Trong Bài Đọc I, một số phép lạ đã xảy ra trong
nhà tù. Trước hết, là việc động đất và tất cả các dây xích sắt của các tù nhân đã đuợc cắt đứt và được mở
ra, nhưng không tìm cách trốn thoát. Tuy nhiên, phép lạ lớn nhất đấy
chính là người cai ngục, người mà luôn ngược đãi các tù nhân, đã được
Thiên Chúa mở mắt và nhận ra rằng Thánh
Phaolô và Silas là đặc sứ của Thiên
Chúa. Vì vậy, ông đã xin họ cho ông được ơn cứu độ nơi Thiên
Chúa. Chính ông là
người đã đem họ ra khỏi nhà tù và đem về nhà săn sóc những vết thương của họ và ngồi lắng nghe lời họ
giảng dạy về Chúa Giêsu và ơn
cứu rỗi của Ngài. Tất cả những
người trong gia đình ông chủ
ngục đã được rửa tội và nhận
đức tin của Chúa Giêsu Kitô. Đây
chính là một phép lạ!
Chúng ta đã được chứng kiến những phép lạ
mà mọi người đã được
biến đổi hoàn toàn cuộc sống của họ?
Việc đó chắc chắn sẽ
là một điều sẽ là tuyệt vời để chứng
kiến phép lạ như vậy bởi vì chính việc đó thực sự đã làm củng cố
đức tin của chúng ta vào Thiên Chúa. Việc biến đổi của Thánh Phaolô cũng là một phép lạ như vậy. Sự biến đổi kỳ diệu chính là công việc của Chúa Thánh Thần. Khi Chúa
Thánh Thần chạm vào một người nào đó, Thì Thánh Thần có thể
thay đổi những người ấy và
làm cho họ có được tâm hồn đầy
dẫy lòng nhiệt thành để vâng
lệnh của Ngài.
Chúng ta không nên nản lòng và bỏ rơi bất
cứ ai, không cần biết là họ xấu thế nào, bởi vì Thiên Chúa có sức mạnh hơn tội lỗi của chúng ta. Ngài có thể thay đổi chúng ta hoàn toàn nếu chúng ta
tin vào Ngài và mong muốn được biến đổi theo như cách làm việc
và sự suy nghĩ của Ngài. Những việc
Chúa Thánh Thần làm là hủy bỏ
hoàn toàn các việc làm của của ma quỷ và thánh hoá chúng ta. Vì vậy, chúng ta không nên sợ những điều ác vì Thiên Chúa đã chiến thắng ma quỷ
và sự dữ trong ngày Chủ Nhật Chúa
Phục Sinh.
Reflection Tuesday 6th Week of Easter
In the first reading, several
miracles occur. First, there is an earthquake and the chains of all the
prisoners fall off. But the bigger miracle is that no one tries to escape. Most
probably Paul talked to them and convinced them not to run away. However, the
biggest miracle is about to happen. The jailer, who must have maltreated many
of the prisoners, realizes that Paul and Silas are envoys of God. So he asks
for salvation from God through them. He brings them to his house (still another
miracle), washes their wounds and then sits down to listen to their preaching.
All his family members are converted to the faith and are all baptized. Now
that is a miracle!
Have you witnessed miracles in
which people completely change the direction of their lives? It would be
great to witness such miracles because they truly strengthen our faith in God.
The conversion of St. Paul is one such miracle. Miraculous conversions are the
work of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit touches a person, he can change
immensely and is filled with zeal to obey God and His commands. We should not
give up on anyone no matter how bad they might be because God is more powerful
than our sins. He can change us totally if we believe in Him and desire to be
converted to His way of doing and thinking. The work of the Holy Spirit is to
undo the works of the devil. So we should not be afraid of the evil one because
God has already triumphed on Easter Sunday over the prince of this world.
The gospel says so.
Tuesday of the 5th Week of Easter
2026
Jesus said to his disciples: “Now I
am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you
going?’ But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell
you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate
will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” John 16:5–7
Each of us
experiences grief. The death of a loved one, the loss of a job, and a serious
illness are a few of many immediate causes of grief. Jesus addresses the grief
the disciples were experiencing as they listened to Him explain that He was
going to the One Who sent Him, to the Father: “But because I told you this,
grief has filled your hearts.”
