Wednesday April 28

Fourth Week OF Easter

 

CHRIST OUR LIGHT — ETERNAL LIFE

 

Introduction

“I came not to judge the world but to save the world,” says Jesus to us today. What he came to bring us is life, life without end, eternal life. He comes as light in our world. If we believe in him, we come to see in his light where we lack love that moves the world, where our sense of justice is only half-hearted. In his light, we learn to see how we can serve one another and become rich and mature as human beings. Then we too become small lights that bring a bit of light and warmth in our cold world.

 

Opening Prayer

Lord, our God,
through your Son, Jesus Christ
you assure us that he came
not to condemn us but to bring us life,
a life worth living,
a life that is rich and refreshing us and our world
with love and a spirit of service.
Let Jesus stay with us
as the light in which we see
all that is good and worth living for
and let us share in his life that has no end.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.

 

Reading 1: Acts 12:24—13:5a

But the word of God continued to spread and grow. Barnabas and Saul completed their relief mission, they returned to Jerusalem, taking with them John, who is called Mark.

Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who was a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, completing their fasting and prayer, they laid hands on them and sent them off.

So they, sent forth by the holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived in Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. They had John also as their assistant.

 

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6 and 8

O God, let all the nations praise you!

May God be gracious to us and bless us;

may his face shine upon us.

So shall your way be known upon the earth,

your victory among all the nations.

O God, let all the nations praise you!

May the nations be glad and rejoice;

for you judge the peoples with fairness,

you guide the nations upon the earth.

O God, let all the nations praise you!

May the peoples praise you, God;

may all the peoples praise you!

O God, let all the nations praise you!

May God bless us still;

that the ends of the earth may revere him.

O God, let all the nations praise you!

 

Gospel: Jn 12:44-50

Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world. Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day, because I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak.And I know that his commandment is eternal life. So what I say, I say as the Father told me.”

 

Intercessions

–                   That young churches may also be willing to send missionaries to people who do not yet enjoy the light of Christ, we pray:

–                   That people who live with uncertainty and in the darkness of fear and suffering may see the light of Christ bring them relief and strength, we pray:

–                   That all of us in this community may be at least pale reflections of the light of Christ, we pray:

 

Prayer over the Gifts

Eternal Father,
we have not to wait for the end
of our pilgrimage on earth
to enjoy the happiness of eternal life.
As we will eat the body of Jesus
and drink his blood of strength,
make the life of Jesus grow in us
and blossom forth into eternal life.
Fulfill in us this promise
given us by Jesus Christ, our Lord.

 

Prayer after Communion

God, Father of all,
the zeal of your missionaries
won many people for the young Church.
May the Word proclaimed to us
never leave us indifferent,
but help us to grow in the knowledge
and even more in the love of your Son,
and of you, our living God
and Father, forever and ever.

 

Blessing

Blessed are we that we do not live in the dark. We may still have questions, we do not understand everything about our faith, but we know the person of Christ and we believe in him. May his light shine brightly on us, and may Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Commentary

Today we come to the end of what is called the “Book of Signs” (chaps 1-12) of John’s gospel. Through these signs – seven of them – Jesus clearly indicated who he is and what his mission is.

Today’s passage is a summary of all that has been said in the previous chapters. The text says that Jesus “cried out” – giving extra emphasis to what he is proclaiming. They would be words addressed to no one in particular and reflecting no particular context. Effectively, they summed up the essence of Jesus’ teaching. Their intended audience was the members of the community of believers of the author of the Gospel.

Very often, the narrative had spoken of the mission of Jesus as to reveal – the Father to the world. Jesus was the Word of God, the revelation of the mysterious God, in human form – he is the only reliable way by which God could be truly known. To believe in Jesus was to believe in the Father. It implies that there is also a personal commitment to Jesus and to his mission.

As the revelation of the mystery of God, Jesus enabled people to see in him, the divine love of God. He was the light, both illuminating the mystery of God and at the same time destroying the competitive and violent selfishness of the world, which John the evangelist described as the dark: the destructive energies of those who love themselves more than anything else.

As he has said before, Jesus is a light taking away the darkness with which we are surrounded. He has come to bring salvation, to bring wholeness to the world, and not to condemn it. Yet, the ‘word’ of Jesus is a challenge. It offers us a way of living and relating with God, with others, and with ourselves. If we choose another way we have only ourselves to blame when our lives go downhill. But Jesus is always there to lift us up. Indeed, salvation is a two-way process. God offers it to us but does not force it on us.

The God who created you without your consent, but cannot save you without your consent. Therefore, once again the imperative is to listen to the Word and live by his Word.