Daily Readings - Mon May 11 2020

⁵There was a plot afoot among the Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them.⁶But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country,⁷where they continued to preach the good news.⁸In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked.⁹He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed¹⁰and called out, "Stand up on your feet!" At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.¹¹When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!"¹²Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker.¹³The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.¹⁴But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting:¹⁵"Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.¹⁶In the past, he let all nations go their own way.¹⁷Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy."¹⁸Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.

John

Chapter 14

²¹Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."²²Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"²³Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.²⁴He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.²⁵"All this I have spoken while still with you.²⁶But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the nature of faith, humility, and the presence of God in our lives. In the first reading from Acts, Paul and Barnabas face both persecution and adoration as they spread the Gospel. When they heal a lame man, the crowd mistakenly worships them as gods, but Paul and Barnabas quickly correct them, insisting that they are merely human instruments of God’s power. This moment highlights their humility and their commitment to pointing others to the one true God. They remind the crowd that God is the creator of all things and that He has always been present, even when people turn away from Him. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks about the relationship between love, obedience, and the presence of God. He says that those who love Him will keep His commandments, and in turn, the Father will love them, and Jesus will manifest Himself to them. This promise is not about exclusivity but about intimacy. Jesus is not saying He will hide Himself from the world, but rather that His presence is experienced deeply by those who love Him and live according to His teachings. The Holy Spirit, as Jesus promises, will guide and remind us of all that He has taught us. These readings remind us that faith is not about seeking glory for ourselves but about glorifying God. Like Paul and Barnabas, we are called to humility and to point others to the true source of all good things. Jesus’ words invite us to examine our own relationship with Him: are we living in a way that reflects our love for Him? Do we recognize His presence in our lives, even in the midst of challenges? Let us ask for the grace to remain humble, to trust in God’s providence, and to live in such a way that others may see His love through us.