Churches of the Day

Tuesday, Third Week of Easter

Stephen becomes the first to die in witness to Christ echoing his Masters forgiveness for his executioners

Saint of the Day:  April  21; St Anselm, religious, doctor of the Church
C/f A short life of be this saint can found below todays' Readings and Reflection.

FIRST READING        

A reading from the Book The Acts of the Apostles          7:51-8:1
Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

Stephen said to the people, the elders and the scribes. 'You stubborn people, with your pagan hearts and pagan ears. You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Can you name a single prophet your ancestors never persecuted? In the past they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, and now you have become his betrayers, his murderers. You who had the Law brought to you by angels are the very ones who have not kept it.'


They were infuriated when they heard this, and ground their teeth at him. But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God's right hand.
'I can see heaven thrown open' he said 'and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.'

At this all the members of the council shouted out and stopped their ears with their hands;
then they all rushed at him, sent him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses put down their clothes at the feet of a young man called Saul. As they were stoning him, Stephen said in invocation, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' Then he knelt down and said aloud, '
Lord, do not hold this sin against them'; and with these words he fell asleep.
Saul entirely approved of the killing.

The Word of the Lord.             Thanks be to God


Responsorial Psalm           Ps 30: 3-4. 6-8. 17. 21. R/v 6
Response                                 Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Or                                             Alleluia!

1. Be a rock of refuge for me, a mighty stronghold to save me,
for you are my rock, my stronghold. For your name's sake, lead me and guide me.           Response

2. Into your hands I commend my spirit. It is you who will redeem me, Lord.
As for me, I trust in the Lord: let me be glad and rejoice in your love.                                   Response

3. Let your face shine on your servant. Save me in your love.
You hide those who trust you in the shelter of your presence from the plotting of men.  Response

Gospel Acclamation            Jn 10: 14
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord, I know my sheep and my own know me.
Alleluia!

or                                              Jn 6:35
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the bread of life, says the Lord.
He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL

The Lord be with you     And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John       6:30-35       Glory to you, O Lord
It was not Moses who gave you bread from heaven, it is my Father who gives you the bread from heaven.

The people said to Jesus, 'What sign will you give to show us that we should believe in you? What work will you do? Our fathers had manna to eat in the desert; as scripture says: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'
Jesus answered: 'I tell you most solemnly, it was not Moses who gave you bread from heaven, it is my Father who gives you the bread from heaven, the true bread;
for the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world'.
'Sir,' they said 'give us that bread always.'
Jesus answered 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst.'

The Gospel of the Lord                 Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.




Gospel Reflection              Tuesday,              Third Week of Easter            John 6:30-35

More than once in the gospels, people come to Jesus asking him to perform a sign before they will take him seriously. In today’s gospel reading people ask Jesus, ‘What sign will you give to show us that we should believe in you? What work will you do?’ This is immediately after Jesus had done the work of feeding a large crowd with five barley loaves and two fish. Here was a work that was a sign for those with eyes to see. This work pointed beyond itself to Jesus’ true identity. His feeding of the crowd with bread and fish was a sign that Jesus was ‘the bread of life’ in the language of today’s gospel reading. The real significance of Jesus’ miraculous work of feeding the crowd lay in what it has to say about who Jesus is for all those who believe in him. The crowd who were fed would however become hungry again.

Jesus remains the bread of life for all who come to him, not just during his public ministry, but for all future generations who will come to him as risen Lord. Jesus is our bread of life today. The promise he makes in today’s gospel reading is made to each one of us, ‘those who come to me will never be hungry; those who believe in me will never thirst’. The risen Lord promises to satisfy the deepest hungers and thirsts in our heart, the hunger and thirst for love, for forgiveness, for justice, for peace, for communion, for life to the full. Here and now, in our own place and time, he is bread of life for all who believe in him and for all who come to him. We encounter the Lord as bread of life in a special way at the Eucharist. Yet the Lord’s invitation to come to him as bread of life is not limited to the Eucharist. He can be our daily bread of life wherever we find ourselves.
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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd. and used with the permission of the publishers.  http://dltbooks.com/
The Scripture Reflection is made available with our thanks from his book Reflections on the Weekday Readings : The Word is near to you, on your lips and in your heart by Martin Hogan and published by Messenger Publications  c/f  www.messenger.ie/bookshop/

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Saint of the Day:  April  21; St Anselm, religious, doctor of the Church

Anselm died at Canterbury (England) on this day in 1109. A monk at Bec (Normandy) where he taught theology and devoted himself to the spiritual life. Later, as archbishop of Canterbury, his bitter disputes with the king resulted in his being exiled twice. He is remembered for his theological learning and writings and for organising Church life in England

Patrick Duffy tells his story.

