First reading Acts 22:30,23:6-11
‘You have borne witness in Jerusalem: now you must do the same in Rome’
Since the tribune wanted to know what precise charge the Jews were bringing, he freed Paul and gave orders for a meeting of the chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin; then he brought Paul down and stood him in front of them. Now Paul was well aware that one section was made up of Sadducees and the other of Pharisees, so he called out in the Sanhedrin, ‘Brothers, I am a Pharisee and the son of Pharisees. It is for our hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.’ As soon as he said this a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was split between the two parties. For the Sadducees say there is neither resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, while the Pharisees accept all three. The shouting grew louder, and some of the scribes from the Pharisees’ party stood up and protested strongly, ‘We find nothing wrong with this man. Suppose a spirit has spoken to him, or an angel?’ Feeling was running high, and the tribune, afraid that they would tear Paul to pieces, ordered his troops to go down and haul him out and bring him into the fortress.
Next night, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Courage! You have borne witness for me in Jerusalem, now you must do the same in Rome.’
Responsorial Psalm 15(16):1-2,5,7-11
Preserve me, Lord, I take refuge in you.
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.
I say to the Lord: ‘You are my God.
O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup;
it is you yourself who are my prize.’
I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel,
who even at night directs my heart.
I keep the Lord ever in my sight:
since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.
And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad;
even my body shall rest in safety.
For you will not leave my soul among the dead,
nor let your beloved know decay.
You will show me the path of life,
the fullness of joy in your presence,
at your right hand happiness for ever.
Gospel John 17:20-26
Father, may they be completely one
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:
‘Holy Father,
I pray not only for these,
but for those also
who through their words will believe in me.
May they all be one.
Father, may they be one in us,
as you are in me and I am in you,
so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.
I have given them the glory you gave to me,
that they may be one as we are one.
With me in them and you in me,
may they be so completely one
that the world will realise that it was you who sent me
and that I have loved them as much as you loved me.
Father, I want those you have given me
to be with me where I am,
so that they may always see the glory you have given me
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Father, Righteous One,
the world has not known you,
but I have known you,
and these have known that you have sent me.
I have made your name known to them
and will continue to make it known,
so that the love with which you loved me may be in them,
and so that I may be in them.’
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May they all be one
“May they all be one”. Jesus desires that we may all be united, not
divided. The challenging question that we need to ask ourselves is: Do
we also yearn for unity, peace, and harmony? Jesus wants all of us to
be at peace with one another. Do we? We need to be aware that the first
step towards working for unity is to acknowledge that the other person
is a child of God created in His love and a fellow brother and sister of
ours. Often, we build walls because we struggle to welcome, embrace
and celebrate the differences in others and instead, we become
intolerant of others who are different from us in any way.
divided. The challenging question that we need to ask ourselves is: Do
we also yearn for unity, peace, and harmony? Jesus wants all of us to
be at peace with one another. Do we? We need to be aware that the first
step towards working for unity is to acknowledge that the other person
is a child of God created in His love and a fellow brother and sister of
ours. Often, we build walls because we struggle to welcome, embrace
and celebrate the differences in others and instead, we become
intolerant of others who are different from us in any way.
Today, let us listen to Jesus as He tells us, “May you, your family, your
faith community, your friends…be one in love”. Jesus counts on us to
start breaking down the walls that divide us and build bridges that unite
so that we can play our part in making the world a better place for all.
faith community, your friends…be one in love”. Jesus counts on us to
start breaking down the walls that divide us and build bridges that unite
so that we can play our part in making the world a better place for all.
Question for reflection:
Is there someone I struggle to be in a communion of love and harmony?
Is there someone I struggle to be in a communion of love and harmony?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
