Thursday May 13

SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER

 

SORROW WILL TURN INTO JOY

                                                  

Introduction

Many people are lamenting because they do not feel the presence of God, particularly in moments of deep sorrow. At the occasion of the death of a beloved person one hears often: “Where is God now? He has deserted us!” It was a thought that many Jews expressed during the “Shoah” (holocaust, literally “destruction,”). Yet, some tenaciously held on to God, saying that it was God who suffered there at the hands of people.

 

Opening Prayer

Lord, our God,
when we suffer deeply
we tend to cry out:
“My God, where are you?”
Give to us, people who believe
that your Son died for us
and by your power rose from the dead,
a faith deep and strong enough
to know that you are with us
also in the difficulties and woes of life,
even in the throes of death.
Give us this faith,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Reading 1: ACTS 18:1-8

Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus,
who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla
because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome.
He went to visit them and, because he practiced the same trade,
stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade.
Every sabbath, he entered into discussions in the synagogue,
attempting to convince both Jews and Greeks.

When Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia,
Paul began to occupy himself totally with preaching the word,
testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.
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.
Crispus, the synagogue official, came to believe in the Lord
along with his entire household, and many of the Corinthians
who heard believed and were baptized.

 

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 98:1, 2-3AB, 3CD-4

(see 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
or:
R.Alleluia.

 

Alleluia: JN 14:18

Alleluia, alleluia.
I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord;
I will not come back to you, and your hearts will rejoice.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: JN 16:16-20

Jesus said to his disciples:
“A little while and you will no longer see me,
and again a little while later and you will see me.”
So some of his disciples said to one another,
“What does this mean that he is saying to us,
‘A little while and you will not see me,
and again a little while and you will see me,’
and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”
So they said, “What is this ‘little while’ of which he speaks?
We do not know what he means.”
Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them,
“Are you discussing with one another what I said,
‘A little while and you will not see me,
and again a little while and you will see me’?
Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.”

 

Intercessions

–   For those responsible for the earth, that the Spirit may guide them to respect God’s work of creation, its beauty and integrity, we pray:

–   For people facing death, that their hope in the resurrection may assure them that God will give them everlasting life, we pray:

–   For those who suffer, that they may know that God knows and that the Spirit may turn their pain into joy, we pray:

 

Prayer over the gifts

Our living and loving God,
when the people you had made your own
marched through the inhospitable desert,
you were there with them
and you gave them the manna to eat.
Keep us from complaining and murmuring
when the difficulties of life come our way.
Nourish us in our deserts with today’s manna,
with the body and blood of your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.

 

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
do not take it amiss when we cry out to you
in the deserts of our pains and loneliness.
Keep strengthening us with the food
and the drink of joy of Jesus.
And make us see your presence also
in the good people around us,
in their words of consolation and hope.
Reassure us that you lead us
to a joy and a happiness
to which there is no end.
Grant us this through Christ, our Lord.

 

Blessing

As Christians, we are in our journey to God. At times, we are in the dark even if we do our best to make the way of Christ our way. But, we trust God to give us the Spirit to keep us going and to guide us to our goal in life. May God bless you, that Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Commentary

The Church celebrates the 104th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady to three children in Fatima. The Message of Fatima is still relevant for today’s world and the Church – to pray for the conversion of the world and for world peace.

Today’s Gospel leaves us with some mysterious words of Jesus: “In a little while you will no longer see me, and in a little while you will see me again”. The first part seems to mean sadness for the disciples but the reunion will bring them joy again.

Jesus was certainly going to disappear and that would lead the disciples to feel the sadness of separation, of the loss of someone they love. But the promise is the joy that awaits the disciples: you will see me again.

“Seeing” can be done in many ways. There are those who, in spite of having their eyes open, do not see or understand anything. And there are those who even with their eyes closed see and understand everything. We believe that Jesus is present not only in the Eucharist but also where there are two or three gathered in his name. And he is present in the poor, the needy, the marginalized, the sick.

There are people who are able to see beyond what can be perceived or touched and discover signs of hope, of life, of God’s presence, while others are only able to see darkness and despair. They are people who have the light, the love of God, within their hearts and that is why they see what others do not see. They are able to illuminate, to live in joy. They see Jesus walking with us, they feel his presence in the poor, in the sad, in those who live in despair. And his presence brings light and hope to all.

Let us ask Jesus on this day to give us that other way of seeing, to enlighten us from within so that we may discover his presence close to us, so that we may be able to light up hope in our hearts and communicate it to those we meet along the way. We do not see Jesus physically but if we open our eyes, we will find him by our side, because he does not leave us alone. And the joy that will fill us will become contagious. And we will be a light for those around us.