Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter
May 10, 2021
Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 291
Reading I
We set sail from Troas, making a straight run for Samothrace,
and on the next day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi,
a leading city in that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony.
We spent some time in that city.
On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river
where we thought there would be a place of prayer.
We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there.
One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth,
from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened,
and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention
to what Paul was saying.
After she and her household had been baptized,
she offered us an invitation,
“If you consider me a believer in the Lord,
come and stay at my home,” and she prevailed on us.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (see 4a) The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches.
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord,
and you also will testify.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,
he will testify to me.
And you also testify,
because you have been with me from the beginning.
“I have told you this so that you may not fall away.
They will expel you from the synagogues;
in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you
will think he is offering worship to God.
They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me.
I have told you this so that when their hour comes
you may remember that I told you.”
Reflection: THE MISSION OF LOVE
The work of evangelization is at the heart of Christian discipleship. This is the responsibility of every baptized person. The ministry of Jesus continues to unfold in an unfathomable manner in the world through the mission of his disciples. However, we cannot do it on our own. We need the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Church receives graces from the fountain of the Holy Spirit to accomplish the plan of salvation that God has begun in his Son, Jesus Christ. Unlike the projects of our day-to-day work of a company or an industry, the work of evangelization is the process that seeks constant updates, with the changing signs of the times. This requires not only a sense of work ethic, but a deeper conviction and commitment to the Mission. This is an ongoing responsibility of the Church to communicate the Truth of God and be a witness to the Gospel. In today's gospel, Jesus introduces the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit who will lead us all to the truth. What we take up on ourselves is to be filtered through the lens of the Holy Spirit, so that we are genuinely proclaiming the message of Christ, and not just our personal agendas. This demands our unselfish outpouring of our time, talents, and treasures for the spread of the gospel. On the other hand, our commitment to the gospel relies on the depth of steadfastness on a daily basis. The call of our baptism nudges us to embrace the mission of the gospel with the ever-abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in the world and the Church. In the light of the Holy Spirit, we constantly discern the Will of God, leaving no stone unturned for the Gospel.