Acts 15 : 7 – 21 / Ps. 95 : 1 – 3 ,10 / Jn. 15 : 9 – 11

The debate regarding whether the Christian faithful had to follow and obey the ordinances and rules of the Jewish laws and customs was resolved by the meeting of the Church leaders and elders at the first Jerusalem council. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law had insisted that all the Christian faithful must obey fully the commandments of the Lord as practiced and enforced by them.

The non-Jewish people or the Gentiles found Jewish customs and cultural practices incompatible, for instance the practice of circumcision, was deemed despicable and disgusting by the Greeks and the Romans. St. Peter standing among the faithful in a prayerful, Spirit filled discernment and careful discussion, took a decision about the path that the Church ought to take going forward thus in the manner and how the early Christians ought to be faithful to God.

Dear friends, from the first reading, there is a clarion call on each and every one of us to not make it difficult for all those who seek to be disciples and followers of the Lord, but should instead be most supportive in how they reach out to the people of God and to all those who are marginalized and forgotten.

We should not be like those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who spent so much of their time focusing on the nitty-gritty and the specific tenets, rules and regulations of the Law and end up forgetting why the Law and commandments were there in the first place.

And then in the gospel reading, there is a strong emphasis on love, God the Father’s love for Jesus and Jesus’ love for us all, and his call on us to remain in his love. It is by striving to love one another in the same selfless and generous way that the Lord loves us that we remain in his love. We remain in the love of Jesus by sharing the love we have received from him with others. This is our calling. According to the gospel reading, it is the path that leads to true happiness, a sharing in Jesus’ own joy.

Therefore, dear friends, let us all follow the examples of the Lord Himself, who went to the most marginalized and all those who were most prejudiced in the community, reaching out to them with love and proclaiming to them all the words of God’s salvation and reassuring them of God’s love and grace.

Rosary Prayer: Luminous Mysteries

Mass Intentions: we thank God for the gift of life of our mother(Estrella Cruz) who celebrates her 90th Birthday Anniversary today. We pray for good health for her and emotional wellbeing for her caretakers.