The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to connect our peace of mind to greater understanding of the Way of God.
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| Planting peace |
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes the ministry of Apollos.
* [18:24, 25] Apollos appears as a preacher who knows the teaching of Jesus in the context of John’s baptism of repentance. Aquila and Priscilla instruct him more fully. He is referred to in 1 Cor 1:12; 3:5–6, 22.1
Psalm 47 declares God is king over the nations.
* [Psalm 47] A hymn calling on the nations to acknowledge the universal rule of Israel’s God (Ps 47:2–5) who is enthroned as king over Israel and the nations (Ps 47:6–9).2
In the Gospel of John, Jesus connects peace for the disciples to their relationship with the Father.
The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures but I will tell you clearly about the Father.3
Andy Alexander, S.J. thinks it important to remind ourselves in these challenging times that we need to refresh ourselves in the full story of Jesus, and his Way, to help us trust in the redeeming love of our God and our call to be self-sacrificing as Jesus was.
We can ask, "Loving Father, let me know you are always with us on this journey." The results are real whenever we ask the very things our Father deeply desires to give us. We can even ask, "Let me grow in greater compassion for those who suffer, and greater generosity in reaching out, comforting, and serving those I can help at this time." It is easy to discern that these prayers are in Jesus' name.4
Don Schwager quotes “Offer prayers in Christ's name,” by Cyril of Alexandria, 376-444 A.D.
"He urges the disciples to seek for spiritual gifts and at the same time gives them confidence that, if they ask for them, they will not fail to obtain them. He adds the word Amen, that he might confirm their belief that if they ask the Father for anything they would receive it from him. He would act as their mediator and make known their request and, being one with the Father, grant it. For this is what he means by 'in my name'. For we cannot draw near to God the Father in any other way than through the Son. For it is by him that we have access in the one Spirit to the Father (Ephesians 2:8). It was because of this that he said, 'I am the door. I am the way. No one comes to the Father but by me' (John 10:7; 14:6). For as the Son is God, he being one with the Father provides good things for his sanctified people and is found to be generous of his wealth to us... Let us then offer our prayers in Christ's name. For in this way, the Father will most readily consent to them and grant his graces to those who seek them, that receiving them we may rejoice." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 11.2)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Acts 18:23-28 comments that today’s reading indicates that Apollos education in the “Way of the Lord” was not finished until he humbled himself to learn about Christian baptism from Priscilla and Aquila, simple tent makers (Acts 18:25-26). This could remind us that God speaks and works through ordinary people—sometimes people from a different background than ours.
With a simple Bible dictionary, concordance, or the Internet, we can see more clearly who God is and how he has worked in people’s lives throughout history. We can come to know Christ, the living Word, through Scripture.
“Father, help me understand your word.”6
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Friar Jude Winkler explores the evidence that Apollos may be the Alexandrian author of the Letter to the Hebrews. Friar Jude reminds us that our relationship with Jesus and the Father brings what we need to live in God’s grace.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments the Journal of Health Psychology confirms what Franciscans and mystics have long known: interacting with nature is a great stress reliever. Just thirty minutes of gardening lowers the cortisol released during stress-induced fight-or-flight responses. Today’s practice, written by poet, writer, and educator Trevien Stanger for the book Order of the Sacred Earth, invites us to make a very specific contemplative contribution by planting trees.
What happens when you embrace the wildness of a tree-being and integrate it into the semi-wild streets and streams of your local community? What happens when you crack open your isolated sense of self and plant within your heart this symbol of our ever-branching inter-being? What happens when you consider your actions in terms of your ecological and cultural legacy? What happens when you move beyond your concerns of today and inquire as to what type of ancestor you will be? Nelson Henderson posits that “. . . one true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” [2] Under whose shade do you sit beneath today? Whose shade shall you help gift for tomorrow?7
Our learning experiences provide more and deeper paths to appreciation of our life in relationship with the Divine.
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