Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
The Spirit Of The Truth
Other Celebrations for this Day:
Liturgical Cycle: A, B, C | Lectionary Cycle: I, II
Introduction
The apostles should not be sad because Jesus leaves them. Their faith will deepen and become more spiritual when Jesus is no longer physically present. The Holy Spirit of truth will continue the mission of Jesus with them. This Spirit of truth will give them no new message, but he will guide the apostles and the Church to deepen their understanding of the life and message of Jesus, confronting them constantly with the events and problems of the times and thus leading the Church forward.
St Paul in Athens gives us an example of an apostle and missionary who tries to take the pagan religion of the Athenians as a starting point and to spiritualize it by stripping it of materialism and formalism.
Opening Prayer
Lord God, our Father,
You are not far away from any of us,
For in you we live and move and exist
And you live in us
through your Holy Spirit.
Be indeed with us, Lord,
Send us your Holy Spirit of truth
and through him deepen our understanding
of the life and message of your Son,
that we may accept the full truth
and live by it consistently.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
First Reading
Paul was escorted as far as Athens, and then his escort returned to Beroea with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
At the Areopagus
Then Paul rose to his feet in the Areopagus hall and said:
Athenian citizens, I observe that you are very religious in every way.
As I walked around examining your shrines, I even saw an altar with this inscription: ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Now, what you worship as unknown, I intend to make known to you.
God, who created the world and everything in it, does not live in man-made temples, since he is Lord of heaven and earth.
Nor does his worship depend on anything built by humans, as if he needed it. Instead, it is he who gives life, breath, and all things to everyone.
From one stock, he created the entire human race to live all over the earth,
and he set the times and boundaries for each nation.
He wanted them to seek him on their own, even if it was just by groping for him, so that they could succeed in finding him. Yet, he is not far from any of us.
For, in him, we live, move, and have our being, as some of your poets have said: for we, too, are his offspring.
If we are truly God’s children, we should not view divinity as something like a gold, silver, or stone statue—merely a creation of human art and imagination.
But now, God chooses to overlook this time of ignorance; and he calls on all people to change their ways.
He has already set a day when he will judge the world with justice through a man he has appointed. And to show everyone it’s true, he has just given a sign by raising this man from the dead.
When they heard Paul speak of a resurrection from the dead, some ridiculed him, while others said:
“We must hear you on this topic at another time.”
At that point, Paul left.
But a few did join him and believe. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus court, a woman named Damaris, and others.
In Corinth
After this, Paul left Athens and traveled to Corinth.
Responsorial Psalm
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in the heights.
Praise him, all you his angels;
praise him, all you his hosts.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the kings of the earth and all peoples,
the princes and all the judges of the earth,
Young men too, and maidens,
old men and boys.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
His majesty is above earth and heaven.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has lifted up the horn of his people;
Be this his praise from all his faithful ones,
from the children of Israel, the people close to him.
Alleluia.
R. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I will ask the Father
and he will give you another Advocate
to be with you always.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
I still have many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now.
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you to all truth. For he will not speak of his own authority but will speak on what he hears, and he will declare to you the things which are to come.
He will take what is mine and make it known to you; in doing this, he will glorify me.
All that the Father has is mine; for this reason, I said he will take what is mine and make it known to you.
Prayers of the Faithful
– Lord Jesus, when we lack words to speak to the Father, let the Holy Spirit put the right prayers in our hearts and on our lips, we pray:
– Lord Jesus, that men and women in our media may listen to the Holy Spirit to tell the full and whole truth, we pray:
– Lord Jesus, that the Holy Spirit may inspire artists to make us admire the greatness of God’s creation, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God, Lord of heaven and earth,
You give us life and breath
and have made us your sons and daughters
through our brother Jesus Christ.
Give your Son to us now in this eucharist.
Through him and his Spirit
make your home among us, your people,
and mould us into a community of faith and love,
that we may build up your kingdom
and praise you forever and ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
You have reassured us again
in this eucharistic celebration
that you are with us
through your Son Jesus Christ.
May His Spirit of truth guide us
to face the truth in all its consequences –
The truth about your Son and his gospel,
that we may live his life more deeply,
and the truth about ourselves
that we are but pale images and poor witnesses
of him who is our Lord forever.
Blessing
May the Spirit of truth come and guide us to all truth, about ourselves, in our mutual relations, concerning what is going on in our world. May God give our world this Spirit and bless us, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
John 16:12-15
Come Holy Spirit, renew the face of the earth…
The Church celebrates the 109th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady to three children in Fatima. The Message of Fatima is still relevant for today’s world and the Church – to pray for the conversion of the world and for world peace.
In today's Gospel, Jesus promises us that when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide us into all truth. It is important to read this sentence carefully, because it does not say that today, here and now, we already have the whole truth. What he tells us is that the Holy Spirit will guide us towards the truth. The conclusion is simple: we are on the journey. That whole truth is revealed to us gradually along the way.
Many Christians believe they already hold the truth. Their conviction is that, apart from themselves, everyone else is wrong, and the whole world lives in error except for them. We often hear people criticising the Church's teachings. Like the Pharisees during the time of Jesus, some within the Church regard its traditions as more important than the commandment to love and forgive.
The truth is somewhat different. There is an image that can help us better grasp the situation of the pilgrim Church. This image depicts a pilgrimage where the leading person carries a lantern that faintly lights the path. Those following behind, guided by this lantern, know their destination but must stumble in the darkness that surrounds them.
So, we are men and women of this world, from all generations, walking and searching for the best, with many mistakes and errors along the way. But always with our eyes on the horizon, on the destination we wish to reach: the Kingdom. Those who work for justice, scientists seeking remedies and solutions that make people's lives easier, politicians who are honest and want to serve society, Christians and members of other religions — we all seek the best for this world, for humanity.
We have only one lantern, which is the Spirit that energises our steps and inspires us to work with everyone to create a better world for the sons and daughters of God, where no one is excluded or condemned. Always open to dialogue, ever hopeful, because, like Jesus and like God, we believe in humanity and that God is unfolding His plan of salvation through our history.