SOLEMNITY OF THE HOLY MARTYRS IN VIETNAM - Gospel (Jn 17:11b-19) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world.” (Jn 17:14)

FIRST READING - Wisdom 3:1-9

First reading from the Book of Wisdom

But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,

and no torment will ever touch them.

2 In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died,

and their departure was thought to be an affliction,

3 and their going from us to be their destruction;

but they are at peace.

4 For though in the sight of men they were punished,

their hope is full of immortality.

5 Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good,

because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;

6 like gold in the furnace he tried them,

and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them.

7 In the time of their visitation they will shine forth,

and will run like sparks through the stubble.

8 They will govern nations and rule over peoples,

and the Lord will reign over them for ever.

9 Those who trust in him will understand truth,

and the faithful will abide with him in love,

because grace and mercy are upon his elect,

and he watches over his holy ones.[a]

SECOND READING - Rm 8:31b-39

31 What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies; 34 who is to condemn? Is it Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us?[a] 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For thy sake we are being killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - John 17:11b-19

From the Gospel according to John

And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are.

When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled.

But now I am coming to you. I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy completely.

I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.

I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one.

They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.

Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth.

As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world.

And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.

SOLEMNITY OF THE HOLY MARTYRS IN VIETNAM - Gospel (Jn 17:11b-19)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

Today, the Church celebrates the Vietnamese Martyrs. God wants to tell all humanity that Jesus' fervent prayers and supplications to God the Father represent the intimate union between Jesus and God the Father in the plan of salvation, in which the Son of God came to earth to become a human being to accompany and be with humanity.

God made known that only humans are creatures created by God with a soul and body in His image.

He loves, provides for, and is cared for by Him.

God loves humanity as Himself. He gave Himself to save all humanity. Through Jesus' prayer to God the Father, it shows how deep His love is for humanity. It is only through God's love for humanity that mankind can experience happiness, a happiness that lasts forever.

Jesus had mercy on humanity and had mercy on the souls of sinful people, so He entrusted humanity and entrusted all of these children to God the Father. He prayed earnestly pleading with God the Father to protect these souls so that they would not fall into the hands of evil spirits and from the temptations of the world.

In spite of that, there was an apostle who betrayed Him, that was Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve apostles that He had chosen.

As God teaches humanity according to His ways, He teaches us not only to experience peace and comfort, but He teaches us to always be vigilant and to always be ready to fight when facing difficulties and challenges; Because through challenges and difficulties, we can grow in faith, and we can appreciate the value of God's love for all mankind.

Through the image of today's Gospel, God wants to teach humanity to confidently walk on the path of the cross, walk on the path of suffering; so that through that path of suffering, we can reach the love of God the Father.

God the Father said: He does not take away the suffering, the difficulties, and the challenges of humanity; however He wants humans to be loyal and faithful to Him, to accept the sufferings, hardships, and challenges brought by the world; because only absolute loyalty to God the Father until the last breath can bring the life of the Kingdom of Heaven to humanity.

As God said the work of the Holy Spirit era is revealed, the era in which humans are blessed to be purified by God the Father to become holy right here on earth. How is that? It is those who are chosen must become warriors in the role of chasing Satan in this world. A warrior must be armored with the virtue of pure holiness and must be cleansed and purified in the blood of the lamb like the ancient martyrs.

That means we must overcome many challenges in order to attain happiness in the Kingdom of Heaven; the happiest place where we can live forever with God the Father, and together with the angels and Saints in Heaven, sing praises, glorify, and worship God the Father.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

19:00 November 17th, 2024 Prayer of Divine Mercy - The Way to Heaven