Stirred to yes

The text today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary proclaim the joy and peace which the people of God are invited to experience through living in recognition of the Presence of God in their midst. The texts from the Hebrew Testament, in Zephaniah and Isaiah, announce rejoicing and joy that the Great and Holy One of Israel is among us! Ken Reed-Bouley reflects on a “black Madonna” painting of the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth which is described by Luke in the Gospel today. Some traditions trace the development of this Gospel to conversations between Luke and Mary as the Evangelist painted a picture of Mother and Child which became known as the “black Madonna”. The visitation of Mary to Elizabeth is significant to Christians in many real and symbolic ways. Friar Jude Winkler begins his commentary with the surface example of hospitality as a fundamental action when we seek to include others in as Jesus did. The “yes” of Mary is the establishment of Incarnation of the Divine as human. This is the Church, the people of God who live in and with Jesus. Throughout history, when Mary moves into lives or countries or places of distress, she carries Jesus and she invites our recognition that the joy of her proclamation to Elizabeth, known as the Magnificat (Luke 1.46-55), is the statement that the anawim of Yahweh are brought to our attention and the Divine Presence resident in the Ark of the Covenant lives in Mary. Our faith is stirred and we respond like John the Baptist, in the womb of Elizabeth and become open to declare our “yes” to God to live within the Son.

Reaction to the world

Christians live in a world which often reacts to some of the principles of following the Way with rejection which may be characterized by everything from benign indifference to violent assault. The text from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offers a view of some of these circumstances of grief and opportunity for believers. Marty Kalkowski is drawn to the Presence of the Resurrected Christ as he experiences Jesus in the people he encounters daily. Our challenge is to be brothers and sisters to all even those members of His Body who have not accepted His invitation to transformation to life which has defeated death. The defeat of the forces of selfishness comes with charity. Hatred is overcome through forgiveness. Isolation is banished by inclusion. The radical counter cultural life of those who were attracted by Paul in Corinth to become disciples of Jesus brought fear to the synagogue and resulted in the ruling of Proconsul Gallio that the disputes among the Jews were not of concern to Roman Law. Friar Jude Winkler comments that Luke may be instructing his readers on the proper behaviour of Roman civil authority to disputes among religious factions. Our society today seems to be caught in much chaos between people of different religious orientations. Jesus addresses His disciples about the grief and suffering they will experience as the religious conflict, in His time, will bring Him to death on the cross. Contemporary “religious” conflict is not a product of those who give themselves as servants of God who loves all. In Acts today we read that Paul returns to an ancient Jewish Nazarite vow to reaffirm his place as being owned by God. The Life which we accept through being set aside to be examples of living “in His Name” is transformed to conquer temporal and transitory conflict through eternal and consistent faith that Love conquers all.

Separation and reunion

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary recommend a pattern of dealing with the tragedy and turmoil which we encounter as we allow the consequence of our relationship with Jesus to move us along in our life journey. The missionary experience of Paul and Silas in Corinth is described in the passage from the Acts of the Apostles. Two events precede the evangelistic efforts of Paul in Corinth. Friar Jude Winkler reminds us that the philosophers of Athens had dismissed the teaching  of Paul about the Resurrection as something completely foreign to Stoic understanding of the world. The stumbling block of Jesus as God Incarnate who give Himself to death as a messiah ruling from a cross had brought enough disruption to the synagogues of Rome that Jews and Jewish Christians were expelled by the emperor. The Church in Corinth grows as some “God-fearers” and synagogue officials welcome the Good News proclaimed by Paul. The conflict of division over ideas is real and troublesome. In the Gospel from John, Jesus describes the weeping and mourning that we experience when the Beloved is away. Friar Jude notes that the obvious reference of Jesus to His Crucifixion in this text is extended, in this time of preparation for celebration of the Ascension, to the time between Jesus return to the Father and the reunion with Him in the Spirit. Tami Whitney and those of us who are separated from loved ones through death also understand that the time of weeping and mourning is a real consequence of our temporal existence. The realization of the Kingdom of God, today, is the message in the Gospel of John. When we allow the relationship with Jesus to reach full empowerment in our being so that we bring peace to conflict, healing to hurt, acceptance to rejection and forgiveness to offense our time of waiting for His return is shortened as we live in resonant harmony with His Love.

