Scripture Reflection and Prayer : Journeying together

Wednesday, 6 May 2026

DISCERNMENT IN THE SPIRIT

20260507 DISCERNMENT IN THE SPIRIT

7 May 2026, Thursday, 5th Week of Easter

First reading

Acts 15:7-21

I rule that we do not make things more difficult for the pagans who turn to God

After the discussion had gone on a long time, Peter stood up and addressed the apostles and the elders.

‘My brothers,’ he said ‘you know perfectly well that in the early days God made his choice among you: the pagans were to learn the Good News from me and so become believers. In fact God, who can read everyone’s heart, showed his approval of them by giving the Holy Spirit to them just as he had to us. God made no distinction between them and us, since he purified their hearts by faith. It would only provoke God’s anger now, surely, if you imposed on the disciples the very burden that neither we nor our ancestors were strong enough to support? Remember, we believe that we are saved in the same way as they are: through the grace of the Lord Jesus.’

This silenced the entire assembly, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul describing the signs and wonders God had worked through them among the pagans.

When they had finished it was James who spoke. ‘My brothers,’ he said ‘listen to me. Simeon has described how God first arranged to enlist a people for his name out of the pagans. This is entirely in harmony with the words of the prophets, since the scriptures say:

After that I shall return

and rebuild the fallen House of David;

I shall rebuild it from its ruins

and restore it.

Then the rest of mankind,

all the pagans who are consecrated to my name,

will look for the Lord,

says the Lord who made this known so long ago.

‘I rule, then, that instead of making things more difficult for pagans who turn to God, we send them a letter telling them merely to abstain from anything polluted by idols, from fornication, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For Moses has always had his preachers in every town, and is read aloud in the synagogues every sabbath.’

How to listen

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 95(96):1-3,10

Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.

Alleluia!

O sing a new song to the Lord,

sing to the Lord all the earth.

O sing to the Lord, bless his name.

Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.

Alleluia!

Proclaim his help day by day,

tell among the nations his glory

and his wonders among all the peoples.

Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.

Alleluia!

Proclaim to the nations: ‘God is king.’

The world he made firm in its place;

he will judge the peoples in fairness.

Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.

Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

Christ has risen, he who created all things,

and has granted his mercy to men.

Alleluia!

Or:

Jn10:27

Alleluia, alleluia!

The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,

says the Lord,

I know them and they follow me.

Alleluia!

Gospel

John 15:9-11

Remain in my love

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘As the Father has loved me,

so I have loved you.

Remain in my love.

If you keep my commandments

you will remain in my love,

just as I have kept my Father’s commandments

and remain in his love.

I have told you this

so that my own joy may be in you

and your joy be complete.’

DISCERNMENT IN THE SPIRIT

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 15:7-21; PS 96:1-3,10; JOHN 15:9-11]

For true missionary discipleship, being in union with Christ and His Church is a precondition. This is what the Lord reminded His disciples in yesterday’s Gospel when He said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.” (Jn 15:5,7,8) As disciples of the Lord, we are called to glorify Christ by our lives so that we can bring others to Him.

So how do we remain in Jesus? In today’s Gospel, Jesus said to His disciples, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love.” In other words, we are called to love as the Lord has loved us, which reflects how the Father loves Him. The Father shows His love for the Lord by bestowing upon Him the same love He has for us all. Thus, Jesus is given the capacity to love us as deeply as the Father loves us. For this reason, Jesus emptied Himself of His divinity to share our humanity; our suffering, struggles, and pains. In this way, we are assured that God feels with us in our suffering and is not impassive to our pain.

To remain in the love of Jesus is to become like Him. This explains why He says, “If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete.” In the Gospel, obedience must not be seen as reluctant submission to rules and laws. Rather, it is fidelity born of unity – being of one mind and heart with Christ whom the Father loves. Keeping His commandments, is therefore an identification with Him in the way we live. Only by living the life of Jesus is our joy complete.

Concretely, what does it take to be true to what the Lord has commanded us? In a diverse world of differing cultures, religions, and political ideologies, it is increasingly difficult to determine what is right from wrong. In a relativistic and individualistic culture, the Gospel is continually challenged. How should the Church respond to such challenges? A similar situation arose in the early Church when the conversion of the Gentiles forced a re-examination of what it means to be saved, and how one is saved. Until then, it was presumed that salvation required one to accept the Jewish faith, adopt its culture – including circumcision – and observe the laws of Moses, with all its rituals and practices, so that they could belong to the People of God.

