Daily Catholic Mass Readings for May 29, 2017

First Reading: Acts 19.1-8

¹While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples²and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."³So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?John's baptism," they replied.⁴Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus."⁵On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.⁶When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.⁷There were about twelve men in all.⁸Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.

Psalm 68

Psalms

Chapter 68

¹May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him.²As smoke is blown away by the wind, may you blow them away; as wax melts before the fire, may the wicked perish before God.³But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.⁴Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds - his name is the LORD - and rejoice before him.⁵A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.⁶God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.⁷When you went out before your people, O God, when you marched through the wasteland, Selah⁸the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.⁹You gave abundant showers, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance.¹⁰Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, O God, you provided for the poor.¹¹The Lord announced the word, and great was the company of those who proclaimed it:¹²"Kings and armies flee in haste; in the camps men divide the plunder.¹³Even while you sleep among the campfires, the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver, its feathers with shining gold."¹⁴When the Almighty scattered the kings in the land, it was like snow fallen on Zalmon.¹⁵The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains; rugged are the mountains of Bashan.¹⁶Why gaze in envy, O rugged mountains, at the mountain where God chooses to reign, where the LORD himself will dwell forever?¹⁷The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands; the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary.¹⁸When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train; you received gifts from men, even from the rebellious- that you, O LORD God, might dwell there.¹⁹Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah²⁰Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.²¹Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies, the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.²²The Lord says, "I will bring them from Bashan; I will bring them from the depths of the sea,²³that you may plunge your feet in the blood of your foes, while the tongues of your dogs have their share."²⁴Your procession has come into view, O God, the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.²⁵In front are the singers, after them the musicians; with them are the maidens playing tambourines.²⁶Praise God in the great congregation; praise the LORD in the assembly of Israel.²⁷There is the little tribe of Benjamin, leading them, there the great throng of Judah's princes, and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.²⁸Summon your power, O God; show us your strength, O God, as you have done before.²⁹Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings will bring you gifts.³⁰Rebuke the beast among the reeds, the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations. Humbled, may it bring bars of silver. Scatter the nations who delight in war.³¹Envoys will come from Egypt; Cush will submit herself to God.³²Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth, sing praise to the Lord, Selah³³to him who rides the ancient skies above, who thunders with mighty voice.³⁴Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the skies.³⁵You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!

Gospel: John 16.29-33

John

Chapter 16

²⁹Then Jesus' disciples said, "Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech.³⁰Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God."³¹"You believe at last!" Jesus answered.³²"But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.³³"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Sermon

Dear friends, in today’s readings, we encounter two powerful moments in the early Christian community and the life of Jesus. In the first reading from Acts, Paul meets some disciples in Ephesus who had only received John’s baptism and hadn’t heard of the Holy Spirit. Paul explains that John’s baptism was a call to repentance, preparing the way for Jesus. These disciples then receive baptism in Jesus’ name, and through Paul’s laying on of hands, they experience the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues and prophesying. This event highlights the transition from the preparatory baptism of John to the fullness of Christian baptism in the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks to His disciples about their growing faith. They acknowledge that He speaks plainly and that they believe He comes from God. Jesus affirms their faith but also warns them about the challenges ahead. He tells them that they will be scattered, but He won’t be alone because the Father is with Him. Jesus offers these words so that they, and we, may have peace in Him and confidence that He has overcome the world. These readings remind us of the essential role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Just as those disciples in Ephesus needed to move beyond John’s baptism to receive the fullness of the Spirit, we too are called to live in the power of the Holy Spirit. In a world filled with challenges, Jesus assures us of His peace and victory. Let us trust in His power, knowing that through the Spirit, we can overcome any difficulty. May we, like those early disciples, be bold in our faith and open to the gifts of the Spirit, living each day with the confidence that Jesus has indeed overcome the world.