First reading Acts 14:19-28
They gave an account of how God had opened the door of faith to the pagans
Some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium, and turned the people against the apostles. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the town, thinking he was dead. The disciples came crowding round him but, as they did so, he stood up and went back to the town. The next day he and Barnabas went off to Derbe.
Having preached the Good News in that town and made a considerable number of disciples, they went back through Lystra and Iconium to Antioch. They put fresh heart into the disciples, encouraging them to persevere in the faith. ‘We all have to experience many hardships’ they said ‘before we enter the kingdom of God.’ In each of these churches they appointed elders, and with prayer and fasting they commended them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.
They passed through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia. Then after proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia and from there sailed for Antioch, where they had originally been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.
On their arrival they assembled the church and gave an account of all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith to the pagans. They stayed there with the disciples for some time.
Responsorial Psalm 144(145):10-13a,21
Your friends, O Lord, shall make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
or
Alleluia!
All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign
and declare your might, O God,
to make known to men your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendour of your reign.
Yours is an everlasting kingdom;
your rule lasts from age to age.
Let me speak the praise of the Lord,
let all mankind bless his holy name
for ever, for ages unending.
Gospel John 14:27-31
A peace the world cannot give is my gift to you
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you,
a peace the world cannot give,
this is my gift to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me say: I am going away, and shall return.
If you loved me you would have been glad to know that I am going to the Father,
for the Father is greater than I.
I have told you this now before it happens,
so that when it does happen you may believe.
I shall not talk with you any longer,
because the prince of this world is on his way.
He has no power over me,
but the world must be brought to know
that I love the Father
and that I am doing exactly what the Father told me.’
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Peace I give to you
“Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace which the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid”. Listen and allow these words of Jesus to sink deeply into our hearts. The peace that Jesus gives to us is not a peace that is free from problems. Instead, Jesus’ peace comes from the experience of being rooted in God and whose presence enables us to overcome life’s trials, including loss, illness, pain and even death, without falling into hopelessness and despair.
In the first reading, Paul was stoned by some Jews from Antioch and Iconium. However, he did not allow this persecution to stop him from his mission of preaching the Good News. Instead, he encouraged the Christians to persevere in their faith as they would all have to experience hardships along the way. Paul’s peace rooted in God’s presence empowered him to keep going. Today, let us open ourselves to receive the peace Jesus wants to give us.
Reflective question:
Am I open to receiving the peace that Jesus wants to give me?
Am I open to receiving the peace that Jesus wants to give me?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year A” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