Anselm is probably best known for his motto which sets out the purpose of theology, namely,' fides quaerens intellectum' ( 'faith seeking understanding'). But he was also a monk, abbot and holy man, who became archbishop of Canterbury during the difficult times of lay investiture. He stood up strongly to King William II (Rufus 1087-1100) of England.

His Early Life

Anselm was born in Aosta, Lombardy in north-east Italy, into a land-owning family. While his father was rough and spendthrift, his mother was gentle and pious. Anselm at fifteen wanted to become a monk, but as his father would not agree, he was not accepted. Disappointed he gave up his studies. When his mother died and his father's harshness became unbearable, Anselm left home and wandered through Burgundy and France, where his mother had relatives.

Student and Monk at Bec
Moving on to Normandy, Anselm was attracted by the fame of his fellow Lombard, Lanfranc, who was then prior of the Benedictine abbey of Bec. Anselm went to study there, first as a secular student, and later as a monk. When Lanfranc was made prior at Caen (1063), Anselm at the age of thirty was elected prior at Bec. The monastery soon developed into an important seat of learning.

Philosophical Writings
During his time at Bec, Anselm wrote his works of philosophy, the Monologion (1076) and the Proslogion (1077–8), the latter being famous for its ontological argument for the existence of God. He also wrote four philosophical dialogues: De grammatico (which is a work on Logic), De veritate (On Truth), De libertate arbitrii (On freedom of Choice), and De casu diaboli (The Fall of the Devil)

Abbot at Bec
When Herluin, the first abbot and founder of Bec, died in 1078, Anselm was elected abbot by uninimous vote of the community. He combined the spiritual and temporal demands of leadership, being a loving father to his monks and expanding the abbey's lands to good use. He became well known for his insight into human nature, virtues and vices, but also for his devotion and asceticism. He occasionally visited England to view property the abbey had acquired there, as well as to visit Lanfranc, who had now become archbishop of Canterbury.

Archbishop at Canterbury and conflict with the kings
When Lanfranc died in 1089, Anselm was the obvious choice to succeed him. But the king, William Rufus, prevaricated for four years. During this time the king strove to appropriate church lands, offices, and incomes. Eventually in 1093 when he became ill, Rufus did nominate Anselm, but they were constantly at loggerheads over lay investiture.

Exile and Return


In 1097 Anselm went into exile first in France and then to Rome, where Pope Urban II not only supported Anselm’s position, but declined his request to be relieved of his office. In the controversies with the Eastern Church which followed the split of 1054 Urban made use of Anselm's visit to help him defend the Western insertion of Filioque in the Creed and the use of unleavened bread in the West against representatives of the Greek Church at a provincial council at Bari. When King William Rufus died in 1100, Anselm returned to England, but he was again in conflict with the new king, Henry I, over lay investiture. In 1103 he once again travelled to Rome. Pope Paschal II again decided in Anselm’s favour, but the king forbade him to return to England. However, eventually there was reconciliation just before Anselm died in 1109.

Jurisdiction over Dublin
During the Norse occupation of Dublin, those who became bishops there looked more to Canterbury for their jurisdiction and their ordination than to Ireland, as until the Synod of Rath Breasail (1111) there was no real diocesan structure in Ireland and Dublin did not join that until the Synod of Kells (1152). Lanfranc ordained Giolla Patrick (1074-1084) and Donngus (1084-95), both Benedictines as bishops for Dublin. Anselm ordained Bishop Samuel Ua hAingli (1096-1121), who may also have become a Benedictine. His tomb is still to be seen in the Church of St Michan's (Church of Ireland Anglican Communion) Church today. In a charter of 1101, Anselm refers to  himself as "Archbishop of Canterbury and primate of Great Britain and Ireland and vicar of the High Pontiff Paschal".

His Theological Writings
While archbishop in exile, Anselm wrote a number of theological works including his famous treatise on the Incarnation entitled 'Cur Deus Homo?' His other theological works written during these difficult times include:
'De conceptu virginali et de originali peccato ("On the Virgin Conception and on Original Sin" 1099),
De processione Spiritus Sancti ("On the Proceeding of the Holy Spirit"  1102),
the Epistola de sacrificio azymi et fermentati (1106-7),
De sacramentis ecclesiae (1106-7), and De concordia praescientiae et praedestinationis et gratiae Dei cum libero arbitrio ("On the Harmony of the Foreknowledge, the Predestination, and the Grace of God with Free Choice" 1107-8).

