The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhort us to look for the deep meaning in our religious practice that moves us to gratitude in the satisfaction of our deepest needs.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles is the lead up to the arrest of Stephen.
* [6:8–8:1] The summary (Acts 6:7) on the progress of the Jerusalem community, illustrated by the conversion of the priests, is followed by a lengthy narrative regarding Stephen. Stephen’s defense is not a response to the charges made against him but takes the form of a discourse that reviews the fortunes of God’s word to Israel and leads to a prophetic declaration: a plea for the hearing of that word as announced by Christ and now possessed by the Christian community. The charges that Stephen depreciated the importance of the temple and the Mosaic law and elevated Jesus to a stature above Moses (Acts 6:13–14) were in fact true. Before the Sanhedrin, no defense against them was possible. With Stephen, who thus perceived the fuller implications of the teachings of Jesus, the differences between Judaism and Christianity began to appear. Luke’s account of Stephen’s martyrdom and its aftermath shows how the major impetus behind the Christian movement passed from Jerusalem, where the temple and law prevailed, to Antioch in Syria, where these influences were less pressing.
* [6:13] False witnesses: here, and in his account of Stephen’s execution (Acts 7:54–60), Luke parallels the martyrdom of Stephen with the death of Jesus. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 119 praises the glories of God’s Law.
* [Psalm 119] This Psalm, the longest by far in the Psalter, praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by. The author glorifies and thanks God for the Torah, prays for protection from sinners enraged by others’ fidelity to the law, laments the cost of obedience, delights in the law’s consolations, begs for wisdom to understand the precepts, and asks for the rewards of keeping them. Several expected elements do not appear in the Psalm: Mount Sinai with its story of God’s revelation and gift to Israel of instruction and commandments, the Temple and other institutions related to revelation and laws (frequent in other Psalms). The Psalm is fascinated with God’s word directing and guiding human life. (Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus introduces the sign of the Bread from Heaven.
* [6:22–71] Discourse on the bread of life; replacement of the manna. Jn 6:22–34 serve as an introduction, Jn 6:35–59 constitute the discourse proper, Jn 6:60–71 portray the reaction of the disciples and Peter’s confession.
* [6:23] Possibly a later interpolation, to explain how the crowd got to Capernaum.
* [6:27] The food that endures for eternal life: cf. Jn 4:14, on water “springing up to eternal life.” (John, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)
Martha Slocombe asks whether service and prayer are mutually exclusive and whether one is higher than the other. What does Jesus teach us?
Perhaps the best solution is to integrate prayer with service and to regard service as a form of prayer since most of us can’t turn work over to a community like the apostles did. I think of the years when I picked up my crabby, hungry kids and prayed for the pasta to cook faster. Sometimes I even remembered to offer up their bickering as I tossed the salad.
Starting your day with a quick morning offering of all your “prayers, works, joys and sufferings” is a great way to turn your crazy day over to God.
Our lives need to incorporate both prayer and service. The trick is to find simple, workable ways to do this. (Slocombe, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “God is our landlord,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Our wish, you see, is to attain to eternal life. We wish to reach the place where nobody dies, but if possible we do not want to get there via death. We would like to be whisked away there while we are still alive and see our bodies changed, while we are alive, into that spiritual form into which they are to be changed when we rise again. Who wouldn't like that? Isn't it what everybody wants? But while that is what you want, you are told, Quit. Remember what you have sung in the psalm: 'A lodger am I on earth'" If you are a lodger, you are staying in someone else's house; if you are staying in someone else's house, you quit when the landlord bids you. And the landlord is bound to tell you to quit sooner or later, and he has not guaranteed you a long stay. After all, he did not sign a contract with you. Seeing that you are lodging with him for nothing, you quit when he tells you to. And this, too, has to be put up with, and for this, too, patience is very necessary." (excerpt from Sermon 359A,8) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 6:22-29 comments that as they placed their faith in Jesus, people came to believe more deeply that he was “the Holy One of God” whom they had been longing for (John 6:69). That belief also caused them to follow him even when his teachings were hard. It inspired them to cling to Jesus when they were confused. Ultimately, it was their belief that moved them to give up their lives for him.
Believe! Trust him in your decision-making. Let him shape your desires to be like his own. Receive the grace to follow him, even when his teachings are hard. Run to him when you are confused. Affirm that you want to walk with him today, and be confident that he will take you by the hand.
In other words, declare again that you believe in Jesus, the One sent by the Father.
“Jesus, I believe you are the holy Son of God! I commit my life to following you.” (Meditation on John 6:22-29, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the transition of the role of deacons to preaching as exhibited by Stephen. As a Helenistic Jew, Stephen was not as insistent as Temple Jews about observance of Temple laws and traditions. Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus is teaching about signs that point to a greater reality of God as the only satisfaction of our deepest needs.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares his contemplative practice of visiting art museums.
I believe good art, good poetry, and true mythology communicates, without our knowing it, that life is not just a series of insulated, unrelated events. The great truths—when they can be visualized in images—reveal deep patterns, and reveal that we are a part of them. That deeply heals us, and it largely happens beneath our conscious awareness. A great story pulls us inside of a cosmic story. If we’re Christian, our cosmic story is the map of the life of Jesus, the divine conception, ordinary life, betrayal, abandonment, rejection, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. It all comes full circle. We might not really believe it. We might not have surrendered to it or trust it, but if we can, it makes us much happier people. Our happiness is on a surface level, of course, because suffering is everywhere. We don’t close our eyes to the world’s pain, but on a deep, unconscious level, a cosmic story offers us healing and coherence. Good art gives us a sense that we belong in that story, we belong in that world. (Rohr, n.d.)
We seek insight from the Holy Spirit into the possibilities of deeper connection to God and others through our service in support of their needs.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 15, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/6?8
John, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 15, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/6?22
Meditation on John 6:22-29. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 15, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/04/15/937095/
Psalms, PSALM 119 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 15, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119?23
Rohr, R. (n.d.). The Transformative Power of Art. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved April 15, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-transformative-power-of-art/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 15, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=apr15
Slocombe, M. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved April 15, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/041524.html
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