Daily Readings - Wed May 27 2020
Acts
28Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.29I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;30and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.31Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears.32And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.33I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel.34You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me.35In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"36And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.37And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him,38being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.
John
11And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.12While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.13But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.14I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.15I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.16They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.17Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.18As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.19And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also 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.