These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 104)
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD, my God, you are great indeed! How manifold are your works, O LORD! the earth is full of your creatures.
R Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. Alleluia.
If you take away their breath, they perish and return to their dust. When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. Alleluia.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060522-day.cfm
The work of creation never ends—because God is not finished with us yet. And that is really Good News!
It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written. (Jn 21:20-25)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060422.cfm
We come to the second conclusion of the Fourth Gospel with the passage about the Beloved Disciple. We learn that the Beloved has written these things, and as the writer of this passage says, “We know that his testimony is true.” Obviously, the Beloved has died, but why would there be any doubt about whether this disciple would not die, unless the Beloved is truly Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead? The Acts of the Apostles also comes to an end with Paul under house arrest in Rome freely preaching the gospel and fulfilling the words of Jesus: “You will be my witnesses . . . to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Tomorrow is Pentecost, the end of the Easter Season. Today we remember the Blessed Virgin Mary who remained in prayer with the early community of disciples.
After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them, he said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” (Jn 21:15-19)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060322.cfm
"Breakfast by the Sea" sounds so romantic . . . until we get to the heart of the matter today. Peter was probably hoping that the Lord would just forget about his three denials. But the Lord chooses to go there and what follows is that Peter is restored to apostolic ministry . . . but it is a different ministry, one not based on privilege and power but rather a ministry based on Love. Saint Charles and his companions were martyred between 1885-1887 in Uganda. Today's picture shows Saint Charles baptizing one of his companions before their martyrdom.
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.” (Jn 17:20-26)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060222.cfm
The High Priestly Prayer of Jesus concludes today with the Lord continuing to pray that we may be one so that the world may believe that he was sent by God. How important is Christian Unity—Christian Unity is not just a nice idea, it is essential if the world is to believe. Today’s photo is of Pope Francis and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew praying together at the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, May 25, 2014, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the signing of the joint declaration by Pope Paul VI and the Patriarch Athenagoras (1964) committing the Catholic and Orthodox Churches to work for full sacramental unity in obedience to command of Jesus Christ that his "disciples may be one."
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying: “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one.” (Jn 17:11b-19)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060122.cfm
The sad divisions in Christianity are not what the Lord wants for us: “that they may be one just as we are one.” But we have been divided from the very beginning. Perhaps, one day, we will hear the Lord praying for us to be one, be rightfully ashamed of ourselves, do the hard work of reconciliation, and embrace one another as members of one family. Justin Martyr was an apologist of the early church. He was martyred in the year 165.
