Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. No one can do that for us. The first reading describes a significant moment in the life of the early church, the preaching of the gospel to pagans for the first time, in the city of Antioch. Yet, it is language which expresses the depth of communion which Jesus wants to create between himself and his disciples. She drew life from the Lord in the Eucharist, in the words of todays gospel reading, and that empowered her to give life to others, to give the Lord to others, especially to young people who always had a very special place in her heart. In that image Jesus paints in the gospel reading, the shepherd does not lead the sheep to pasture one at a time, but together as a flock. Perth/Singapore/Philippines: 7am; Timor-Leste/Tokyo: 8am; New Zealand: 12pm; Los Angeles: Thursday 4pm; New York/Toronto: Thursday 7pm] to prayerfully reflect on the Gospel of the coming Sunday. Keep the flock that you have gathered, preserve us in your love, now and forever. The Lords invitation, Come to me, all who labour and are overburdened, is addressed to us all. The helplessness and weakness of Paul is conveyed in the first reading by the blind Paul having to be led by the hand into the city of Damascus, a city he had expected to be riding into confidently and authoritatively. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. With great wisdom he suggests that they should leave the apostles alone and just wait and see. It may seem as small as the two barley loaves and five fish, but the Lord can work powerfully through our efforts, small as they may seem to us. His gospel is the shortest of the four, but, nonetheless, it is a very powerful telling of the Jesus story. Indeed, he will pour that love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, just as he breathed the Holy Spirit on his failed and fearful disciples on that first Easter Sunday. He accommodated himself to Thomass demand to touch his wounds, before calling on him to doubt no longer but believe. Lectio Divina - The Carmelites In the gospel of John, Nicodemus went looking for Jesus at night. God will stop at nothing to ensure that the world of humanity hears the gospel of Gods saving love for all. He wants to give us what endures and we look for what perishes. unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me, I am struck by that line in the gospel reading, Jesus came and stood among them. His question, How can that be possible? becomes our question. It is the Holy Spirit who helps us to discern what the Lord is saying to us. Then in the gospel reading Jesus speaks of the bread that he will give as his flesh for the life of the world, a clear reference to the Eucharist. When it comes to the Lords relationship with us, there is a role for us as well. except the one who came down from heaven, He remains faithful to us, even when we are less than faithful to him. Gradually, a group of followers gathered around her, men and women, priests and religious. In Lukes first volume, Jesus had attempted to preach the gospel to a Samaritan village but they rejected Jesus because he was heading for Jerusalem. There are times in all our lives when we feel a strong need to talk to somebody, even a sympathetic stranger who seems welcoming and genuinely interested in what we have to say. Jesus said to them again, Peace be with you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal. So they said to him, What can we do to accomplish the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.. A lot of our lives are lived in response to various calls that are made upon us. We have had to live without the Eucharist and this has been a great loss for many Catholics. Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. The Lord was saying to them, in effect, open those doors and get out there. We struggle to bring our prayers of petition into line with what the Lord wants to give us. The church is the community of those who believe in and love the Lord, without having seen the Lord. Give me your hand; put it into my side. As such times, we need people like Barnabas who recognize that the Lord is behind this new direction and who encourage us to trust that the Lord is present in what is happening. The Lord is with his struggling churches to keep them faithful to the end. The Lord, through his word, opens us up to Gods point of view, which is so much more expansive and always rich in possibilities. but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. The risen Lords face to face meeting with Thomas dispelled all Thomass doubts. Our presence at the Eucharist is one of the primary ways we come to the Lord in faith and open ourselves to his presence as the bread of life. He calls on us, as he called on Nicodemus, to allow ourselves to be born of the Spirit, to surrender more fully to the movement and working of the Spirit within us. The photograph of the Pope with a lamb draped across his shoulders went around the world in seconds. Jesus brings God to us and brings us to God. Jesus has come not just to give people physical food but to give them the spiritual food of Gods presence, Gods life and Gods Spirit. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Fathers hand. My hosanna has come forth from the crucible of doubt. Although Peter and the other apostles had been given a formal warning by the religious authorities not to preach the gospel, they carried on regardless because they understood that this was their calling in life, the mission they had received from the risen Lord. In the gospel reading this morning, he describes a scene that would have been familiar to his contemporaries in Galilee. They never follow a stranger but run away from him: they do not recognise the voice of strangers.. Amen. In the gospel reading this morning Jesus speaks of the shepherd who calls his own sheep one by one and leads them out. While listed as an optional Memorial, today's liturgy honors the Blessed Mother in her role as patroness of the Carmelite tradition. We cannot ignore our physical hunger; when we are hungry, we eat. It was while Jesus was at prayer after his baptism that the Holy Spirit come down upon him. Mark never knew Jesus personally; he was not an eyewitness. We all know from our own experience that liturgical time does not always resonate with where we are on our own lifes journey. Doors are like gates in that they too can be used to keep people in or out, or they can serve the purpose of creating an opening in the building through which people can come in and go out. Yet, in many ways, he too represents us all. A person filled with the Holy Spirit was likely to discern whether or not this novelty was the work of the Spirit. He is speaking here as the good Shepherd who is prepared to lay down his life so that the members of his flock can have life and have it to the full. The practice of Lectio Divina as a way of praying the Scriptures has been a fruitful source of growing in relationship with Christ for many centuries and in our own day is being rediscovered by many individuals and groups. However, the message that the evangelist seeks to communicate through his telling of that event is reasonably clear. Reflections on Daily Readings November 22 - Carmelites He feeds a multitude with five loaves and two fish. The Lords faithfulness to us prompts us to keep faith with each other, especially with those who are close to us. The gospel reading suggests that just as a shepherd holds his flock together, it is the Lord who holds the church together, the community of his followers. When we dont come to him, he comes after us, not in anger but in love. We are anxious lest someone might steal from us. He speaks about the mysterious reality of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, with reference to the everyday reality of the wind. Yet, the risen Lord always stands among us empowering us to be an Easter people.
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