It’s easy to relate
to the disciples’ grief. Imagine that you find out that your best friend is
moving to another state. You would have a deep sense of loss upon hearing the
news. This is what the disciples were experiencing. The closeness they shared
with Jesus was profoundly consoling to them. In Him, they learned so much and
began to understand the purity and power of divine love, likely for the first
time. The news of His departure filled them with grief.
Emotions are neither
good nor bad; they are natural reactions to perceived goods or evils. The
disciples’ initial perception of Jesus’ earthly departure was as an undesirable
loss, so they felt grief. Jesus, fully understanding human nature, addressed their
grief with great empathy. Simply identifying what they were feeling would have
been a comfort to them. But Jesus goes further: “But I tell you the truth, it
is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to
you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”
At Jesus’ words, the
disciples might have experienced the beginnings of hope, but they did not fully
understand. Only after Jesus left them, ascended to the Father, and sent the
Holy Spirit at Pentecost did they begin to understand. And only after living
with the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives for some time did they more
fully comprehend the depth of this promise. This reflects our own spiritual
journey; it takes time and openness for the wisdom of God’s plan to unfold in
our lives.
Whenever we face
grief or confusion, we would benefit from pondering this exchange between Jesus
and the disciples. Romans
8:28 tells us, “We know that all things work for good for those who
love God, who are called according to his purpose.” That means “all things,”
not just some things. When we fully commit ourselves to God and His perfect
will, everything we encounter has the potential to produce good fruit. Every
sorrow, joy, cross, victory, or persecution, as well as all the emotions that
accompany these experiences, is able to be used as an instrument of God’s grace
in our lives, and through us, in the lives of others.
The reason this is so
is because of God’s perfect wisdom. From the divine perspective, Jesus
transformed suffering and death through His Cross and Resurrection, and nothing
is beyond the reach of God’s power. God can use even something as painful as
the tragic and sudden loss of a loved one for good.
Believing this
instills hope in our lives, which is among the three most important virtues.
Faith is the certain belief that God can work all things for good, and hope is
the drive that moves us toward the fulfillment of that belief. Together, faith
and hope produce charity, the greatest gift of all, the only gift that endures
even in Heaven. Just as the disciples later understood the value of Jesus’
departure—when they received the Holy Spirit and discovered that the Lord they
loved now lived within them, never to leave—so we too will come to that same
realization when we open ourselves to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through
prayer, trust, and surrender to His guidance.
Reflect today on the moment in your
life when you faced grief or loss. Offer that memory to God in prayer, asking
Him to reveal how His grace was at work in that situation, bringing growth,
healing, or a deeper understanding of His love. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill
your heart with faith and hope, trusting that even in the face of sorrow, God’s
perfect plan is unfolding for good.
Lord of perfect
wisdom, I do believe that all things work for the good for those who love You.
When I feel pain and grief, please give me hope. Holy Spirit, please come to me
and dwell within me, so that all I experience will lead to the good You intend.
Jesus, I trust in You.
Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter 2026
Opening Prayer: Lord God, guide me with your
Holy Spirit. I cannot save myself or sanctify myself through my own efforts.
Salvation and holiness are gifts from you. I am saved and sanctified by
welcoming your saving grace in faith and in the Sacraments. Work in me, reign
in my heart, and send me out like the Apostles to bring others into communion
with you.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Spirit will Convince the World
of Sin: We see
the Holy Spirit at work in the First Reading. The Spirit urged Paul and Silas
to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth, strengthened them during
unjust persecution, empowered them to cast out demons, and enlightened their
minds so that they could teach others. The Spirit is the one, who “exposes the
sin of unbelief for what it is (John 3:20), convinces the world that Christ,
though condemned as a criminal, was truly righteous (John 8:46), and makes it
known that Satan and every enemy of Christ will face judgment for rejecting him
(John 5:26-29; 12:31)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1920).
