him and said, "Take courage.
For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem,
so you must also bear witness in Rome."
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Commentary on Acts 22:30; 23:6-11
 
In this passage about Paul’s return to Jerusalem, the apostle has been recognized as the one who is converting many outside Jerusalem to the “Way,” and the Jews are furious. A riot has broken out in the temple precincts (Paul takes a beating), and he is taken into custody by the Romans (probably saving his life).
 
The centurion, learning that Paul is a citizen of Rome, allows him to speak to the Sanhedrin as described in this selection. He has just recounted his conversion story to them, and now fuels an argument between the Sadducees and Pharisees over the concept of the resurrection, which the Pharisees believe in and the Sadducees deny. A second time Paul is rescued from Jewish violence by the Romans. Paul then hears from Jesus that he will be sent to Rome to bear witness there.
 
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
 
R. (1) Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, "My Lord are you."
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
 
Psalm 16 is a song of thanksgiving that has become prophetic. It speaks clearly of the resurrection accomplished in Christ. It is a hymn of trust in God. Each strophe ends with an affirmation of faithfulness. Key, in the context of the Easter season, is the idea of trust in God who has conquered death and offers the same gift. ("Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world, nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.") The psalmist prays that God will shield the faithful from harm, and expresses confidence in the Lord’s salvation, closing the passage with praise for God’s loving mercy.
 
CCC: Ps 16:9-10 627
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Gospel: John 17:20-26
 
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
"I pray not only for these,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
so that they may all be one,
as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that they also may be in us,
that the world may believe that you sent me.
And I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me,
that they may be brought to perfection as one,
that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.
Father, they are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
I made known to them your name and I will make it known,
that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them."
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Commentary on Jn 17:20-26
 
Here is the final part of the “High Priestly Prayer” from the Lord’s final discourse. In this selection we are joined with the disciples as Jesus prays “also for those who will believe in me through their word.” Again the theme of unity between the Father, the Son, and his followers is emphasized and brought to a conclusion with: “that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.”
 
CCC: Jn 17 2604, 2746, 2758; Jn 17:21-23 260, 877; Jn 17:21 820; Jn 17:22 690; Jn 17:23-26 2750; Jn 17:24 2749, 2750, 2750; Jn 17:25 2751; Jn 17:26 589, 729, 2750
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Reflection:
 
Jesus prays for us in this part of the “High Priestly Prayer” from St. John’s Gospel. We are the ones who receive his word through the disciples, and we are the ones who recognize that it was his authority that sent them into the world that we might experience his love.
 
Even as we hear this message, we must ask ourselves the only question of importance: how do we live these words of faith? Our recognition that God loves us, and Christ, his Only Begotten Son, brought us understanding of his love, is at the heart of our faith. And faith, as we have been taught, is a gift from God freely given. (“Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1) We come back then to what we do with faith? How do we share this gift?
 
St. Paul took the zealous approach of dedicating his life to spreading the word of God, even when doing so was dangerous to his life. For the vast majority of us, God does not ask us to place ourselves in physical danger as an act of faith. Rather, we are called to witness to his love though our actions and interactions with those around us. We are called to look for ways to express our faith by helping the poor, the downtrodden, and the marginalized. This frequently takes the form of helping those close to us, our family members, our friends, and our neighbors. In this day and age, we don’t have to look far or hard to find likely targets for God’s loving hand.
 
The prayer Christ offers today is for us on two levels. First, he prays that we recognize and accept the word of God passed down to us from the apostles; that we take that word to heart. Second, Jesus’ prayer begs that we too are recognized by others as passing the love he shares with us on to others. In this way the love of God continues to grow in the world.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture used is “Jesus Prays With His Disciples” by Alexandre Bida 1874.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.