Wednesday in the Sixth Week of Easter
DAILY GOSPEL COMMENTARY:
“EVERYTHING THAT THE FATHER HAS IS MINE” (Jn 16:12-15).
Wednesday in the Sixth Week of Easter
READING I
Acts 17:15, 22–18:1
After Paul’s escorts had taken him to Athens, they came away with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
Then Paul stood up at the Areopagus and said: “You Athenians, I see that in every respect you are very religious. For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines, I even discovered an altar inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’ What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and all that is in it, the Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything. Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything. He made from one the whole human race to dwell on the entire surface of the earth, and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions, so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far from any one of us. For ‘In him we live and move and have our being,’ as even some of your poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ Since therefore we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination. God has overlooked the times of ignorance, but now he demands that all people everywhere repent because he has established a day on which he will “judge the world with justice’ through a man he has appointed, and he has provided confirmation for all by raising him from the dead.”
When they heard about resurrection of the dead, some began to scoff, but others said, “We should like to hear you on this some other time.” And so Paul left them. But some did join him, and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Court of the Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and others with them. After this he left Athens and went to Corinth.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
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: 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: 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: 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: Alleluia.
ALLELUIA
I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.
R. Alleluia.
GOSPEL
Jn 16:12–15
Jesus said to his disciples: “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.”
GOSPEL COMMENTARY FROM THE NAVARRE BIBLE, ST. JOHN (WITH PERMISSION)
- 13 It is the Holy Spirit who makes fully understood the truth revealed by Christ.
- As Vatican II teaches, our Lord “completed and perfected Revelation and confirmed it… finally by sending the Spirit of truth (Vatican II, Dei Verbum, 4). Cf. note on Jn 14:25-26.
- 14-15 Jesus Christ here reveals some aspects of the mystery of the Blessed Trinity.
- He teaches that the three divine Persons have the same nature when he says that everything that the Father has belongs to the Son, and everything the Son has belongs to the Father (cf. Jn 17:10) and that the Spirit also has what is common to the Father and the Son, that is, the divine essence.
- The activity specific to the Holy Spirit is that of glorifying Christ, reminding and clarifying for the disciples everything the Master taught them (Jn 16:13).
- On being inspired by the Holy Spirit to recognize the Father through the Son, men render glory to Christ; and glorifying Christ is the same as giving glory to God (cf. Jn 17:1, 3-5, 10)
VIDEO REFLECTION TOPIC: HOW OPEN ARE YOU TO THE HOLY SPIRIT’S GUIDANCE AND HELP?
1st Reading ACTS 17:15, 22-18:1
Responsorial Psalm Psalms 148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14
Alleluia John 14:16
Gospel John 16:12-15
In today’s first reading, Paul preaches in Athens, the center of art, philosophy and literature at that time. He uses the philosophy of the ancient Greeks to push for his arguments. They found his ideas outlandish, especially about Jesus and resurrections. Strange as his teachings were, he was still invited to speak before the Council at Areopagus. Athens was very important to Paul. If he could convert the people who were fond of intellectual debates and philosophical ideas, this could have far-reaching effects.
When Jesus left us, He left with us the Holy Spirit to guide us. If we do not believe, we will be no better than those who laughed at Paul in Athens.
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