The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate how we address the call to fill the “God shaped hole” in our being.
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| Follow the call |
The reading from the First Letter of John warns the new members of the faith community to avoid sin because they may be deceived about God by sin in the world.
* [3:9] A habitual sinner is a child of the devil, while a child of God, who by definition is in fellowship with God, cannot sin. Seed: Christ or the Spirit who shares the nature of God with the Christian.1
Psalm 98 praises the Judge of the World.
* [Psalm 98] A hymn, similar to Ps 96, extolling God for Israel’s victory (Ps 98:1–3). All nations (Ps 98:4–6) and even inanimate nature (Ps 98:7–8) are summoned to welcome God’s coming to rule over the world (Ps 98:9).2
In the Gospel of John, John the Baptist introduces the First Disciples of Jesus to the Lamb of God.
* [1:37] The two disciples: Andrew (Jn 1:40) and, traditionally, John, son of Zebedee (see note on Jn 13:23).3
Angela Maynard see the Gospel as a pretty good example of the power of evangelization. Andrew gets to know Jesus, introduces him to his brother, and Simon Peter not only becomes a follower, but eventually a leader in the church.
Today is the memorial of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton was the first native-born citizen of the United States to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. She was born to a prominent Episcopal family in 1774 in New York City. She married and had five children. She was widowed at a young age while living in Italy. It was in Italy that she discovered Catholicism. She joined the Catholic Church while living in New York in 1805. By 1809, she had founded the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph. This was the first order of religious women established in the United States. Some consider her the mother of Catholic education. She started St. Joseph’s Academy and Free School in Emmitsburg, Maryland, USA.4
Don Schwager quotes “The first disciples longing for the Messiah,” by John Chrysostom (349-407 AD).
"Andrew, after having stayed with Jesus and after having learned what he did, did not keep the treasure to himself but hurries and races to his brother in order to let him know the good things Jesus has shared with him. But why hasn’t John mentioned what they talked about? How do we know this is why they 'stayed with him'?... Observe what Andrew says to his brother, 'We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.' You see how, in a short time, he demonstrates not only the persuasiveness of the wise teacher but also his own longing that he had from the beginning. For this word, 'we have found,' is the expression of a soul that longs for his presence, looking for his coming from above, and is so ecstatic when what he is looking for happens that he hurries to tell others the good news. This is what brotherly affection, natural friendship, is all about when someone is eager to extend a hand to another when it comes to spiritual matters. Also see how he adds the article, for he does not say 'Messiah' but 'the Messiah.' They were expecting the Christ who would have nothing in common with the others." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 19.1)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 1:35-42 asks what are you looking for? It’s a question the Lord wants to ask all of us. It’s also a question he can help us answer in the best way possible. By showing us who he is, he gradually unveils our own deepest longings and desires. That’s because we belong to him. We are created in his own image and likeness, and we find all our true answers in him and in the desires of his heart.
What are you really looking for? Jesus! So quiet your mind, and let him fill you up with his love. He wants to show you who he is—and who you really are. Come, and you will find the answer to the longings in your heart.6
Friar Jude Winkler identifies the challenges in the very dualistic, black and white, description in the First Letter of John. Cephas in the Gospel of John may indicate a word play by the evangelist to create a comparison between Peter and the Beloved Disciple. Friar Jude connects Peter to Law and Commandments and the Beloved Disciple to Love.
James Finley shares that meditation allows us to see the world through the eyes of compassion. This compassionate vision of the world impels us to live in ways in which our words and behavior toward others embody compassion. Compassion forms the essential bond between seeking God in meditation and all forms of social justice. For the more we are transformed in compassion, the more we are impelled to act with compassion toward others.
Your efforts in following the path of breath awareness might be enhanced by repeating a word or phrase with each breath. A practice I have found particularly helpful is to pair breath awareness with the phrase “I love you.”
As you inhale, listen to the incoming breath so intently that you can hear in it God’s silent “I love you.” In this moment, God is flowing into you as the source and reality of your very being. As you exhale, breathe out a silent “I love you” back to God. As you inhale, be aware of the air as being God flowing into you, as the divine gift of your very being. As you exhale, allow your silent “I love you” to be your very being, flowing back into the depths of God.
Simply sit, open to God breathing divine love into the depths of your being, as you breathe your whole being, as a gift of love, back into God.7
The call to follow Jesus is an invitation to seek completeness on our journey toward beauty, truth, and goodness.
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