Inspiration Daily

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Reading 1 Acts 13:13-25

From Paphos, Paul and his companions
set sail and arrived at Perga in Pamphylia.
But John left them and returned to Jerusalem.
They continued on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia.
On the sabbath they entered into the synagogue and took their seats.
After the reading of the law and the prophets,
the synagogue officials sent word to them,
“My brothers, if one of you has a word of exhortation
for the people, please speak.”

So Paul got up, motioned with his hand, and said,
“Fellow children of Israel and you others who are God-fearing, listen.
The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors
and exalted the people during their sojourn in the land of Egypt.
With uplifted arm he led them out,
and for about forty years he put up with them in the desert.
When he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan,
he gave them their land as an inheritance
at the end of about four hundred and fifty years.
After these things he provided judges up to Samuel the prophet.
Then they asked for a king.
God gave them Saul, son of Kish,
a man from the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
Then he removed him and raised up David as their king;
of him he testified,
I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;
he will carry out my every wish.

From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise,
has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.
John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance
to all the people of Israel;
and as John was completing his course, he would say,
‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he.
Behold, one is coming after me;
I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.'”

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 89:2-3, 21-22, 25 and 27

R.(2) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The favors of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”;
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
That my hand may be always with him,
and that my arm may make him strong.”
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him,
and through my name shall his horn be exalted.
He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.'”
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia See Revelation 1:5ab

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus Christ, you are the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead,
you have loved us and freed us from our sins by your Blood.
R. Alleluia, alleluia

Gospel John 13:16-20

When Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, he said to them:
“Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master
nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him.
If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.
I am not speaking of all of you.
I know those whom I have chosen.
But so that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
The one who ate my food has raised his heel against me.
From now on I am telling you before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe that I AM.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send
receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

 

– – –

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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The Model of Holiness / El modelo de santidad

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One of the most beautiful parts of our wedding day was when we washed each other’s feet at the reception. This has become a pretty common thing in Catholic circles and we wanted to show each other that we would be willing to serve. More than that though, we really did it for all of the people who came to our reception. We knew that many of them did not believe in a sacramental view of marriage, since some were not even Christian or weren’t practicing a specific religion. So we did this as a witness to others of what marriage should be. 

In the Gospel today we see Jesus giving this witness. Way before we had the idea, Jesus sat His disciples down and showed them through this action what it meant to lead and what it meant to serve. Have you ever looked at a beautiful stained glass window for any length of time? I used to work at a small little church out in the middle of nowhere that had the most beautiful stained glass. When the light hit the glass it would illuminate the story being told. Images do that for us. They let our imagination come alive. 

All throughout our Catholic tradition we have people who were models for us in the faith. We even call Mary the living icon of the Church because she reflects the love of her Son to the world. But in today’s Gospel we see Jesus as the model. Unlike holy sacramentals like statues, candles, and stained glass, Jesus is both an image of what to do, and the One who helps us do it. 

This is why Scripture is clear that He is the sacrifice and the priest all rolled into one. In the Alleluia verse for today we even hear that Jesus is a faithful witness but also the sacrifice who freed us from sin. 

Here in this 4th week of Easter, let’s take a step back and reflect on the past few weeks. Have we allowed God to be the example we need? Have we allowed His love to enter into our hearts? Have we allowed His sacrifice to change us and cleanse us? Stained glass will only have an effect on us if we look at it. Are you looking at Jesus to learn from His example and also thanking Him for giving you the grace to follow Him? Am I?

From all of us here at Diocesan, God bless!

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Uno de los momentos más hermosos de nuestro día de bodas fue cuando mi esposa y yo lavamos los pies el uno al otro durante la recepción. Esto se ha convertido en algo bastante común en los círculos católicos y queríamos demostrarnos mutuamente que estaríamos dispuestos a servir. Pero más que eso, realmente lo hicimos por todas las personas que vinieron a la recepción. Sabíamos que muchos de ellos no creían en una visión sacramental del matrimonio, ya que algunos ni siquiera eran cristianos o no practicaban una religión específica. Así que lo hicimos como un testimonio para otros de lo que debería ser el matrimonio.

En el Evangelio de hoy vemos a Jesús dando este testimonio. Mucho antes de que tuviéramos la idea, Jesús sentó a sus discípulos y les mostró a través de esta acción lo que significaba guiar y lo que significaba servir. ¿Alguna vez te has detenido a mirar un hermoso vitral? Antes trabajaba en una iglesia pequeña en una área remota que tenía unos vitrales muy hermosos. Cuando la luz golpeaba el vidrio, iluminaba la historia que se contaba. Eso es lo que hacen las imágenes. Hacen despertar a la imaginación.

Dentro de toda la tradición católica tenemos personas que fueron modelos en la fe. Incluso llamamos a María el icono viviente de la Iglesia porque refleja el amor de su Hijo al mundo. Pero en el Evangelio de hoy vemos a Jesús como el modelo. A diferencia de los sacramentales sagrados como las estatuas, las velas y los vitrales, Jesús es a la vez una imagen de lo que debemos hacer y Aquel que nos ayuda a hacerlo.

Por eso la Escritura es clara en que Jesús es ambos el sacrificio y el sacerdote, los dos en uno. Incluso en la Aclamación antes del Evangelio de hoy escuchamos que Jesús es un testigo fiel, pero también el sacrificio que nos liberó del pecado. 

En esta cuarta semana de Pascua, demos un paso atrás y reflexionemos sobre las últimas semanas. ¿Hemos permitido que Dios sea el ejemplo que necesitamos? ¿Hemos permitido que Su amor entre en nuestros corazones? ¿Hemos permitido que Su sacrificio nos cambie y nos limpie? Los vitrales sólo tendrán un efecto dentro de nosotros si los miramos. ¿Estás mirando a Jesús para aprender de su ejemplo y también agradeciéndole por darte la gracia de seguirlo? ¿Lo estoy haciendo yo también?

De parte de todos nosotros aquí en Diocesan, ¡Dios te bendiga!

Comunicarse con el autor

Tommy Shultz is a Business Development Representative for Diocesan. In this role he is committed to bringing the best software to dioceses and parishes while helping them evangelize on the digital continent. Tommy has worked in various diocese and parish roles since his graduation from Franciscan University with a Theology degree. He hopes to use his skills in evangelization, marketing, and communications, to serve the Church and bring the Good News to all. His favorite quote comes from St. John Paul II, who said, “A person is an entity of a sort to which the only proper and adequate way to relate is love.”

Feature Image Credit: Mateus Campos Felipe, unsplash.com/photos/religious-stained-glass-yZu0dWSplXM

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