About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying
and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened,
there was suddenly such a severe earthquake
that the foundations of the jail shook;
all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose.
When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open,
he drew his sword and was about to kill himself,
thinking that the prisoners had escaped.
But Paul shouted out in a loud voice,
"Do no harm to yourself; we are all here."
He asked for a light and rushed in and,
trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas.
Then he brought them out and said,
"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus
and you and your household will be saved."
So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.
He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds;
then he and all his family were baptized at once.
He brought them up into his house and provided a meal
and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God.
R./ Your right hand saves me, O Lord. or: Alleluia.
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple,
and give thanks to your name.
R./ Your right hand saves me, O Lord. or: Alleluia.
Because of your kindness and your truth,
you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R./ Your right hand saves me, O Lord. or: Alleluia.
Your right hand saves me.
The Lord will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O Lord, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R./ Your right hand saves me, O Lord. or: Alleluia.
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Now I am going to the one who sent me,
and not one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'
But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.
But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.
For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes he will convict the world
in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:
sin, because they do not believe in me;
righteousness, because I am going to the Father
and you will no longer see me;
condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned."
Yield the Right of Way
Both of today’s readings emphasize seeking the good of others over our own. In the first, deeply moving passage from the Acts of the Apostles, Paul and his companions are in prison. Yet they calm the jailer and stop him from harming himself. His safety and well-being become more important to them than their own freedom or even their lives. Looking out for someone else’s good—before your own—is hard, complicated, and maybe even crazy. Yielding the right of way might mean getting stuck in place, watching others climb, succeed, move forward… Or, even more heroic, it might mean pushing others upward, helping them reach their highest good.
It’s not easy—especially in today’s world—to give up even a bit of our own comfort, security, wealth, or status for someone else. And even harder when that “someone else” is from the opposing side, like the jailer was. There doesn’t seem to be a reason strong enough to do something so absurd. But Paul had already discovered this kind of holy madness, and it never left him.
That same divine madness shows up in today’s Gospel as well:
“It is better for you that I go.”
When Jesus says this, it’s not for His own sake—it’s for the greater good of His disciples. Even if they find it hard to accept, this is the moment when they will receive the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit.
To say with Jesus, “It’s better that I step aside,” is to let go, to make space, to allow the Spirit to enter where I was taking up too much room. It means yielding, disappearing, making room for something far greater to come into someone else’s life.
Sometimes, it means not clinging to roles or titles—even if they seem small.
It means letting others do what I once thought only I could do best.
Yield the right of way.
Cármen Aguinaco
Introduction
The life of Christ, which the community of Christ leads, the mentality of Christ alive in the Church, will bear witness against the world in as far as it is still unredeemed and full of evil. The world accuses Christ to be a sinner, finds him guilty in its trial as an unjust man and condemns him. But who is the sinner? Who is found guilty? Who is condemned? Not Christ but the world. Who will prove this? The Spirit of Christ alive in the Church. If the Church lives the life of the just Christ, the works of the world will stand out as unjust, and the life of Christ led by Christians will be a condemnation of the world and its powers of evil.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
you demand much of us, your Church,
by calling us to be witnesses
of your Son and of his message,
although we are men and women
who share in the sin of the world.
Send us your Holy Spirit
to open us all the time
to renewal and conversion,
that your Church may show to the world
the true face of Jesus Christ
your Son and our Lord for ever.
General Intercessions
- That the people of God may keep thanking God that he has given us the grace to believe in him and in Jesus Christ and his gospel, we pray:
- That the Holy Spirit may help us discern how much untruth and injustice there is still in our world and give us the boldness to testify in favor of the truth and the goodness of the gospel, we pray:
- That we may believe that the Holy Spirit will guide our lives on the ways of Christ and his gospel, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God,
here are bread and wine,
your gifts to us and our offerings to you
to be transformed into Christ.
Send us the Spirit of your Son,
that people who sit at this table
may also become living signs
of Christ's presence among us
by our sharing with one another
and giving to the world the bread of justice.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
you have entrusted to us, your people,
the task of continuing the mission of your Son
of redeeming the world.
Send us the Holy Spirit of your Son
to make us credible witnesses:
men and women who live first
what we want others to accept and live,
men and women to whom
your Son is a real person and a way of life.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
Blessing
Christ gives the Holy Spirit to guide each of us and the whole Church in the ways of the gospel. He will help us to bring the gospel to the world by making us understand the message of Christ and giving us the discernment and the strength to communicate it to the world of today. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
