Saint Gertrude Parish - Lasne
Year B
On this page you will find:
The readings from the Mass
The Mass leaflet with the choice of hymns
A sample universal prayer available for download
In PDF format
In editable Word format
A meditation on the Sunday Gospel
A commentary to better understand the Gospel
A word for the road
May 12, 2024
7th Sunday of Easter
social communications
World Day
At that time,
With his eyes raised to heaven, Jesus prayed thus:
“Holy Father,
Keep my disciples united in your name.
the name you gave me,
so that they may be one, like ourselves.
John 17:11
Readings from the Mass
Lectio Divina
Mass leaflet
Universal Prayer
Preparation time
Lord, “I beg you, let me behold your glory.” (Exodus 33:18)
The observation period
Love is a recurring theme in the First Letter of John. At its source and center is the love of God, which believers must allow to flow back to him and spread to their fellow human beings. The source is not within themselves but in him who "has given them a share in his Spirit." The First Letter of John affirms that God is invisible but that, through faith, we can experience his presence. This presence is discerned by the measure of love shown to others. The epistle thus affirms the role of human mediation. The quality of our relationships with others and with ourselves is a criterion for openness to the Spirit—the presence of God in each person—and at the same time a condition for it. But this existential criterion is not the only one: there is also that of true faith (orthodoxy). This concerns Christ, recognized as the Son of God and Savior of the world.
Time for meditation
Confessing that Christ is the Savior of the world—and therefore our need to be saved—places us in a humility that acknowledges its limitations when it comes to loving and awakens within us the desire to move beyond our self-centeredness. In this way, love, that is, the Spirit poured into our hearts (cf. Rom 5:5), can take its rightful place and gradually expand our being to the dimensions of the world. We proclaim a God whom “no one has ever seen,” but we know that he reveals himself to be experienced in our relationships with those near and far who, like us, bear his image and are temples of his Spirit. This focus on love can become tiresome, so overused is the word. But, for the author of the letter, love took on the face of the Word of life and its practice, he who, wherever he went, “did good” (Acts 10:38). In this time of the Church, when Jesus is physically absent, it is through Scripture that he reaches us in our tentative lives and teaches us. Knowing that the goal is not moral perfection, but communion with God himself.
Time for prayer
“Bless the Lord, O my soul!” (Psalm 103:1)
Emmanuelle Billoteau, hermit
— In chapter 11, and the beginning of chapter 12, Mark has just recounted a whole series of controversies with the religious authorities: first, the story of the merchants driven out of the Temple (11:15-17); upon learning of this, the chief priests and scribes wondered how they could put him to death (v. 18); when they met him again in the Temple, the chief priests, scribes, and elders asked him by what authority he permitted himself to do such things (v. 28); Jesus does not answer directly, but immediately follows with the parable of the murderous tenants (12:1-12); his adversaries understand very well that they are the target and dream once again of arresting him; only fear of the crowd holds them back. They must find a way to trap him: this is the avowed aim of the following two questions: Should one pay taxes to Caesar? (This is the question of the Pharisees and Herodians; 12:13-17); how will the resurrection of the dead affect the woman with seven husbands? (This is the question of the Sadducees; 12:18-27). In this poisoned atmosphere, a question of good faith suddenly appears: “The scribe had heard them arguing and saw that Jesus had answered them well” (12:28). And for once, we witness a genuine dialogue, each side acknowledging the validity of the other's views. But it is all too clear that this scribe represents an isolated case.