First Reading
Acts 22:30; 23:6-11
Wishing to determine the truth
about why Paul was being accused by the Jews,
the commander freed him
and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene.
Then he brought Paul down and made him stand before them.
Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees,
so he called out before the Sanhedrin,
“My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees;
I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.”
When he said this,
a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees,
and the group became divided.
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection
or angels or spirits,
while the Pharisees acknowledge all three.
A great uproar occurred,
and some scribes belonging to the Pharisee party
stood up and sharply argued,
“We find nothing wrong with this man.
Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
The dispute was so serious that the commander,
afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them,
ordered his troops to go down and rescue Paul from their midst
and take him into the compound.
The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage.
For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem,
so you must also bear witness in Rome.”
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 16:1-2A AND 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11
R. (1) Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.”
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
John 17:20-26
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
“I pray not only for these,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
so that they may all be one,
as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that they also may be in us,
that the world may believe that you sent me.
And I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me,
that they may be brought to perfection as one,
that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.
Father, they are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
I made known to them your name and I will make it known,
that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them.”
“I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.” (John 17:26)
REFLECTION
I didn’t exactly have the best childhood. There was a lot of fighting between my sister and I. The arguments would be very one-sided, and she would get away with hurting me more often than not.
This ran for most of my life. The cycle created the darkest version of myself, an Anti-Giosue if you will. Anti-Giosue would talk to me and tell me how sorry of a person I was. He would tell me how worthless I was and how I wasn’t good enough for anything. And I believed him. For years, my actions aligned with what he was saying. I hurt people without realizing it. I lost myself. God in His all knowingness saw this happening to me, and He acted swiftly.
He first led me to BLD Youth. He taught me how He loved and gave me a path to get to know His love through the Youth Life in the Spirit Seminar, a seminar in which teens like me get to feel and be blessed by the Holy Spirit. I learned how He used all this hurt in my heart to mold me into becoming a stronger person and a firm believer in His plan. He then taught me my purpose through the Youth Encounter, a retreat for teens which introduces the intricacies of Christian life and God. He showed me that I was very skilled at showing my love to others, even if it wasn’t shown back.
See, God taught me that loving people won’t always go both ways. God has given, is giving, and will give us everything He has. We sometimes take this for granted. I know I did. I shunned His help because of Anti-Giosue. But He still loved me enough to take me back with open arms. Through the ups and downs, God showed me glimpses of who I truly am. I am caring. I am empathetic. I am a fun-loving guy. More importantly, I am a child of God. Although Anti-Giosue shows up sometimes and taunts me, I know in my heart I have received the love I needed. I just have to look at where He is.
Reflection Song
Touch of Heaven by Hillsong Worship
Author
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Photo by: Samuel Martins (@samuelmartins7 at unsplash.com)
Little Whispers 