An impromptu prayer—to listen to what God would tell me about a concern that arose during my practicum in spiritual direction—affirmed what I had always known: that I am God’s pen in this life.

It had always inspired me to listen to people’s stories of how God transformed them, led them to the path He had planned for them, and used them to harvest more people for Him. For two decades, it had been my work to write of such stories.

Now that I am retired, the seed for a book—which God planted in my heart many years ago during a vocation search-in weekend—follows the same pattern: telling stories of God’s love for His people. I’m still working on it, and I pray that through it, many will get to know Him and not be afraid or hesitate to commit themselves to Him. 

Tess V. Atienza (theresavatienza@gmail.com) 

reflect

How do you make God known to the people around you?

Use me, Lord God, to make You known to every people I meet. Amen.

St. Cristobal Magallanes and companions, pray for us.

Paul is a cunning communicator and knows how to engage his audience. He causes a rift between his accusers because he understands their doctrines and their inconsistencies. We must be just as discerning as Paul when seeking to impress upon the world the truth of the Gospel. We need to continually find new ways to proclaim the Good News in order to break through the barriers of materialism and secularism that pervade our age.

³⁰ Wishing to determine the truth about why Paul was being accused by the Jews, the commander freed him and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene. Then he brought Paul down and made him stand before them. ^23:6 Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees, so he called out before the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees; I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.” ⁷ When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the group became divided. ⁸ For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection or angels or spirits, while the Pharisees acknowledge all three. ⁹ A great uproar occurred, and some scribes belonging to the Pharisee party stood up and sharply argued, “We find nothing wrong with this man. Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” ¹⁰ The dispute was so serious that the commander, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, ordered his troops to go down and rescue him from their midst and take him into the compound. ¹¹ The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage. For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.”

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

R: Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

¹ Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge; ² I say to the Lord, “My Lord are you” ⁵ O Lord, my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot. (R) ⁷ I bless the Lord who counsels me; even in the night my heart exhorts me. ⁸ I set the Lord ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. (R) ⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices, my body, too, abides in confidence; ¹⁰ because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world, nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption. (R) ¹¹ You will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever. (R)

Gospel | John 17:20-26

Proclaiming the Gospel is about revealing the truth of God’s love for every man and woman. It is not an obscure scientific inquiry that only a few can understand. The Gospel unveils God’s love for us and carries an inherent power to draw people in. Let us share the Gospel with those who need to know that God loves them, through the grace of the Holy Spirit at work in us.

Gospel Acclamation

May they all be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that the world may believe that you sent me, says the Lord.

²⁰ Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying: “I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, ²¹ so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. ²² And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, ²³ I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me. ²⁴ Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵ Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. ²⁶ I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.”

Read the Bible in one year! Read 1 SAMUEL 1 - 4 today.

During summertime, it is so easy to identify those who have gone on a vacation from those who just took a staycation (i.e., stayed at home during vacation season).

Those who went out and braved the summer heat have sun-kissed complexions. Those who enjoyed the beach are suntanned, evident in stripes of varying degrees and colors. Their complexions and appearances evidence the time they spent soaked under the summer sun.

Today, we hear the conclusion of the Priestly Prayer of Jesus. In it, He speaks of the intimate relationship between the Son and the Father. The Son is soaked in the love of the Father. To see the Son is to see the Father, for the Father and the Son are one. With His premise, Jesus prays that His followers may likewise long for the same intimacy with Him: “I do not pray for My disciples alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their word, that all may be one as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You.” Jesus longs that we also soak ourselves in Him, that our persons will soon radiate Him to the world.

I would like to borrow that striking image used by Christian writer Phil Wiegand. He spoke of Son-tanned Christians—Christians whose hobby is Sonbathing, basking under the heat of the Son that their persons literally radiate a Son-tanned glow. He proposed that if we, Christians, soak under the Son, the world will see a noticeable change in our lives. Our “Son-tan” will become our identity, a beauty that attracts others to have the same.

When we soak under the Son, we can stay for as long we want. There will be no need for UV Son-screens and protections. This is a tan that we should not protect ourselves from. This is a tan we should not allow to peel off in time. 

Fr. Joel O. Jason 

reflection question

Do you set aside enough time daily for you to become Son-tanned—in reading Scriptures, in prayer and silence before the Lord’s real Presence in the adoration chapel?

“O God, You are my God, for You I long, for You my soul is thirsting . . . So I gaze on You in the sanctuary to see Your strength and Your glory.” (Psalm 63:1-2)

Today, I pray for ________________________________________