St. Damien Joseph de Veuster of Moloka'I, priest

St. John of Avila, priest & doctor

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Acts 11:19-26

 Those who had been scattered

Because of the persecution over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message, but only to the Jews.   But there were some natives of Cyprus and Cyrene among them who, on coming into Antioch, spoke also to the Greeks, giving them the good news of the Lord Jesus.   The hand of the Lord was with them so that a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

 News of this reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem, so they sent Barnabas to An­tioch.   When he arrived and saw the manifest signs of God’s favor, he rejoiced and urged them all to remain firmly faithful to the Lord;  for he himself was a good man filled with Holy Spirit and faith. Thus large crowds came to know the Lord.

Then Barnabas went off to Tarsus to look for Saul  and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they had meetings with the Church and instructed many people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

 

Ps 87:1b-3, 4-5, 6-7

All you nations, praise the Lord.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊  

John 10:22-30

The time came for the feast of the Dedication. It was winter and Jesus walked back and forth in the portico of Solomon.  The Jews then gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in doubt? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I have already told you but you do not believe.   The works I do in my Father’s name proclaim who I am, but you don’t believe because, as I said, you are not my sheep.

 My sheep hear my voice and I know them; they follow me   and I give them eternal life. They shall never perish and no one will ever steal them from me.  What the Father has given me is above everything else and no one can snatch it from the Father’s hand.   I and the Father are one.”

 

 Gospel Reflection：

Honest Doubts & Convenient Creeds

Alfred Lord Tennyson famously wrote: “There lives more faith in honest doubt, believe me, than in half the creeds.” The catch is in the honesty of one’s doubt. Like the doubt of Nathanael who told Philip: Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”(Jn 1:46). The honesty of that doubt impelled him to go and see.

He went and saw, and believed. A doubt with an openness to seek. Unlike the doubt of the many Jews who came to Jesus, who were too lazy to seek simply wanted Jesus to tell them comfortable truths that would not upset their applecart.

The irony is, Jesus had already told them many times; but they did not want to believe it, because his truth wasn’t a convenient one for them. Let’s ask ourselves: How convenient is my creed? How honest is my doubt?

        

                                                                                                                        St. John of Avila,                                          The medieval walled city of Ávila in Spain 

 

 

"Turn all your thoughts and aspirations to heaven. work hard to secure for yourself a place there for ever."   

〜〜〜〜〜  ST. DAMIEN JOSEPH DE VEUSTER OF MOLOKA'I     〜〜〜〜〜