Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter
May 15, 2021
Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 296
Reading I
After staying in Antioch some time,
Paul left and traveled in orderly sequence
through the Galatian country and Phrygia,
bringing strength to all the disciples.
A Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria,
an eloquent speaker, arrived in Ephesus.
He was an authority on the Scriptures.
He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord and,
with ardent spirit, spoke and taught accurately about Jesus,
although he knew only the baptism of John.
He began to speak boldly in the synagogue;
but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him,
they took him aside
and explained to him the Way of God more accurately.
And when he wanted to cross to Achaia,
the brothers encouraged him
and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him.
After his arrival he gave great assistance
to those who had come to believe through grace.
He vigorously refuted the Jews in public,
establishing from the Scriptures that the Christ is Jesus.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (8a) God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All you peoples, clap your hands;
shout to God with cries of gladness.
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.
R. God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne.
R. God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The princes of the peoples are gathered together
with the people of the God of Abraham.
For God’s are the guardians of the earth;
he is supreme.
R. God is king of all the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I came from the Father and have come into the world;
now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.
Until now you have not asked anything in my name;
ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
“I have told you this in figures of speech.
The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures
but I will tell you clearly about the Father.
On that day you will ask in my name,
and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you.
For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me
and have come to believe that I came from God.
I came from the Father and have come into the world.
Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
Reflection: REITERATING THE CONCEPT OF 'LOVE'
In writing scientific papers, theses or dissertations, a student is constantly asked by the academic guide or the reader to avoid 'redundancy.' In other words, a student's capacity to engage in scientific research or writing is measured in terms of the lesser or no incidence of redundancy or less hyperbolic. These are the standards set by the academia, challenging students to cultivate better writing and research skills in the any given subject or topic under study. The pattern of writing we see in the gospels is contrary to the academic style of writing. In today's gospel, Jesus uses the word 'love' for nine times, to emphasize the purpose of his mission of love. This is by no standard a redundancy on Jesus' part, as He loves us with an everlasting love, an 'agape' love, a sacrificial love. Why did Jesus reiterate the word love so many times? Perhaps, the message is clear. We cannot love enough, and we would always fall short in loving God and our neighbour. Therefore, it isn't any kind of redundancy in the use of the word, but it is the reflection of who Jesus is for us, the visible manifestation of the love of the Father, the bond of love between God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Towards the end of the gospel, the repetition of love eventually becomes a commandment, an imperative, an ethical injunction, and truly defines who we are Christian Catholics. At the heart of the gospel is the message of love, no matter if it is repeatedly used or not by the evangelists or the writers of the books of the Bible. It is the magna carta of our identity in Christ into whom we are reborn through the waters of baptism and the bloodshed on the Cross. We need to personify the message of love that Christ calls us to embrace and live.