"Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.'"(John 6:68)
Sixth Sunday of Easter - Year A
Saints for the Day:
SAINT BEDE THE VENERABLE
Priest & Doctor of the Church
(673-735)
Venerable Bede, the illustrious ornament of the Anglo-Saxon Church and the first English historian, was consecrated -to God at the age of seven, and intrusted to the care of St. Benedict Biscop at Wearmouth. He became a monk in the sister-house of Jarrow, and there trained no less than six hundred scholars, whom his piety, learning, and sweet disposition had gathered round him.
To the toils of teaching and the exact observance of his rule he added long hours of private prayer, and the study of every branch of science and literature then known. He was familiar with Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. In the treatise which he compiled for his scholars, still extant, he threw together all that the world had then stored in history, chronology, physics, music, philosophy, poetry, arithmetic, and medicine. In his Ecclesiastical History he has left us beautiful lives of Anglo-Saxon Saints and holy Fathers, while his commentaries on the Holy Scriptures are still in use by the Church.
It was to the study of the Divine Word that he devoted the whole energy of his soul, and at times his compunction was so overpowering that his voice would break with weeping, while the tears of his scholars mingled with his own. He had little aid from others, and during his later years suffered from constant illness; yet he worked and prayed up to his last hour.
The Saint was employed in translating the Gospel of St. John from the Greek up to the hour of his death, which took place on Ascension Day, 735. "He spent that day joyfully," writes one of his scholars. And in the evening the boy who attended him said, "Dear master, there is yet one sentence unwritten." He answered, "Write it quickly." Presently the youth said, "Now it is written" He replied, "Good! thou hast said the truth-consummatum est; take my head into thy hands, for it is very pleasant to me to sit facing my old praying-place, and there to call upon my Father." And so on the floor of his cell he sang, "Glory be to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost;" and just as he said "Holy Ghost," he breathed his last, and went to the realms above.
Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]
SAINT GREGORY VII
Pope
(c. 1013 - 1085)
Gregory VII., by name Hildebrand, was born in Tuscany, about the year 1013. He was educated in Rome. From thence he went to France, and became a monk at Cluny. Afterwards he returned to Rome, and for many years filled high trusts of the Holy See.
Three great evils then afflicted the Church: simony, concubinage, and the custom of receiving investiture from lay hands. Against these three corruptions Gregory never ceased to contend. As legate of Victor II. he held a Council at Lyons, where simony was condemned.
He was elected Pope in 1073, and at once called upon the pastors of the Catholic world to lay down their lives rather than betray the laws of God to the will of princes. Rome was in rebellion through the ambition of the Cenci. Gregory excommunicated them. They laid hands on him at Christmas during the midnight Mass, wounded him, and cast him into prison. The following day he was rescued by the people.
Next arose his conflict with Henry IV., Emperor of Germany. This monarch, after openly relapsing into simony, pretended to depose the Pope. Gregory excommunicated the emperor. His subjects turned against him, and at last he sought absolution of Gregory at Canossa. But he did not persevere. He set up an antipope, and besieged Gregory in the castle of St. Angelo.
The aged pontiff was obliged to flee, and on May 25, 1085, about the seventy-second year of his life and the twelfth year of his pontificate, Gregory entered into his rest. His last words were full of a divine wisdom and patience. As he was dying, he said, "I have loved justice and hated iniquity, therefore I die in exile." His faithful attendant answered, "Vicar of Christ, an exile thou canst never be, for to thee God has given the Gentiles for an inheritance, and the uttermost ends of the earth for thy possession."
Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]
Blessed Mykola Tsehelskyi
Greek-Catholic Priest and Martyr
(1896-1951)
Mykola Tsehelskyi was born on 17 December 1896 in the village of Strusiv, Ternopil District. In 1923, he completed the course in the theological faculty at Lviv University. On April 5, 1925, Metropolitan Andriy Sheptytsky ordained him to the priesthood.
