ACTS 16: 22 – 34

In those days: The crowd of Philippians joined in attacking Paul and Silas; and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was   a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out and said, “Men, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their wounds, and he was baptised at once, with all his family. Then he brought them up into his house, and set food before them; and he rejoiced with all his household that he had believed in God.

The Word of the Lord

 
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 13b: 1ac – 2a, 2bcd – 3, 7c – 8 (R) 7c

R/. With your right hand you save me, O Lord.
or: 
Alleluia.

I thank you, Lord, with all my heart;
you have heard the words of my mouth.
In the presence of the angels I praise you.
I bow down toward your holy temple. R.

I give thanks to your name
for your merciful love and your faithfulness.
You have exalted your name and your promise over all.
On the day I called, you answered me;
you increased the strength of my soul. R.

With your right hand you save me;
the Lord will accomplish this for me.
O Lord, your merciful love is eternal;
discard not the work of your hands. R.
 

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
John 16: 7, 13

Alleluia.
I will send the Spirit of truth to you, says the Lord; he will guide you into all the truth.
Alleluia.

GOSPEL
“If I do not go away, the Counsellor will not come to you.”
JOHN 16: 5 – 11

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “Now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convince the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgement: of sin, because they do not believe in me; of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more; of judgement, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

The Gospel of the Lord.
[21:31, 5/6/2024] TAKAONA: 7 Chivabvu – May; Vhiki yechitanhatu
yenguva yePasika – Chipiri

Chiverengo chokutanga: Mabasa 16,22-34
Inzwai chiverengo chinobva mubhuku
raMabasa Avapositori
Mhomho yavanhu yakabatana mukurwisa Pauro
naSirasi. Vatongi vaya vakabvarura hanzu dzavo
vachidzibvisa pavari. Vakati ngavarohwe neshamhu.
Pavakanga vavarova zvakanyanya, vakavaisa
mujeri vachiti kune muchengeti wejeri anyatsovachengetedza kwazvo. Paakaudzwa izvi, akava-
isa mujeri romukatikati, akavakochekera makumbo
avo mumatanda.
Pokunge pava pakati pousiku Pauro naSirasi
vainge vachinamata vachikumbira, vachiimbira Mwari dzimbo, vasungwa vachivateerera. Pakarepo pakave nokundengendeka kukuru, zvokuti
ugaro hweJeri hwakazunguzika. Pakarepo makonhi
ose akazaruka. Majoti omunhu oga oga akabva
asungunuka. Muchengeti wejeri paakamuka
akaona kuti makonhi ejeri akanga akazaruka,
akazvomora bakatwa rake avakuda kuzviuraya
achifunga kuti vasungwa vakanga vapunyuka.
Asi Pauro akadaidzira nezwi guru achiti, “Usazvikuvadze zvako nokuti isu tose tiri muno.” Akadaidzira kuti kuuiwe nemwenje, ndokumhanyira
mukati. Akandowira pamberi paPauro naSirasi
achidedera nokutya. Akavabudisa akati, “Varume
chii chandingaite kuti ndiponeswe?” Ivo vakati,
“Tenda muna Tenzi Jesu uchaponeswa iwe
nemhuri yako.” Vakataura kwaari Shoko raTenzi
nokune vose vaiva mumba make. Akavatora
panguva iyoyo yousiku akavashambidza maronda
avo. Iye akabva aombekwa pakarepo pamwechete
nemhuri yake yose. Akakwira navo kumba
kwake, akavapa chokudya, akafara kwazvo nemba
yake yose kuti akanga atenda kuna Mwari.
Shoko raTenzi.

Rwiyo rwokutsinhira:
Nziyo 138,1-2ab.2cde-3.7c-8. (D – 7)
(D) – Ruoko rwenyu rworudyi
runondinunura.
1 Ndinotenda TENZI nomwoyo wangu wose,
ndinokurumbidzai vamwari vachizviona.
2 Ndinokotamira ndakananga kutemberi yenyu
tsvene.
(D) – Ruoko rwenyu rworudyi
runondinunura.
Ndichitenda zita renyu, nemwoyochena wenyu,
nokutendeka kwenyu, nokuti makaisa zita renyu
neshoko renyu pamusoro pezvinhu zvose.
3 Pandakachema makandidavira,
mukandisimbaradza.
(D) – Ruoko rwenyu rworudyi
runondinunura.
Ruoko rwenyu rwesimba runorwisana navavengi
vangu vane hasha,
ruoko rwenyu rworudyi runondinunura.
8 TENZI achazadzisa chinangwa chake mandiri,
mwoyochena wenyu TENZI hauperi,
musarase basa ramaoko enyu.
(D) – Ruoko rwenyu rworudyi
runondinunura.

Kupemberera Shoko Rakanaka: Johani 16,7+13
Areruya, Areruya. Tenzi anoti: “Kana
Mweya wechokwadi auya, achakutungamirirai
muchokwadi chose.” Areruya.

Shoko Rakanaka: Johani 16,5-11
Inzwai Shoko Rakanaka rakanyorwa
naJohani
Jesu akati kuvadzidzi vake,
“Zvino ndavakuenda kuna akandituma.
Hapana mumwe wenyu ari kumbondibvunza
kuti ko muri kuenda kupi?
Asi pamusana pokuti ndataura izvi kwamuri,
masuruvara mwoyo zvikuru.
Zvakadaro zvazvo, ndinokuudzai chokwadi,
chokuti zvinotokubatsirai kuti ndiende nokuti
ndikarega kuenda, Murevereri uya haazouya;
asi ndikaenda, ndichamutumira kwamuri.
Paanouya achazivisa nyika kuti ine mhosva
yechitadzo, uye kuti ine mhosva pamafungiro
ayo nezvoururami, uyewo kuti ine mhosva pane
zvokutonga.
Panezve chitadzo, nokuti havadaviri mandiri.
Pane zvoururami, nokuti ini ndava kutoenda
kuna Baba, uye hamuzoramba muchindiona.
Pane zvokutonga, nokuti mutongi wapasi
pano ava kutotongwa.”

Shoko Rakanaka raTenzi.
[21:31, 5/6/2024] TAKAONA: GOSPEL REFLECTION: Grieved at Changes in Life
May 7, 2024

Jesus said to his disciples: “Now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:5–7)

Jesus continues to speak prophetically to His disciples about the necessity for Him to go to the Father so that He can send the Holy Spirit. What’s interesting in this passage is that Jesus points out to His disciples that “grief” has filled their hearts because of what He has said to them. Clearly, this grief in their hearts is because they do not understand what they will soon experience and do not want their relationship with Jesus to change.

Throughout our lives, our Lord will call us to change. At times, He calls us away from that with which we are familiar and comfortable, and He calls us to something new. This can be frightening and can become the cause of “grief” for us also. To help, let’s consider this passage above in detail.

Recall that there were many times, prior to Jesus’ death, that Jesus slowly started to reveal to His disciples, especially to the Twelve, that He would be going to the Father and that He would no longer be with them in the way He had been. Jesus wanted the Twelve to begin to understand that their relationship with Him, with the Father and with the Holy Spirit would soon take on new meaning in their lives. But the fact that this was something new, a change to what they had grown accustomed, meant that they were more focused upon the grief that accompanies loss than they were focused upon the joy that awaited.

This same experience can often be found in all of our lives. Though dramatic change is not necessarily a regular occurrence throughout life, most everyone will experience change at various moments in life. And when that change occurs in accord with the will of God, it must be embraced with hope and great expectation.