SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER

Thursday

Readings

First Reading
Acts 18:1–8

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 98:1, 2–3ab, 3cd–4

Gospel
Jn 16:16–20

Meditation on Today’s Readings

In today’s Gospel, Jesus puts this riddle to his disciples: “A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me.” The disciples, not for the first time, are completely baffled by Jesus’ words. Even though they have all the pieces of the puzzle (“Because I am going to the Father”), they cannot put them together. It is as though grief at the impending death of Jesus has already overtaken them, and in that breathless “little while” between the departure of one Paraclete and the arrival of the other, they are incapable of understanding. Jesus responds to their perplexity not with a solution, but with a solemn promise. “Your grief will become joy,” he tells them, because the Spirit of truth will come and will answer all their questions (Jn 16:13, 23).

Impelled by the same Spirit of truth, in the first reading Paul preaches the word to both Jews and Greeks in Corinth. This is Luke’s account of Paul’s work among the Corinthians. Although it is ostensibly Paul’s story, the plot is distinctly Lucan. Luke’s purpose in Acts is to show how the mission to the Gentiles emerged as a result of the Jews’ refusal of the Gospel. This is the gist of today’s reading. Yet, even here it is apparent that the Jewish mission was not a complete failure. Crispus, the synagogue official, and his entire household believe and are baptized, because the Spirit of truth “blows where it wills” (Jn 3:8).

The copyright for the Sunday Missal Introductions is:
Copyright (c) 2001, Daughters of St. Paul
The copyright for the Weekday Missal Introduction is:
Copyright (c) 2002, Daughters of St. Paul