Thursday of the Second Week of Easter
Witnessing
Liturgical Cycle: A, B, C | Lectionary Cycle: I, II
Introduction
“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 of his people. Therefore, the Christian needs another Christian who speaks God’s Word to him or her.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together) The core of our faith is that we owe a new life to Jesus, in whom we are reborn. The Spirit, whom he gives us without measure, prompts us to bear witness to Jesus and to his new life in us.
Opening Prayer
Lord, our God,
your Son Jesus Christ, came from you
and bore witness to the things
he had heard and seen.
He could not but bear witness to you.
Give us the Spirit of your Son, we pray you,
to speak your word and to live it,
that we may show Christ, your living Word,
to those who have not seen him.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.
First Reading
So they brought them in and made them stand before the Council, and the high priest questioned them:
“We gave you strict orders not to preach such a Savior, but you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching; and you are planning to charge us with the killing of this man.”
To this, Peter and the apostles replied:
“It is better for us to obey God rather than any human authority!
The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a wooden cross.
God exalted him to his right hand as Leader and Savior, to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.
We are witnesses to all these things, as well as the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
When the Council heard this, they became very angry and wanted to kill them.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 34:2 and 9, 17-18, 19-20
R. (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
Many are the troubles of the just man,
but out of them all the LORD delivers him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord;
blessed are those who have not seen, but still believe!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Preeminence of Jesus
The one who comes from above is above all; the one who comes from the earth belongs to the earth, and his words belong to the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.
He speaks of the things he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.
Whoever does receive his testimony acknowledges the truthfulness of God.
The one sent by God speaks God’s words and gives the Spirit without measure.
The Father loves the Son and has entrusted everything into his hands.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life and will face God’s justice.
Prayers of the Faithful
– That Christians may be ready to obey God more and to be led by his Spirit than to do what people want us to do, we pray:
– That our Christian communities may be inspired by the Holy Spirit to live the risen life of Christ consistently, we pray:
– That we may be more aware that eternal life is already in us, when even now, we believe that Christ is already raising us up to a deeper, richer life, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord, our God,
it is not comfortable to be a witness
for it demands that like Jesus, your Son,
we live by the truth
and be ready to meet opposition.
Give us the Spirit of strength of your Son,
nourish us with his body and blood,
and when we fail in our mission,
let there be enough love found,
at least in our communities,
to speak of the love and the truth
which Christ brought us,
your Son and our Lord for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord, our God,
we have listened to your Son,
the living Word that you speak to us,
and we have shared his table.
By the power of the Spirit alive in us,
may we in turn speak
to one another and to the world
your liberating word.
May we possess this Word most deeply
when we have given it to others.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.” Yes, we believe in Jesus, but we believe with an active faith, a faith that translates our belief into action, into life. That is a deep form of witnessing to Christ. May God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
Reclaiming the Norm
The kind of courage and uncompromising obedience that Peter and team display today is a cardinal trait that should define the Church and her every member. However, it hasn’t always been the case with us Christians in many places, unfortunately. Often, we find an unfortunate collusion between human authorities and the Church personnel that the Gospel falls through the gap. Adopting the famous words of Carl von Clausewitz, who said “war is a continuation of politics by other means,” Valson Thampu, an academician, has observed that “Church administration is doing politics by other means.” Of course, we have honourable exceptions in individuals and several local churches. However, what has become an exception today was the norm for Peter and his early Church. And that is the norm we need to re-discover and live up to. It calls for an absolute fidelity to the one coming from above.
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John 3:31-36
If you believe, you will live
Today’s passage appeals to why one should believe in Jesus—the one who comes from heaven. John, the evangelist, uses the story of Nicodemus meeting Jesus to explain why people should believe in Jesus.
If we require information, we must seek it from the individual who holds that information. For instance, if we need information about a family, we can only obtain it directly from a family member. Similarly, if we seek information about God, we can only receive it from the Son of God. If we want information about heaven and heavenly life, we can only obtain it directly from the one who comes from heaven.
The Evangelist says that when Jesus speaks about God and heavenly things, it is not something he overheard, no second-hand tale gathered from secondary sources. Jesus' words are words about his Father and about the Kingdom of heaven! But John expresses his frustration and deep pain at the widespread rejection of Jesus. He is pained that no one accepts his testimony!
Every time we receive the Lord in the Eucharist, he renews and deepens his presence—the presence of his Holy Spirit. What other gifts can we ask from the Lord than the gift of life filled with the Spirit of Jesus—the person of Jesus—in abundance? This is the new birth that Jesus invites us into.
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John 3:31-36
The Messianic plenty
Since the beginning of this week, we have been reading about Nicodemus’ encounter with Jesus. As their conversation progresses, we realise that Nicodemus is no more around, but Jesus continues with his teaching on matters of Heaven and the Holy Spirit. Jesus invites all his listeners to be people of God instead of being people of the world.
Today’s passage is an appeal as to why one should believe in Jesus – the one who comes from heaven. John the evangelist is utilising the instance of Nicodemus meeting Jesus to teach his own listeners as to why they should believe in Jesus. John writes from his long experience with the early Church, and is enlightened by the Spirit.
John’s objective of writing the Gospel is to tell his listeners that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. It is rational that when we speak, we speak of things that we see, hear and experience. Similarly, when Jesus speaks, he speaks of things that he has seen, heard and experienced with his Father, and therefore, the words of Jesus are words about his Father and about the Kingdom heaven! But John expresses his frustration and deep pain at the widespread rejection of Jesus. He says: no one accepts his testimony!
Of course, the community of believers did believe in Jesus. And to those who believe in the words of Jesus, he has sent the Holy Spirit up on them. John himself had experienced the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the group of disciples without measure. And of Course, whenever God gives, he gives in plenty, without measure!
Remember the wedding at Cana – the host ran out of wine and then came six stone jars full of wine! And when the Lord fed the 5000 with five loaves, the leftovers were collected in 12 baskets full! When the disciples went fishing the whole night and caught nothing, Jesus orders them to put out into the deep, and the catch was a miraculous one. God does not ration out his blessings in bits and pieces … he gives them in plenty!
Think of the Eucharist. Every time we receive the Lord in the Eucharist, he leaves in us a renewal and deepening of his presence – the presence of his Holy Spirit. What other gifts can we ask from the Lord than the gift of life filled with the Spirit of Jesus – the person of Jesus – in abundance! This is the new birth that Jesus invites us into.