Mass Readings—Thursday of the Second Week of Easter
The Acts of the Apostles, chapter five, verses twenty-seven thru thirty-three;
Psalm Thirty-four (R/. seven[a]; or "Alleluia"), verses two & nine, seventeen & eighteen, & nineteen & twenty;
The Gospel according to John, chapter three, verses thirty-one thru thirty-six.
Commentary: Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, today’s Gospel declares that the Son of God does not ration his gift of the Spirit. At the cathedral in Chartres, the figure of Jesus is surrounded by seven doves, symbolizing these seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. The Messiah will be filled up with all of the powers and energies of God’s Spirit.Video reflection by Deacon Clarence McDavid (U.S.C. of Catholic Bishops): Paschal Reflection.
These seven gifts have played a prominent role in our tradition, appearing in theologians as diverse as Gregory the Great, Augustine, and Thomas Aquinas. These gifts are signs that the Christian is participating in Jesus Christ. In holding up this image, therefore, the Church is asking us to meditate on the people that we are called to be: participants in Jesus.
How does one come by these gifts? We can’t really earn them or work our way toward them. But they do come from Jesus Christ, and therefore from our proximity to him through the Church and the sacraments. As we wait in joyful hope for the coming of the Lord, pray for the conformity to him which consists in the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Video reflection by Curtis Mitch (St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology): Paschal Reflection.
Papal Quote o' the Day
"May prayers give wings to work, purify intentions, & be a defense against the longings of materialism. And may work in its turn lead to the refreshing encounter with God in which humanity rediscovers its primordial vocation & the true meaning of its existence."Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast: 22 October)
"We all have a part to play in God's glorious plans. Even if you write a letter for a blind man, or just sit & listen to someone, or you take the mail for him, & you visit somebody or bring a flower to somebody, or wash clothes for somebody or clean the house—small things, but these are great things in the eyes of God."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)
"But above all preserve peace of heart. This is more valuable than any tresure. In order to preserve it there is nothing more useful than renouncing your own will & substitutiong for it the will of the Divine Heart. In this way His will can carry out for us whatever contributes to His glory, & we will be happy to be His subjects & to trust entirely in Him."Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day
—St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, V.H.M. (1647-1690, feast: 16 October)
"We've almost gotten away from the concept of sacrificial love in our modern world. We succumb to Jesus Christ Superstar & rejoice & sing songs to someone attired in Reynolds Wrap, to make him forget that he's dying without a resurrection. So we teach our young that He's a superstar. Superstar; Who's a star? Someone who has a star over his dressing room door; the communications media are mad about him. Our Blessed Lord had no star over His dressing room door. He was driven out of a city, out to a garbage heap & there crucified. Thomas did not want this superstar, he said, 'Unless I can put my finger into His hand & put my hand into His side I will not believe.' I want a God who goes to death. 'For greater love than this no man hath.' What Thomas wanted was not Christ the superstar but a super scar."
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
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