- 26 Robert Hunt, Priest and First Chaplain at Jamestown, 1607a vicar in the Church of England, was chaplain of the expedition that founded, in 1607, the first successful English colony in the New World, at Jamestown, Virginia.[1]
- 27 Christina Rossetti, Poet, 1894
- 29 Catherine of Siena, 1380, was a tertiary of the Dominican Order and a Scholastic philosopher and theologian. She also worked to bring the papacy of Gregory XI back to Rome from its displacement in France and to establish peace among the Italian city-states.
- 30 Sarah Josepha Buell Hale, Editor and Prophetic Witness, 1879
May
- 1 Saint Philip and Saint James, Apostles
- 2 Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, 373 Athanasius the Apostolic, was the twentieth bishop of Alexandria (as Athanasius I). His episcopate (because of the importance of the see, considered an archbishopric by Rome, the Coptic papacy, or an Orthodox patriarchate) lasted 45 years (c. 8 June 328 – 2 May 373), of which over 17 were spent in five exiles ordered by four different Roman emperors.
FIRST READING: Acts 4: 5 -
12 (RCL)
Acts 4: 8 -
12 (Roman Catholic)
Acts 4:5 (NRSV) The next day their rulers, elders, and
scribes assembled in Jerusalem, 6
with An'nas the high priest, Ca'iaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were
of the high-priestly family. 7 When they had made the prisoners stand in their
midst, they inquired, "By what power or by what name did you do
this?" 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them,
"Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are questioned today because of
a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been
healed, 10 let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that
this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. 11 This Jesus is
"the stone that was rejected by you, the builders;
it has become the cornerstone.'
12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no
other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved."
Genesis 7: 1 - 5, 11 - 18,
8: 6 - 18, 9: 8 - 13 (alt. for C of E)
Gene 7:1 (NRSV) {The Great Flood}
Then the LORD said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and all your household,
for I have seen that you alone are righteous before me in this generation. 2
Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and its mate; and a
pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and its mate; 3 and seven
pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive
on the face of all the earth. 4 For in seven days I will send rain on the earth
for forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made I will
blot out from the face of the ground." 5 And Noah did all that the LORD
had commanded him.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second
month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of
the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12 The
rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 On the very same day
Noah with his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three
wives of his sons entered the ark, 14 they and every wild animal of every kind,
and all domestic animals of every kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on
the earth, and every bird of every kind-every bird, every winged creature. 15
They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was
the breath of life. 16 And those that entered, male and female of all flesh,
went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in.
17 The flood continued forty days on the earth; and the
waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The
waters swelled and increased greatly on the earth; and the ark floated on the
face of the waters.
8:6 At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the
ark that he had made 7 and sent out the raven; and it went to and fro until the
waters were dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent out the dove from him, to
see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground; 9 but the dove
found no place to set its foot, and it returned to him to the ark, for the
waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and
took it and brought it into the ark with him. 10 He waited another seven days,
and again he sent out the dove from the ark; 11 and the dove came back to him
in the evening, and there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah
knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. 12 Then he waited another
seven days, and sent out the dove; and it did not return to him any more.
13 In the six hundred first year, in the first month, on
the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah
removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and saw that the face of the
ground was drying. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the
month, the earth was dry. 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 "Go out of the ark,
you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. 17 Bring out
with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh-birds and animals and
every creeping thing that creeps on the earth-so that they may abound on the
earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth." 18 So Noah went out
with his sons and his wife and his sons' wives.
9:8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9
"As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants
after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the
domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out
of the ark. {Gk: Heb adds [every animal of the earth] }
11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut
off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy
the earth." 12 God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I
make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all
future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign
of the covenant between me and the earth.
PSALM 23 (all but Roman Catholic)
Psal 23:1 (NRSV) The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not
want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff--
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
my whole life long.
23 Dominus regit me (ECUSA BCP)
1 The Lord is my shepherd; *
I shall
not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures *
and leads
me beside still waters.
3 He revives my soul *
and
guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.
4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow
of death,
I shall fear no evil; *
for you
are with me;
your rod
and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You spread a table before me in the presence of
those
who
trouble me; *
you have
anointed my head with oil,
and my
cup is running over.
6 Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days
of
my life, *
and I
will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Psalm 118: 1, 8 - 9, 21 -
23, 26, 21, 29 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 118:1 (NRSV) O give thanks to the LORD, for he is
good;
his steadfast love endures forever!
