Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter

Year of Saint Joseph

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Month of May Dedicated to Our Lady and a “Marathon” of Prayer to End the Pandemic 

Other saints: Saint Dunstan (909-988); Saint Milburga (c.715); Saint Ivo or Yves (1253-1303); Blessed Raphael Louis Rafiringa (1856-1919); Saint Francis Coll Guitart OP (1812-1875)

Readings of the Day

RB: 4:1-21 The Tools for Good Works

Mass: Acts 20:28-38; Resp Ps 68; Jn 17:11b-19

Show forth, O God, your power.

JESUS, SON OF THE LIVING GOD,

HAVE MERCY ON US.

In today's Gospel, Jesus continues His great prayer (Jn 17:1-26). He prays to His Father for His followers, who do not belong to the world any more than Jesus belongs to the world (Jn 11:14). Jesus does not want His Father to take His followers, including us, out of the world, but that His Father keep us from the evil one (Jn 17:15). Yes, we are in the world. Knowing that, Saint Benedict, in today's passage from the Holy Rule, tells us that our "way of acting should be different from the world's way" (RB 4:20). And how will you make your way of acting different from the world's way? All of us can look to Saint Benedict's tools for good works for many ways to act differently from the world. First and foremost, we are to love the Lord God with our whole heart, our whole soul and all our strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves (RB 4:1). We can honor everyone and never do to another what we do not want done to ourselves (RB 4:8-9). We are to speak the truth with heart and tongue (RB 4:28). Jesus prays to His Father for us: Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth (Jn 17:17). 

We continue in prayer these days leading to Pentecost. After all, as Pope Francis said today in his on-going catechesis on prayer at the weekly General Audience, "believers never stop praying!". Come, Holy Spirit, come.

When the Paraclete comes, whom I will send you, the Spirit of Truth who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me, and you also will bear witness, says the Lord, alleluia.

(Communion Antiphon, Mass)

SAINT DUNSTAN,

SAINT MILBURGA,

SAINT IVO OR YVES,

BLESSED RAPHAEL LOUIS RAFIRINGA,

SAINT FRANCIS COLL GUITART,

SAINT JOSEPH,

MARY, MOTHER OF MERCY,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: More beauty from Whitethorn School.

© Gertrude Feick 2021