Intimate and glorious difficulties

The journey for the followers of the Way is not without difficulty. The text from the Book of Acts in the Roman CatholicLectionary today tells of the resolution, according to Luke, of the dispute about the need of Gentile followers of Jesus to adopt the Jewish Law of the original disciples. Friar Jude Winkler points out that the resolution of this question presented by Paul in the letter to the Galatians (55CE) was a simple freedom from observing Jewish Law, whereas the instructions from Luke have conditions which the Gentiles must obey. Friar Jude comments that Luke was probably addressing concerns which arose later than the time of the Letter to the Galatians. These concerns appear in the Letter to the Corinthians. The retroactive instructions to achieve the desired morality in Corinth are a difficult technique for modern Western minds, attuned to journalistic standards, to understand. The Gospel from John today is the continuation of Jesus long dissertation on His leaving the disciples in body as He assures them of continued intimacy with the Communion of He and the Father through the Love and Shalom they will experience as they keep His commandments to live in that Love. Father LarryGillick SJ draws a comparison of Jesus promising to leave us with the Holy Spirit or Advocate to the Driver of a bus taking young boys home who have no idea of the path but have the assurance that the Driver will get them to familiar ground. The Gospel of John is a dualistic statement of the need to choose light over darkness, Jesus over the world in the commentary of Friar Jude. Father Larry mentions the construction of this Gospel as a means to address many of the faith challenges of the first century in the Church. The role of the Holy Spirit is declared in the text as One who reminds or in the words of FatherRoberto Donato “brings to the heart again” the Promise of the Advocate to provide direction. The journey to the glorious community of the New Jerusalem, described in the text from the Book of Revelation which communal love is the Temple of God and perpetual light for the residents will require addressing difficulty, conquering fear and living as His Body.