The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invites contemplation of the role of discernment in following the lead of the Spirit through the tensions of dualism.
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In the text from the Acts of the Apostles, Barnabas and Saul begin their first Mission in Cyprus.
* [13:1–3] The impulse for the first missionary effort in Asia Minor is ascribed to the prophets of the Antiochene community, under the inspiration of the holy Spirit. Just as the Jerusalem community had earlier been the center of missionary activity, so too Antioch becomes the center from which the missionaries Barnabas and Saul are sent out.1
Psalm 67 is a petition for a bountiful harvest.
* [67:2] May God be gracious to us: the people’s petition echoes the blessing pronounced upon them by the priests, cf. Nm 6:22–27.2
The Gospel from John contains a recapitulation as an epilogue to the Book of Signs.
* [12:37–50] These verses, on unbelief of the Jews, provide an epilogue to the Book of Signs.3
Tom Shanahan, S.J,. comments the reading from St. John in today’s liturgy typically plays on a main key to his gospel writing, the interaction between light and darkness.
The poured water is a simple sign of washing, cleansing and depicting the deeper reality of the child’s entrance into Christ’s life, death and resurrection. That entrance into Jesus, contains a wonderful challenge and promise that Jesus will always be with them (us). He is THE light that illuminates us as we struggle against the beleaguering forces of darkness and evil we are accustomed to encounter.
Lord, we thank and bless you for the light that you are for us. Be with us as we encounter the darkness of evil daily. Show us your protecting light within the trials of our days. You are our strength in the darkness we uncover.4
Christian D. von Dehsen, Ph.D. from Carthage College, Kenosha, WI comments on the The Book of Signs in the Gospel of John (1.19–12.50)
This section of the Gospel of John is characterized by seven "signs," which may have been based on a written source:Later stages of the development of the gospel elevate Jesus from a purveyor of signs, to being the incarnate Son of God (5.18; 10.30) Jesus is the incarnate Word whose presence in the world creates a dualism among people (cf. 9.40–44). Using a pairs of opposites such as light/dark (3.19; 8.12), life/death (5.24), from above (heavenly)/from below (earthly) (3.31; 8.23–24), not judged/condemned (3.17–21; 5.39–47; 12.48; 18.31), the author distinguishes those who believe in Jesus from those who reject the divine presence.5
Don Schwager Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) summed up our need for God's help in the following prayer he wrote:
"God our Father, we find it difficult to come to you, because our knowledge of you is imperfect. In our ignorance we have imagined you to be our enemy; we have wrongly thought that you take pleasure in punishing our sins; and we have foolishly conceived you to be a tyrant over human life. But since Jesus came among us, he has shown that you are loving, and that our resentment against you was groundless."6
The Word Among Us Meditation: Acts 12:24–13:5 comments that God could have also been speaking through the desires of Paul and Barnabas to go on another mission trip. Maybe they were restless and eager to do more for the Lord..
Or the Spirit could have spoken through an interior sense the elders had as they prayed and fasted. Perhaps the Spirit helped them realize that their peaceful, prosperous community was ready to share its gifts and proclaim the gospel elsewhere.
God can speak to us in similar ways. If you’ve just retired and your pastor asks you to head up a new ministry, he might be speaking to you through your circumstances. If you’ve always wanted to work with young children and you notice that your local elementary school needs volunteers, God might be speaking to you through your desires. If you and your spouse agree to move to a different part of the country for a new job, the Spirit could be speaking through a sense you both had as you prayed about whether to accept it7
Nicholas Austin SJ reviews Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, published on 8 April 2016, that transposes church teaching on marriage and the family from the key of law to that of virtue to work amid tensions of dualism.
In the beautiful medieval churches of Europe, one often finds an altarpiece in the form of a ‘triptych’: a central painting complemented by two ‘wings’. What Francis offers is a kind of triptych of discernment, gradualness and mercy. That is, he offers a practice, a principle and a virtue. Together these three panels, as it were, form the basis for a pastoral response to the crisis in marriage and the family.8
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the inspiration of the Spirit in the mission of Paul and Barnabas. The mission went first to the synagogues and after rejection to the Gentiles in the marketplace. Friar Jude reminds that our choice operates in the Gospel and not the judgement of Jesus.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Beatrice Bruteau (1930–2014) who has brilliantly integrated learning across fields such as mathematics, religion, science, and philosophy. “God’s Ecstasy: The Creation of a Self-Creating World”—which she called “a book on science for Christians”—explores Trinity from both a scientific and contemplative point of view.
Randomness, the pool of all possibilities, is part of how it’s done. So is spontaneous order, and adaptation by natural selection. What we now call complexity, and recognize as doing its creative work on the very edge of chaos, is at the heart of this miraculous picture. There may not be an external Designer and a micro-managing Providence from the outside, but neither is the world devoid of divinity. The divinity is so intimately present in the world that the world can be regarded as an incarnate expression of the Trinity, as creative, as expansive, as conscious, as self-realizing and self-sharing.9
The texts today encourage discernment, gradualness and mercy as guides to move on our journey to truth, beauty, and goodness.
References
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(n.d.). CHAPTER 13 1 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and .... Retrieved May 15, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts/acts13.htm
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(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 67 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved May 15, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/67
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(n.d.). III. The Book of Glory - usccb. Retrieved May 15, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/john12.htm
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(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved May 15, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
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(n.d.). The Gospel of John - Tools & Resources - Oxford Biblical Studies Online. Retrieved May 15, 2019, from http://www.oxfordbiblicalstudies.com/resource/john.xhtml
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(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 15, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
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(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved May 15, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/05/15/
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(2016, April 8). 'Discernment charged with merciful love': Pope Francis' Amoris Laetitia .... Retrieved May 15, 2019, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/discernment-charged-merciful-love-pope-francis%E2%80%99-amoris-laetitia-love-family-0
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(2019, May 15). God's Ecstasy — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved May 15, 2019, from https://cac.org/gods-ecstasy-2019-05-15/
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