Daily Readings - Wed May 27 2020
Acts
28Take care of yourselves and of the entire flock, over which the Holy Spirit has stationed you as Bishops to rule the Church of God, which he has purchased by his own blood29I know that after my departure ravenous wolves will enter among you, not sparing the flock30And from among yourselves, men will rise up, speaking perverse things in order to entice disciples after them31Because of this, be vigilant, retaining in memory that throughout three years I did not cease, night and day, with tears, to admonish each and every one of you32And now, I commend you to God and to the Word of his grace. He has the power to build up, and to give an inheritance to all who are sanctified33I have coveted neither silver and gold, nor apparel,34as you yourselves know. For that which was needed by me and by those who are with me, these hands have provided35I have revealed all things to you, because by laboring in this way, it is necessary to support the weak and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ 36And when he had said these things, kneeling down, he prayed with all of them37Then a great weeping occurred among them all. And, falling upon the neck of Paul, they kissed him38being grieved most of all over the word which he had said, that they would never see his face again. And they brought him to the ship
John
11And though I am not in the world, these are in the world, and I am coming to you. Father most holy, preserve them in your name, those whom you have given to me, so that they may be one, even as we are one12While I was with them, I preserved them in your name. I have guarded those whom you have given to me, and not one of them is lost, except the son of perdition, so that the Scripture may be fulfilled13And now I am coming to you. But I am speaking these things in the world, so that they may have the fullness of my joy within themselves14I have given them your word, and the world has hated them. For they are not of the world, just as I, too, am not of the world15I am not praying that you would take them out of the world, but that you would preserve them from evil16They are not of the world, just as I also am not of the world17Sanctify them in truth. Your word is truth18Just as you have sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world19And it is for them that I sanctify myself, so that they, too, may be sanctified in truth
Sermon
In today’s readings, we hear St. Paul’s heartfelt farewell to the elders of Ephesus and Jesus’ prayer for His disciples. In Acts, Paul reminds the leaders of their sacred responsibility to care for the flock, warning them of dangers both from outside and within. He expresses trust in God’s grace and emphasizes the importance of selfless service, recalling Jesus’ words about the blessedness of giving. In John’s Gospel, Jesus prays for His disciples, asking the Father to protect and sanctify them, not to remove them from the world but to equip them for their mission in it. Both readings highlight the themes of leadership, unity, and the divine call to serve others.
These passages are deeply connected. Paul, as a leader, mirrors Jesus’ own prayer and example. Both emphasize the importance of unity and the need for protection from evil. Paul’s tears and Jesus’ prayer reveal a profound love for those entrusted to their care. They remind us that true leadership is not about power but about serving and sacrificing for the well-being of others. Both readings also underscore the reality that followers of Christ are called to live in the world but not to be conformed to it. We are to be sanctified in truth, living as witnesses of God’s love.
In our daily lives, these readings invite us to reflect on how we care for one another and how we live out our faith in the world. Like Paul, we are called to be vigilant and generous, using our talents to support the weak and to build up the Body of Christ. Like Jesus’ disciples, we are sent into the world to share God’s love, even as we remain connected to Him through prayer and His Word. Let us strive to live with the same selflessness and unity that Paul and Jesus modeled. May we, too, be sanctified in truth and become instruments of God’s grace in the world.