Meditation on May 8, 2016 readings

Meditation on May 8, 2016 readings

 

Direct link to Audio File : Meditation on May 8, 2016 readings

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

Reading 1 Acts 1:1-11

In the first book, Theophilus,
I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
until the day he was taken up,
after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit
to the apostles whom he had chosen.
He presented himself alive to them
by many proofs after he had suffered,
appearing to them during forty days
and speaking about the kingdom of God.
While meeting with them,
he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,
but to wait for “the promise of the Father
about which you have heard me speak;
for John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”When they had gathered together they asked him,
“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons
that the Father has established by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.”
When he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
They said, “Men of Galilee,
why are you standing there looking at the sky?
This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven
will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9

R. (6) God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 Eph 1:17-23

Brothers and sisters:
May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation
resulting in knowledge of him.
May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call,
what are the riches of glory
in his inheritance among the holy ones,
and what is the surpassing greatness of his power
for us who believe,
in accord with the exercise of his great might:
which he worked in Christ,
raising him from the dead
and seating him at his right hand in the heavens,
far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion,
and every name that is named
not only in this age but also in the one to come.
And he put all things beneath his feet
and gave him as head over all things to the church,
which is his body,
the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.

or Heb 9:24-28; 10:19-23

Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands,
a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,
that he might now appear before God on our behalf.
Not that he might offer himself repeatedly,
as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary
with blood that is not his own;
if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly
from the foundation of the world.
But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages
to take away sin by his sacrifice.
Just as it is appointed that men and women die once,
and after this the judgment, so also Christ,
offered once to take away the sins of many,
will appear a second time, not to take away sin
but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since through the blood of Jesus
we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary
by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil,
that is, his flesh,
and since we have Aa great priest over the house of God, “
let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust,
with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience
and our bodies washed in pure water.
Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope,
for he who made the promise is trustworthy.

Alleluia Mt 28:19a, 20b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Go and teach all nations, says the Lord;
I am with you always, until the end of the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 24:46-53

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.
And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you;
but stay in the city
until you are clothed with power from on high.”Then he led them out as far as Bethany,
raised his hands, and blessed them.
As he blessed them he parted from them
and was taken up to heaven.
They did him homage
and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
and they were continually in the temple praising God.

From Our Pastor ~ May 8, 2016

From Our Pastor ~ May 8, 2016

Dear Good People of Saint Mary,

Happy Ascension Thursday Sunday! Every year we find ourselves asked about this confusing combination of feasts, just when you think everyone has it figured out. So, for those who asked again this year, here is the explanation.

Although Ascension Thursday has traditionally been celebrated 40 days after the Resurrection of Jesus and nine days before Pentecost (hence, the novena), Ascension Thursday had become one of the least-attended holy days of obligation of the whole year. Not sure why—maybe following all the big feasts of Easter, perhaps people are starting to get busy on spring weekends. At any rate, a local calendar of holy days is determined by the local conference of bishops (for us, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops), and the Church is not allowed to impose an “arbitrary” law that will cause so many of the faithful to sin gravely. The Conference transferred the obligation to the nearest Sunday, therefore, when the observance now is celebrated by a majority of dioceses in the United States.

The Diocese of Arlington has done this for ten years, now. But one of the things that I’ve struggled with is the fact that, with the readings for the Ascension of the Lord now read on what was the Seventh Sunday of Easter, those Seventh Sunday readings will never be read again. For me, who have dedicated so much of my life to Christian Unity, to lose the text of John 17:20-27 is nothing short of tragic in the life of the Church. For that reason, last weekend, we used the option of including those readings instead of those for the Sixth Sunday.

I was surprised to hear the number of people who came up to me after Mass and said that they had never heard that prayer before.

You see, the Gospel of John relates a very long prayer (the so-called “high-priestly prayer” of Jesus) in the time following the Last Supper and the institution of Eucharist. In the characteristic style of Saint John, it tends to go on for a while, repeating a lot, with language that seems to intertwine. Many find it difficult to read. If you imagine the anguish of Jesus in the garden, the anticipation of coming horror, you can almost read it as a direct narrative of what might have been the words that John heard Jesus, troubled, praying from nearby. Maybe John wasn’t actually the one sleeping at this moment after all. His words come in short bursts; imagine them with great pauses, anxious breathing, periods of silence waiting for a response from the Father.