8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to put confidence in mortals.
9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to put confidence in princes.
21 I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is the LORD's doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD.
We bless you from the house of the LORD.
21 I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
29 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
SECOND READING: 1 John 3:
16 - 24 (RCL)
1Joh 3:16
(NRSV) We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us--and we ought to
lay down our lives for one another. 17 How does God's love abide in anyone who
has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses
help?
18 Little children, let us love, not in word or speech,
but in truth and action. 19 And by this we will know that we are from the truth
and will reassure our hearts before him 20 whenever our hearts condemn us; for
God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our
hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; 22 and we receive from him
whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.
23 And this is his commandment, that we should believe in
the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded
us. 24 All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And
by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.
H/T
Montreal
Anglican
Jesus is the great example of selfless love: far from taking life, he “laid down his life for us” (v. 16). How can the love that originates in God (“God’s love”, v. 17) be in a wealthy person who sees another in need and “refuses to help”? We need to love actively, “in truth and action” (v. 18), not hypocritically (“in word or speech”). (Truth and faith are synonyms.) It is by “this” (v. 19) love that we will know that we are Christ-like (“from the truth”): our consciences (“hearts”) will be reassured whenever we are conscious of sinning (“our hearts condemn us”, v. 20), for God knows us better than we do ourselves. But, when we know we are following God’s ways (v. 21), we can boldly present ourselves “before God”. As Jesus promised (John 14:12), “whatever we ask” (v. 22) in his name (recognizing his power and authority), he will grant, because we follow God’s ways. Jesus has commanded that we believe in his authority and love one another. Then v. 24: obedience to him guarantees our continued liaison with him. By this love and the presence of the Holy Spirit, given to us by God, we know that Christ “abides in us”.
Verses 16-17: For Jesus’ selfless love as the highest model of friendship, see John 15:13: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends”. [ NJBC]
Verse 17: The author’s concrete example is one that all can appreciate, without going as far as martyrdom. James 2:14-17 gives a similar example: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead”. [ NJBC]
Verse 18: James 1:22 advises: “Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.”
Verse 19: “reassure our hearts before him”: Since God, the source of forgiveness (see 1:8-2:2), is “greater than our hearts” the possibility of the conscience condemning us does not shatter Christian confidence. Even if the Christian is not conscious of sin, one is assured that God hears prayer: see also John 16:26-27. The test of acceptance by God is willingness to “do what pleases him” (v. 22). In John 8:29, Jesus says of himself: “the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him”. [ NJBC]
Verse 20: “God”, who “knows” everything, judges us by the abiding relation of love to others, rather than by our passing moods. In John 21:17, when Jesus challenges Peter with “‘do you love me?’”, and Peter answers “‘you know that I love you’”, Jesus tells him: “‘Feed my sheep’”. [ NOAB]
Verse 21: “boldness”: Boldness in prayer results from obedience to God, and strengthens assurance: 5:14 says “... this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us”. [ NOAB]
Verses 23-24: Belief “in the name of Jesus Christ”, i.e. in Jesus, makes people children of God: see John 17:11-12. “Love” (see John 13:34; 15:17) is evidence if God’s Spirit and presence. See also 4:12-13. [ NOAB]
Verse 23: “believe in the name of his Son ... and love one another”: this may be the Johannine version of the double love command in Mark 12:28-31, since in the Johannine tradition to believe in the Son whom God sent is equivalent to loving God. [ NJBC]
Verse 24: “he abides in us, by the Spirit”: 2:27 has pointed to the anointing received upon entering the community: see also John 3:5. The Spirit is the pledge elsewhere in the New Testament: see Romans 8:14 and 2 Corinthians 1:22. This passage also prepares for the next section, in which the Spirit inspires the true confession which unmasks false teachers. [ NJBC]
GOSPEL: John 10: 11 - 18 (all)
John 10:11
(NRSV) "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for
the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the
sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away--and the wolf
snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired
hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and
my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay
down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this
fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will
be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I
lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but
I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power
to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father."
Jesus continues to speak of himself as the good shepherd,
an image familiar to his audience. True followers, he has said, recognize the
good shepherd. “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved ... and find
pasture ... the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that
they may have [spiritual] life, and have it abundantly” (vv. 9-10).