Our shrines

The experience we have of different voices attempting guide us in the way we live is a theme which is related to the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. In the passage from the Acts of the Apostles, Luke tells us of the actions of Paul in Athens. Ray C.  Stedman reminds us of the deep impression the Greek philosophers of Athens have made on our thinking. He comments that Paul was likely passing through Athens but the observation that the people there were recognizing many gods being involved in their daily activities suggested a hunger for understanding of the divine which Paul desired to address. In our time, Sam Pierre of Creighton University writes about  three gods of hedonism,  (pursuit of pleasure as the ultimate goal), individualism (asking “what’s in it for me?”), and minimalism (“what’s the least I have to do?) as saturating our social environment. Friar Jude Winkler is not as quick as other commentators to say that Paul had no effect on the Athenian philosophers. The Stoics, according to Friar Jude, would have found Paul’s description of God as spiritual and the Will of God as a plan for humanity in accord with their philosophy. The proclamation of Jesus Resurrection is difficult for Stoicism which holds that the soul, a spiritual entity, struggles to escape the body and to return to flesh after death is not sensible. The Gospel from John tells of Jesus promise that the Holy Spirit will guide us to all Truth. This experience of the glory of God is described by Friar Jude as an awareness of the overpowering outpouring of Love which is God. Our experience of this is often a resonance within ourselves with a sense of Love, goodness, holiness, generosity, compassion, joy and peace. This participation in the Life of Jesus and the Father is the voice of the Holy Spirit inviting us to follow the Way.

Hear the Hover Over

The passages from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offer a view of some of the circumstances in which we become aware of the Presence of God in our lives through the action of the Holy Spirit. In a fundamental way our sense of the Divine is often stirred by the still small voice within which whispers that we are in the midst of a transcendent event. This prompting is the invitation to sharpen our physical and spiritual senses for participation in a Life event. The text from the Acts of the Apostles tells of the rescue of Paul and Silas from jail by an earthquake. The jailer in this account attends to the call from Paul and, as Friar Jude Winkler comments, interrupts his plan to kill himself because of the disgrace he has brought upon his family. The times of despair and feeling defeated are often those times when God is most likely to be heard as He calls us to His Consolation. Father Larry Gillick SJ sets the last discourses of Jesus from the Gospel of John in the context of the talk to graduates which many people will hear at this time of year. Father Larry reminds us that we are also in the time of anticipation of the celebration of Jesus Ascension to the Father. In the transition of Jesus from being physically present in the temporal world to the Presence being physically alive in the Body of Christ we receive the promised Paraclete who is described by Father Larry with names like Protector-of-the-Truth, Urger-of-Life and Hoverer-Overer. Our experience of the Spirit in these and other roles resonates with the declaration of  Jesus in the words of the Evangelist John that those who reject this gift of Love are choosing sin and that the return of Jesus to the Father is the conviction of the Truth of Jesus mission to call us to the Father and that the evil one is defeated in all attempts to replace love with hate. We rejoice as we hear and welcome Divine communion in the invocation “Come Holy Spirit”

Attracted to know

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today illuminate the action of the Holy Spirit as the Advocate who informs our being about our relationship with the Divine. In the text from the Acts of the Apostles, Luke tells of the encounter of Paul in  Philippi, a leading city in the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony, with Lydia. She is a woman who is celebrated as a saint in Roman, Orthodox and Reformed Christian Churches. Susan Tinley finds the action of the Holy Spirit in the texts today resonates with the experience of high school youth who are receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. Lydia is described as a “God-fearer” Gentle attracted to Judaism. Friar Jude Winkler shares some of the background of the woman in the purple trade who was dealing in a precious dye which came from sea creatures off Lebanon. Our attraction to God is a gift of God. In the passage from the Gospel of John, Jesus affirms that our link to the Father, through following Him, in the manner in which we conduct ourselves at work, at home, in service to others and in our recreation, will be informed by the Spirit, which Friar Jude reminds us is breathed into our being. Pope Francis is today wrapping up his visit to the Holy Land. Today, in Jerusalem, the Catholic News Agency quoted him as saying “For Catholics, there is "a clear intention to reflect deeply on the significance of the Jewish roots of our own faith”. The expulsion from the synagogue, mentioned by the Evangelist John, stands in contrast with the movement of  the “God-fearer” Lydia toward Jesus as recorded by Luke. The conduct of Christians in our relationship with believers of Islam and Judaism in the Holy City, and around the world, needs to have the character of love and service with which the Holy Spirit empowers the followers of the Way.

Welcome the Advocate

The spread of the Word by the Apostles through the action of the Holy Spirit is a theme in the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today . In our time we may be presented more with the opportunities suggested by Peter than the more dramatic communal laying on of hands which filled the Samaritans with the Holy Spirit, described by Friar Jude Winkler as the Love between the Father and the Son, in the passage from the Acts of the Apostles. Peter advises us always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope,Maureen McCann Waldron of Creighton University comments that God’s plan for each one of us as human beings is to realize how loved we are and to be so filled with gratitude that we want to follow Jesus and his way of doing things.  It’s counter-cultural and not always understood by those around us, but Jesus asks us to follow him and die to ourselves. The Gospel from John is both practical and mystical in the direction it gives to open ourselves to the experience of the Divine today. We demonstrate our yes to accepting the Advocate promised by Jesus in our desire to live in accord with the Commandments of Love for God and neighbour. In the struggle to be Christ for others, Friar Jude and  Maureen McCann Waldron concur that the Power that consoles our being when the path is tough is the Spirit which Pope Francis says, “The Spirit blows where it wills, but one of the most common temptations of those who have faith is to bar its path and drive it in one direction or another.” Let us contemplate our openness to accept and not bar the Advocate .

