Fourth Week of Easter
05th May 2023 (Friday) Readings and Reflection
Reading of the Day
First Reading: ACTS 13. 26-33
26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’
Psalm 2:6-7, 8-9, 10-11ab
R/. You are my son. It is I who have begotten you this day Or: Alleluia.
Gospel : JOHN 14. 1-6
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Daily Gospel Reflection
The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}
Main Theme: Fidelity to the Basics!
Indicative: We are all destined to be with the Father in the Father’s house. And it is only through Jesus, we understand and learn the truth, know and walk the way, and live new life and receive eternal life. It is because Jesus is the “Way, the Truth and the Life”{alertSuccess}
1. As humans, every now and then, our hearts will be troubled. The reasons can be varied. Especially, the sense of absence of God, desolation and dryness in our personal and spiritual life can disturb and dissipate us.
2. Jesus was preparing his disciples for the moments of his physical separation from them. How to face such a situation of absence and lack of accompaniment? Jesus gives the answer as well: Have faith in God and in him.
3. So, trust that his separation is only temporary. He will come to them soon. He will take them to be with him forever. He consoles them with many assuring phrases: “In my Father’s house, there are many dwelling places”. “I will prepare a place for you”. “Where I am, you also will be”.
4. In Jesus, we have the assurance of eternal life in eternal communion with him. This also indicates that we are people destined for something higher and beyond the earthly. So we need to always raise our sight from earth-boundedness to heaven-directedness.
5. If we live with him now, we will live with him forever. If we follow him now, we will follow him to eternity. We need to entrust ourselves to him. We must walk his way, abide by his truth, and live his life. This is the call for us from Jesus’ declaration, “I am the way, the truth and the life”. Paul and the other apostles did this through their preaching and testimony.
Imperative: Many times, many get deviated, fall into falsity and live a culture of death. The only antidote is to live Jesus who is the way, the truth and the life{alertSuccess}