Now he says that he is the “good” (v. 11,
i.e. real, proper) “shepherd”, the one who dies for his “sheep”, his flock. But
the “hired hand” (v. 12)
does not care enough to save the sheep from the “wolf”. (Old Testament prophets
spoke of leaders of Israel
in these terms, so Jesus probably speaks of them here – shepherds who are not
worthy of the name.) Jesus’ relationship to people is like the Father’s to him
(v. 15).
Who are the “other sheep” (v. 16)?
We can only guess: perhaps they are non-Jews. They will have equal status with
those who already follow Jesus, as part of one Church. Then v. 18:
Jesus has been given the authority to choose to die and the power to rise again
from the dead. He is in control of his own death and resurrection.
Verse 8: “thieves and bandits”: “Came” has the sense of claimed to be the coming one (see also Matthew 11:3 and Mark 11:9), so they are pseudo-messiahs, like Theudas and Judas (in Acts 5:36-39). While they had some success, the “sheep”, those who are truly Christ’s, “did not listen to them”. [ BlkJn]
Verse 9: Christ provides:
- escape from the perils of sin
- freedom (see also 8:36), and
- spiritual sustenance – the bread (see also 6:35), water (see also 4:14 and 7:37), and light of life. [ NOAB]
Verse 9: “come in and go out”: An Old Testament expression suggesting the freedom of movement enjoyed by a trusted servant: see, for example, of David in 1 Samuel 18:13, 16.
Verse 10: “destroy”: The thief is not only selfish but murderous, as is the devil (see 8:44), i.e. fatal to the salvation of his victims. [ BlkJn]
Verse 10: “life”: i.e. participation in God’s life. [ NOAB] Spiritual life. [ BlkJn]
Verse 10: “abundantly”: i.e. beyond measure. [ NOAB] Literally more than is really necessary. [ BlkJn]
Verse 11: Note the change in metaphor. In the ancient world, shifting metaphors was common. Jesus now contrasts himself with shepherds who are not worthy of the name. [ BlkJn]
Verse 11: Jesus fulfills the prophecies of Isaiah 40:11; Jeremiah 23:1-6; Ezekiel 34 (especially v. 11) that God himself will come to shepherd his people. [ NOAB]
Verse 11: “good”: The Greek word, kalos, means real and proper rather than morally good. [ BlkJn]
Verse 11: “lays down his life”: The possibility of a shepherd dying in defence of his flock against wild animals or robbers was a real one. See, for example, David’s claim to Saul before killing Goliath (in 1 Samuel 17:34-36). However, such sacrifice is not part of the then-conventional picture of the shepherd-messiah – being Jesus’ own distinctive contribution. It looks forward to 15:13: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends”. [ BlkJn]
Verses12-13: “hired hand”: The description of him recalls the attacks of the prophets on the leaders of Israel, calling them unworthy shepherds of God’s flock:
- “shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture ... you have not attended to them” (Jeremiah 23:1-2)
- “you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves ... You have not strengthened the weak, ... healed the sick, ... bound up the injured, ... brought back the strayed, ... sought the lost ... So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and scattered, they became food for all the wild animals” (Ezekiel 34:2-5)
- “a shepherd who does not care for the perishing, or seek the wandering, or heal the maimed ... Oh, my worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock!” (Zechariah 11:16-17)
Verse 12: “hired hand”: This may include messianic pretenders and false teachers who came before Jesus.
Verse 12: “wolf”: For the “wolf” as the enemy of the flock, see also Matthew 10:16 and Acts 20:29. Here the “wolf” is probably the devil. 1 Peter 5:8 speaks of him in these terms: “Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour.”
Verse 16: “other sheep”: To NJBC, they are the scattered children of God who are brought together by Christ after his death and resurrection. In 11:52, we read that Caiaphas, as High Priest, prophesied that “Jesus was about to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God”. In 12:32, Jesus says “‘I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself’”. This interpretation follows naturally from the allusion to Christ’s death in v. 15 (repeating v. 11).
Verse 16b: “they will listen to my voice”: Jesus as prophet.
Verse 16c: “one flock”: see Ephesians 2:11-22. [ NOAB] This looks forward to the fulfilment of the prophesies that the Gentiles will be brought into God’s flock (see Isaiah 11:10; 49:6; 60:1ff, etc.) under “one shepherd”, the Messiah (see Ezekiel 37:24). [ BlkJn]
Verse 17: A difficult verse. It appears to make God’s love for Jesus conditional on his death and resurrection.
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