{"id":6350,"date":"2021-05-16T11:25:07","date_gmt":"2021-05-16T15:25:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/?p=6350"},"modified":"2021-05-16T11:25:07","modified_gmt":"2021-05-16T15:25:07","slug":"7th-sunday-in-ordinary-time-year-b-homily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/7th-sunday-in-ordinary-time-year-b-homily\/","title":{"rendered":"7th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

7th<\/sup> Sunday of Easter, Year B<\/a>
Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26
Psalm 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20 (19a)
1 John 4:11-16
John 17:11b-19
May 16, 2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We come today between our celebration of the Ascension of Jesus and Pentecost.  This is the time frame in our first reading today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The disciples had just witnessed the Ascension.  Jesus had told them to wait for the coming of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit.  So, they waited but not in silence.  There was work to be done concerning Judas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He had been numbered among them and shared in their ministry in accord with Scripture.  There was Twelve of them.  The fact that there are twelve apostles is not random.  Remember, twelve was also the number of tribes of Israel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Jewish understanding, \u201ctwelve\u201d signified completeness.  Thus, with regards to Judas\u2019 place among the Twelve, Peter cites Psalm 109:8, \u201cMay another take his office.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, Peter, as leader of the Apostles proposes naming a successor.  Who should be chosen?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter says, \u201cit is necessary that one of the men who accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus came and went among us<\/em>\u201d be chosen.  To be an Apostle, one needed to have seen Jesus for themselves so that they might witness to what they have seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, they identified two men who fit this criteria.  However, they did not want to make the final selection by their own will.  So, they prayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They prayed that the Lord would show which one He had chosen.  Thus, when they drew lots, it was not leading to it chance.  They were trusting in God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, it \u201cthe lot fell upon Matthias and he was counted with the eleven apostles.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From this we have the process by which a pope is selected.  There is discussion about who would make a good candidate.  A human vote is taken but the process is designed with prayer.  The cardinals are praying and the whole church should be praying, praying that the person God has chosen to be the next pope is selected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the selection of bishops, there is also a process by which priests are nominated and their qualifications reviewed.  A recommendation is made to the Pope who makes the final decision but, again the whole process is designed with prayer and relying on the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Please pray that the selection of bishops is always in accord with God\u2019s Will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of our prayer, for the election of popes, the selection of bishops, and church life in general, we do well to pray following the example of Jesus\u2019 prayer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He prayed, \u201cHoly Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need to pray for unity, to be one.  However, this is not just unity between humans.  We need to pray that we be one with God<\/em><\/strong>.  God has a plan.  In Jeremiah 29:11 we read, \u201cFor I know well the plans I have in mind for you\u2014oracle of the Lord\u2014plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope<\/em>.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

God\u2019s plan is not a popular plan today.  That\u2019s because God\u2019s truth is not popular today.  People want to live their lives in their own way.  God does give us free will. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, we use our freedom best not when we do what we want but when we do what we ought, when we do what is good.  Jesus prayed to the Father, \u201cConsecrate them in the truth.<\/em>\u201d  God\u2019s truth is what is good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember how Jesus prayed, \u201cHoly Father, keep them in your name<\/em>\u201d?  To keep us in God\u2019s name is to follow what He wills for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John writes, \u201cWhoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God<\/em>.\u201d  To acknowledge that \u201cJesus is the Son of God<\/em>\u201d we must listen to what He says.  To \u201cremain in him<\/em>\u201d is to follow Jesus as the way and the truth and the life<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

7th Sunday of Easter, Year BActs 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26Psalm 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20 (19a)1 John 4:11-16John 17:11b-19May 16, 2021 We come today between our celebration of the Ascension of Jesus and Pentecost.  This is the time frame in our first reading today.  The disciples had just witnessed the Ascension.  Jesus had told them to wait for …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘7th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[67,82],"tags":[445],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pMTPk-1Eq","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6350"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6350"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6353,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6350\/revisions\/6353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}