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Second
Week of Easter
(Divine Mercy Sunday)
On the Second
Sunday of Easter we get a picture of how the early community
gathered around as "many signs and wonders were done among the
people at the hands of the apostles."
John's Gospel gives us two post-resurrection stories
that feature Thomas, the doubting apostle. “Have you come to
believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen
and have believed."
Monday
we celebrate the transferred Solemnity of the Annunciation,
which was moved from March 25th to today. It is a wonderful reminder
of the gift of the Incarnation and the powerful openness of Mary.
For
the rest of this week we continue to have the Acts of the
Apostles as our guide for the first reading. Here we see
the disciples on fire with the gift of the Holy Spirit. We see that
their acts now mirror the acts and power of Jesus.
The
gospels this week take us back into the life of Jesus, through the
powerful faith of the Fourth Gospel. For the first
four days, we read about Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus, John,
chapter 3. [Because we won't celebrate Monday of the Second Week
of Easter, due to the Annunciation celebration, it would be good
to go back to the beginning
of chapter 3 and start there.]
Beginning
on Friday of this week we begin to reflect on the 6th chapter of
the Fourth Gospel on Jesus' gift of himself to us as the Bread that
gives Life. After the miracle of the loaves, Jesus encounters his
disciples on the stormy sea and encourages them: "It is I.
Do not be afraid!"
Notice
two powerful Psalms this week:
Psalm 34: "The Lord hears the cry of the poor."
Psalm 27: "One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord."
And,
all this week prepares us for the Third Sunday of Easter
on which we will reflect from Luke's Gospel on
the Resurrection story about the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.
We are prepared to encounter the same pattern: they don't recognize
Jesus, but he opens their eyes in the "breaking of bread."
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Daily
Prayer This Week
Each
of us will be in a different place this week, as we approach the same
Second week of Easter and these same readings. Each of us can enter
into prayer this week in the following ways.
-
Getting in touch with our desires. Most of the time,
it is difficult to know what we wish to ask of the Lord in a given
day. Not big things, e.g., happiness in life, but concrete things,
e.g., the ability to be less fearful about being attentive to and
loving my family when I come home from work. The first movement to
daily prayer is to grow in a sense of what I wish to ask of the Lord,
each day this week.
- The
Liturgy is a wonderful way to "listen" to what our
Lord might be suggesting to us -- planting in our hearts
as a desire. So, we let the readings and the Daily Reflections for
each day help stir our desires.
- We
can ask: "What is being touched in me? What questions are arising
in me? What more do I need from the Lord this day?"
- This
kind of daily praying is not about taking time for meditation, though
there is nothing wrong with that, if we have the time. The beauty
of this type of prayer is that it is about "focus"
in the midst of our busy days. It is taking advantage of
our "background times" to connect with the Lord, speak words
in our hearts, let ideas and desires interact with the concrete experiences
each day. This can happen while I'm showering, getting dressed, traveling
to work, walking to a meeting, doing laundry, shopping, etc. "Lord,
I repeat my desire to be a disciple today with much less fear, with
more trust in the gift of new life you give me this second week of
Easter." "Lord, my husband seems so tense and tight these
days. Let me comfort and strengthen him the way you did with your
disciples."
-
At the end of each day we will want to take a few
moments to "re-collect" the gifts of the day and to give
thanks to the Giver.
- And,
it is so good to keep track of the "movements" going on
in us. What have I been asking for? What have I been receiving?
What patterns do I see there? What deeper desires are being uncovered?
Lord,
may all that I am today, all that I try to do today,
may all my encounters, reflections, even the frustrations and failings
all place my life in your hands.
Lord, my life is in your hands.
Please, let this day give you praise.
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