What, then, is the process of discernment? The apostles undertook a careful discernment to read the signs of the times in light of the Gospel they had received, in order to guide the early Church. Today, the Church likewise seeks to read these signs, emphasising her identity as a synodal Church. As Christians, we are called to journey with each other, so that we can hear the Spirit speaking to us. This reflects the “Sensus Fidei” taught in Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church. However, we must be clear about what it entails: this is not reducible simply to conversation in the Spirit.

With respect to the “Sensus Fidei”, Lumen Gentium teaches: “The entire body of the faithful, anointed as they are by the Holy One, cannot err in matters of belief. They manifest this special property by means of the whole peoples’ supernatural discernment in matters of faith when ‘from the Bishops down to the last of the lay faithful’ they show universal agreement in matters of faith and morals. That discernment in matters of faith is aroused and sustained by the Spirit of truth.” Yet, in practical terms, such universal agreement is humanly impossible to fully realise.

Thus, while conversation in the Spirit is a pedagogy for sensing the movement of the Spirit, Lumen Gentium reminds us that this discernment “is exercised under the guidance of the sacred teaching authority, in faithful and respectful obedience to which the people of God accepts that which is not just the word of men but truly the word of God. Through it, the people of God adhere unwaveringly to the faith given once and for all to the saints, penetrates it more deeply with right thinking, and applies it more fully in its life.” (LG 12) This is why conversation in the Spirit is but a preliminary step in the process of a discernment in the Spirit. It is not the only step, nor a panacea for all problems and challenges, but a necessary step in the discernment process, engaging the way of the heart.

At the same time, a proper discernment cannot rely on the heart alone. Faith and reason are necessary and complementary tools to help us arrive at discerning the will of God. Proper discernment in the Spirit requires not only listening to everyone in the Church, but also theological reflection carried out in a systematic manner. Theology engages the intellect in discerning God’s will for the Church. This was the way the early Church discerned the signs of the times.

Theology is a reflection on our spiritual experience. This is seen in the way Peter addressed the apostles and the elders. St Peter needed to find a basis for accepting the Gentiles into the Church without the need for them to be converted to Judaism with its corollary obligations. He narrated the incident at the house of Cornelius, when the Roman centurion and his household received the gift of the Spirit through faith. “God, who can read everyone’s heart, showed his approval of them by giving the Holy Spirit to them just as he had to us. God made no distinction between them and us, since he purified their hearts by faith.” The conclusion is that salvation is truly the grace of God in Christ. It is not through good works or the observance of the laws. St Peter said, “It would only provoke God’s anger now, surely, if you imposed on the disciples the very burden that neither we nor our ancestors were strong enough to support? Remember, we believe that we are saved in the same way as they are: through the grace of the Lord Jesus.'”

Secondly, the apostles reflected on the fruits borne by the Gentiles manifested through the preaching of the apostles. “They listened to Barnabas and Paul describing the signs and wonders God had worked through them among the pagans.” Signs and miracles are attestations and confirmation that God is working in their lives. This was read at the end of St Mark’s Gospel when the evangelist wrote, “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.” (Mk 16:19f)

Thirdly, theological reflection requires the substantiation of Scripture. St James completed the process of discernment by affirming the experiences of the Gentiles and St Peter with the help of Scripture. He said, “Simon has described how God first arranged to enlist a people for his name out of the pagans. This is entirely in harmony with the words of the prophets.” This is a fresh interpretation of the prophecy of Amos. There is a reversal of roles between the promise and fulfilment. Usually the fulfilment must agree with the promise. However, in this case, the fulfillment becomes the hermeneutical key for understanding how the prophet Amos could prophesy that in the last days, the “people of God” would include Gentiles who had not first become Jews. The vision of the prophet (Amos 9:11-12) is a comprehensive statement of what God has done through Peter. James has grasped the very heart of Amos’s eschatological message concerning the nature of the salvation that the Messiah brings to the Gentiles.

Finally, after all the discussion and discernment, they issued a pastoral application arising from their theological conclusion. Since being a Jew and accepting Judaism is not a pre-requisite for salvation and for being members of the New People of God, there was no necessity for them to be circumcised. Yet, out of charity and for the greater good of all, the Gentiles were encouraged to practice sensitivity by being respectful of Jewish customs.

Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections

Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.

Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.

Tuesday, 5 May 2026

FRUITFULNESS REQUIRES UNION WITH CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH

20260506 FRUITFULNESS REQUIRES UNION WITH CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH

6 May 2026, Wednesday, 5th Week of Easter

First reading

Acts 15:1-6

They were to go up to Jerusalem and discuss the problem with the apostles and elders

Some men came down from Judaea and taught the brothers, ‘Unless you have yourselves circumcised in the tradition of Moses you cannot be saved.’ This led to disagreement, and after Paul and Barnabas had had a long argument with these men it was arranged that Paul and Barnabas and others of the church should go up to Jerusalem and discuss the problem with the apostles and elders.

All the members of the church saw them off, and as they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria they told how the pagans had been converted, and this news was received with the greatest satisfaction by the brothers. When they arrived in Jerusalem they were welcomed by the church and by the apostles and elders, and gave an account of all that God had done with them.

But certain members of the Pharisees’ party who had become believers objected, insisting that the pagans should be circumcised and instructed to keep the Law of Moses. The apostles and elders met to look into the matter.

How to listen

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 121(122):1-5

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

Alleluia!

I rejoiced when I heard them say:

‘Let us go to God’s house.’

And now our feet are standing

within your gates, O Jerusalem.

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

Alleluia!

Jerusalem is built as a city

strongly compact.

It is there that the tribes go up,

the tribes of the Lord.

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

Alleluia!

For Israel’s law it is,

there to praise the Lord’s name.

There were set the thrones of judgement

of the house of David.

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation

Jn10:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;

I know my own sheep and my own know me.

Alleluia!

Or:

Jn15:4,5

Alleluia, alleluia!

Make your home in me, as I make mine in you,

says the Lord;

whoever remains in me bears fruit in plenty.

Alleluia!

Gospel

John 15:1-8

I am the vine, you are the branches

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘I am the true vine,

and my Father is the vinedresser.

Every branch in me that bears no fruit

he cuts away,

and every branch that does bear fruit

he prunes to make it bear even more.

You are pruned already,

by means of the word that I have spoken to you.

Make your home in me, as I make mine in you.

As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself,

but must remain part of the vine,

neither can you unless you remain in me.

I am the vine,

you are the branches.

Whoever remains in me, with me in him,

bears fruit in plenty;

for cut off from me you can do nothing.

Anyone who does not remain in me

is like a branch that has been thrown away – he withers;

these branches are collected and thrown on the fire,

and they are burnt.

If you remain in me

and my words remain in you,

you may ask what you will

and you shall get it.

It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit,

and then you will be my disciples.’

FRUITFULNESS REQUIRES UNION WITH CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 15:1-6; PS 122:1-5; JOHN 15:1-8]

How can we grow in our faith and be effective in our mission of making Christ known and establishing His Kingdom? There are different levels of Christian maturity. The most basic level consists of Christians who only have a nominal faith. They are baptised Christians, but because they hardly grow in their faith, they are stunted. Some might even be born-again Christians, but because they fail to continue with their spiritual growth, they too will die an immature death. When newly baptised Christians, converts, or renewed Christians do not strengthen their union with the Lord, they will eventually wither in their faith. This is what the Lord reminds us in today’s Gospel.

We are called to be in union with Jesus to grow in our faith and be strong enough to face the world. In the Gospel, the Lord said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing.” Staying in communion with the Lord is a necessity and a pre-requisite for growth. “Make your home in me, as I make mine in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself, but must remain part of the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.”

But what does it mean to be in union with the Lord? Unfortunately, many Catholics think that faith is an individualistic affair. They mistakenly believe that one grows in faith simply by praying every day – especially devotional prayers, attending Mass regularly, and observing all the disciplines of the Church. Faith for them is just between God and self. They think that such practices are sufficient to help them grow in their spiritual life. This is where they fail to understand today’s Gospel about the Vine and the Branches. If Jesus is the Vine and we are His branches, then we need to be in union with Him. However, Jesus is not just the vine; St Paul tells us that He is the head and we are His body. “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Cor 12:27) And in Ephesians, St Paul wrote, “The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.” (Eph 4:11-13) Therefore, to be in union with Christ, we must be in union with His body, the Church as well. Indeed, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” (Eph 4:4)

In today’s First Reading, we appreciate why it was important for Paul and Barnabas to go to Jerusalem to seek clarification for the status of the Gentile converts to Christianity. We read that some Jews from Jerusalem sought to impose their Jewish customs and traditions on the Gentile converts by saying, “Unless you have yourselves circumcised in the tradition of Moses you cannot be saved.” In demanding this observance of circumcision and the corollary laws associated with this practice, it meant that the Gentile converts had to first accept Judaism before they could become Christians. But the truth was that they were saved by Christ, and not by observance of the Mosaic Laws.

