Daily Gospel for Tuesday, 27 May 2014

Daily Gospel for Tuesday, 27 May 2014

"Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.'"(John 6:68).

Tuesday of the Sixth week of Easter

Saints for the Day:

SAINT AUGUSTINE 

Bishop and Apostle of England

(+ 605)

Augustine was prior of the monastery of St. Andrew on the Cœlian, and was appointed by St. Gregory the great chief of the missionaries whom he sent to England. St. Augustine and his companions, having heard on their journey many reports of the barbarism and ferocity of the pagan English, were afraid, and wished to turn back. But St. Gregory replied, "Go on, in God's name! The greater your hardships, the greater your crown. May the grace of Almighty God protect you, and give me to see the fruit of your labor in the heavenly country! If I cannot share your toil, I shall yet share the harvest, for God knows that it is not good-will which is wanting." The band of missionaries went on in obedience.

Landing at Ebbsfleet, between Sandwich and Ramsgate, they met King Ethelbert and his thanes under a great oak-tree at Minster, and announced to him the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Instant and complete success attended their preaching. On Whit-Sunday, 596, King Ethelbert was baptized, and his example was followed by the greater number of his nobles and people. By degrees the Faith spread far and wide, and Augustine, as Papal Legate, set out on a visitation of Britain. He failed in his attempt to enlist the Britons of the west in the work of his apostolate through their obstinate jealousy and pride; but his success was triumphant from south to north. St. Augustine died after eight years of evangelical labors. The Anglo-Saxon Church, which he founded, is still famous for its learning, zeal, and devotion to the Holy See, while its calendar commemorates no less than 300 Saints, half of whom were of royal birth.

Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]

Tuesday of the Sixth week of Easter

Acts of the Apostles 16:22 The multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates tore their clothes off of them, and commanded them to be beaten with rods. 23 When they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely, 24 who, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison, and secured their feet in the stocks.

25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were loosened. 27 The jailer, being roused out of sleep and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, “Don’t harm yourself, for we are all here!”

29 He called for lights, sprang in, fell down trembling before Paul and Silas, 30 brought them out, and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him, and to all who were in his house.

33 He took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, and was immediately baptized, he and all his household. 34 He brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his household, having believed in God.

Psalm 138: By David.

1 I will give you thanks with my whole heart.

    Before the gods,[a] I will sing praises to you.

2 I will bow down toward your holy temple,

    and give thanks to your Name for your loving kindness and for your truth;

    for you have exalted your Name and your Word above all.

3 In the day that I called, you answered me.

    You encouraged me with strength in my soul.

Footnotes:

a. Psalm 138:1 The word elohim, used here, usually means “God” but can also mean “gods”, “princes”, or “angels”.

7 Though I walk in the middle of trouble, you will revive me.

    You will stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies.

    Your right hand will save me.

8 Yahweh will fulfill that which concerns me;

    your loving kindness, Yahweh, endures forever.

    Don’t forsake the works of your own hands.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 16:5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have told you these things, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I don’t go away, the Counselor won’t come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment; 9 about sin, because they don’t believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to my Father, and you won’t see me any more; 11 about judgment, because the prince of this world has been judged.

Tuesday of the Sixth week of Easter

Commentary for the Day:

Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890), priest, founder of a religious community, theologian 

Sermon « The Spiritual Presence of Christ in the Church », PPS, t. 6, no.10

"If I go, I will send the Advocate to you"

Christ really is with us now, whatever be the mode of it. This he says expressly Himself; "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world" (Mt 28,20)... You may be led to explain his declaration thus; "He has come again, but in his Spirit; that is, his Spirit has come instead of him; and when it is said that he is with us, this only means that his Spirit is with us." No one, doubtless, can deny... that the Holy Ghost is come; but why has he come? to supply Christ's absence, or to accomplish his presence? Surely to make him present. Let us not for a moment suppose that God the Holy Ghost comes in such sense that God the Son remains away. No; he has not so come that Christ does not come, but rather he comes that Christ may come in his coming. Through the Holy Ghost we have communion with Father and Son. "In Christ we are built together," says Saint Paul, "for an habitation of God through the Spirit" and: "Strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith" (Ep 2,22; 3,16f). The Holy Spirit causes, faith welcomes, the indwelling of Christ in the heart. Thus the Spirit does not take the place of Christ in the soul, but secures that place to Christ... 

The Holy Spirit, then, vouchsafes to come to us, that by his coming Christ may come to us, not carnally or visibly, but may enter into us. And thus he is both present and absent; absent in that he has left the earth, present in that he has not left the faithful soul; or, as he says himself, "The world sees me no more, but you see me." (Jn 14, 19). 

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