Work of God

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary are local, personal, universal and revelation for all. They offer encounter with the Divine in the actions of the simple and the philosophies of great teachers. The passage from the Acts of the Apostles shows how the zeal and passion of the Peter and the Apostles to preach their experience of the work of Jesus, the One from God, among the people around the Temple is addressed by a leading scholar, teacher and leader of late first century Judaism. The possibility that Jesus is more than just another leader of a messianic inspired resistance to oppression of the Jews is presented to the Sanhedrin. The religious leaders in the Temple cannot be resistant to true action of God so they need to see if God acts to sustain this “Jesus” movement. Gamaliel is recognized  by Jewish and Christian sources as a leader who had great impact of spiritual thought and practice in his time. The Apostle Paul and perhaps the first martyr Stephen were taught under his influence. Father James Early, of the Orthodox Church, comments on the deep symbolism in the description of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes which begins Chapter 6 of the Gospel of John. Catie O'Malley is inspired by this text to be aware of the miraculous events of our own lives which can only be credited to the work of God. This gift of awareness and expectation that God acts is seen in offering of all he had by the boy to Jesus with the expectation that something could happen. Friar Jude Winkler reminds us of the use of John of patterns and numbers which convey deep meaning. For example the five plus two nature of the loaves and fishes is the perfect number, seven. Jesus takes our lives, which are very good and transforms our gifts for the care of all in the a green and luxurious meadow of Psalm 23. There is so much food for our growth in the texts today.