He was a zealous priest who took care of the spirituality, education and welfare of his parishioners. He was the parish priest in the village of Soroko, where he built a new church. After World War II the era of total repressions began. Fr Mykola personally experienced intimidation, threats and beatings.
On 28 October 1946, he was arrested. On 27 January 1947, he was sentenced to ten years in prison. Although he had a wife, two sons and two daughters, he was deported to labour camps in Mordovia. He lived in extremely horrid conditions, in a camp that was notoriously strict and cruel.
He suffered from severe pain and died on 25 May 1951 as a martyr for the faith. He is buried in the camp cemetery.
He was beatified with twenty four other Greek-Catholics by Pope John Paul II on June 27, 2001 at Lliv. - Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Sixth Sunday of Easter - Year A
Acts of the Apostles 8:5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 The multitudes listened with one accord to the things that were spoken by Philip, when they heard and saw the signs which he did. 7 For unclean spirits came out of many of those who had them. They came out, crying with a loud voice. Many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 There was great joy in that city.
14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit; 16 for as yet he had fallen on none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of Christ Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.Psalm 66: For the Chief Musician. A song. A Psalm.
1 Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!
2 Sing to the glory of his name!
Offer glory and praise!
3 Tell God, “How awesome are your deeds!
Through the greatness of your power, your enemies submit themselves to you.
4 All the earth will worship you,
and will sing to you;
they will sing to your name.”
Selah.
5 Come, and see God’s deeds—
awesome work on behalf of the children of men.
6 He turned the sea into dry land.
They went through the river on foot.
There, we rejoiced in him.
7 He rules by his might forever.
His eyes watch the nations.
Don’t let the rebellious rise up against him.
Selah.
16 Come, and hear, all you who fear God.
I will declare what he has done for my soul.
20 Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer,
nor his loving kindness from me.
1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with humility and fear: 16 having a good conscience; that, while you are spoken against as evildoers, they may be disappointed who curse your good way of life in Christ. 17 For it is better, if it is God’s will, that you suffer for doing well than for doing evil. 18 Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God; being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 14:15 If you love me, keep my commandments. 16 I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Counselor,[a] that he may be with you forever,— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world can’t receive; for it doesn’t see him, neither knows him. You know him, for he lives with you, and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more; but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 One who has my commandments, and keeps them, that person is one who loves me. One who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will reveal myself to him.”
Footnotes:
a. John 14:16 Greek παρακλητον: Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, and Comforter.
Sixth Sunday of Easter - Year A
Commentary for Today:
Paul VI, Pope from 1963-1978
General Audience of 17/05/1972
"The world cannot accept it, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you"
“The Spirit blows where he wills,” said Jesus in his conversation with Nicodemus (Jn 3,8). Therefore, on a doctrinal and practical level, we are not able to draw up any exclusive norms concerning the Holy Spirit's interventions in people's lives. He can manifest himself under the most unrestricted and unexpected forms: “He plays on the surface of the earth” (Prv 8,31)... But for anyone who wants to seize the supernatural waves of the Holy Spirit there is one rule, one requirement that commonly stands out: the interior life. It is within the soul that the encounter with this inexpressible guest takes place: “of the soul the sweetest guest” as the marvellous liturgical hymn for Pentecost says. Man becomes a “temple of the Holy Spirit”, repeats Saint Paul (1Cor 3,16; 6,19).
People today, and christians too, very often, even those consecrated to God, tend to become more and more secular. But they cannot and must not ever forget this fundamental requirement of interior life if they want their lives to remain christian and animated by the Holy Spirit. Pentecost has been preceded by eight days of recollection and prayer. Interior silence is necessary in order to hear God's word, feel his presence, hear the call of God.
Our minds today are far too turned outwards...; we do not know how to meditate, how to pray. We do not know how to silence all the noise made inside us by outside interests, images, feelings. There is no peaceful, dedicated space in our hearts for the flame of Pentecost... The conclusion is obvious: we need to give the interior life its place in the ordering of our tumultuous lives; a place that is special, silent, pure. We need to recollect ourselves again that the lifegiving and sanctifying Spirit may dwell within us.
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