Sunday Reflection - 7th Sunday of Easter (Year A) 默想甲年復活期第七主日的彌撒讀經

7th Sunday of Easter (Year A) Readings: Acts 1:12-14, 1 Pt 4:13-16, Jn 17:1-11

After the ascension of the Son and on the threshold of the Pentecostal outpouring of the Spirit, we read in the gospel of the 7th Sunday of Easter the concluding words of Jesus’ priestly prayer, said in a tone of immediacy with regard to his coming death and glorification.

Equally striking are the peace and satisfaction that the words of Jesus conveyed in this intense Father-and-Son dialogue. After all, “the work that you gave me to do” has now been accomplished; “the words you gave me I have given them” (John 17: 4, 8); the Messianic Kingdom is all but firmly established; a new era of the Spirit is about to commence; the baton for bringing the economy of salvation to full fruition is to be passed on from the Son to the Holy Spirit.

Jesus’ promise to usher in a new era of the Church by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled at the Pentecost. Before this historic and pivotal moment when the Church was made manifest to the world (CCC 1076), it is only fitting that the apostles gathered in the upper room “to devote themselves with one accord to prayer” (Acts 1:14) together with the Blessed Mother. “Spirit”, “apostles”, “Mary”, “prayer” – What better ways to reveal the Church? How can any one of these constitutive elements be missing when the Church being revealed is the Church of Christ?


甲年復活期第七主日的彌撒讀經: 宗1:12-14, 伯前4:13-16, 若17:1-11

在耶穌升天後和五旬節聖神即將降臨之際，我們從復活期第七主日的福音，看到耶穌大司祭祈禱的結語，提及祂即將經歷的死亡和光榮。

特別的是：在這熱切的聖父聖子的對話中，耶穌流露著無限的平安和滿足。「你所委託我所作的工作」已完成了；「你所授給我的話，我都傳給了他們」(若17:4,8) ；默西亞王國已確立；新的聖神的時期即將展開；將救恩工程推廣和帶來完滿果實的工作，將要像接力棒一般，從聖子的手轉交聖神。

耶穌允許了，要讓聖神傾注於教會，讓她進入一個嶄新的時期；這應允在五旬節實現了。在給世界顯示教會這歷史和關鍵性的時刻之前（天主教教理簡編1076），宗徒們與聖母聚集在樓房上，「同心合意地專務祈禱」(宗1:14) ，這是多麼恰當的事。試問有什麼比「聖神」、「宗徒」、「瑪利亞」、「祈禱 」更能表現教會？當要顯示的教會是基督的教會時，這些基本要素豈不更缺一不可？