Cur Deus homo?
Anslem's best known work Cur Deus homo? ("Why did God become man?") puts forward what is called the satisfaction theory of redemption. Since the satisfaction due to God as a result of original sin was greater than what all created beings were capable of doing, God had to make satisfaction for himself. Yet if this satisfaction was going to avail for humans, it had to be made by a human. Therefore only a being that was both God and man could satisfy God and give him the honour that is due him.

Influence
Anselm's biography was written by the Anglo-Saxon monk Eadmer, who had been his friend and disciple. Though Becket tried to have him canonised, Anselm was never officially made a saint, but Pope Clement XI declared him a doctor of the Roman Catholic Church in 1720, and is he considered a saint by the Roman Catholic Church and the churches in the Anglican Communion.

Fides quaerens intellectum
Anselm's theological motto, 'fides quaerens intellectum' ("faith seeking understanding"), has become the basis and indeed a definition for all theological enquiry: it is inspired by the text of 1 Peter 3:15: "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have".
He died on Palm Sunday 1109 wile one of the monks read the Gospel to him.

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Memorable Saying for Today

Five things you will never recover in life...
1. A stone after it's thrown. 2. A word after it's spoken. 3. An occasion after it's ’missed.
4. Time after it's gone. and  most precious  5. Trust after it's lost. 

~ Author Unknown ~

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Fourth Sunday of Easter

This is  Good Shepherd Sunday
A Day of Prayer for Vocations to the Priesthood, Religious life, Married and Single life.
It is a call to a life of service in the Church and a call to live the Gospel mission as a representative of Jesus wherever and whenever we are.

FIRST READING
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles 2:14. 36-41
God has made him both Lord and Christ.

On the day of Pentecost Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed them in a loud voice:
'The whole House of Israel can be certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.'

Hearing this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the apostles,
'What must we do, brothers?'
'You must repent,' Peter answered 'and every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise that was made is for you and your children, and for all those who are far away, for all those whom the Lord our God will call to himself.'

He spoke to them for a long time using many arguments, and he urged them,
'Save yourselves from this perverse generation'.
They were convinced by his arguments, and they accepted what he said and were baptised. That very day about three thousand were added to their number.

The Word of the Lord.            Thanks be to God

Responsorial Psalm         Ps 22: 1-6. R/v1
Response                             The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or                                            Alleluia!

1. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
    Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose.
    Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit.                                Response

2. He guides me along the right path; he is true to his name.
    If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear.
   You are there with your crook and your staff;  with these you give me comfort.    Response

3. You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes.
    My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing.                                    Response

4. Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life.
    In the Lord's own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.                                            Response

SECOND READING

A reading from the first letter of St Peter            2:20-25
You have come back to the shepherd of your souls.

The merit, in the sight of God, is in bearing it patiently when you are punished after doing your duty. This, in fact, is what you were called to do, because Christ suffered for you and left an example for you to follow the way he took. He had not done anything wrong, and there had been no perjury in his mouth. He was insulted and did not retaliate with insults; when he was tortured he made no threats but he put his trust in the righteous judge. He was bearing our faults in his own body on the cross, so that we might die to our faults and live for holiness; through his wounds you have been healed. You had gone astray like sheep but now you have come back to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

The Word of the Lord.            Thanks be to God

Gospel Acclamation          Jn 10: 14
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL

The Lord be with you              And with your spirit.
A reading from the Gospel according to John     10:1-10      Glory to you, O Lord
I am the gate of the sheepfold

Jesus said:
'I tell you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand. The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. When he has brought out his flock, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice. They never follow a stranger but run away from him: they do not recognise the voice of strangers.'

Jesus told them this parable but they failed to understand what he meant by telling it to them.
So Jesus spoke to them again:
'I tell you most solemnly, I am the gate of the sheepfold.
All others who have come are thieves and brigands;
but the sheep took no notice of them

I am the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: he will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.


The Gospel of the Lord.        Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.



For homily resources for this Sunday's Gospel click here:  https://www.catholicireland.net/sunday-homily/

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Taken from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, published and copyright 1966,  by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House Inc, and used by permission of the publishers.