24 Apr
Wed 		4th Week of Easter
St Fidelis of Sigmaringen, priest & martyr
Acts 12:24-13:5a
Ps. 67:2-3,5,6,8
Jn. 12:44-50
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We are moving through Easter towards Pentecost and in our first reading today we see that the Holy Spirit is very active. This was very much the case in the early Church. What is most significant for us today is how the teachers of the Church at Antioch pray together in order to listen to the guidance of the Spirit. In fact in the end, it is not the leaders but the Holy Spirit who missions Paul and Barnabas. Christians were still considered a part of the Jewish faith and that is where Paul and Barnabas are sent to proclaim the word. Is this kind of prayer still possible in the Church of today? Yes it is.

In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of the light that is His gift to the world. It is up to us who hear the word to believe and to witness to the light. And what are we to believe? We are to believe in the one who sent Jesus, just as we are to believe in the one who sent the Spirit. And who is it that sends? It is God the Father. And what is the reward for those who follow the light of Jesus and listen to the commands of the Father? Eternal life is the promise to those who hear the commands and keep them. So just as we listen to the words of Jesus in the Gospel, let us also open our hearts to the Holy Spirit, just as the teachers in the early Church, and follow more diligently the commands of the Father.


I know that His commands mean eternal life.

DAILY OFFERING
Eternal Father, I offer You everything I do this day; my thoughts, words, joys and sufferings. Grant that, vivified by the Holy Spirit and united to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, my life this day may be of service to You and to others. I also pray that all those preparing for marriage discover in Sacrament the source of Christ's grace for living a fithful and fruitful love. Amen.

PRAYING WITH THE CHURCH
INTENTION
That in the many rapid changes taking place in today's world, the importance of the family may be recognised in its fundamental vocation as cradle of life and school of faith and right values
Elaboration

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P R A Y I N G    W I T H    T H E    C H U R C H    

INTENTION : That in the many rapid changes taking place in today's world, the importance of the family may be recognised in its fundamental vocation as cradle of life and school of faith and right values

The family as a domestic Church and cradle of life is the appropriate setting in which faith can increase. It is here that faith can be nourished through an attitude of appreciation of the treasure which parents are called on to transmit to their children through personal words and testimonies of life. This attitude must then be nourished with a sense of wonder and hope and it must be contemplated as Mary contemplated it in the face of the Word she received and the events of her life.

This deep sense of faith helps parents and their children to fulfil the vocation received from God. Parents, teaching their children and bearing witness to the true sense of suffering and dying, lead the young to be more attentive to all forms of suffering. They, thus develop positive attitudes of assistance and sharing with others, especially with weaker people like the sick and the aged. This life of faith must be continually nourished through individual and family prayer.

On the strength of this foundation the family becomes a place for training in justice, self-control, temperance, respect for the personal dignity of each individual and the service of the poor and needy.



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