The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to accept Jesus' hand as we move through times of transition trusting in the Love that prepares the next place in which we will live with Him.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles is Paul’s Address in the Synagogue.
* [13:31] The theme of the Galilean witnesses is a major one in the Gospel of Luke and in Acts and is used to signify the continuity between the teachings of Jesus and the teachings of the church and to guarantee the fidelity of the church’s teachings to the words of Jesus. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 2 offers God’s Promise to His Anointed.
* [Psalm 2] A royal Psalm. To rebellious kings (Ps 2:1–3) God responds vigorously (Ps 2:4–6). A speaker proclaims the divine decree (in the legal adoption language of the day), making the Israelite king the earthly representative of God (Ps 2:7–9) and warning kings to obey (Ps 2:10–11). The Psalm has a messianic meaning for the Church; the New Testament understands it of Christ (Acts 4:25–27; 13:33; Heb 1:5). (Psalms, PSALM 2 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus declares the Way to the Father.
* [14:1] You have faith: could also be imperative: “Have faith.”
* [14:3] Come back again: a rare Johannine reference to the parousia; cf. 1 Jn 2:28.
* [14:4] The way: here, of Jesus himself; also a designation of Christianity in Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22.
* [14:6] The truth: in John, the divinely revealed reality of the Father manifested in the person and works of Jesus. The possession of truth confers knowledge and liberation from sin (Jn 8:32). (John, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB, n.d.)
Maureen McCann Waldron comments that our faith in Jesus is not about how much we know, but how much we love. It’s not using our 21st Century logical brains to analyze his message. It means listening with our hearts.
He speaks to our hearts with his words and his actions. Today he tells us not to let our hearts be troubled. And better yet, his promise is one of waiting to take us to himself. He’s not waiting for us to die to take us to himself – he is waiting at every moment for us to really listen and open our hearts to him – now.
We don’t have to have lived 2,000 years ago to witness to the life of Jesus. We are called to witness every day by the way we live our lives. His message was one of caring for the poorest among us and of lifting up the outcast. That is a message from the heart of Jesus to our hearts – and that is what Jesus calls us to today. (McCann, 2024)
Don Schwager quotes “Walk by faith in the truth,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Persevere now in walking by faith in the truth, that you may succeed in coming at a definite and due time to the sight of the same truth. For as the apostle says, 'While staying here in the body, we are away from the Lord. For we are walking by faith, not by sight' (2 Corinthians 5:6-7). We are led to the direct sight and vision of the Father by Christian faith. That is why the Lord says, 'No one comes to the Father except through me.'" (excerpt from SERMON 12.5) (Schwager, 2017)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 14:1-6 comments that it can be hard to figure out what God is doing in our lives when we are in the middle of a difficult situation. Sometimes clarity comes only after the chaos has passed and we look back and reflect on the big picture.
This weekend, take some time to look back over the past couple of months to see if you can discern a few more clues to whatever mystery you are puzzling through. Or maybe recall a challenge from a couple of years ago and ask the Spirit to give you new insights into how he was at work back then. And if, like the disciples, you still feel as if you “do not know” the way (John 14:5), cast your lot in with Jesus, the way and the truth and the life. Muster all the faith you can and trust that he will show you the answers at just the right time.
“Jesus, I believe that you are the way for me, no matter what!” (Meditation on John 14:1-6, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that the kerygma preached by Paul in the synagogue is very Jewish in its theme. In Acts, Luke tends to portray the Jewish leaders as acting against the civil laws and the Christians as adhering to these laws. Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus is speaking about the place for us as a Last Will and Testament as part of His Last Supper Discourse in the Gospel of John.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, describes Francis of Assisi’s early days of ministry and how he related to nature.
The only reason I can talk about Francis’ relationship with nature with some confidence is because it’s honestly what I have experienced on my Lenten retreats in the desert. I know it may sound fanciful, but everything becomes a mirror—whether the shape of rocks or the color. I’d collect a whole pile of rocks by the end of the five weeks because they were always naming something about me, and I didn’t even know what it was. All I’m saying is the whole world comes to life: every kind of cactus, every kind of tree or dead branch, the sunrise, the sunset, the different kinds of birds. I find myself in the middle of a universe of belonging. (Rohr, 2017)
We have an antidote for the doubts we endure on our journey in the assertion of Jesus that He is the Way, Truth, and Life and the place He prepares for us today is where we will encounter the Spirit to restore our fullness in Life.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 26, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/13?26
John, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 26, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/14?1
McCann, M. (2024, April 26). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved April 26, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/042624.html
Meditation on John 14:1-6. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 26, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/04/26/943308/
Psalms, PSALM 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 26, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/2?6
Rohr, R. (2017, November 9). A Place of Belonging. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved April 26, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-place-of-belonging/
Schwager, D. (2017, November 9). Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled! Daily Scripture net. Retrieved April 26, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=apr26
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