I commend you to God and to that gracious word of his

May 11, 2016 6:00 am

 

“And now I commend you to God and to that gracious word of his that can build you up and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated.” (ACTS 20: 32)

Built by God and His word, we can grow as believers and as a community of believers because we are created in His image and likeness, and only as a community of persons, can we realize our identity. The beginning of a community is always the same—through an individual, sincere gift of self, like Our Lord, who offered Himself for us and for our salvation. He “commended us to God” knowing that only He and His word “can build us up and give us the inheritance among all who are consecrated.”

us up and give us the inheritance among all who are consecrated.”

“Your word, O Lord, is truth; consecrate us in the truth.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

They have kept your word

May 10, 2016 6:00 am

 

“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you gave me is from you, because the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me.” (JN 17: 6-8)

The words from the Father came to us through Our Lord—“the words you gave to me I have given to them.” Our responsibility is to keep His word. With His word we receive the most wonderful benefits: being His own children, being loved forever and being joyful in our expectations of Heaven.

“I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

 

Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?

May 9, 2016 6:00 am

 

“He (Paul) said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?’ They answered him, ‘We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’” (ACTS 19: 2) 

When Paul arrived at Ephesus, he discovered other people, at the same religious stage as Apollos, though they seemed to have considered themselves followers of Christ, not of the Baptist. So he asked one question to be sure about it—“did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers.” Why? Paul knew that the Holy Spirit is “the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.” Without Him we can’t grow.

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

The new and living way 

May 8, 2016 6:00 am

 

 

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since through the blood of Jesus we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil, that is, his flesh, and since we have ‘a great priest over the house of God,’ let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy.” (HEB 10: 19-23)

Our Lord not only “sprinkled clean our hearts from an evil conscience,” not only “washed our bodies in pure water,” but also opened for us “entrance into the sanctuary by the new and living way.” He always “gives us hope, for he made the promise trustworthy.” He is always with us, “until the end of the world.”

“Go and teach all nations, says the Lord; I am with you always, until the end of the world.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

The Father himself loves you

May 7, 2016 8:56 pm

“On that day you will ask in my name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you. For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” (JN 16: 26-28)

God the Father loves His Son, His Son loves His Father and came to tell us about love of the Father for us, and He not only wants to let us know about His Father’s love for us, but also wants us to love His Father like He loves Him. He takes care of our relationship with the Father—“I will not ask the Father for you, for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God.” Now Our Lord’s mission is done—our relationship with the Father is established—and He is “leaving the world and going back to the Father.” But the love of God will stay with us.

“I came from the Father and have come into the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” 

 

For I am with you

May 6, 2016 6:00 am

 

“Do not be afraid. Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you. No one will attack and harm you, for I have many people in this city.” (ACTS 18: 9-10)

Our Lord takes care of His apostles—“do not be afraid” and of us—“for I have many people in this city.” They need to know the Good News, so Paul was told to—“go on speaking, and do not be silent,” and assured—“no one will attack and harm you.” It is good to remember this whenever we go out as apostles of the Good News. He is always before us with His protection, grace and care.

“Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead, and so enter into his glory.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

Went to a house belonging to a man named Titus Justus

May 5, 2016 6:00 am

 

“When they opposed him and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, ‘Your blood be on your heads! I am clear of responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.’ So he left there and went to a house belonging to a man named Titus Justus, a worshiper of God; his house was next to a synagogue.” (ACTS 18: 6-7)

Paul discovered the same as His Master: he came to his own people and they didn’t receive him. So Paul started proclaiming the Good News to the Gentiles—“from now on I will go to the Gentiles and he left there.” And again a house became a place where people could meet Our Lord and His love for us. Crosses, holy pictures, a Bible, our rosaries and books are in our houses as signs of our relationship with Our Lord. “Me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

“I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord; I will come back to you, and your hearts will rejoice.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

When he comes

May 4, 2016 6:00 am

 

“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming.” (JN 16: 12-13)

Always protected by God’s presence, now we can expect that “the Spirit of truth, will guide us to all truth.” God is patient and knows that He has “much more to tell us, but we cannot bear it now,” so He comes at the right time “and will declare to us the things that are coming”—not a reference to new predictions about the future, but interpretations of what has already occurred or been said. We need to know what the Father expects from us—the Holy Spirit “will speak what he hears.”

“I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.” 

Hold fast to the word

May 3, 2016 11:05 am

“I am reminding you, brothers and sisters, of the Gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received and in which you also stand. Through it you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.” (1 COR 15: 1-2)

Always and always the same message—“hold fast to the word.” How important God’s word should be to us, for our lives and for our salvation; all the Apostles preached the same. With Our Lord and His word, we are secure because we know where to go, how distinguish the truth from a lie, and what real life means, to say nothing about a very special grace to recognize in Our Lord the love of His Father.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life, says the Lord; Philip, whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

 

Stay at my home

May 2, 2016 6:00 am

“After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation, ‘If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home,’ and she prevailed on us.” (ACTS 16: 15)

Our homes were always important to Jesus and His Apostles, as places where the first grace could come—“she and her household had been baptized.” Jesus was often a guest in different homes, and Paul follows His example, because our homes are the first place where we can practice our faith, our relationship with Our Lord and with each other.

“The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord, and you will also testify.” (Gospel Acclamation)