In not of the world

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present an opportunity to reflect on how Christians live in the world. Friar Jude Winkler expands upon the narrative from the Evangelist Luke in the Acts of the Apostles about the travels of Paul and the conditions which may have caused him to circumcise Timothy and hear the Holy Spirit call him to preach in Macedonia. This crossing to Europe by Paul is told in a magnificent manner in the Father Robert Barron series “Catholicism”. Tom Purcell at Creighton University uses the experience of travel to help us relate to the role of being in bit not of the world. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit orients and re-orients our direction so that even though we, who Friar Jude recalls are not greater than our Master, will be rejected we will understand that our affiliation with Jesus brings Life which moves us through faith to act in countercultural ways to see Christ in all people and attempt to treat them accordingly.

Knowing as friends

The texts today form the Roman Catholic Lectionary show the importance of example to those who are seeking to grow in their understanding of God. The declaration that God is Love is true. Our experience of God is the way we come to discover the nature of that Love. Andy Alexander, S.J cites the profound words of St. Augustine: "Oh Lord, our God, you made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in you!". Our experience of searching for understanding may resonate with Augustine through the rest from tension or fear or loneliness which we can recall in our journey. The challenge of the faithful to be examples to others of the Love we have experienced is the invitation of the commandment of Jesus in the Gospel of John today. Friar Jude Winkler explains the warnings of the Council of Jerusalem to the Gentile followers of the Way in Antioch as important so that the followers of Jesus not give examples to the population which might be misinterpreted as sexual or ritual impurity. The measure of the Love of God in Jesus laying down His Life for us is example of how we are to love others. This preference for the good of the other over our own desires and passions develops by prayerfully making each opportunity to lay down a little of our life and preference for the other. Our viewpoint of the other is inspired by the Holy Spirit to align more with Jesus example, Who sees them as worthy of laying down life itself. Our daily challenge to die to ourselves and be Christ in the world is the source of the joy which Pope Francis reminds us accompanies those walking in life with Jesus.

Love and culture

The Gospel of John in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhorts us to remain in the love which Jesus expresses for us as being as He loves the Father. The difficulty of human words, even poetry and music, to fully encompass the meaning of love is noted by Joan Blandin Howard. We do know when we experience love. Friar Jude Winkler suggests that love is not a libertarian lifestyle where we do whatever we want. Our experience of love is in service. We are served by those who love us. The joy of life is a gift of faith which trusts in the ultimate goodness of the path in which Jesus invites us to walk guided by the Holy Spirit. Our freedom is to choose. In our decision to follow the Way. We have experience of the Love which is the Divine and which enables the self giving which brings joy to life. The documentation of the Council of Jerusalem at the centre, Chapter 15, of the Acts of the Apostles and by Paul (Galatians 2:1-10) seem to lead to different requirements for Gentile converts in regard to the practice of Jewish customs and dietary laws as noted by Friar Jude. The commandments of the Father to love God and neighbour, which guide our desire to remain in deep intimacy with Jesus, can sometimes seem to be interfered with by religiosity and cultural concerns. These obstacles are real and we need to continue to work as Paul, with the concerns of Antioch, joined Peter and James with the concerns of Jerusalem, to make a path for all to be welcomed as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Life in the branch

Amy Hoover presents a reflection on the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary which shows understanding of the tension of living which often seems to pull us to one extreme position or another. Friar Jude Winkler comments on the two different reports of what has become known as the Council of Jerusalem with a pollyanna view from Luke in Acts and a Pauline problem solver account in Galatians. Amy finds that our resolution of tension comes from the acceptance of the invitation from Jesus in the allegory of the vine and the branches from the Gospel of John to remain in Him. Both Winkler and Hoover proclaim the Eucharist as the real experience of being and remaining in Jesus. The intimate physical contact with the Real Presence in this Sacrament moves the understanding of this Gospel passage to appreciation of how Jesus desires that we draw life continuously from our prayerful intimacy with the Divine. The pruning of our life as branches is understood by Friar Jude as our suffering for the faith wherein we can see how we are being prepared to bear much fruit as we interact with our brothers and sisters who Amy reminds us are where we encounter Christ daily

