Daily Readings - Wed May 15 2024
Acts
28Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.29I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.30Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.31So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.32"Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.33I have not coveted anyone's silver or gold or clothing.34You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.35In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"36When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed.37They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him.38What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.
John
11I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one.12While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.13"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.14I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.15My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.16They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.17Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.18As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.19For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two profound moments of leadership and trust in God’s providence. The first reading from Acts 20:28-38 captures Paul’s emotional farewell to the elders of Ephesus. Paul, aware of the challenges they will face in his absence, urges them to be vigilant and to care for the flock entrusted to them. He reminds them that the Church belongs to God and that they have been called to serve it with integrity. Paul’s words are both a warning against false teachings and a testament to his own dedication, as he reflects on his ministry with honesty and humility. The scene ends with a deeply human moment of sorrow and affection, as the community mourns the departure of their beloved leader.
In the Gospel, John 17:11b-19, we hear Jesus’ prayer to the Father, asking for the protection and sanctification of his disciples. Jesus acknowledges that while he is leaving the world, his followers remain in it, and he prays that they may be preserved from evil and united in truth. This prayer is not a plea for their removal from the world but for their sanctification within it. Jesus emphasizes that just as he was sent into the world, so too are his disciples sent, and he sanctifies himself for their sake, so that they may be sanctified in truth. This passage underscores the tension between being in the world but not of it, and the importance of living according to God’s word.
Both readings highlight the themes of trust, responsibility, and the importance of remaining faithful in the face of challenges. Paul’s farewell speech and Jesus’ prayer remind us that we are called to be stewards of God’s work and to trust in his providence, even when the path ahead seems uncertain. As we reflect on these passages, we are invited to examine our own commitment to the flock entrusted to us—whether that is our families, communities, or the broader Church. Let us strive to be vigilant, to serve with integrity, and to remain rooted in the truth, even as we navigate the complexities of the world around us. May we, like Paul and Jesus, embrace our roles with humility and trust, knowing that God’s grace is always at work to build up and sanctify his people.