2. Exorcism of the Python
Spirit: One of
the signs that accompanied the proclamation of the Gospel in Philippi was an
exorcism. Just as Jesus cast out demons during his public ministry, so also
Paul frees the slave girl from the spirit of divination (or python spirit),
casting out the demon in the name of Jesus Christ. The python represented the
mystical serpent, slain by Apollo at the site of the temple at Delphi, a temple
famous for its prophetic oracles. The Delphic Sibyl or priestess was known as
the “Pythia” and would sometimes prophesy in a possessed state. Even though
what the demon says through the slave girl is true – “These men are servants of
the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation” – Paul, like
Jesus, silences the evil spirit (see Luke 4:35). Authentic testimony comes from
heaven above and not from the underworld below. The demon or “python spirit”
confesses out of fear and not out of a genuine faith informed by divine love
(see James 2:19). The slave owners were angered by the exorcism because they
had just lost a source of income. They didn’t rejoice that the girl was
released from the bondage of Satan, nor did they glorify God for his goodness
and mercy. Instead, they dragged Paul and Silas before the magistrates,
accusing them of advocating customs unlawful for Romans to practice. Paul and
Silas were judged without trial, given over to the crowd, beaten with rods, and
imprisoned. These punishments were unlawful since Paul and Silas were Roman
citizens. But Paul tactfully refrained from telling the magistrates about his
citizenship until the following morning and chose to suffer this humiliation
for the name of Christ.
3. The Salvation of the Jailer and His
Household: In the
end, the magistrates recognized their error and had to redress the wrong by
leading Paul and his companions out of the city. Paul insisted that the
magistrates come themselves “and escort the missionaries out publicly, to
restore their honor after unjustly disgracing them. This action would be
important for the reputation of the incipient Christian community as well as
for the missionaries’ prospects for returning to Philippi” (Kurz, Acts
of the Apostles, 259). Paul’s deliverance from prison through an earthquake
recalls how Peter was twice rescued from prison by an angel sent by God (Acts
5:19; 12:6-11). On seeing the prison doors open, the jailer thought the
prisoners had escaped and that he would face disgrace and a terrible punishment
(see Acts 12:19 when Herod executes Peter’s guards). The jailer mistakenly
thought that suicide was the way out of his predicament. Paul called out to the
jailer and prevented him from committing suicide. Having been saved by Paul
from death by suicide, the jailer now asks Paul about salvation from eternal
death: “What must I do to be saved?” Paul’s response is simple: “Believe in the
Lord Jesus.” The jailer and his household were baptized that very night by Paul
and were welcomed into the community of faith. Years later, Paul wrote a letter
of thanks and encouragement to the Philippians, who generously and continuously
supported him in his mission with their prayers and with financial assistance.
The members of the Church in Philippi are Paul’s “joy and crown” (Philippians
4:1). Much of the letter to the Philippians challenges the community “to grow
in spiritual maturity by imitating both their Savior and their founding
apostle. For this reason, Paul holds up Jesus Christ as the model of humility
and selfless love and himself as a model of patient endurance” (Ignatius
Catholic Study Bible, 2094).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I renew my faith in
your divine power over evil. The devil wants me to be discouraged, despair, and
turn my gaze from you. You, however, invite me to turn to the Counselor who
convicts the world of sin, judges the devil, and shows me the path to
righteousness.
Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Jesus said to his disciples: “Now I
am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you
going?’ But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell
you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate
will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” John 16:5–7
Jesus continues to
speak prophetically to His disciples about the necessity for Him to go to the
Father so that He can send the Holy Spirit. What’s interesting in this passage
is that Jesus points out to His disciples that “grief” has filled their hearts
because of what He has said to them. Clearly, this grief in their hearts is
because they do not understand what they will soon experience and do not want
their relationship with Jesus to change.
Throughout our lives, our Lord will
call us to change. At times, He calls us away from that with which we are
familiar and comfortable, and He calls us to something new. This can be
frightening and can become the cause of “grief” for us also. To help, let’s
consider this passage above in detail.
Recall that there
were many times, prior to Jesus’ death, that Jesus slowly started to reveal to
His disciples, especially to the Twelve, that He would be going to the Father
and that He would no longer be with them in the way He had been. Jesus wanted the
Twelve to begin to understand that their relationship with Him, with the Father
and with the Holy Spirit would soon take on new meaning in their lives. But the
fact that this was something new, a change to what they had grown accustomed,
meant that they were more focused upon the grief that accompanies loss than
they were focused upon the joy that awaited.
This same experience
can often be found in all of our lives. Though dramatic change is not
necessarily a regular occurrence throughout life, most everyone will experience
change at various moments in life. And when that change occurs in accord with
the will of God, it must be embraced with hope and great expectation.