Peace and Joy in His Work

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are make known the glorious splendour of the Kingdom of God through action which is tied by Apostles and Evangelists to a tradition of God in relationship with people. The psalmist encourages those who speak of the Glory of God as they make known to their friends the might of God and praise the changes He has brought to their lives. The text from the Acts of the Apostles which traces the determination of Paul and Barnabas as they preach and suffer to bring the Word to the Greeks. Nancy Shirley reflects on the decisions which we make to persevere in service to others when we are tempted or even advised to take care of our own interests. She concludes in accord with Jesus final discourse in the Gospel of John that peace and joy are the marks of a life where we are in communion with the Will of the Father which Jesus proclaims in the passage today He will demonstrate as Love for the world through His decision to be glorified through His crucifixion. The deep connections in the final discourse of Jesus in the fourth Gospel to the Hebrew Scriptures in Isaiah, Deuteronomy and the Psalms is richly developed by Johannes Beutler, S.J. It is described as “A coming world of justice, peace and joy had been the announcement of the prophets of Israel at least since exilic times”. Our blessing comes from trust that this peace is ours in union with Christ through the Spirit today to act in accord with the will of the Father.

We choose to be followers

Marcia Shadle Cusic reflects on the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary and she uses the refrain of the psalm today “Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory” to evoke thanksgiving to God for the interventions she witnesses in the lives of people when they receive attention from others. Friar Jude Winkler suggests that the story of Paul and Barnabas being mistaken for Greek gods after they heal the crippled man is one which would have brought humour and joy to the early Christians as they considered the predicament in which their leaders found themselves. The Gospel today from John is part of the very lengthy Last Supper discourse of Jesus. Friar Jude notes that it may have served the Evangelist as a place in his writing to gather up some of the wisdom and words of Jesus as part of a  “final discourse”. The great choice in the Gospel of John to Love Jesus as One with the Father or to reject His invitation is presented in a tone which Friar Jude detects as like predestination. Wayne Jackson, who has written about Calvinist predestination, provides a review of Scripture on this concept. The Holy Spirit is promised by Jesus as the indwelling Divine Presence which teaches and explains. Our study and practice in living as Christians must resonate with the compassion, forgiveness, patience and self giving of Jesus. The Spirit is our internal guide. Unconditional Love is the healing action which gives glory to God and life to those around us. We choose to follow the Way.

Castles and communities

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary take us in many different directions and perhaps there is a place in one of these directions which resonates with our unique person. This is one of the the themes which the verse from the Gospel of John evokes today (John 14.2) “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?*” Two of the paths presented today are inward contemplation and outward action. Friar Jude Winkler comments that the development of hierarchy in the Church was a gradual process which St Ignatius of Antioch notes saw the orders of bishop, priest and deacon being present at about 115 CE. Friar Jude describes the selection of the seven men described in the account from the Acts of the Apostles as response by the Apostles to an identified injustice to the widows and orphans of Greek origin. The Aramaic speaking Apostles need to build new ways to address the change in the Church to a place which attracted people both Jew and Gentile from more than one ethnic background. The outreach of the Church is described by Peter in his first letter to as building a spiritual house with Jesus as the cornerstone. The inhabitants of this house who will make up this royal priesthood and chosen people are not longer from one race or ethnic tradition. Carol Zuegner identifies with the desire of Philip in the Gospel of John to be more informed about the Way. Friar Jude reminds us that the early Church was known as followers of the Way. The Presence of Jesus reveals to us the nature of God.  A pilgrimage like the ancient walk along the Camino to Santiago de Compostela is described as both community building and an opportunity to travel within to the inner castles of the soul where Suzanne Guthrie leads us with the guidance of Thomas Merton and Teresa of Avila to the discovery of Christ within the deepest rooms of our soul where the Truth of the revelation our Life within God brings the rest of which St Francis proclaims ”Where there is rest and meditation, there is neither anxiety nor restlessness.

What a plan

The first century after Jesus death has been described by Thomas E. Phillips as a time of prophets, revolutionaries, exorcists, sages, militarists, fanatics, politicians, and philosophers who populated first century Judea. Scholars have tried to define Jesus in terms of the philosophy of many of these types of people. The Evangelist Luke writes in the Book of Acts about the plan of God which in the text today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary shows the leaders of the Jewish community rejecting the exhortations from Paul and Barnabas and they are driven out of the territory. This suffering for the Gospel is noted by Friar Jude Winkler as a cause for Joy as they are filled with the Holy Spirit and the Good News is preached to the Gentiles in accord with the plan of God. The Hellenistic influences on Jewish thought in the first century, noted by Thomas E Phillips, include Stoicism. Fr. George W. Rutler addresses the question of the influence of Stoicism on Luke. Suffering for a cause and having faith in a Divine Plan are positions attributed to Stoics. In the Gospel from John today we have the account of Philip seemingly seeking a rational proof, an object perhaps, that he could analyze to know the relationship between Jesus and the Father. This attempt to categorize and define is like the process expressed by the Jewish philosopher,Martin Buber, of an I-It relationship. Buber expresses that the relationship which in which objectivization is absent, I-Thou, is the deepest knowledge one of the other. This position inclines us to give thanks and praise God as proclaimed today by the psalmist. Robert P. Heaney offers some expansion of the experience of Jesus Word and action which reveals to us the Presence of the Father.

