BIBLE STUDY


SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

May 12, 2013



READING 1

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 7:55-60



Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit,

looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God

and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,

and Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened

and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

But they cried out in a loud voice,

covered their ears, and rushed upon him together.

They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him.

The witnesses laid down their cloaks

at the feet of a young man named Saul.

As they were stoning Stephen, he called out,

“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice,

“Lord, do not hold this sin against them;”

and when he said this, he fell asleep.



The Word of the Lord



READING 2

REVELATION 22:12-14, 16-17, 20



I, John, heard a voice saying to me:

“Behold, I am coming soon.

I bring with me the recompense I will give to each

according to his deeds.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last,

the beginning and the end.”



Blessed are they who wash their robes

so as to have the right to the tree of life

and enter the city through its gates.



“I, Jesus, sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.

I am the root and offspring of David,

the bright morning star.”



The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”

Let the hearer say, “Come.”

Let the one who thirsts come forward,

and the one who wants it receive the gift of life-giving water.



The one who gives this testimony says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!



The Word of the Lord



GOSPEL

JOHN 17:20-26



Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:

“Holy Father, I pray not only for them,

but also for those who will believe in me through their word,

so that they may all be one,

as you, Father, are in me and I in you,

that they also may be in us,

that the world may believe that you sent me.

And I have given them the glory you gave me,

so that they may be one, as we are one,

I in them and you in me,

that they may be brought to perfection as one,

that the world may know that you sent me,

and that you loved them even as you loved me.

Father, they are your gift to me.

I wish that where I am they also may be with me,

that they may see my glory that you gave me,

because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,

but I know you, and they know that you sent me.

I made known to them your name and I will make it known,

that the love with which you loved me

may be in them and I in them.”



The Gospel of the Lord



Reflection



Jesus is praying for those who already believe in Him and all those throughout the ages who will come to believe in Him that we may all be one, just as Jesus and the Father are one. This implies closeness and a unity of us with the Father that comes to us through Jesus who is the vine that connects us (the branches) to the Father. We are drawn into communion with the Father through Jesus and participate in the love that the Father and Son have for each other. We share in the glory of Jesus which is the richness and power of God’s life which God gives to His Son.



This unity also has implications for the Christian community. The life and love of the Father through the son is also present in the community. Participating in the Christian community means sharing in God’s life and love. This sharing should have a radical affect on our lives. The oneness of believers is not just spiritual in nature (that is, our love for the Father), but is concretized in love for one another.



The purpose of this community of love is not just for us, but “that the world may believe that you sent me.” This love has an apostolic dimension since we are to proclaim the Good News with our lives. We are to bring others into this community of life and love.



Jesus has one final request in this long (chapters 13-17) Farewell Discourse. This life and love we share with the Father through Jesus has another effect: “that they may be brought to perfection.” Being part of the community of life and love helps us to grow in the knowledge and love of the Lord so as to overcome sin in our lives. Living in the community is a promise of eternal life to come.



In the first reading, we see Stephen filled with the Holy Spirit, the Advocate that Jesus promised to send to guide, direct, and inspire us. He is participating in the life and love of the Father that Jesus proclaims in today’s Gospel. He witnesses to Jesus and is stoned for his words. Saul, who is to become St Paul, witnesses this martyrdom. Even as he’s dying, he asks for the Lord to forgive the people who are killing him. That is pretty powerful; I don’t know if I would be able to do that. But with Christ, all things are possible.





Fr. Phil