Tuesday of Fifth Week of Easter
May 4, 2021
Tuesday of Fifth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 286
Reading I
In those days, some Jews from Antioch and Iconium
arrived and won over the crowds.
They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city,
supposing that he was dead.
But when the disciples gathered around him,
he got up and entered the city.
On the following day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.
After they had proclaimed the good news to that city
and made a considerable number of disciples,
they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch.
They strengthened the spirits of the disciples
and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying,
“It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships
to enter the Kingdom of God.”
They appointed presbyters for them in each Church and,
with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord
in whom they had put their faith.
Then they traveled through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia.
After proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia.
From there they sailed to Antioch,
where they had been commended to the grace of God
for the work they had now accomplished.
And when they arrived, they called the Church together
and reported what God had done with them
and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
Then they spent no little time with the disciples.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (see 12) Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
or:
R. Alleluia.
May my mouth speak the praise of the LORD,
and may all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead,
and so enter into his glory.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me tell you,
‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.
I will no longer speak much with you,
for the ruler of the world is coming.
He has no power over me,
but the world must know that I love the Father
and that I do just as the Father has commanded me.”
Reflection: PEACE BE WITH YOU
These are the beginning words of today's gospel: "Peace be with you! My peace I give to you." These are the very words of Jesus that each priest pronounces right before the reception of the Holy Communion during the Mass. We see the tones of farewell as Jesus winds up his mission on the earth, looking forward to what awaits his disciples while he returns to the Father. In this process, Jesus grants the gift of peace, assures them that the mission of God would be uninterrupted. As the gospel continues to spread, many people are being baptized, peace is the gift that is much needed. This can only be given by Jesus, a peace that will last, not the peace that the world gives. It is the virtue of peace that is rooted in the total trust of God, and truly flows from the Will of God. Time and again, Jesus assures us that the gift of peace is given in abundance, as the time for him to leave the world draws near. It isn't the farewell in the ordinary sense of the word, but a farewell that wishes the disciples to do a good job of evangelization. While Jesus does not promise them a path devoid of difficulties, he situates them in the loving embrace of God, the Giver of every good gift, especially the gift of peace. This gift of peace is the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, leading us to the fullness of God's truth. It is indestructible, and the powers of the world can never take it away. For our troubled hearts and minds, we need the gift of peace that only Jesus can give in abundance. In the thick and thin of my spiritual warfare, what avenues and platforms do I have recourse to for the gift of peace? Do make a conscious move towards Jesus, the prince of peace?