Jesus picks this moment, after Eucharist and before Calvary and the Empty Tomb, to pray for us and the Unity that he wills for us. A unity that he begs the Father for, and Jesus knows how to pray and his will is perfectly aligned with the Father. He prays that we might be one:

“I pray not only for them (his Apostles), butalso for those who will believe in me through their word (that’s us), so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.

“And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me.

“Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world.  Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me.

“I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.”

Imagine a reading this beautiful that people might have never heard before. I hope that if this the first time you hear it, you can recognize the love and longing in the voice of Jesus as he prays for you, for us, on that last night he was on this earth, living in the midst of the Paschal Mystery, between Table and Cross. That his prayer is that we might be One, a prayer that must certainly be possible through the Spirit of him and the Father. For so many of us, it is exactly this text that has gotten us so involved in the ecumenical movement. It must be heard. Like the Our  Father, maybe we should memorize this one and pray it everyday!

God bless you.

Fr. Don

March 8, 2015
Express Announcements ~ May 8, 2016

Express Announcements ~ May 8, 2016

* A special Evening Prayer (Vespers) for Pentecost will be celebrated next weekend following the 7:01pm Sunday Mass, May 15. Join us for a beautiful solemn Vespers led by our youth choir as we close the Easter Season and return to Ordinary Time.

* Fredericksburg’s annual observance of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is hosted this year by Christ Lutheran Church, Monday, May 16 at 7pm (two blocks from Saint Mary on Augustine Street). Please join our city’s prayer.

* Join us next week for the Taizé Prayer Service on Monday, May 9 at 8:15pm. For over nine years we have met each month to pray for Christian unity in our community and the world. All Christians are invited!

* We will have so mulch fun on Tuesday, May 17, starting at 5:30pm behind the Parish Life Center as we have our spring mulch event, followed by pizza and age-appropriate beverages! Looking for a family service night? This is perfect. Bring your tools (wheelbarrows, especially). Thanks so mulch!

* Join us Saturday, May 14, from 12:30–3pm and learn about building healthy self-esteem. Open to teenagers and all interested adults, ministry leaders, all involved in leading our youth. RSVP needed, please see p. 8.

* The “Believe Group” is a new Health Ministry discussion group for those facing a cancer diagnosis and for those sharing this experience with a loved one. Our first meeting will be Sunday, May 15 from 9:30-11:30am in the Courtyard Meeting Room, see page 8 for details.

* Mark your calendars: Our PARISH PICNIC at Holy Cross Academy is Sunday, June 12 in the afternoon.

* Click here for Mass, Confession and Devotions Schedules

Meditation on May 1, 2016 readings

Meditation on May 1, 2016 readings

 

Direct Link to Audio file: Meditation on May 1, 2016 readings

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Reading 1 Acts 15:1-2, 22-29

Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers,
“Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice,
you cannot be saved.”
Because there arose no little dissension and debate
by Paul and Barnabas with them,
it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others
should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders
about this question.The apostles and elders, in agreement with the whole church,
decided to choose representatives
and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas,
and Silas, leaders among the brothers.
This is the letter delivered by them:“The apostles and the elders, your brothers,
to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia
of Gentile origin: greetings.
Since we have heard that some of our number
who went out without any mandate from us
have upset you with their teachings
and disturbed your peace of mind,
we have with one accord decided to choose representatives
and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So we are sending Judas and Silas
who will also convey this same message by word of mouth:
‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,
namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols,
from blood, from meats of strangled animals,
and from unlawful marriage.
If you keep free of these,
you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8

R. (4) O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you!
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 Rev 22:12-14, 16-17, 20

I, John, heard a voice saying to me:
“Behold, I am coming soon.
I bring with me the recompense I will give to each
according to his deeds.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last,
the beginning and the end.”

Blessed are they who wash their robes
so as to have the right to the tree of life
and enter the city through its gates.

“I, Jesus, sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.
I am the root and offspring of David,
the bright morning star.”

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”
Let the hearer say, “Come.”
Let the one who thirsts come forward,
and the one who wants it receive the gift of life-giving water.

The one who gives this testimony says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

Alleluia Cf. Jn 14:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord.
I will come back to you, and your hearts will rejoice.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 17:20-26

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
“Holy Father, I pray not only for them,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
so that they may all be one,
as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that they also may be in us,
that the world may believe that you sent me.
And I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me,
that they may be brought to perfection as one,
that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.
Father, they are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
I made known to them your name and I will make it known,
that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them.”