Friday May 14

Sixth Week Of Easter

 

MATTHIAS, APOSTLE

 

Introduction

           Matthias was elected by the apostles to replace Judas, the traitor, because he had been a disciple of Jesus from the very beginning, from the time when Jesus was baptized by John until the ascension. His qualification was, then, that he could witness to the risen Christ. And so should we.

 

Opening Prayer

Lord God,
your apostle Matthias was a witness
to the life and death of Jesus Christ
and to his glorious resurrection.
May also today your people bear witness
to the life of your Son
by living his life as best as they can,
and radiating the joy
of people who are rising with him
to a new and deeper life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Reading 1: ACTS 1:15-17, 20-26

Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and sisters
(there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons
in the one place).
He said, “My brothers and sisters,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled
which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand
through the mouth of David, concerning Judas,
who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.
Judas was numbered among us
and was allotted a share in this ministry.
For it is written in the Book of Psalms:

Let his encampment become desolate,
and may no one dwell in it.
and:
May another take his office.

Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men
who accompanied us the whole time
the Lord Jesus came and went among us,
beginning from the baptism of John
until the day on which he was taken up from us,
become with us a witness to his resurrection.”
So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas,
who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
Then they prayed,
“You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,
show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this apostolic ministry
from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.”
Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias,
and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

(8) The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high
and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor
To seat them with princes,
with the princes of his own people.
R. The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
or:
R.Alleluia.

 

Alleluia: JN 15:16

Alleluia, alleluia.
I chose you from the world,
to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: JN 15:9-17

Jesus said to his disciples:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.

“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you
and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”

 

Intercessions

–   That in the name of the risen Lord the Church may raise up its members and even outsiders to a new and better life, we pray:

–   That the risen Lord may give us peace and serenity of heart, that in him we may have someone to live for and to make our lives meaningful, we pray:

–   That the risen Lord my give peace to our Christians communities in the certainty that he stays with us and breaks for us the bread of the eucharist, we pray:

 

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
with bread and wine we celebrate
the presence of the Lord Jesus among us.
Let this be an assurance for us
that he wants to raise us up from our lethargy
and to make us vigorous and eager
to be a leaven in our communities
towards a life of service
and a road to deeper justice and love.
Grant us this through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Prayer after Communion

Lord God, our Father,

Jesus has spoken to us here in our eucharist
his words of good news.
Let these words become in us
deeds of good news,
and may we ourselves become good news and a blessing
to all we encounter
by our spirit of joy and forgiveness,
of service and generosity.
This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Blessing

In the gospel of today, Jesus told us: “I appointed you to bear fruit, fruit that must endure.” Be fruitful in your words and deeds, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

Commentary

Today’s Gospel is about love and selection. God choses whom he loves. On the feast of Apostle Matthias, who was chosen to take the place of Judas who killed himself after betraying Jesus, the Church gives for our reflection the theme of love and choice. It takes us to the heart of Christian life. The Gospel first speaks to us of the commandment, the only commandment: “that you love one another as I have loved you”. But, can love be a commandment, a law, or an order? Can we be commanded to love? In reality, love is something that comes from within a person and it cannot be ordered or commanded. In the military, the commanders give orders and the subordinates obey. The same thing happens at a workplace – the employers give orders to the employees. But no one can order us to feel what we have to feel!

God who is love, created us in love, to live and to remain in his love. That is why the Gospel is categorical: “Remain in my love.” We have not totally understood the source of our lives and love. And love of God is manifested only through one’s love of one another.

God loves and cares for us. From that experience, our own love, our capacity to love and to give life to those around us, spring forth. It is something similar to trying to convince someone that not going to Mass on Sundays is a sin. It is much better to invite them to come to our community, to make them enjoy the celebration of the Eucharist with songs, with brotherhood, with the encounter with Jesus. It is possible that he or she will come back. But if we threaten with sin, it is very easy for them to turn away.

With love, something similar happens. Love cannot be demanded or forced. If you want to have more members coming to your Church community, make them feel loved and welcomed. If you find members of the Church not coming to the Church anymore, do not blame them, instead do an introspection to see if your behaviour has driven them away from the Church. In practice, this is what it means to be a Christian.

For your reflection

What concrete and practical signs do I have of that love of God? Is it possible that the love I receive from those around me is the best sign of God’s love? How do I transmit that love of God to those around me?