Stephen and the persecuted Christians of the early Church relive the passion of Christ; they suffer not only for Christ, but also with him and like him; their attitude is also: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit; Lord, do not hold this against them.” But Stephen and the first Christians are sure that death does not […]
Today and in the next few days, two unrelated Scripture texts run parallel: Stephen’s martyrdom presented as an imitation of Christ’s, and the Eucharistic discourse of Jesus, as given in John 6 after the multiplication of bread. Jesus confronts us today with the question: “Why are you looking for me?” Why are we looking for
Greeting (See Second Reading) We have been set free in the precious blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. God raised him from the dead and through him we have faith and hope. May Jesus the Lord be always with you. R/ And also with you. Introduction by the Celebrant On the Road to Emmaus Too
The apostles were looking for disciples to serve the material needs of the people. They were supposed to be servants filled with the Spirit of wisdom, who would see the needs of their brethren, just and fair in distributing the food and help needed. It takes sensitivity to feel who is needy and what they
A sign worked by Jesus and told much in detail by all the evangelists is the multiplication of the bread. In all the Gospels, it is a sign of Jesus’ sharing himself, and even more so, a figure of Jesus’ continuing self-gift in the Eucharist. What about the disciple? Let us not forget that the
“God has put his Word into the mouth of people in order that it may be communicated to others. When the Word strikes one person, he or she speaks it to others. God has willed that we should seek and find his living Word, in the witness of a brother or sister, in the mouth
God sent his only Son into the world to save us. Salvation. Do we need salvation? We have become so self-sufficient and proud of our human achievements that we often think that salvation belongs to another world – not ours. But when in our sober moments, we sit down and reflect, we have to face
We know from our disappointing experiences how difficult it is to be a real community. We have different personalities with different ideas, attitudes and potentials. The great obstacle is we ourselves: we want people to go our way, and we impose our own views. In our Christian communities, there is one who can unite us
Nicodemus, the sincere but cautious intellectual, comes to Jesus at night. He is afraid to show openly that he follows Christ. The apostles and the Christian community are persecuted. They are afraid too, but they pray for courage. The Spirit makes them bold in proclaiming Christ and in being signs of Christ’s presence in his
Greeting (See Second Reading) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. May the Risen Lord be always with you. R/ And also with you. Introduction by the Celebrant Encountering
