Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Wednesday of the sixth week of Easter, May 13th, 2026

Delivered by Celine from the Parish of Saint Marinus Yohanes in the Diocese of Surabaya, Indonesia. Acts of the Apostles 17: 15.22 - 18: 1; Rs psalm 148: 1-2.11-12ab.12c-14a.14bcd; John 16: 12-15.WE ARE NOT ONLY AFTER QUANTITY Our meditation today has the theme: We Are Not OnlyAfter Quantity. At 7 AM the Parish Priest was ready in the sacristy to proceedto the altar and the Holy Mass would soon start. The choir leader and memberswere anxious because the people present were only a quarter of the church'scapacity. They asked the priest to wait for other people to come before theHoly Mass could begin. But the Pastor answered: "The Mass does not dependon the number of people present in the church." What the Parish Priest did is something that can serveas a reflection of the growth of our faith and our being a Church, that weare not only after the quantity or numbers. We also really need quality. In thecontext of the preaching of the gospel by Saint Paul and his companions inAthens, in the arena of Aeropagus, many rejected all Paul's teachings aboutJesus Christ, and only one or two who accepted and became believers. This is avery small quantity when it is compared with a number of places they hadvisited and evangelized. If the main target is number or as many new followersas possible, this outcome in Athens would be so disappointing. But Paul and hisgroup knew that this was the work of God, and should be depended on God's willto be done. In God, there is no competition on calculation of the profit andloss between quantity and quality. For God, there is one thing that isfundamental, namely people who believe, who follow Him and live their faithwith quality. The actual number now in the Church is a realization of Jesus'choice to makes us a people separated from this world. The quality of our livesis very dependent on our ability to live in the light and guidance of the HolySpirit. With the Holy Spirit, we have a specific place in Jesus Christ. There are two human tendencies for pursuing quantityand quality often cause us problems. Those who pursue numbers can be morefavorable for material, physical, social and success gain. Those who pursuequality can be more elitist, exclusive, irrelevant and unrealistic. So, the bestway for us would be to have a balance, which is the quantity we deserve and atthe same time we give quality to the quantity that we have. For example, our presence in the community or familyis so little, but we should spend it with the best quality that can contributeto the good impact for all. If you have enough money and goods, you should paymore attention to the quality of life and be generous to other people who areless fortunate. You may be thin, but your health must be good. You are lesssmart, but you are responsible. We must make a balance of life as a way tothank and glorify our Lord. Let'spray. In the name of the Father ... O Lord, through the guidance of YourSpirit, may we become wise persons in making our lives balance physically andspiritually, so that our lives are pleasing to You and our neighbors. Glory tothe Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father...