The Way

There are three or four large concepts in the comments on the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. George Butterfield of Creighton University sets a tone which urges us to avoid thinking about Christian philosophy, theology and ideas and to seek the experience of having the person of Jesus and our relationship with Him as our Way. In the passage from the Acts of the Apostles, Luke, who Friar Jude Winkler notes may have been influenced by Stoic philosophy, relates the preaching of Paul, his kerygma, as he addresses Jews and Gentile God fearers about the misinterpretation of the Law and the Prophets about Jesus which led to the consequence of His crucifixion. Luke holds to a strong theme, according to Friar Jude, that God has a plan for humanity and Jesus is the fulfillment of that plan. In the events of life the text of John 14:2 in which Jesus tells us that there are many dwelling places in His Father’s house is a reassuring promise. Our diversity and our wandering around in search of Truth and Life is part of our nature. We are invited to hear John and the psalmist today declare that Jesus and the Father are one. We understand that our journey toward the Father requires us to live through Jesus. The Way is to enter the joy of His presence.

The story of Life

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary describe relationships through time and beyond time with God. As the Evangelist Luke describes the preaching of Paul in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia about salvation history from the Exodus to the bringing of a Saviour to Israel in the person of Jesus, Friar Jude Winkler comments that Luke may be comparing the Jews to Samuel who made choices which displeased God. Paul is exhorting his audience to accept Jesus as the fulfillment of the promise to David of a Messiah for Israel. Eileen Burke-Sullivan is in harmony with the psalmist today in singing the goodness of the Lord forever, She encourages us to see with gratitude our personal salvation story to date and from that perspective experience the humility which leads to awe and joy in our choice to continue to live in the Body of Christ as our temporal story points to eternal communion with God.

Pick me

The Evangelists Luke and John,who author two of the texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today, have important themes which are contained in their writing. Friar Jude Winkler comments that Luke communicates that God has a plan for humanity and that plan is fulfilled through Jesus and the life of the Christian community. The Apostles in the passage from the Book of Acts today cast lots to replace Judas. This ancient method of making a decision allows for God, through the Holy Spirit to influence the decision. At Creighton University, Eileen Wirth recalls the childhood trauma of the less athletic around ‘picking teams’. The theme in the Gospel from John today is  another statement of this Evangelist’s proposal that the greatest choice is to accept that Jesus is Son of God. In making that choice we are invited to become fully alive as friends of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus. This life choice brings joy which we realize is the knowledge that our being where God wants us to be brings great dignity and humility. From this joy we are transforming our focus from ourselves to others so that we become more enable to Love as Jesus in our laying down of our life concerns and desires for the good of others.

Faith grows and the Shepherd is heard

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary encourage us to reflect on the universal nature of the Kingdom of God. Friar Jude Winkler notes how the text from the Acts of the Apostles shows that persecution the followers of the Way by the Jews of Jerusalem moved the disciples to bring the Word to Greeks and Jews throughout the region. The Church at Antioch is evangelized by Barnabas and Saul and Gentiles are baptized. Daniel Patrick O'Reilly comments that the psalmist  proclaims that not only those from Zion know God, but people of Egypt, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre and Ethiopia as well. He struggles with the tension between discernment and being judgmental. Friar Jude contributes the idea that the gift of faith from God seems to have not been given in equal measure to all. Just like our commentator from Creighton University we sometimes judge from our viewpoint which too often assumes that the other had the same opportunities as we to have been prepared for life or faith. The year which Paul and Barnabas spent among the “Christians” at Antioch prepared them to hear the voice of the Shepherd which Jesus declares in the Gospel of John is what brings sheep to His flock. Frair Jude reminds us to be careful if we see predeterminism in this text. The gift of faith is the measure of our ability to hear the voice of the Shepherd. Christian evangelism develops faith through actions of forgiveness, discernment and inclusiveness. As with the Jews and Gentiles of Antioch, the universal community will know Christians by their Love. The experience of Love is the event within which we hear Jesus and the Father as One.

