St. Isidore, farmer 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Acts 15:22-31

Then the apostles and elders together with the whole Church

decided to choose representatives from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. These were Judas, known as Barsabbas, and Silas, both leading men among the brothers.  They took with them the following letter: Greetings from the apostles and elders, your brothers, to the believers of non-Jewish birth in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia.  

We have heard that some persons from among us have worried you with their discussions and troubled your peace of mind. They were not ap­pointed by us.  But now, it has seemed right to us in an assembly, to choose representatives and to send them to you, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,  who have dedicated their lives to the service of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We send you then Judas and Silas who themselves will give you these instructions by word of mouth.

 We, with the Holy Spirit, have decided not to put any other burden on you except what is necessary:  You are to abstain from blood from the meat of strangled animals and from prohibited marriages. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”

After saying good-bye, the messengers went to Antioch, where they assembled the community and handed them the letter.  When they read the news, all were delighted with the encouragement it gave them.

 

Ps 57:8-9, 10＆12

I will give thanks among the peoples, O Lord.　

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

John 15:12-17

 This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you.  There is no greater love than this, to give one’s life for one’s friends;   and you are my friends if you do what I command you.

 I shall not call you servants any more, be­cause servants do not know what their mas­ter is about. Instead I have called you friends, since I have made known to you everything I learned from my Father.

You did not choose me; it was I who chose you and sent you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last. And everything you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.

This is my command, that you love one another.

 

Gospel Reflection：

The promise that Jesus made to his disciples – the promise of his abiding presence in his Church – is as true and real today as it was when the early Christian community began its work of preaching the Good News.

It is something we need to constantly remind ourselves especially as the world and contemporary society seem to grow more and more antagonistic towards faith, religion, and the church. When Jesus declared that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” meant it, but not just as a promise, but as a reality.

For two thousand years, this church has found itself assailed, both externally by adversaries who have sought to destroy it, and internally by misguided Christians or those who live lives that are inconsistent with the demands of discipleship. This is the reality of the church, and it is within such challenging and difficult reality that we must learn to tend to it, care for it and, if we are able, reform it – out of love.