For example,
vocational changes, such as getting married, having children, or entering a
religious vocation, always bring with it much change—but a change that God can
use for much good. Also, the death of a loved one, a move to a new community, a
new job or school, the establishment of new relationships and the like can be
difficult but also fruitful. Since the Gospel passage above specifically refers
to the change that comes from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, it might be
helpful to consider the fact that whenever some new change takes place in our
lives, the Holy Spirit is there, waiting to enter into the new situation in
ways we could have never imagined. So if you find yourself at times
experiencing the grief of some loss, or difficulty with some new endeavor in
life, know that the disciples experienced something similar. But in the end,
Jesus’ words came true—“it is better for you that I go.” Though they did not
want to see Jesus die and then ascend to Heaven out of their sight, this was
part of the plan of God for their lives. So also when the changes we encounter
in life are part of God’s divine plan, we can be certain that good things
await.
Reflect, today, upon
anything that our Lord may be asking of you in regard to a change in your life.
Are you open, ready and willing to do whatever He asks? Or are you fearful or
grieved by the thought of some change. Be open to anything our Lord asks of you
and know that the full embrace of His holy will is the only path to true
happiness in life.
My dear Jesus, You
prepared Your disciples for the new life of grace that they would receive after
Your death and Resurrection. Though fearful and uncertain, they embraced the
new life You called them to live, and You did marvelous things through them. Please
open my heart to the full embrace of my vocation and any changes that You
desire for my life. I say “Yes” to You, my Lord, and pray that You work
powerfully through me by the Holy Spirit. Jesus, I trust in You.
Tuesday 6th Week of Easter 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God,
guide me with your Holy Spirit. I cannot save myself or sanctify myself through
my own efforts. Salvation and holiness are gifts from you. I am saved and
sanctified by welcoming your saving grace in faith and in the Sacraments. Work
in me, reign in my heart, and send me out like the Apostles to bring others
into communion with you.
Encountering the Word of God
1. A Farewell Discourse: Jesus’
discourse at the Last Supper in the Gospel of John is a type of last will and
testament and also a farewell discourse. He wants to teach his disciples some
of his most important lessons about the Eucharist, the new commandment of love,
the need for unity in the Church, etc. In today’s Gospel, he openly recognizes
how grief has filled his disciples’ hearts. Jesus points out that they want to
ask him about where he is going and what is going to happen to him. They should
know the answer to both questions, as Jesus was very deliberate in his words on
their final journey to Jerusalem and spoke about his departure (exodus)
at least three times on the way. Jesus foretold being condemned to death by the
religious authorities and crucified in Jerusalem during the Passover. He also
promised to rise on the third day. But his disciples’ hearts were slow to
understand all this.
2. Is It Really Better for Jesus to
Depart? Jesus proclaims that it is better for him to go. How should we
understand this? The goodness of Jesus’ departure can be a reference to his
beneficial death on the Cross. Through his death, he conquers death. Through
his obedient and innocent suffering, he makes atonement for our sins. Through
his death, he takes upon himself the curse of the Old Covenant and establishes
the New Covenant through the pouring out of his blood. As well, his death is
not the end. He will be raised up and ascend to heaven and send us his Spirit
to guide us to our heavenly home. And so, while we could think that it would
have been better for him to not to have left us, we should rejoice like
disciples on the way back from the Ascension (see Luke 24:52). We should
rejoice because Jesus has left us to prepare a place for us in the Father’s
House, but he has also mysteriously remained with us in the Eucharist, in the
Church, and through the Spirit. He has not left us orphans, but continues to
care for us and guide us.
3. The Mission of the Holy Spirit: In
the Gospel of John, Jesus speaks about the mission of the Holy Spirit as the
Advocate (Paraclete). “At work since creation, having previously ‘spoken
through the prophets,’ the Spirit will now be with and in the disciples, to
teach them and guide them ‘into all the truth’” (CCC, 243) The Spirit
empowers Jesus’ disciples to proclaim the Gospel with boldness, instructs them
in the fullness of truth, strengthens them to bear witness to Christ in times
of persecution, and defends them against the works of the devil. The Spirit is
the one, who “exposes the sin of unbelief for what it is (John 3:20), convinces
the world that Christ, though condemned as a criminal, was truly righteous
(John 8:46), and makes it known that Satan and every enemy of Christ will face
judgment for rejecting him (John 5:26-29; 12:31)” (Ignatius Catholic Study
Bible, 1920).
Conversing with Christ: Lord
Jesus, I renew my faith in your divine power over evil. The devil wants me to
be discouraged, to despair, and to turn my gaze from you. You, however, invite
me to turn to the Counselor who convicts the world of sin, judges the devil,
and shows me the path to righteousness.
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