One Flock

The passage from the Gospel of John in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today immediately follows John 10:10 which is the declaration by Jesus of His mission to bring us life to the full. The next few verses declare three aspects of this mission. The decision of Jesus is taken as His choice and is within His power as Divine Son. The depth of the commitment to Love all is expressed in the declaration that he lays down His life for His sheep. This depth of love is known to many humans who have given the sacrifice their lives for others. We may even have a sense of those for whom there would be no doubt in our minds that this was possible. Perhaps people on this list are in our family and our circle of very close friends. The Word is offered to all people. Jesus desires that there be One Shepherd and One Flock. Jesus Love, giving all, is for all. Maryanne Rouse considers the tension between the insider and the outsider who the passage from the Acts of the Apostles today indicates is called to join the community of those following Jesus. Peter explains to the Jewish Christians that he has been instructed to welcome Gentiles to baptism without requiring them to become converts to Jewish customs. As we move toward becoming One Flock we can hear her reminder that too often it is our temptation to judge others as too new, too old, too liberal or too conservative to fit comfortably within the boundaries that I have drawn for my group. Our role is to bring Jesus to others. The Good Shepherd is the gate and our role is not as gatekeeper.

The house beside still waters

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary create the opportunity to consider the great gift which the psalmist describes in the six verses of Psalm 23. The Divine Shepherd leads us to repose beside still waters where we are fed in communion with God and in the face of those who would seek to harm us. Our wonder and praise is that we might live in the House of the Lord all our days. The Holy Spirit inspires Peter to preach the core of the Gospel to the House of Israel and we are stuck. like Tom Shanahan, S.J., by his fearless words to identify that the Jewish  authorities have crucified the One whom God has made both Lord and Messiah. The Letter of Peter describes how disciples of Jesus are those who share in the suffering of the Son as witness to the depth of the Love in which we are invited live through forgiveness and the same power of the Holy Spirit which Peter displayed in his evangelism. The tenth chapter of the Gospel of John comes to a high point for many in the declaration of Jesus that He has come “that they may have life, and have it abundantly“(John 10:10). This declaration resonates with the image of Psalm 23. The text in John 10: 1-10 may not be clear to modern thinking. Our understanding of sheep, shepherds, sheepfolds and gates is not in our daily experience. Father Ryan Erlenbush helps us consider that “All who came before me are thieves and bandits”(John 10:8) is not a diminishing of the Law, Prophets or John the Baptist, as early heretics proposed, but it is the identification of the unique Presence of the Son as Shepherd, the One. Rev Dr Janet Hunt shares her comments on Jesus as the gate (John 10:7), which we may misunderstand in a sense of separation from, like her pet cat from her work area. She shares the image of the Middle East shepherd who lay down as the gate to the sheepfold. All the sheep who come and go are known individually by the shepherd who is awakened continuously by their movements. Jesus as the gate means there is no separation between He and us! The Good News of Divine Intimacy is message which we proclaim in the tradition of Peter and in the assurance of the psalmist.

Peter proclaims

The evangelist, Luke, in the text from Acts of the Apostles in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today describes a peace which accompanied the growth of the Church in Judea, Galilee and Samaria. The journey of Peter through these regions is the occasion for the people to witness how the Apostles are fulfilling the mission of Jesus through signs of healing and the restoration of life. Friar Jude Winkler comments on the “Tabitha, rise up” spoken to the good lady of Joppa who is reanimated after the people seek out Peter as one who is performing the signs of Jesus. Dennis Hamm, S.J,.as he reflects on the trust and faith which mark believers in the intimate union that Jesus describes in the Bread of Life Discourse from the Gospel of John, restates the Vatican II proclamation that the participation in the physical meal of the Eucharist, is also the appropriation of the transformed reality of the risen Christ, in which we become what we consume, part of his risen body, the believing community. In this gift of the Bread of Life, Friar Jude comments that we become one flesh with Jesus. Jesus desires that we accept His offer of marriage. Peter voices the response of the beloved who is certain of perhaps of only one conclusion.”Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:69)

Conversion considerations

The psalmist in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhorts us to go and tell all the nations about God. The episode from the Acts of the Apostles, which Friar Jude Winkler tells us is one of three accounts of the conversion of Saul, has been understood as the model of the overwhelming spiritual experience which changes lives. When we drill down a bit into the customs and language we discover, as Friar Jude notes, that we have exaggerated some of the details around the name change of Paul and how the action of natural forces such as lightning strike and consequent temporary cataract formation. The power of the Apostle to the Gentiles in completing the ancient command to spread the Word is what can cause us to stand back in awe. Paddy Gilger, S.J. is stuck by the deep conversion of attitude which is shown by Ananias as he comes to minister to and forgive his would be persecutor. The inadequacy of language and our tendency to read what we understand into texts is demonstrated in our struggle with the continuation of Bread of Life Discourse in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John. Theological terms about eschatology, realized and present, are appropriate in some analysis of this text. The difficulty of the Jews to hear about eating flesh and drinking blood is clear from their dietary prohibitions and is a difficult reality for us, requiring the trust and faith modelled by Ananias that acting on this Word will bring Life. Conversion may be as the most dramatic versions of the change in life of Saul suggest or it may be the deep trust we develop over time as a result of accepting the invitation to eat His Flesh and drink His Blood becoming the Body of Christ in which we live.

