Monday of 7th week of Easter 9th May 2016
“I have told you all this so that you may find Peace in me. In the wold you will have hardship, but take heart : I have conquered the world.”
Ac.19,1-8 Ps.67 Jn.16,29-33
“The disciples said to Jesus : ’Now you are speaking plainly and not using veiled language. Now we see that you know everything and need not wait for questions to be put into words; because of this we believe that you came from God.”
There is in the world a combat played out between all that brings life to mankind and all that le disfigures him in ’depriving him’ of God’s image and of God’s Life.
Jesus is in solidarity with humanity in this combat and gives life to us. In Jesus Christ God is the Conqueror and our life can be definitively consecrated to God.
Jesus’ Word freed the hearts of the disciples who listened to him. Very simply, Jesus tells them that his Passion is drawing near.
When we feel we are in darkness, Jesus offers his Heart to us once again.
It is by the Light of the Resurrection that the secret of the Father’s Love who is risen is revealed.
It is the Holy Spirit who gives us the possibility of us being faithful to Him! We have an urgent need for the Holy Spirit to have us enter into Jesus’ truth.
The Church, aware of her weakness, is insistent in her request to receive the Holy Spirit, she is in vital need of Him. Thanks to all Jesus does and says, Light dawned in the minds and hearts of the Apostles.
"Jesus answered them :’Do you believe at last? Listen the time will come-indeed it has come already- when you are going to be scattered, each going his own way and leaving me alone.And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.’
Jesus announce that he would have to suffer to go to his Father! He speaks about his Father who is with Him and he knows how faithful his Mother Mary is. Jesus, Mary’s Son is the Son of the Father, and with infinite Love he can say : You will run away, you are going to be dispersed! Indeed, Jesus’s Passion brings
about such disarray! Judas is going to sell him! Peter is going to deny him, we witness how the other nine run away.
And yet Jesus says ’I am not alone, for the Father is with me.’
There will also be Mary an the Apostle John with him at the foot of the Cross.
We see from John and the Christian communities that happiness is found in God. Our life renews again the incoherence of Jesus’ disciples.
For sure, we receive enlightenment, a good book can help us but when we are in the dark night, these ideas separate us from one another. We can no longer find the spiritual warmth in our heart when faced with our sister or brother, and we don’t know what to do! We need to pray for it is necessary for us to be rooted in the Heart of Jesus.
“I have told you all this so that you may find peace in me. In the world you will have hardship, but take heart : I have conquered the world.”
God commends us to each other. The Gospel is the Word of Christ to mankind at this period in time. It will go down even better with a real fraternity.
John describes the world as the place of the great combat of God and mankind, a combat for life.
By the grace of God, this world becomes here and now the place of our holiness, of our orientation towards God. Christ Jesus won this combat once and for all, he has overcome the world.
Jesus gives us his Love with a realism which surprises us, revealing to us the Mystery of God. He reminds us how the victory of his Love in fidelity to his Father. Mary is the One who believed. Thanks to her, the Revelation of this Love comes to us. She participated in this mystery with her whole heart, giving her body, heart and mind so that God could come into our human flesh. It is in this fidelity to Jesus, to his Father, that we have the experience of God’s own fidelity, the victory of Love for us.
Mary will be faithful to Jesus thanks to his Presence in smallness, at Christmas and at the Cross.
With the strength of the Holy Spirit, thanks to her, Jesus’ passion will be made present to His Church. This fidelity that Mary has will attract the Apostle John to also be faithful at the Cross.
Jesus can say these vivifying Words : ’Have courage! I have overcome the world.’
We already participate in this mystery thanks to our faith.
We ask the Holy spirit for the grace to remain in Jesus.
Monday of 7th Week of Easter
The disciples said to Jesus :’ Now you are speaking plainly and not using veiled language. Now we see that you know everything and need not wait for questions to be put into words; because of this we believe that you came from God.’
The world is the place of combat between all that gives life to man and all that disfigures him, cutting him off from the Life of God. Jesus takes the side of mankind in its struggle, he is on the side of Life.even though we may have the feeling that we are in darkness, God is the great conqueror and all life is once and for all orientated and consecrated to God.tHis Word frees the heart of the disciple who listens to Jesus. We do indeed need the Holy Spirit in order to understand these Words for it is in the Holy Spirit that any form of fidelity is made possible to Jesus! We are in urgent need of the Holy Spirit if we want to enter into Jesus’ Truth.Aware of her weakness, the Holy Spirit insists in her demand to receive the Holy Spirit. She is in vital need of Him. Thanks to everything that Jesus says and does, light came about in the apostles’ hearts and minds. In all simplicity, Jesus said that his Passion was drawing near. It is in the Light of Jesus’ Resurrection that the secret of Love of the Father is revealed as he brings Jesus back to Life.
“Jesus said, ’Do you believe at last? Listen; the time will come - indeed it has come already- when you are going to be scattered, each going his own way and leaving me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.” John and the Christian communities are the visible sign that all life finds its happiness in God. jesu announced that he had to suffer before going to the Father. He speaks of His Father who is with Him and he knows Mary’s fidelity, She who is His Mother. Jesus, Mary’s Son, is the Son of the Father. In Infinite Love He can say : you will run away, scattered! Indeed , there is great disarray around Jeus’ Passion! Jesus will sell Him. Peter will deny Him and we see how the nine take flight. Yet Jesus said, ’ I am not alone for the Father is with me.’ There will also be Mary and the Apostle John with Him, standing at the foot of the Cross. In our life, too, we can see traces of the disciples’ incoherence. At times we receive lights for our spiritual life we need just a good book to read and this can put us back on the track of a deeper Faith in God’s Love and Word of Life for us. We can feel
enlightened and apart from others: Then once back into the community everything crumbles. We feel helpless in front of our brother going through a hard time. We have to be rooted in the world and , like St Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians, become’ a Jew with the Jews, a pagan with the pagans, weak with the weak’ in order to announce God’s Life.
“I have told you all this so you may have Peace in me.In the world you will have hardship, but be courageous : I have conquered the world.”
Go commend us to one another, and the gospel is the proposal of Christ to men of our time who cannot cope if there is no authentic fraternity. John describes the world as th eplace of the combat of God and men, together, so that life may win. By the grace of God this world becomes from now on the place of our sanctification, our orientation towards God, for Christ won once and for all all combat; He conquered the world. Jesus reveals to us God’s Mystery and gives to us hos Love in an amazing realism.He reminds us of the victory of His Love in bHis Fidelity to His Father. Mary is the One who believed, thanks to her the revelation of this Love reaches us. She participated with her whole heart, giving her body and soul so that God come into human flesh. It is the fidelity of Jesus to his Father that we experience God’s fidelity, His Loving Victory for us. Mary will be faithful to Jesus by being present at the Cross. Thanks to her, by the strength of the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ Passion will be present in the Church. this fidelity Mary has will form an attraction for the Apostle John who will also be faithfully there at the Cross. Thus Jessu can say to thJohn who will also be faithfully there at the Cross. Thus Jesus can say these words to the Apostles, words full of Life : Thanks to our faith, we area already participating in this Mystery.