First reading Acts 28:16-20,30-31
In Rome, Paul proclaimed the kingdom of God without hindrance from anyone
On our arrival in Rome Paul was allowed to stay in lodgings of his own with the soldier who guarded him.
After three days he called together the leading Jews. When they had assembled, he said to them, ‘Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. They examined me and would have set me free, since they found me guilty of nothing involving the death penalty; but the Jews lodged an objection, and I was forced to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation to make against my own nation. That is why I have asked to see you and talk to you, for it is on account of the hope of Israel that I wear this chain.’
Paul spent the whole of the two years in his own rented lodging. He welcomed all who came to visit him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ with complete freedom and without hindrance from anyone.
Responsorial Psalm 10(11):4-5,7
The upright shall see your face, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord is in his holy temple,
the Lord, whose throne is in heaven.
His eyes look down on the world;
his gaze tests mortal men.
The Lord tests the just and the wicked;
the lover of violence he hates.
The Lord is just and loves justice;
the upright shall see his face.
Gospel John 21:20-25
This disciple is the one who vouches for these things and we know that his testimony is true
Peter turned and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them – the one who had leaned on his breast at the supper and had said to him, ‘Lord, who is it that will betray you?’ Seeing him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘What about him, Lord?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to stay behind till I come, what does it matter to you? You are to follow me.’ The rumour then went out among the brothers that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus had not said to Peter, ‘He will not die’, but, ‘If I want him to stay behind till I come.’
This disciple is the one who vouches for these things and has written them down, and we know that his testimony is true.
There were many other things that Jesus did; if all were written down, the world itself, I suppose, would not hold all the books that would have to be written.
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You are to follow Me
“Seeing him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘What about him, Lord?’”. Peter wanted to find out what specific role Jesus would give to the beloved disciple, the one who leant back close to Jesus’ chest at the Last Supper. However, Jesus told Peter, “…what does it matter to you? You are to follow me”. The main thing that Peter had to do was to faithfully follow Jesus and not be concerned about others’ role in the mission.
Like Peter, we often are easily distracted from our following of Jesus. We either tend to compare ourselves to others or wonder if others are following Jesus as they should or not. Today, Jesus tells us, “You follow Me”. Jesus calls and gives each of us a mission to do. We need to concentrate on following Jesus faithfully, fulfilling the mission He entrusts to us, and not being distracted by people and things around us. Today, let us keep our eyes on Jesus alone. When we are centered on Him, we can help others journey towards more faith in God and more love for Him.
Reflective question:
What makes me to turn away from following Jesus?
What makes me to turn away from following Jesus?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year A” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
