The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation about the Way of Jesus to build our faith and share truth about building community based on love.
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| Community built on Love |
In the reading from the Book of Acts, Paul explains, in the synagogue, that the good news of Jesus follows His persecution in Jerusalem.
* [13:31] The theme of the Galilean witnesses is a major one in the Gospel of Luke and in Acts and is used to signify the continuity between the teachings of Jesus and the teachings of the church and to guarantee the fidelity of the church’s teachings to the words of Jesus.1
Psalm 2 recalls God’s Promise to His anointed kings of Israel.
* [Psalm 2] A royal Psalm. To rebellious kings (Ps 2:1–3) God responds vigorously (Ps 2:4–6). A speaker proclaims the divine decree (in the legal adoption language of the day), making the Israelite king the earthly representative of God (Ps 2:7–9) and warning kings to obey (Ps 2:10–11). The Psalm has a messianic meaning for the Church; the New Testament understands it of Christ (Acts 4:25–27; 13:33; Heb 1:5).2
In the Last Supper Discourse, from the Gospel of John, Jesus reassures the Apostles that He is the Way to the Father.
* [14:6] The truth: in John, the divinely revealed reality of the Father manifested in the person and works of Jesus. The possession of truth confers knowledge and liberation from sin (Jn 8:32).3
Mike Cherney comments that, these days like Thomas, he finds himself asking what is the endgame and how do we get there? Two months ago, his plans for the next six months were clear. Today he lives day to day taking what the Lord sets in his path. He is someone who wants to be able to be in control. (He is grateful that his wife of 35 years has been patient with him.) These days he is learning valuable lessons in trust, mostly because he has no other choice. He imagines how Thomas reacted to Jesus’ response to his question. If Thomas was like Mike, he may not have felt all that reassured.
My prayer today is guided by my perception of Thomas’ experience.
Dear Lord,You have given me the gift of caring about what I believe.Today’s world is full of uncertainty. The direction, in which things are heading, is far from clear.Jesus delivers a message with confidence, but I find myself with worries and doubts.In my encounters with You, help me to discern what is true and what matters.As the feast of Pentecost approaches, open my heart to your Spirit.4
Don Schwager quotes “Walk by faith in the truth,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Persevere now in walking by faith in the truth, that you may succeed in coming at a definite and due time to the sight of the same truth. For as the apostle says, 'While staying here in the body, we are away from the Lord. For we are walking by faith, not by sight' (2 Corinthians 5:6-7). We are led to the direct sight and vision of the Father by Christian faith. That is why the Lord says, 'No one comes to the Father except through me.'" (excerpt from SERMON 12.5)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 14:1-6 shares that in 1654, Blaise Pascal, the famous mathematician, physicist, and writer, had a conversion experience that brought him back to his Catholic faith with renewed zeal. When Pascal died eight years later, his servant found that he had sown a piece of parchment inside his coat that contained scribbled reminders of that conversion experience.
Blaise Pascal may have shown us the way to many modern breakthroughs in science and mathematics, but his simple practice of sewing a piece of parchment into his coat can teach us an invaluable lesson. He shows us how to stay focused on Christ even when we feel insecure or unworthy. In a poetic way, he made sure that his faith was woven into his daily life so that he could remember it and remind himself of its truthfulness.
Perhaps we can imitate Pascal and find some way to remind ourselves of Jesus’ constant presence in our lives. Maybe a note in our own coat pocket or a rosary by our bedside or a sacred image at our workplace can help. Jesus is the way, and he is so worth following!
“Lord, help me 'sew' your love into my heart so that I can walk in faith and confidence.”6
Friar Jude Winkler notes the desire of Luke in Acts to show Jesus' crucifixion as illegal. An early heresy held that Jesus' divinity was adopted, but the Gospel proclaims His eternal divinity. Friar Jude reminds us of the strong dualism in John’s Gospel and the realized eschatology that John proclaims.
Barbara Holmes shares that a contemplative person is someone who knows that they don’t know everything and trusts that they are being held by something much larger, wiser, and more loving than themselves. It is these very qualities that enable them to act on behalf of others and communities in need. Barbara offers some insights as to how and why this is true, particularly in moments of crisis.
Contemplation plugs the supplicant into the catalytic center of God’s Spirit, into the divine power that permeates every aspect of life. In this space, there are no false dichotomies, no divisions between the sacred and the secular. . . . Through acts of contemplation, individuals and congregations enter the liminal space where the impossible becomes possible.
A community is not always an intentional gathering . . . sometimes communities form because unpredictable events and circumstances draw people into shared life intersections. . . . Communities form when ego-focused concerns recede in favor of shared agendas and a more universal identity. These relationships need only hold together briefly before transitioning into other forms; however, while they are intact, all concerned are aware of the linkages of interior resolve that are at work.
As with all great social justice movements, there came a time [in the Civil Rights Movement] when worship practices and communal resolve coalesced, and an interfaith, interdenominational, interracial community formed. The commonality for this dissenting community was the willingness to resist the power of apartheid in the Americas with their bodies.7
Our attentiveness to the inspiration of the Spirit in this time of change opens the Way to building community based on Love.
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