Introduction to the Liturgy of the Day

Introduction to the Liturgy of the Word

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

Reflection

• In the name of Jesus, Philip drove out demons and cured those who were disabled. In that time, possession by the devil and physical infirmity were considered to be manifestations of sin. (Recall that Jesus’ disciples asked him whether it was the blind man’s sin or his parents’ sin that caused his blindness, assuming it must be the sin of one of them.) When Philip healed people in Christ’s name, it was thus a physical sign of God’s forgiveness. The healing of so many was a sign of a new age, an age when forgiveness and healing flowed like water. No wonder “there was great joy in that city” (Acts 8:8)!

• In his first letter, Peter speaks particularly to those who are suffering. Christians were persecuted in that era, so he had to know that his letter would find plenty of people who were suffering. He asks those who are questioned about their faith to treat the questioners gently and reverently. After all, they are children of God as well. “Suffer for doing good,” he counseled, as Jesus had (1 Peter 3:17). Despite our suffering, God calls us to love those who malign us as God loves them. And who knows? If we respond to our opponents with grace and without vitriol, we may disarm them and find a glimmer of goodness within them.

• “If you love me, you will keep my commandments,” Jesus told his disciples (John 14:15). Taken one way, it may seem quite demanding, but it was really the equivalent of saying, “If you love me, you will want to keep my commandments.” Think about someone you love dearly—your spouse, your significant other, your parent, your child. Do you not want to do what they ask? You want to please them, you want to bring them joy. Assuming that they are sincere and not demanding or unreasonable, you want to do what they ask. Submission to someone else’s will is a consequence of love. Love of God brings us a desire to do God’s will, to do what God asks of us.

Question of the Week