Using the Sunday Readings to reflect on our Journey in Faith in 2016 - 2017
May Readings in Year A from the Fourth Sunday of Easter
to The Feast of the Ascension of the Lord
May is the final month of this year’s journey and brings us to the end of the period of Mystagogia. Our new members of the church will be making new discoveries of their faith and will need our advice and reassurance as they settle into a new life. Now is the time to share with them
The readings are all from the New Testament with the first readings from The Acts of the Apostles and the second reading from the first letter of Peter. The Gospel passages are from John. The exception is the last Sunday in May which is the Feast of the Ascension when the second reading is from Ephesians and the Gospel from Matthew.
The readings of the Fourth Sunday of Easter can be used to reflect upon the Sacraments of Initiation. The theme of the day is “The Shepherd and Guardian of our souls”. The first reading from Acts reminds us of the importance of the Sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation and Confirmation. The Psalm is a familiar prayer; the Lord is my Shepherd, and the evening could be based upon a prayerful reflection on this theme. The letter from Peter reminds us that the Christian life is not an easy choice but that the Spirit is always with us. The Gospel theme is one of the “I am” statements; “I am the Gate of the Sheepfold” and assures us that the way to eternal life is through Jesus and that we must always listen to His voice.
If one of your Mystagogia evenings is based on Lay Ministry in the Church then the readings from the Fifth Sunday of Easter are ideal to help to explore this theme. The first reading is often used to introduce the idea of the Diaconate; if a Deacon is available perhaps he would lead the session. But it would be wrong to restrict this evening to the role of a Deacon for there are many roles that can be played by the laity in the church and each could be explored with the help of lay ministers. The second reading speaks to us of the dignity of every one of the Baptised and that each of us is chosen to undertake some task in the church. The Gospel passage “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” reminds us that there are many rooms in the Father’s house and that there are many ways to serve but always through Christ. This passage is worthy of a full evening’s reflection on its own and should perhaps be kept in mind for a future session.
The Sixth Sunday has the theme “The Spirit of Truth” and could be used to look at the role of the church in the world. The first reading speaks to us of Philip’s work with the Samaritans. You may recall that Jews and Samaritans are enemies but Jesus begins a reconciliation between them with his words to the Woman at the Well and, also, his Parable of the Good Samaritan. Now Peter and John take the gift of Baptism to the Samaritans and welcome them into the fold of Christ. The Gospel passage reminds us that the Spirit of God is always with us helping in our work with the poor of this world. We are reminded that love is the most important light we can show through our lives.
The Feast of the Ascension is all about our mission as disciples in our world. The readings speak of the ascension of Christ into heaven but the message is that we do not dwell on this but accept that we are now his body on this earth and that we have work to do. Concentrate tonight on Paul’s “Prayer of the Spirit” in his letter to the Ephesians; use it to inspire your group into looking at what they want to do in the church. If they can get involved in something then they will feel at home and their faith will grow. If they do not get involved then there is a danger that they will slip away. The Gospel passage repeats the message of Acts but there is a line which you may want to discuss “When they saw him they fell down before him, though some hesitated”. If the Apostles, who had followed Him through everything could, ”hesitate”,what does that say to us? As for me, doubt is part of my faith, I cannot say if I would hesitate if I physically met Jesus, I hope not but I cannot say. What I do know is that He would forgive me and then show me why I should believe in him because He loves me and that love is what sustains me in my doubt.
The Newsletter is now taking a break for June and July but will return in August to prepare for the start of a new journey in September. One of the themes we will look at next year is how the partnerships, which are becoming part of our lives in the church, will affect the way we do RCIA – Journey in Faith. Some of our groups already operate across Parish boundaries and, perhaps, this may be the future for RCIA in our diocese.