Second Week of Easter
22nd April 2023 (Saturday) Readings and Reflection
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Acts 6:1-7
Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19
R/. May your merciful love be upon us, as we hope in you, O Lord Or: Alleluia.
Gospel : John 6:16-21
16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
Daily Gospel Reflection
The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}
Main Theme: Do not be afraid!
Indicative: The journey of faith is not smooth sailing. There will be strong winds blowing against. But nothing to worry about! The Lord comes to us{alertSuccess}
1. What a sense of clarity of priorities the Apostles had! They knew what was their priority. Prayer and ministry of the Word are more important than serving at the table. We do not undermine the value of serving at table because it is a concrete expression of fraternal communion and sharing. However, it should not lead to neglecting the word of God.
2. Perhaps, this is one main thing lacking in the present-day Church. There is an acute lack of clarity of priorities. Whether it is the lay faithful or consecrated ministers of God, often there is a lot of confusion and distortion of concerns and priorities.
3. Consequently, often secular interests, worldly preoccupations, and organisational and administrative concerns take the upper hand over spiritual concerns and animation of faith and communities.
4. That is why a great amount of time, money and energy is spent on organising different activities, conducting monetary transactions and supervising material tasks, rather than building, renewing and reinforcing the interior spirit, faith and family relationships.
5. The wisdom of the Apostles must dawn on each one, saying, “It is not right to neglect the word of God and prayer to serve at the table”.
6. It is also a call for living a synodal church. The Apostles do not monopolise the whole authority by themselves. They are not scared to “decentralise” and “delegate” their authority. Instead, they happily appoint seven deacons to serve at the table.
7. What is notable is: though serving at the table is subservient to the higher priority of the Ministry of the Word, it is not of less value. It is also a great “spiritual” ministry. That is why, it too needed men of the Spirit, faith and wisdom.
8. This indicates that every ministry in the church is spiritual and valuable. There is nothing strictly material and spiritual. All are sacred. There should not be any despising and dominating attitude. Instead, there should be an atmosphere of mutual respect and collaboration.
9. Finally, in our synodal journey. we should be prepared to face some storms and unfavourable situations. These may be in the form of misunderstandings and conflicts between the Hellenistic and Jewish Christians as in the first reading.
10. Or, these may be in the form of strong winds of problems and challenges as in the gospel. There is every possibility to be afraid. It is in such moments we shall hear the assuring voice of the Lord, “It is I. Do not be afraid”.
Imperative: When the Lord is with us, our fear will subside, the storms against our sailing will subside, and we will arrive at the shore safely. All that is needed is clarity, wisdom, surrender and commitment{alertSuccess}