for the Life of the world

Reflection on the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary suggests a method of inspired growth which operates within people and communities as they seize opportunities to grow in their experience of the Divine Presence. The psalmist suggests that we pause to become aware of the blessings which have given life to our soul and have prevented our feet from slipping in our journey to date. This thanksgiving is cause for joy. In the passage from the Acts of the Apostles, Friar Jude Winkler comments that Luke has showed how the Holy Spirit moves the growth of the Church in the response of Philip to being rejected by the Jewish authorities. The message of the Gospel was first announced to the Jewish people in the centre of Jewish tradition, Jerusalem. The Greek speaking Jews who received the revelation of Jesus were forced to leave Jerusalem and the Word was brought to welcome ears among the half Jews of Samaria. The Ethiopian Eunuch to whom Philip explains Jesus, the Suffering Servant of Isaiah, was known as a “God-fearer” in Jesus time. Friar Jude notes that they were interested in the faith of the Jews but they remained Gentiles. The powerful movements of the Bread of Life Discourse in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John take us from a personification of Jesus as Wisdom Incarnate, through the basic need of humanity to be fed what Joe Simmons, S.J remarks is very ordinary fare and pauses today as Jesus proclaims that His flesh is given through the action of the Holy Spirit, in communion with the Father, to Whom the psalmist gives thanks, as bread for the life of the world.

Trust Factor

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary bring to mind a reflection which is as traditional as the pillars of faith, hope and charity and borders on a reversal of normative thinking as we consider the role of Wisdom portrayed in the Hebrew Testament with a feminine personification. Friar Jude Winkler sees Jesus become Wisdom Incarnate through His Word and action in the Bread of Life Discourse in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John. The Acts of the Apostles today tells us that the disciples (Friar Jude specifies them as Greek speakers) are violently forced out of the Temple and Jerusalem. The particular witness of Philip to deep trust and faith in God was his journey to Samaria, where the Holy Spirit drew the “half-Jews” of that region, who were not received well by Jews in Judea, to the hope for healing and relationship with God which the Hellenist witnessed to them. The popular social media, perhaps surprisingly, will place some text from or about Mother Teresa into the information cloud. The wisdom of this woman who witnessed to charity is quoted today by the Living with Christ site as “We want to create hope for the person... we must give hope... always hope”. Academic pursuit of Lady Wisdom as a course outline provided for students taking a Certificate in Feminist Theology will bring the student to Proverbs 9:1-12 where Lady Wisdom is inviting seekers to “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.6 Lay aside immaturity,* and live,and walk in the way of insight.’(Proverbs 9:5-6). John shows Jesus inviting us to begin our experience of heavenly eternal life in the Resurrection which is Jesus today.Our trust or faith that the path of our lives, even if it takes us to a Samaritan environment, is part of the Wisdom of God and our role to bring hope to others through charity will be given Life through our relationship with the One, who invites us to eat and drink so that we might live in Him now.

Spirit of Wisdom

Ironically,the commentary of Dick Hauser, S.J.on the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary, which tell of the stoning and martyrdom of Stephen, is centered around the idea that through the presence of the Holy Spirit we are truly alive. Friar Jude Winkler explains that the defense of Stephen to the action of the members of the Synagogue of Freedmen is a strong defense wherein he declares that those following these leaders of the Jewish people are as stiff necked as their ancestors who failed to see the work of God in the Prophets. The assertion that Jesus is with the Father and is the agent of the Will of the Father is inspired by the Holy Spirit. Stephen is empowered to be in harmony with the refrain of the psalmist today and speak the prayer that his spirit be commended to the Lord. In the Gospel from John, Friar Jude comments that Jesus identifies Himself with Jewish religious tradition which Robert Balgarnie Young Scott concludes is that wisdom comes to man only as a divine gift, and that it belongs to the very nature of God himself. Wisdom literature pictures One who feeds the people with bread and wine. Jesus in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John declares Himself as Wisdom Incarnate that those who eat His bread and drink His wine will never hunger or thirst. The satisfaction seen by Stephen, through the Holy Spirit, is the satisfaction of hunger and thirst for return to intimate union with God which is through our life in the Body of Christ.