To ensure that they were truly following what Christ had taught through the apostles, and to give credibility to what Paul and Barnabas was teaching about the faith to the Gentile Christians, a number of these converts went with Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem to seek clarity, agreement, and unity in faith and practices. The truth was that they could have just continued with what they were doing without consulting or getting approval from the Church in Jerusalem, especially the apostles. But they did so because they recognised the Church as one in Christ, and therefore that they must be one in faith with respect to the Lord. This goes to show that while we are saved in Christ, there can be practices that are more cultural than doctrinal. Hence, right from the start, Christians knew that their faith must be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. This means that all who profess Jesus as Lord and Saviour, must be one in doctrine, in worship, in leadership, and in fellowship.

So it goes without saying that it is insufficient to be a non-denominational Christian, which refers to those who do not belong to any Church but go to whichever one they feel is good for them. Some of them hop from one church to another, depending on their preference and convenience. They attend church service like going to the movies or frequenting supermarkets. The downside for these so-called non-denominational Christians is that their faith is weak because there is no real foundation in what they believe. They do not know what they really believe, except for the version of Christ they hear about on that day.

But when it comes to what faith in Christ consists of, they are not be able to explain it coherently because their belief is simply a basket of doctrines collected from different churches. They are not able to list the “Articles of Faith.” When we speak of the “Articles of Faith”, it means that each doctrine of the Church is coherent with the other doctrines; just like the different parts of the human body, which are distinct but all interconnected. Every Christian community or church is united in faith, in love, and in the same Spirit. This means we share a common set of doctrines and Christian traditions. We are united in beliefs and the common practices and customs through which we express our faith in Christ. Faith is always incarnated in the culture and life of the community. Faith is not an abstract reality, but one that entails common and shared practices.

Similarly, those who live their faith as individuals are not in perfect communion with the Lord. They might be observing the same faith and practices, but they are loners and individuals when they go to church for worship. They move from one parish to another, depending on their convenience and preference, especially if they are interested in finding a good preacher, or if a church has lively singing and participation. Whilst this group of people are spiritually fed, they unfortunately have no sense of belonging to any Catholic community or faith-sharing group. Just like the non-denominational Christians, they attend the services like going for a movie, not knowing those around them with whom they worship.

In good times, such spiritual nourishment might be sufficient to help them carry on in life. But in hard times, when they face crises and their faith is challenged, they can easily lose their faith because they lack the support of a community. They do not have others to share their faith, and they scarcely get to hear of the marvels that God works in the lives of others. Depending on themselves alone, and feeling lonely and unsupported in their faith, they are easily drawn to seek solutions from the world, and sometimes, when desperate, seek other religions or even the occult.

Why is it necessary to remain in communion with the Church, the Body of Christ, to grow in faith? Can we not just be good Catholics by observing the tenets of the Church? After all, some argue that joining church communities, ministries, and activities often gives them more problems and sometimes even scandalises them in their faith. They then rationalise that it is better to just come to church, pray, and then live their own lives. In the Gospel, Jesus said, “Every branch in me that bears no fruit he cuts away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes to make it bear even more. You are pruned already, by means of the word that I have spoken to you.”

As a community of faith, we are certainly not perfect. But maturity in faith and love is tested in Christian living and loving. It is when we live and work together as a community, that we are tested in patience, forgiveness, tolerance, giving, and in charity. This is how the Lord prunes us through our life in the community.

And so, if we continue to listen to His Word as a community, share the Word of God together, and gather to celebrate the Eucharist, we will learn to grow in authentic love for each other. “Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.” (Heb 10:24f) Then, as a community, we extend that love beyond ourselves to the world. In this way, we fulfil the command of our Lord to be in union with Him. “Anyone who does not remain in me is like a branch that has been thrown away – he withers; these branches are collected and thrown on the fire, and they are burnt. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask what you will and you shall get it. It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit, and then you will be my disciples.”

Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections

Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.

Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.