John 16:20-23

Acts 18:9-18

Psalm 47:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

John 16:20-23

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn,

while the world rejoices;

you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.

When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived;

but when she has given birth to a child,

she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy

that a child has been born into the world.

So you also are now in anguish.

But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,

and no one will take your joy away from you.

On that day you will not question me about anything.

Amen, amen, I say to you,

whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I trust in your Son’s promise that my grief in this life will become joy. You are capable of all things and can transform the pain of my suffering into the joy of love. I ask you today for the grace and charity I need to be your faithful child.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Your Grief Will Become Joy: At the Last Supper, Jesus tells the Apostles that their grief will become joy. This is a law of Christian life. We will share in the passion and sufferings of Jesus and will rise with him to glory. We are persecuted for our faith, yet we are consoled and comforted by the presence of God. We live by faith, the beginning of the joy of the eternal vision of God. We live by hope, look beyond the sufferings we endure in this passing world, and are confident in Jesus’ promise of eternal life. We live according to love, knowing it alone lasts beyond the grave.

2. Paul in Corinth: The First Reading continues the story of Paul’s Second Missionary Journey. We can date Paul’s time in Corinth to A.D. 51 or 52 when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia. Paul spent a year and a half with the Corinthians, preaching and teaching the word of God. He was reassured by God in a dream or vision at night to continue his witness to Jesus Christ and not be silent. Even though he will be brought before the governor by the Jews, no one will attack Paul or harm him. The Jews accused Paul of inducing people to worship God contrary to the law and brought him before Gallio, who was indifferent to the complaints of the Jews. Gallio rejected their case and drove them from the tribunal. Instead of attacking Paul, the Jews seized Sosthenes, who is a synagogue official, and publicly beat him.

3. Priscilla and Aquila: The last line of the First Reading mentions Priscilla and Aquila. They were a married couple who were expelled from Rome by the Emperor Claudius. They encountered Paul in Corinth and welcomed him into their home and worked together making tents. Priscilla and Aquila welcomed into their home the Christians who gathered to hear the Word of God and celebrate the Eucharist. Pope Benedict XVI reflected on this and taught: “Every home can transform itself into a little church. Not only in the sense that in them Christian love must reign... but still more in the sense that the whole of family life, based on faith, is called to revolve around the singular lordship of Jesus Christ” (Benedict XVI, February 14, 2007). Paul and the early Christians suffered for their faith in Jesus Christ. They were strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit and did not waiver under persecution. They rejoiced that they had been found worthy to suffer something for the name of Jesus. Their joy is not fleeting and is not based on their whims or sentiments. It is based on the conviction that they have become sons and daughters of God through Jesus Christ and will receive the divine inheritance of eternal life. In prayer, we lift our hearts and minds to the Father who will grant us our petitions when we ask for what we need in the name of Jesus. God the Father knows what to give us his children and when to give these good things to us.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, make my home and household a little Church where you reign and where all of my family members are united in a bond of true love. Help us to offer up our sufferings and experience true and lasting joy.

Living the Word of God: What do I need to do to allow Christ to reign more fully in my home? Is the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist a high point during the week? Do we pray together as a family? Do we serve the poor and needy in our local community as a family?