Celebración de la palabra

Thursday May 21

Thursday of 6th Week of Easter

SORROW WILL TURN INTO JOY

Introduction

Many people are lamenting because they do not feel the presence of God, particularly in moments of deep sorrow. At the occasion of the death of a beloved person one hears often: “Where is God now? He has deserted us!” It was a thought that many Jews expressed during the “Shoah” (holocaust, literally “destruction,”). Yet, some tenaciously held on to God, saying that it was God who suffered there at the hands of people.

Opening Prayer

Lord, our God,
when we suffer deeply
we tend to cry out:
“My God, where are you?”
Give to us, people who believe
that your Son died for us
and by your power rose from the dead,
a faith deep and strong enough
to know that you are with us
also in the difficulties and woes of life,
even in the throes of death.
Give us this faith,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Reading 1: ACTS 18:1-8

Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus,
who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla
because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome.
He went to visit them and, because he practiced the same trade,
stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade.
Every Sabbath, he entered into discussions in the synagogue,
attempting to convince both Jews and Greeks.

When Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia,
Paul began to occupy himself totally with preaching the word,
testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.
When they opposed him and reviled him,
he shook out his garments and said to them,
"Your blood be on your heads!
I am clear of responsibility.
From now on I will go to the Gentiles. So he left there and went to a house
belonging to a man named Titus Justus, a worshiper of God;
his house was next to a synagogue.
Crispus, the synagogue official, came to believe in the Lord
along with his entire household, and many of the Corinthians
who heard believed and were baptized.

Responsorial Psalm 98:1, 2-3AB, 3CD-4

R. (see 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia: JN 14:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord;
I will not come back to you, and your hearts will rejoice.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: JN 16:16-20

Jesus said to his disciples:
"A little while and you will no longer see me,
and again a little while later and you will see me."
So some of his disciples said to one another,
"What does this mean that he is saying to us,
'A little while and you will not see me,
and again a little while and you will see me,'
and 'Because I am going to the Father'?"
So they said, "What is this 'little while' of which he speaks?
We do not know what he means."
Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them,
"Are you discussing with one another what I said,
'A little while and you will not see me,
and again a little while and you will see me'?
Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy."

Commentary

The words of Jesus today foretell a period of grief for the disciples to be followed by one of joy.
Commentators discuss at length the meaning of these two periods of time. The time of grief refers to the time of Christ’s passion and death when he was removed from their presence. The world rejoiced in being rid of Christ’s presence, but for the disciples it was a time of sadness. But when do the disciples see him again? This would seem to go beyond the few post-Easter appearances and point rather to the giving of the Spirit after the resurrection. This was the clearest evidence that his triumph over sin and death was complete. The former sense of loss gave way to an overriding joy of new life.
This mixture of sadness and joy characterized Paul’s stay in Corinth. In preaching first to the Jews, as was his custom, Paul experienced hostility and opposition. He asserts his willingness to turn to the Gentiles. Working out of the house of one Titus Justus, Paul gains access to willing listeners. The Corinthian community, which will play such a dominant role in Paul’s ministry, begins to grow and flourish.
Our faith tells us that we live in the era wherein Christ is alive and experienced. Our sorrow has indeed been turned into joy. Through the sacraments, God’s word, and the Christian community, we live in the end-time. Faith will one day give place to vision, but in the meantime we are not left orphans. We now live in the risen Lord. This reality should carry us through our days of sorrow and frustration. Our grief has truly been turned into joy.

Points to Ponder

The joy of the Spirit
To see Christ again
Sorrow and joy in the life of Paul

Intercessions

– For those responsible for the earth, that the Spirit may guide them to respect God’s work of creation, its beauty and integrity, we pray:
– For people facing death, that their hope in the resurrection may assure them that God will give them everlasting life, we pray:
– For those who suffer, that they may know that God knows and that the Spirit may turn their pain into joy, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Our living and loving God,
when the people you had made your own
marched through the inhospitable desert,
you were there with them
and you gave them the manna to eat.
Keep us from complaining and murmuring
when the difficulties of life come our way.
Nourish us in our deserts with today’s manna,
with the body and blood of your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
do not take it amiss when we cry out to you
in the deserts of our pains and loneliness.
Keep strengthening us with the food
and the drink of joy of Jesus.
And make us see your presence also
in the good people around us,
in their words of consolation and hope.
Reassure us that you lead us
to a joy and a happiness
to which there is no end.
Grant us this through Christ, our Lord.

Blessing

As Christians, we are in our journey to God. At times, we are in the dark even if we do our best to make the way of Christ our way. But, we trust God to give us the Spirit to keep us going and to guide us to our goal in life. May God bless you, that Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.