Tuesday of the Fourth week of Easter

Acts of the Apostles

Those who had been scattered by the persecution that arose because of Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but Jews.
There were some Cypriots and Cyrenians among them, however, who came to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks as well, proclaiming the Lord Jesus.
The hand of the Lord was with them and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
The news about them reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch.
When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart,
for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. And a large number of people was added to the Lord.
Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a large number of people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

Psalms

His foundation upon the holy mountains,
the LORD loves:
the gates of Zion,
more than any dwelling of Jacob.
Glorious things are said of you,
O city of God!
I tell of Egypt and Babylon
among those who know the LORD;
of Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia:
"This man was born there."
and of Zion they shall say:
“One and all were born in her;
and he who has established her
is the Most High LORD.”
They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled:
"This man was born there."
And all shall sing, in their festive dance:
"My home is within you."

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John

The feast of the Dedication was taking place in Jerusalem. It was winter.
And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon.
So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly."
Jesus answered them, "I told you and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name testify to me.
But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father's hand.
The Father and I are one."

Bl. Julian of Norwich(Religious (1342-1420))

Julian of NorwichAnchorite (c. 1342 - 1420) A number of English men and women withdrew from the world as hermits in the 14th century. They were known as anchorites. Their hermitage was a small room attached to a local church. Each room had two windows: one where communion was received and one where food was received from outside. Thus, the anchorites had the window of their heart always open to Christ and to the world. Julian became an anchorite at the Church of St. Edmund and St. Julian in Norwich. When she was 30 years old, she contracted a severe illness. On her deathbed, she had a series of intense visions of Jesus,which ended by the time she recovered on May 13, 1373. She wrote about her visions immediately after they had happened (although the text may not have been finished for some years), entitled Revelations of Divine Love. It is believed to be the earliest surviving book written in English by a woman. Twenty to thirty years later, perhaps in the early 1390s, Julian began writing a theological exploration of the meaning of the visions, known as The Long Text. This work seems to have gone through many revisions before it was finished, perhaps in the first or even second decade of the fifteenth century.Until her passing around 1420 at the age of 78, Julian stayed in her simple room. She prayed, fasted, sewed clothes, read books and gave spiritual advice. In Revelations of Divine Love, Julian described her sixteen visions of Jesus. Her book is about God’s great compassion for us. She developed a special vocabulary: calling the Creator our mother and our father. She called Jesus the Redeemer our brother. Revelations is a celebrated work in Catholicism and Anglicanism because of the clarity and depth of Julian's visions of God. She is now recognized as one of England's most important mystics. Julian's theology was optimistic and spoke of God's love in terms of joy and compassion, as opposed to law and duty. The Black Death and peasant uprisings shaped popular theology that God inflicted punishment. Julian believed that God loves and wants to save everyone. Suffering is not a punishment, and behind the reality of hell is a greater mystery of God's love. She has been classified as a proto-universalist, although she never claimed more than hoping everyone could be saved. At the time of Julian’s death, people from all over Europe traveled to her room or cell to ask for her advice. Everyone recognized that she was close to God. The Church never formally declared her a saint, but through the ages, people have called her Blessed. Julian of Norwich is quoted saying,“If there is anywhere on earth a lover of God is always kept safe, I know nothing of it, for it was not shown to me. But this was shown: that in falling and rising again we are always kept in that same precious love.”

St. John the Silent(Bishop (454 - c. 558))

SAINT JOHN THE SILENT Bishop (454 - c. 558) St. John was born in 454 to a ruling family in Nicopolis, Armenia. He received faith through the teaching, prayers and example of his parents. After their passing, John built a church in honor of the Blessed Virgin, and also a monastery with the help of ten fervent companions: all at the age of 18. John was quiet and contemplative and spoke with discretion. John was consecrated bishop of Colonia, Armenia, by the archbishop of Sebaste in 482. In this dignity, he preserved his spirit of recollection and monastic discipline. One night in prayer, Bp. John saw before him a bright cross. He heard a voice say, "If you desire to be saved, follow this light." The vision pointed to the monastery of St. Sabas. Bp. John later abdicated the episcopal office and retired to the monastery of St. Sabas, where 150 monks lived. He was 38 years old. At the monastery, John routinely fetched water, carried stones and performed manual labor. St. Sabas deemed him worthy of consecration and presented him to Patriarch Elias. When John told the patriarch that he was a bishop, St. Sabas chastised him for concealing the matter. John then departed the monastery and St. Sabas could not prevail on him to stay. In the year 503, John withdrew to a neighboring wilderness. He returned 7 years later and lived in holy solitude for forty years. John, by his example and counsels, conducted many fervent souls to God. He emulated the heavenly spirits as much as his nature allowed. Soon after the year 558, he passed from this world and joined the Church Triumphant in Heaven. He lived in holy solitude for 76 years, with the exception of 9 spent at the episcopal see.

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