The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to live the truth of our life in relationship with Jesus through the influence of the Holy Spirit.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles is Paul’s Farewell Speech at Miletus. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
[20:16–35] Apparently aware of difficulties at Ephesus and neighboring areas, Paul calls the presbyters together at Miletus, about thirty miles from Ephesus. He reminds them of his dedication to the gospel (Acts 20:18–21), speaks of what he is about to suffer for the gospel (Acts 20:22–27), and admonishes them to guard the community against false prophets, sure to arise upon his departure (Acts 20:28–31). He concludes by citing a saying of Jesus (Acts 20:35) not recorded in the gospel tradition. Luke presents this farewell to the Ephesian presbyters as Paul’s last will and testament. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 20, n.d.)
Psalm 68 offers Praise and Thanksgiving.
* [Psalm 68] The Psalm is extremely difficult because the Hebrew text is badly preserved and the ceremony that it describes is uncertain. The translation assumes the Psalm accompanied the early autumn Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkoth), which included a procession of the tribes (Ps 68:25–28). Israel was being oppressed by a foreign power, perhaps Egypt (Ps 68:31–32)—unless Egypt stands for any oppressor. The Psalm may have been composed from segments of ancient poems, which would explain why the transitions are implied rather than explicitly stated. At any rate, Ps 68:2 is based on Nm 10:35–36, and Ps 68:8–9 are derived from Jgs 5:4–5. The argument develops in nine stanzas (each of three to five poetic lines): 1. confidence that God will destroy Israel’s enemies (Ps 68:2–4); 2. call to praise God as savior (Ps 68:5–7); 3. God’s initial rescue of Israel from Egypt (Ps 68:8), the Sinai encounter (Ps 68:9), and the settlement in Canaan (Ps 68:10–11); 4. the defeat of the Canaanite kings (Ps 68:12–15); 5. the taking of Jerusalem, where Israel’s God will rule the world (Ps 68:16–19); 6. praise for God’s past help and for the future interventions that will be modeled on the ancient exodus-conquest (Ps 68:20–24); 7. procession at the Feast of Tabernacles (Ps 68:25–28); 8. prayer that the defeated enemies bring tribute to the Temple (Ps 68:29–32); 9. invitation for all kingdoms to praise Israel’s God (Ps 68:33–35). (Psalms, PSALM 68, n.d.)
The Gospel of John is the Prayer of Jesus.
* [17:1–26] Climax of the last discourse(s). Since the sixteenth century, this chapter has been called the “high priestly prayer” of Jesus. He speaks as intercessor, with words addressed directly to the Father and not to the disciples, who supposedly only overhear. Yet the prayer is one of petition, for immediate (Jn 17:6–19) and future (Jn 17:20–21) disciples. Many phrases reminiscent of the Lord’s Prayer occur. Although still in the world (Jn 17:13), Jesus looks on his earthly ministry as a thing of the past (Jn 17:4, 12). Whereas Jesus has up to this time stated that the disciples could follow him (Jn 13:33, 36), now he wishes them to be with him in union with the Father (Jn 17:12–14). (John, CHAPTER 17, n.d.)
Jay Carney comments that Paul and Jesus are not sleepwalking through life, waiting patiently in a spirit of calm, Stoic expectation. No, they are praying passionately, calling on God the Father’s protective power and exhorting the embryonic church to stay faithful to her mission.
Herein may lie a lesson for us. I for one can easily fall prey to the temptation that all is foreordained. Why does my prayer even matter? God knows what I need before I ask. Whatever will be, will be. But this thinking is not Christian. For in the Christian worldview, the Triune God is a web of relationality, what the late Dominican theologian Herbert McCabe once called an “eternal explosion of love which is at once Father, Son, and Spirit.” This God desires that we not passively receive “God’s plan,” but rather that we actively seek, discern, and do God’s will. This is a God whose Son told so many, “your faith has saved you.”
As we move through Pentecost and beyond, may God help us to pray deeply, to seek God’s desire for our hearts, to cry out, even to weep, knowing that this is how we will be consecrated in the truth. (Carney, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “The Bond of Christian Unity in Love,” by Cyril of Alexandria, 375-444 A.D.
"Christ wishes the disciples to be kept in a state of unity by maintaining a like-mindedness and an identity of will, being mingled together as it were in soul and spirit and in the law of peace and love for one another. He wishes them to be bound together tightly with an unbreakable bond of love, that they may advance to such a degree of unity that their freely chosen association might even become an image of the natural unity that is conceived to exist between the Father and the Son. That is to say, he wishes them to enjoy a unity that is inseparable and indestructible, which may not be enticed away into a dissimilarity of wills by anything at all that exists in the world or any pursuit of pleasure, but rather reserves the power of love in the unity of devotion and holiness. And this is what happened. For as we read in the Acts of the Apostles, 'the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul' (Acts 4:32), that is, in the unity of the Spirit. This is also what Paul himself meant when he said 'one body and one Spirit' (Ephesians 4:4). 'We who are many are one body in Christ for we all partake of the one bread' (1 Corinthians 10:17; Romans 12:5), and we have all been anointed in the one Spirit, the Spirit of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13)." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 11.9.18) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 17:11-19 comments that Jesus knew how difficult it would be for us to remain set apart for him in a world filled with temptation. So he prayed that we would remain faithful to our calling: “Holy Father, keep them in your name” (John 17:11).
You will find each of these petitions of our Lord echoed in the prayer that he taught us. When you pray the Our Father, imagine that you and Jesus are praying together that you be set apart with the Father: “Hallowed be thy name.” You ask the Father to help you live in unity with others: “As we forgive those who trespass against us.” And you can ask him to keep you from the evil one: “Lead us not into temptation.”
May we be consecrated in the truth! May we all set out the fine china and brush off our best outfits so that we’re ready to work for God’s holy purposes!
“Our Father in heaven, set me apart and use me for your glory.” (Meditation on John 17:11-19, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler discusses the theme of the oversight of the Church by the Holy Spirit in the farewell of Paul in the Acts of the Apostles. The role of Episcopal Bishop is not well distinguished in Ephesus but in time it won over a college of presbyters. Friar Jude reminds us of our rejection by society and the need to avoid egoism and selfishness.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces womanist theologian and pastor Dr. Monica Coleman writes openly about her experience with bipolar depression. Coleman reminds us that our diagnoses do not define us but are part of our lifelong journey of discovering our true worth in God.
I don’t want to be reduced to my symptoms and diagnosis. Tied down. I am learning the difference between captivity and rest, between an illness and a condition. There’s nothing wrong with me. After all, this is the only me I’ve ever known. But sometimes I need to slow down, check to see if I’m okay; look at the emotional heap of yarn in my lap, undo a few rows, and try again. I need to know that the things I drop, the things I can’t do the way I want, the hard parts of my life are not failure. They are evidence that I’m human. [3] (Rohr, 2023)
As we address the “truth will set you free” and the Presence of God in our struggles and conditions we seek the consolation and Wisdom of the Spirit.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 20. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 24, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/20?28
Carney, J. (2023, May 24). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved May 24, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/052423.html
John, CHAPTER 17. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 24, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/17?11
Meditation on John 17:11-19. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved May 24, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/05/24/688330/
Psalms, PSALM 68. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 24, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/68?29
Rohr, R. (2023, May 24). The Healing Work of Community and Service — Center for Action and Contemplation. Daily Meditations Archive: 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-healing-work-of-community-and-service-2023-05-24/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Consecrated in God's Truth. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 24, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=may24
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