29. His disciples said to him, Lo, now you speak plainly, and speak no proverb.
30. Now are we sure that you know all things, and need not that any man should ask you; by this we believe that you came forth from God.
31. Jesus answered them, Do you now believe?
32. Behold, the hour comes, yea, is now come, that you shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
33. These things I have spoken to you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world.
CHRYS. The disciples were so refreshed with the thought of being in favor with the Father, that they say they are sure He knows all things: His disciples said to Him, Now you speak plainly, and speak no proverb.
AUG. But why do they say so, when the hour in which He was to speak without proverbs was yet future, and only promised? Because, our Lord's communications still continuing proverbs to them, they are so far from understanding them, that they do not even understand their not understanding them.
CHRYS. But since His answer met what was in their minds, they add, Now we are sure that you know all things. See how imperfect they yet were, after so many and great things now at last to say, Now we are sure &c. saying it too as if they were conferring a favor. And need not that any man should ask you, i.e. you know what offends us, before we tell You, and you have relieved us by saying that the Father loves us.
AUG. Why this remark? To one Who knew all things, instead of saying, you need not that any man should ask You; it would have been more appropriate to have said, you need not to ask any man; yet we know that both of these were done, viz. that our Lord both asked questions, and was asked. But this is soon explained; for both were for the benefit, not of Himself, but of those whom He asked questions of, or by whom He was asked. He asked questions of men not in order to learn Himself, but to teach them: and in the case of those who asked questions of Him, such questions were necessary to them in order to gain the knowledge they wanted; but they were not necessary to Him to tell Him what that was, because He knew the wish of the inquirer, before the question was put. Thus to know men's thoughts beforehand was no great thing for the Lord, but to the minds of babes it was a great thing: By this we know that you came forth from God.
HILARY. They believe that He came forth from God, because He does the works of God. For whereas our Lord had said both, I came forth from the Father, and, I am come into the world from the Father, they testified no wonder at the latter words, I am come into the world, which they had often heard before. But their reply shows a belief in and appreciation of the former, I came forth from the Father. And they notice this in their reply: By this we believe that you came forth from God; not adding, and are come into the world, for they knew already that He was sent from God, but had not yet received the doctrine of His eternal generation. That unutterable doctrine they now began to see for the first time in consequence of these words, and therefore reply that He spoke no longer in parables. For God is not born from God after the manner of human birth; His is a coming forth from, rather than a birth from, God. He is one from one; not a portion, not a defection, not a diminution, not a derivation, not a pretension, not a passion, but the birth of living nature from living nature. He is God coming forth from God, not a creature appointed to the name of God; He did not begin to be from nothing, but He came forth from an abiding nature. To come forth has the signification of birth, not of beginning.
AUG. Lastly, He reminds them of their w weak tender age in respect of the inner man. Jesus answered them, Do you now believe?
BEDE. Which can be understood in two ways, either as reproaching or affirming. If the former, the meaning is, you have awaked somewhat late to belief, for behold the hour comes, yea is now come, that you shall be scattered every man to his home. If the latter, it is, That which you believe is true, but behold the hour comes, &c.
AUG. For they did not only with their bodies leave His body, when He was taken, but with their minds the faith.
CHRYS. You shall be scattered; i.e. when I am betrayed, fear shall so possess you, that you will not be able even to take to flight together. But I shall suffer no harm in consequence: And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
AUG. He wishes to advance them so far as to understand that He had not separated from the Father because He had come forth from the Father.
CHRYS. These things have I said to you, that you might have peace; i.e. that you may not reject Me from your minds. For not only when I am taken shall you suffer tribulation, but so long as you are in the world: In the world you shall have tribulation.
GREG. As if He said, Have Me within you to comfort you, because you will have the world without you.
AUG. The tribulation of which He speaks was to commence thus, i.e. in every one being scattered to his home, but was not to continue so. For in saying, And leave Me alone, He does not mean this to apply to them in their sufferings after His ascension. They were not to desert Him then, but to abide and have peace in Him. Wherefore He adds, Be of good cheer.
CHRYS. i.e. raise up your spirits again; when the Master is victorious, the disciples should not be dejected; I have overcome the world.
