The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of events in life that offer opportunity for us to fulfill our purpose.
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| Taking care |
The reading from the Book of Acts describes deliverance from prison for Paul and Silas and conversion for the jailer and family.
* [16:11–40] The church at Philippi became a flourishing community to which Paul addressed one of his letters (see Introduction to the Letter to the Philippians).1
Psalm 138 is thanksgiving and praise that the Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.
* [Psalm 138] A thanksgiving to God, who came to the rescue of the psalmist. Divine rescue was not the result of the psalmist’s virtues but of God’s loving fidelity (Ps 138:1–3). The act is not a private transaction but a public act that stirs the surrounding nations to praise God’s greatness and care for the people (Ps 138:4–6). The psalmist, having experienced salvation, trusts that God will always be there in moments of danger (Ps 138:7–8).2
In the Gospel of John, Jesus’ departure will initiate the coming of the Advocate who will prove the world wrong.
* [16:8–11] These verses illustrate the forensic character of the Paraclete’s role: in the forum of the disciples’ conscience he prosecutes the world. He leads believers to see (a) that the basic sin was and is refusal to believe in Jesus; (b) that, although Jesus was found guilty and apparently died in disgrace, in reality righteousness has triumphed, for Jesus has returned to his Father; (c) finally, that it is the ruler of this world, Satan, who has been condemned through Jesus’ death (Jn 12:32).3
Larry Gillick, S.J. comments that the whole of John’s narrative has to do with the areas of exactly how to get into this “Christ-Believing” community and how to remain a member. We hear today the words of Jesus, according to John, speaking to His disciples about His going away and yet remaining. He knows their questions and worries. He does not explain, but invites belief. He makes a promise about a Companion, an Advocate, who will be present and active. The Holy Spirit will not be a convincing answer, but rather a comforting and alive presence.
Being abandoned or alone is so central to our human experience of fear. From our earliest years we experience subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, fears about having a friend, friends, companions, others to assist our singular journey. We all have experienced our awareness that there are actually inside-cells, double-locked, where no one else can know or find us. It is our “mystery” , our “longing-place” and it can result in our sense of being abandoned or unloved even by God. Paul and Silas, as well as the early Church and followers of Jesus ever since, have trusted, not in easy answers, but in the Promise, the “Present-One” which is sometimes like a quake of our earthliness or a quiet voice.4
Don Schwager quotes “Whatever is not of faith is sin,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"When the Lord said of the Holy Spirit, 'He shall convict the world of sin,' he meant unbelief. For this is what he meant when he said, “Of sin because they believed not on me.' And he means the same when he says, 'If I had not come and spoken to them, they should not have sin.' (John 15:22). He was not talking about [a time] before they had no sin. Rather, he wanted to indicate that very lack of faith by which they did not believe him even when he was present to them and speaking to them. These were the people who belonged to 'the prince of the power of the air, who now works in the children of unbelief' (Ephesians 2:2). Therefore those in whom there is no faith are the children of the devil because they have nothing in their inner being that would cause them to be forgiven for whatever is committed either by human infirmity, ignorance or any evil will whatever. But the children of God are those who certainly, if they should 'say that they have no sin, deceive themselves, and the truth is not in them,' but immediately (as it continues) 'when they confess their sins' (which the children of the devil do not do, or do not do according to the faith which is peculiar to the children of God), 'he is faithful and just to forgive them their sins and to cleanse them from all unrighteousness'" (1 John 1:9). (excerpt from AGAINST TWO LETTERS OF THE PELAGIANS 3.4)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Acts 16:22-34 comments it is always the right time to praise God. Sometimes, like Paul and Silas, we will see the practical effects of our prayer.
As we develop a habit of praising God no matter our circumstances, our thoughts will line up with his thoughts. We will learn to keep our focus on what is true about God, not just about what’s going on at each moment. It can also touch the people around us and open their eyes to the reality of God’s love and provision.
That’s why it’s always a good idea to praise God in all circumstances.
“Lord, you are worthy of all praise. Help me practice praising you at every moment and in every situation.”6
Friar Jude Winkler comments that Paul finds himself in prison after his exorcism of a demon interrupts revenue for the slave owner. The head of the Roman family determined the pattern of worship. Friar Jude reminds us that the “world” in John’s Gospel are those who choose not to follow Jesus.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that St. Bonaventure (1221–1274) taught that “Christ, as a human being, shares with all creatures; indeed he possesses being with rocks, lives among the plants, senses with animals, and understands with angels.” [1]
Although God “empties himself” into creation (Philippians 2:7), we humans have spent most of history creating systems to control and subdue that creation for our own purposes and profit, reversing the divine pattern. As Paul Swanson, co-host of my podcast Another Name for Every Thing, puts it, “The [Franciscan mystics] are known for their celebrated connection to being a part of nature and this world as a mirror to which we pass over to God. There’s such a naturalness to this perspective, yet the bulk of Christianity has seemed to pay no mind to this at all with the theology of domination over the planet.” [2]7
In saying this, Bonaventure wanted to give theological weight to the deep experience of St. Francis of Assisi (1181–1226), who as far as we know, was the first recorded Christian to call animals and elements and even the forces of nature by familial names: “Sister Mother Earth,” “Brother Wind,” “Sister Water,” and “Brother Fire.”
Our purpose is fulfilled as we respond to the Holy Spirit, to act in times of pandemic or climate chaos as followers of Christ.References
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