St. Venerable Bede, Priest  & doctor I.

St. Gregory VII, Pope 

St. Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi, virgin 

 

*** 1st Reading ***

Acts 19:1-8

 While Apollos was in Corinth,

Paul traveled through the interior of the country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples whom he asked, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you be­came believers?” They answered, “We have not even heard that anyone may receive the Holy Spirit.” Paul then asked, “What kind of baptism have you received?” And they answered, “The baptism of John.”

Paul then explained, “John’s baptism was for conversion, but he himself said they should believe in the one who was to come, and that one is Jesus.” Upon hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Paul laid his hands on them and the Holy Spirit came down upon them; and they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy. There were about twelve of them in all.

 Paul went into the synagogue and for three months he preached and discussed there boldly, trying to convince them about the Kingdom of God.

 

Ps 68:2-3ab, 4-5acd, 6-7ab

Sing to God, O kingdom of the earth.

 

**** Gospel ****

John 16:29-33

 The disciples said to him, “Now you are speaking plainly and not in veiled language! Now we see that you know all things, even be­fore we question you. Because of this we believe that you came from God.”

 Jesus answered them, “You say that you be­lieve! The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.

 I have told you all this, so that in me you may have peace. You will have trouble in the world; but, courage! I have overcome the world.”

 

Gospel Reflection

No one is spared the heartaches and headaches of life. We all encounter hardships, difficulty, challenges and, at times, seemingly insurmountable problems. And this is true not only of our work on behalf of the Gospel. It is also true of our personal lives, our relationships, our livelihood.

In the face of all this, Jesus speaks to us as he did to his disciples: “Take courage!” He has sent us the Holy Spirit. He has given us the Eucharist. He has given us the Church. And he has given us the promise of his abiding presence.

The world may sometimes be a dark and difficult place, full of hurdles, hindrances, and even treacherous paths, but Jesus has shown us a way through all of them. He has faced them all and come out victorious, conquering even the greatest hindrance of all: death. If we abide in him, we too shall be victors.