Daily Gospel for Thursday, 23 April 2015

Daily Gospel for Thursday, 23 April 2015
"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."[John 6:68]
Thursday of the Third week of Easter
Saints of the day:

SAINT GEORGE 
Martyr
(280-303)

St. George was born in Cappadocia, at the close of the third century, of Christian parents. In early youth he chose a soldier's life, and soon obtained the favor of Diocletian, who advanced him to the grade of tribune. When, however, the emperor began to persecute the Christians, George rebuked him at once sternly and openly for his cruelty, and threw up his commission. He was in consequence subjected to a lengthened series of torments, and finally beheaded.

There was something so inspiriting in the defiant cheerfulness of the young soldier, that every Christian felt a personal share in this triumph of Christian fortitude; and as years rolled on St. George became a type of successful combat against evil, the slayer of the dragon, the darling theme of camp song and story, until "so thick a shade his very glory round him made" that his real lineaments became hard to trace.

Even beyond the circle of Christendom he was held in honor, and invading Saracens taught themselves to except from desecration the image of him they hailed as the "White-horsed Knight."

The devotion to St. George is one of the most ancient and widely spread in the Church. In the East, a church of St. George is ascribed to Constantine, and his name is invoked in the most ancient liturgies; whilst in the West, Malta, Barcelona, Valencia, Arragon, Genoa, and England have chosen him as their patron.

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

Adalbert of Prague

(956-997)

Opposition to the Good News of Jesus did not discourage Adalbert, who is now remembered with great honor in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Germany.
Born to a noble family in Bohemia, he received part of his education from St. Adalbert of Magdeburg. At the age of 27 he was chosen as bishop of Prague. Those who resisted his program of clerical reform forced him into exile eight years later.
In time, the people of Prague requested his return as their bishop. Within a short time, however, he was exiled again after excommunicating those who violated the right of sanctuary by dragging a woman accused of adultery from a church and murdering her.
After a short ministry in Hungary, he went to preach the Good News to people living near the Baltic Sea. He and two companions were martyred by pagan priests in that region. Adalbert's body was immediately ransomed and buried in Gniezno cathedral (Poland). In the mid-11th century his relics were moved to St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague.
Comment:
Preaching the Good News can be dangerous work whether the audience is already baptized or not. Adalbert fearlessly preached Jesus' gospel and received a martyr's crown for his efforts. Similar zeal has created modern martyrs in many places, especially in Central and South America. Some of those martyrs grew up in areas once evangelized by Adalbert.
Quote:
“O God, [you] bestowed the crown of martyrdom on the Bishop St. Adalbert, as he burned with zeal for for souls, grant, we pray, by his prayers, that the obedience of his flock may never fail the shephered, nor the care of the shepherd be ever lacking to the flock.” (Roman Missal, Common of a Martyr in the Easter season).Thursday of the Third week of Easter
Acts of the Apostles 8:26 An angel of Adonai said to Philip, “Get up, and go southward on the road that goes down from Yerushalayim to ‘Azah, the desert road.” 27 So he got up and went. On his way, he caught sight of an Ethiopian, a eunuch who was minister in charge of all the treasure of the Kandake, or queen, of Ethiopia. He had been to Yerushalayim to worship; 28 and now, as he was returning home, he was sitting in his chariot, reading the prophet Yesha‘yahu. 29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot, and stay close to it.” 30 As Philip ran up, he heard the Ethiopian reading from Yesha‘yahu the prophet. “Do you understand what you’re reading?” he asked. 31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” And he invited Philip to climb up and sit with him.
32 Now the portion of the Tanakh that he was reading was this:
“He was like a sheep led to be slaughtered;
like a lamb silent before the shearer, he does not open his mouth.
33 He was humiliated and denied justice.
Who will tell about his descendants,
since his life has been taken from the earth?”[a]
34 The eunuch said to Philip, “Here’s my question to you — is the prophet talking about himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip started to speak — beginning with that passage, he went on to tell him the Good News about Yeshua.
36 As they were going down the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Here’s some water! Is there any reason why I shouldn’t be immersed?” 37 [b] 38 He ordered the chariot to stop; then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip immersed him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch saw no more of him, because he continued on his way — full of joy. 40 But Philip showed up at Ashdod and continued proclaiming the Good News as he went through all the towns until he came to Caesarea.[Footnotes:
Acts 8:33 Isaiah 53:7–8
Acts 8:37 Some manuscripts include verse 37: And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” He answered, “I believe that Yeshua the Messiah is the Son of God.”]
Psalm 66:8 Bless our God, you peoples!
Let the sound of his praise be heard!
9 He preserves our lives
and keeps our feet from stumbling.
16 Come and listen, all you who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth,
his praise was on my tongue.
20 Blessed be God, who did not reject my prayer
or turn his grace away from me.
Holy Gospel Accordint to Saint John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father — the One who sent me — draws him. And I will raise him up on the Last Day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘They will all be taught by Adonai.’[a] Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God — he has seen the Father. 47 Yes, indeed! I tell you, whoever trusts has eternal life: 48 I am the bread which is life. 49 Your fathers ate the man in the desert; they died. 50 But the bread that comes down from heaven is such that a person may eat it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that has come down from heaven; if anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. Furthermore, the bread that I will give is my own flesh; and I will give it for the life of the world.”[Footnotes:
John 6:45 Isaiah 54:13]
Thursday of the Third week of Easter
Commentary of the day:
Saint Columbanus (563-615), monk, founder of monasteries
Instruction 13, 1-2 ; PL 80, 254 
"Whoever eats this bread will live forever" My dear brethren, if your soul thirsts for the divine spring I have just been talking about then stimulate this thirst, do not quench it. Drink but do not be satisfied. For the living spring calls to us and the well of life says to us: “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink” (Jn 7,37)… 

See from whence this spring wells up : it comes from that place from where the Bread came down, for the Bread and the spring are one – the only Son, our God, Jesus Christ the Lord for whom we ought always to thirst. Even if we eat and devour him in our love, our longing still makes us thirst for him. Like water from a spring, drink him continually with great love, drink him greedily and delight in the sweetness of his taste. For the Lord is kind, the Lord is good. Whether we eat him or whether we drink him we shall always be hungry and thirsty for him, for he is an absolutely inexhaustible food and drink… Indeed, he is the well of the parched, not of the satisfied. He invites the thirsty, whom he calls blessed (Mt 5,6): those who never have enough to drink but whose thirst is always greater than what they have drunk.
Brothers, desire « the source of wisdom, the Word of God in the heights », seek it, love it. As Saint Paul says: “All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2,3) are hidden in it… If you are thirsty, drink from the well of life; if you are hungry, eat the Bread of life. Happy are they who hunger for this Bread and thirst for this well!... How good is that which we can always be tasting without ceasing to desire it! King David the prophet says: “Taste and see how good the Lord is” (Ps 33[34],9).

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