Living beyond

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary invite us to consider living in a way that moves us beyond the boundaries of fear and survival which limit our experience of full and eternal Life. The psalmist proclaims the blessings from God which are experienced by those that follow the Law. Often our inclination is to seek `blessings` which are created by our manipulation or modification of the Law. The Gospel from John today tells how Jesus feeding of the multitude has attracted the interest of some who Jesus identifies are not being attracted by signs of Divine Presence but by the peculiar modification of natural law which brings free food. The Presence of the Holy Spirit, which the passage from the Book of Acts declares made the face of Stephen, standing wrongly accused before the Sanhedrin, look like an angel, is the power which transforms fear into trust in God. Joe Zaborowski is thankful that he is aware that the `Bread of Life `` discourse of Jesus in the Chapter 6 of John`s Gospel is positioned today with the story of St. Stephen so that he can appreciate the invitation of Jesus to begin now to live beyond our limitations as fully involved members of the Body of Christ. The faith which Jesus calls us to in the final lines from the Gospel today is the trust that the Son, who fulfills the Law through the will of the Father will bless our lives so that we might shine with a face which looks to those around us like an angel.

Being found is Love

In her reflection today on the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary, Jeanne Schuler speaks of being found. There are at least two ways in which being found resonates as an experience of being loved. Friar Jude Winkler comments that the assertive proclamation of Peter that Jesus who was the fulfillment of the promise to David that One would not know the corruption of death, even though He had been executed by lawless men, immediately follows the encounter of the Eleven with the Holy Spirit on the feast of Pentecost. The truth of the mission to which Peter and these disciples of Jesus had given their lives is affirmed. They experience the relationship of brothers and sisters who have been affirmed by God in their work. Our Church communities are settings where this same affirmation and love may be experienced today. In a meeting with nearly 7,000 members of the Italian lay movement Catholic Action, Pope Francis spoke of the need for parishes to be open and outgoing. The love which many find in the parish community needs to be shared with those outside. The second love resonance of being found is when we encounter the person who is able to accept our imperfect and often confused self as precious. In the Gospel from Luke, the disciple Cleopas on the road to Emmaus encounters One who finds him in confusion, doubt and despair. Friar Jude explains how the named disciple and his companion, who might be the reader, find the healing of themselves and their personal invitation to know the Love of Jesus in the Word and Sacrament presented by the “intimate stranger”. We can identify with the deep loving experience of being found. Our mission is to present the precious gift of Jesus, as proclaimed today in the First Letter of Peter, to those we encounter who are seeking to be found.

Body matters

Some scholars consider the fifteenth chapter of the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians to be an earlier Pauline composition inserted into the present letter. Luis Rodriguez, S.J. comments that we may see the only link between the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary to be that the first mentions the Apostle James, the second the Apostle Philip, who are both celebrated with a feast day. Friar Jude Winkler reminds us that Paul declares a kerygma, a basic teaching about Jesus in this seemingly out of context part of the letter. This action to direct the audience to the person of Jesus through the story of His life on earth is what Luis Rodriguez reminds us about our need to distinguish between Christianity and Christology. We live in a relationship with the Person Jesus. His life, death and resurrection are His experience which we contemplate to know Him. As the Evangelist John describes today through the questions of Philip, to know Jesus is to know the Father, to whom the psalmist gives great praise as the source of the heavens and the firmament which astound our senses. The difficulty of the Greeks to hear Paul is likely based in an idea which lives on today that we are spiritual souls in corrupt bodies. Jesus experience which comes to us through the witness of the Apostles is that the body is resurrected in a transformed way so our whole being is connected to the Way in which we know and follow Jesus.

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.

Vitality of Life

The first day of May is celebrated in many countries as International Workers Day (May Day Thousands of workers across globe mark May Day) In response to the “May Day” celebrations for workers sponsored by Communists, Pius XII instituted the feast of St. Joseph the Worker in 1955. The Cold War tensions between different views of the how the social-political affairs of people should be organized may even today be detected at the border of Europe and the Russian Federation. Barbara Dilly comments on another tension in our being between the person who desires to live fully in the Way to which Jesus invites us and that aspect of our being which tends not to trust God and moves in the direction which we will for our lives wherein we know what is best for our satisfaction  and vitality.The psalmist, in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary, praises God as the rescuer of the poor from the oppression of the evil doers. The Church has identified how people are oppressed and kept from their proper place in the world by the evil activities of both the controlled economies of Marx and Mao and the “free market” tyranny which results in a great divide between the “haves” and the “have nots” of the world. Our view of the world as dualistic, good or evil, black or white, God fearing or godless is a starting point to identify the tensions. Friar Jude Winkler comments on the dualistic nature of the Gospel of John. The vitality of Life in Christ is a journey which begins when we accept our mission to follow Him. John understands this as our initiation into eternal life. The rejection of this invitation is, by the thinking of John, the initiation of a life of death and separation from God. We live daily with the tensions which will pull us toward and away from the full vitality of Life in Christ. We are as committed as the Apostles before the Sanhedrin, in the text today from the Acts of the Apostles, that there is no choice of another Way. In the words of Peter to Jesus “You have the Words of Eternal Life”  (John 6:68) Our praise with the psalmist is confirmation of our trust in this truth.