Daily Mass Reflection & Daily Mass Readings

Daily Mass Reflection & Daily Mass Readings

Daily Mass Reflection & Daily Mass Readings are vital for nurturing spiritual growth and maintaining a strong connection to one’s faith. These practices offer a dedicated time to meditate on the scriptures and the teachings of the homily, helping individuals internalize the lessons and apply them to their daily lives. Regular engagement with the readings fosters a deeper understanding of religious texts, while the reflection period allows for personal introspection and spiritual renewal. Together, they provide a foundation for a more meaningful and conscious practice of faith, promoting a sense of peace, guidance, and communal belonging.

21st May – Thursday, Seventh Week of Easter

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus prays for his disciples, and for all those who will believe in him through their words, which includes all of us gathered at this Eucharist. One of his prayers looks ahead to our ultimate destiny beyond this earthly life. He prays that we may be with him where he is in heaven, so that we may see his glory. The goal of our earthly pilgrimage is to see the Lord face to face and to be caught up into his glory. Another of Jesus’ prayers relates to our present, earthly, life. He prays that the love with which God has loved him may be in us. He wants us to remain in his love as he remains in God his Father’s love, and then to share that love with others, to love one another as he has loved us. When that happens, he himself will be truly alive in us, ‘so that I may be in them’. If we remain in the Lord’s love for us and share that love with one another, than another of Jesus’ prayers for us in that reading will come to pass, ‘May they all be one, as we are one’. When the Lord’s love comes alive in all of us, then we will all be one in love, as Jesus and God, his Father, are one in love. How we pray can often reveal a great deal about ourselves. Jesus’ prayer reveals his vision for our present life in the here and now, and for our future life in the kingdom of heaven. In response to Jesus’ prayer for us, perhaps the best prayer we can pray is, ‘Lord, may your prayer for our present life and our ultimate destiny come to pass. Help us to be open to your wonderful present and future vision for our lives’.

20th May – Wednesday Seventh Week of Easter

There is a close link between today’s two readings. Both Paul and Jesus are very aware of how our faith can be undermined. Paul warns the leaders of the church in Ephesus that when he is gone ‘fierce wolves will invade you and have no mercy on the flock’. Paul is addressing the shepherds of the church, those with pastoral care for the flock, and warning them of the wolves who will attack the church. Paul was very aware of the forces that will be a threat to people’s faith in the Lord. Yet, he also reassures the shepherds of the church that God is with the members of the church to protect them. He says, ‘I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace that has power to build you up’. God, through his risen Son, is always at work to protect the church, empowering believers to remain faithful. In the gospel reading, Jesus, like Paul, warns his disciples that the world will often hate them and that the evil one will be a constant threat to their faith. Yet, like Paul, he also reassures them. Just as he watched over his disciples during his public ministry, Jesus tells them that as risen Lord he will continue to watch over them. He will be praying for them, asking God to keep them true to God’s name, to keep them faithful. We are being reminded in both readings that the Lord will always be at work in our lives, keeping our faith alive when our faith is put to the test in some way. Like the good shepherd he is, the Lord will always hold on to us, when other forces are trying to tear us away from him. The Lord’s power at work within us will help us to overcome any temptation to turn away from him, and if we do turn away he is always there to draw us back to himself.

21st May >> Mass Readings

Thursday, Seventh Week of Eastertide or Saint Christopher Magallanes and his Companions, Martyrs.

Thursday, Seventh Week of Eastertide

(Liturgical Colour: White. Year: A(II))

First Reading Acts of the Apostles 22:30,23:6-11 ‘You have borne witness in Jerusalem: now you must do the same in Rome‘.

Since the tribune wanted to know what precise charge the Jews were bringing, he freed Paul and gave orders for a meeting of the chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin; then he brought Paul down and stood him in front of them. Now Paul was well aware that one section was made up of Sadducees and the other of Pharisees, so he called out in the Sanhedrin, ‘Brothers, I am a Pharisee and the son of Pharisees. It is for our hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.’ As soon as he said this a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was split between the two parties. For the Sadducees say there is neither resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, while the Pharisees accept all three. The shouting grew louder, and some of the scribes from the Pharisees’ party stood up and protested strongly, ‘We find nothing wrong with this man. Suppose a spirit has spoken to him, or an angel?’ Feeling was running high, and the tribune, afraid that they would tear Paul to pieces, ordered his troops to go down and haul him out and bring him into the fortress. Next night, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Courage! You have borne witness for me in Jerusalem, now you must do the same in Rome.’

The Word of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 15(16):1-2,5,7-11