“I will not leave you orphans,” Jesus promises his disciples in today’s Gospel, emphasizing the importance of the care that a parent gives. On Mother’s Day, we honor our mothers and all those who have been like mothers to us: those who have cared for us, who continue to care for us, and who will always care for us, in a similar way to how God always has and always will care for us.
Introduction to the Liturgy of the Word
Luke, the author of Acts, reports that when the people of Samaria heard Philip proclaim Christ and saw him perform wondrous signs, they reacted with great joy. May great joy come upon us as well as we listen to the Word of God proclaimed and then participate in the wondrous miracle of the bread and wine becoming the Body and Blood of our Lord.
Reflections
In the name of Jesus, Philip drove out demons and cured those who were disabled. In that time, possession by the devil and physical infirmity were considered to be manifestations of sin. (Recall that Jesus’ disciples asked him whether it was the blind man’s sin or his parents’ sin that caused his blindness, assuming it must be the sin of one of them.) When Philip healed people in Christ’s name, it was thus a physical sign of God’s forgiveness. The healing of so many was a sign of a new age, an age when forgiveness and healing flowed like water. No wonder “there was great joy in that city” (Acts 8:8)!
In his first letter, Peter speaks particularly to those who are suffering. Christians were persecuted in that era, so he had to know that his letter would find plenty of people who were suffering. He asks those who are questioned about their faith to treat the questioners gently and reverently. After all, they are children of God as well. “Suffer for doing good,” he counseled, as Jesus had (1 Peter 3:17). Despite our suffering, God calls us to love those who malign us as God loves them. And who knows? If we respond to our opponents with grace and without vitriol, we may disarm them and find a glimmer of goodness within them.
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments,” Jesus told his disciples (John 14:15). Taken one way, it may seem quite demanding, but it was really the equivalent of saying, “If you love me, you will want to keep my commandments.” Think about someone you love dearly—your spouse, your significant other, your parent, your child. Do you not want to do what they ask? You want to please them, you want to bring them joy. Assuming that they are sincere and not demanding or unreasonable, you want to do what they ask. Submission to someone else’s will is a consequence of love. Love of God brings us a desire to do God’s will, to do what God asks of us.
Question of the Week
How can I respond with grace and respect to someone who maligns me or strongly disagrees with me? Can I imagine my response defusing the disagreement?
-from Pastoral Patterns
readings of the mass
LISTEN HEREto the Audio Recordings of the Readings of Sunday, May 14, 2023
SELECT HEREfor the Readings of Sunday, May 14, 2023
Offerings
The Sunday offerings are a portion of our blessings that we give to God (Church) in gratitude to what God has done for us...ONLINE GIVING OPTIONS
