First Reading: Acts 7:55-60
Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God
and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
and Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened
and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
But they cried out in a loud voice,
covered their ears, and rushed upon him together.
They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him.
The witnesses laid down their cloaks
at the feet of a young man named Saul.
As they were stoning Stephen, he called out,
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice,
“Lord, do not hold this sin against them;”
and when he said this, he fell asleep.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 97:1-2, 6-7, 9
R. (1a and 9a) The Lord is king, the most high over all the earth.
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many islands be glad.
Justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. The Lord is king, the most high over all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
All gods are prostrate before him.
R. The Lord is king, the most high over all the earth.
You, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth,
exalted far above all gods.
R. The Lord is king, the most high over all the earth.
Second Reading: Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20
I, John, heard a voice saying to me:
“Behold, I am coming soon.
I bring with me the recompense I will give to each
according to his deeds.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last,
the beginning and the end.”
Blessed are they who wash their robes
so as to have the right to the tree of life
and enter the city through its gates.
“I, Jesus, sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.
I am the root and offspring of David,
the bright morning star.”
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”
Let the hearer say, “Come.”
Let the one who thirsts come forward,
and the one who wants it receive the gift of life-giving water.
The one who gives this testimony says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!
Gospel: John 17:20-26
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
“Holy Father, I pray not only for them,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
so that they may all be one,
as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that they also may be in us,
that the world may believe that you sent me.
And I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me,
that they may be brought to perfection as one,
that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.
Father, they are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
I made known to them your name and I will make it known,
that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them.”
NAB
"The one who gives this testimony says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”"
Ok, Jesus, that was 2,000 years ago, sooooooo . . . awkward question . . . how soon is soon?
I mean, the Apostles thought they'd get to see You again in their lifetime. And things aren't looking so great this side of Heaven these days, so could we get this show on the road?
Sometimes we wonder what's taking the Lord so long, don't we? Every once in a while, we get desperate about the state of the world and discouraged about the state of our life that we cry out, "C'mon Lord, take us to Heaven now please!!!"
And sometimes I wonder if we don't want Him to come. At least, not like Saint John wanted Him to come. Jesus was not only John's savior and redeemer, teacher and master, but his BFF. When Jesus ascended into Heaven, John missed Him.
Think about the way you miss your sister or your mom, your best friend, or your spouse when they're away (especially if they've been away for a long while). You don't just miss them, right? It's more like a longing, a desperate desire to be with them again. And it doesn't matter what else you have going on, or what you might be in the middle of, if you get the chance to see them, you'll drop everything.
I think this is what John was feeling about Jesus when he exclaimed, "Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!" He expressed his infinite desire to be with Jesus again.
Do we hold that same burning flame in our hearts for Our Lord? Do we miss Him, long for Him, desperately desire to be with Him? Do we, the Church, as His Bride, repeat "Come, Lord Jesus" in our hearts and on our lips?
Jesus is coming soon. How soon is soon? We don't know. But let's spend the time waiting, the time in between, wanting Him to come. Not once we've graduated with our degree, not once we've landed that dream job, not once we've married and had kids, not once we've completed everything on our bucket list. Let's want Him to come whenever He wants to come; let's be willing to drop everything with joy elation to be with Him. Let's shape our lives to be one giant request: Come, Lord Jesus!
Do we miss Our Lord, long for Him, desperately desire to be with Him?Click to tweet
Let's want Him to come whenever He wants to come; let's be willing to drop everything with joy elation to be with Him. Let's shape our lives to be one giant request: Come, Lord Jesus!
Olivia Spears is a middle school religion teacher turned SAHM who is married to her high school best friend. You can find out more about her here.
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