AUG. When the Holy Spirit was given them, they were of good cheer, and, in His strength, victorious. For He would not have overcome the world, had the world overcome His members. When He says, These things have I spoken to you, that in Me you might have peace, He refers not only to what He has just said, but to what He had said all along, either from the time that He first had disciples, or since the supper, when He began this long and wonderful discourse. He declares this to be the object of His whole discourse, viz. that in Him they might have peace. And this peace shall have no end, but is itself the end of every pious action and intention.
Catena Aurea John 16
Catholic Culture
Easter: May 29th
Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter
MASS READINGS
May 29, 2017 (Readings on USCCB website)
COLLECT PRAYER
May the power of the Holy Spirit come to us, we pray, O Lord, that we may keep your will faithfully in mind and express it in a devout way of life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
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Old Calendar: Friday after Pentecost; St. Mary Magdalen de' Pazzi, virgin
According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi. At the age of ten she consecrated her virginity to Christ, she was a Carmelite famous for her visions. Her motto was "To suffer and not to die." She died in 1607. Her feast in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is celebrated on May 25.
Meditation - Our Intercessor
Through the centuries the Church Fathers have said that Our Lord keeps for Himself half His regency, which is the Kingdom of Justice, but the other half He gives away to His Mother, and this is the Kingdom of Mercy. At the Marriage Feast of Cana, Our Lord said that the hour of His Passion was not yet at hand-the hour when justice would be fulfilled. But His Blessed Mother begged Him not to wait, but to be merciful to those who were in need, and to supply their wants by changing water into wine. Three years later, when not the water was changed into wine, but the wine into blood, He fulfilled all justice, but surrendered half His Kingdom by giving to us that which no one else could give, namely, His Mother: "Behold thy Mother." Whatever mothers do for sons, that His Mother would do, and more.
Throughout all history the Blessed Mother has been the link between two contraries: the eternal punishment of hell for sinners and the universal unlimited Redemption of Her Divine Son. These extremes cannot be reconciled except by mercy. Not that Mary pardons-for she cannot-but she intercedes as a mother does in the face of the justice of the father. Without justice, mercy would be indifference to wrong: without mercy, justice would be vindictive. Mothers obtain pardon and forgiveness for their sons without ever giving them the feeling of "being let off." Justice makes the wrongdoer see the injustice in the violation of a law; mercy makes him see it in the sufferings and misery he caused those who love him deeply.
— Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
The Word Among Us
Meditation: Acts 19:1-8
7th Week of Easter
We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. (Acts 19:2)
Imagine you are at a wedding banquet. Several guests are milling around an elegantly decorated room, eating delicious and beautifully prepared appetizers. They are talking happily and enjoying the good food and good company. However, they are unaware that a door at the end of the room leads to a larger hall with music and a huge banquet. Satisfied though they are, they don’t realize what they are missing!
As Paul traveled through Greece and into Ephesus, he came upon some disciples. They were happily following God, devoted to what they had heard and understood. But they didn’t have the whole picture. They had embraced the baptism of repentance that John preached, but they had never heard the rest of the story. So Paul told them about Jesus. They had never heard of the Holy Spirit either, so he prayed with them, and the Holy Spirit descended upon them. Evidently, God had much more waiting for them!
How about you? You may feel that your relationship with God is good, but Jesus wants to make it spectacular. He wants your cup to overflow with his love, his grace, and his wisdom. Take a moment to recall the most powerful, grace-filled experience of God you’ve ever had. Now multiply that by tenfold. That’s what God wants to do for you. If you think the “appetizers” you have tasted so far are good, just wait for the main course!
Always remember that the Holy Spirit lives in you. Remember that he delights in doing “far more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). And don’t forget about all the grace and power he offers you every single time you receive Communion.
So go ahead and ask him for more of his life. Ask him to give you a new insight into the Scriptures. Ask him to help you not only overcome sin but become a saint. Ask him to make you extra confident in your position as a child of God. Ask him to give you a joy that overflows and touches everyone you meet. Ask, ask, and ask. He loves you. He has good gifts waiting for you.
“Holy Spirit, I do want more! Help me to open my heart to receive all of your gifts.”
Psalm 68:2-7
John 16:29-33
Image: Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat | flickr