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To take up the cross of Christ is no great action done once for all; it consists in the continual practice of small duties which are distasteful to us.
... John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890), Parochial Sermons, v. 1
(Be alert
for opportunities to make small, unnoticed acts of love this day.) |
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Acts 20:28-38; PS 68:29-30, 33-35a,
35bc-36ab Jn 17:11b-19 Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying:
“Holy Father, keep them in your name
that you have given
me,
so that they may be one just as we are one.
When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me,
and I guarded them, and none of them was lost
except the son of
destruction,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
But now I am coming to you.
I speak this in the world
so that they may share my joy completely.
I gave them your word, and the world hated them,
because they do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world
but that you keep them from the Evil One.
They do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
Consecrate them in the truth.
Your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
so I sent them into the world.
And I consecrate myself for them,
so that they also may be consecrated
in truth.” USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture |
“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.” —John
16:12 “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to guard them from the evil one.” —John 17:15 Savage wolves will come from within the Church (Acts 20:29) to distort the truth and lead astray “any who follow them” (Acts 20:30). As part of the persecution from these savage wolves, we will have
to contend with the hatred of the world (Jn 17:14) and the rage of the devil against us (see Rv 12:12; 1 Pt 5:8).
Prayer: Father, though a thousand fall at my side (Ps 91:7), may I stand protected, untouched, safe, and saved.
Promise: “You need to recall the words of the Lord Jesus Himself, Who said,
‘There is more happiness in giving than receiving.’ ” —Acts 20:35 Presentation Ministries
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-Readings from Jesus Alive in Our Lives, by Philip St. Romain. Ave Maria Press, 1985. Contemplative Ministries, Inc. 2011. Part One, Chapter 6: Meaning in Life and History - Selected
quotes It is tremendously edifying to note the manner in which universal principles mold human behavior. Even when severed from a specifically religious context, love, beauty, truth, and justice hold an attraction that has ennobled many a person for living by their demands.
Unfortunately, the abstract nature of these principles leaves them open to a wide range of interpretation. “What is truth?” Pilate asked Jesus. Philosophers through the ages have wondered the same. And what in the world do we mean by love? Did Marx outline the shape of the just society, or did Adam Smith and Plato? Is beauty merely “in the eyes of the beholder”? What do we mean by truth, love, justice and beauty? In Jesus Christ, universal principles become focused and defined more clearly. In him, beauty, truth, love and justice take on a new meaning. If we believe that the resurrection signifies God’s affirmation of Jesus’ life and teaching, we would do well to consider his
values for living. Paperback and eBook versions
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