Today we are reminded in the gospel that the world will hate us, but that it hated our Lord first.  As Christians we must live in a world in which we are not welcome, and serve and love those who hate us in our imitation of Christ.  This seems like it would be very difficult, and it can seem that way sometimes, but the Lord also tells us that his yoke is light, and his burden easy.  It seems contradictory, but the fact is, if we're placing our trust and our faith in Jesus, he makes it easy.  In the face of all the adversity the world dishes out, we can keep a smaile and carry our cross on towards Calgary, because He left us the Holy Spirit to help us, and we have the sacrafice of the Holy Mass and the sacrament of penance to kee our souls ligt, and give us the grace and strength we need as the one body of Christ to carry on in this life with the promise of an eternal life in Jesus, free of pain, and perfected in nature.  Glory be to God in the highest,

Happy Easter!!

He is risen,

Steven

Reading 1
Acts 16:1-10

Paul reached also Derbe and Lystra
where there was a disciple named Timothy,
the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer,
but his father was a Greek.
The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him,
and Paul wanted him to come along with him.
On account of the Jews of that region, Paul had him circumcised,
for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
As they traveled from city to city,
they handed on to the people for observance the decisions
reached by the Apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem.
Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith
and increased in number.

They traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian territory
because they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit
from preaching the message in the province of Asia.
When they came to Mysia, they tried to go on into Bithynia,
but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them,
so they crossed through Mysia and came down to Troas.
During the night Paul had a vision.
A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words,
"Come over to Macedonia and help us."
When he had seen the vision,
we sought passage to Macedonia at once,
concluding that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to them.

Gospel
Jn 15:18-21

Jesus said to his disciples:
"If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own;
but because you do not belong to the world,
and I have chosen you out of the world,
the world hates you.
Remember the word I spoke to you,
'No slave is greater than his master.'
If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
And they will do all these things to you on account of my name,
because they do not know the one who sent me."

Tags: Bible Scripture Readings Catholic Christian Jesus Holy Revised Standard Ver

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