The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the message and the role of His disciples in sharing the Word of Life.
A sign of St Catherine of Sienna Church
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes the mission of Paul and Barnabas in Antioch of Pisidia and Paul’s address in the Synagogue.
* [13:4–14:27] The key event in Luke’s account of the first missionary journey is the experience of Paul and Barnabas at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:14–52). The Christian kerygma proclaimed by Paul in the synagogue was favorably received. Some Jews and “God-fearers” (see note on Acts 8:26–40) became interested and invited the missionaries to speak again on the following sabbath (Acts 13:42). By that time, however, the appearance of a large number of Gentiles from the city had so disconcerted the Jews that they became hostile toward the apostles (Acts 13:44–50). This hostility of theirs appears in all three accounts of Paul’s missionary journeys in Acts, the Jews of Iconium (Acts 14:1–2) and Beroea (Acts 17:11) being notable exceptions.1
Psalm 89 praises God’s Covenant with David.
* [Psalm 89] The community laments the defeat of the Davidic king, to whom God promised kingship as enduring as the heavens (Ps 89:2–5). The Psalm narrates how God became king of the divine beings (Ps 89:6–9) and how the Davidic king became king of earthly kings (Ps 89:20–38). Since the defeat of the king calls into question God’s promise, the community ardently prays God to be faithful to the original promise to David (Ps 89:39–52).2
In the Gospel of John, Jesus declares “whoever receives me receives him who sent me.”
* [13:16] Messenger: the Greek has apostolos, the only occurrence of the term in John. It is not used in the technical sense here.3
Larry Gillick, S.J. notes that in John’s Gospel the word “sent” emphasizes the image of Jesus as a gift and dramatically as a “Servant” who washes creation as a gesture of God’s creational love.
Jesus continues, “I have washed you from your being dominated by your being your own, your own property, your own destiny. As I am sent to you, I am sending Myself with you to constantly bring creation to awareness of who and what it all is. I do know that Judas was too much of himself to become “ours” and he is rejecting his identity and his true dignity. You too will all be tempted, but I will always be finding, washing and re-sending you. You are now My Body, taken, blessed, broken and distributed in the wonderful act of Love Who is the One Who sent Me and sends you.”4
Don Schwager quotes “The Master wants his servants to reach their potential,” by Origen, 185-254 A.D.
"The Savior, who is Lord, does something that surpasses all other lords, who have no desire to see their servants rise up to their level. He is such a Son of the Father's goodness and love that, although he was Lord, he produced servants who could become like him, their Lord, not having the spirit of bondage, which comes from fear, but the spirit of adoption in which they too cry, 'Abba, Father.' So then, before becoming like their teacher and lord, they need to have their feet washed because they are still deficient disciples who possess the spirit of bondage to fear. But when they attain the stature of master and lord... then they will be able to imitate their master and wash the disciple's feet as the teacher. (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 32.120-22)5
The Word Among Us meditation on John 13:16-20 comments that we are giving someone a personal introduction to our amazing friend, Jesus. Pope Benedict XVI emphasized this when he wrote, “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction” (Deus Caritas Est, 1).
What a privilege it is to bring Jesus to another person in a way that could change their life forever! But how can we do this? One way is through humble service. In fact, the Master himself showed us the way. In today’s Gospel, Jesus had just finished washing his followers’ feet when he told them to follow his example. He wasn’t just teaching them something; he was showing them how to do it. This has been the way of the Church from the beginning: we share the message of Jesus through our words and our love.6
Friar Jude Winkler fleshes out the description of Paul’s journey in Acts and the break in the relationship with John Mark. Paul’s kerygma has information and a threat of the consequence of turning from God. Friar Jude reminds us of Jesus as I AM and that those who receive His disciples receive Him.
An article in Franciscan Media comments that Saint Catherine of Sienna ranks high among the mystics and spiritual writers of the Church. In 1939, she and Francis of Assisi were declared co-patrons of Italy. Pope Paul VI named her and Teresa of Avila as doctors of the Church in 1970. Her spiritual testament is found in The Dialogue.
Though she lived her life in a faith experience and spirituality far different from that of our own time, Catherine of Siena stands as a companion with us on the Christian journey in her undivided effort to invite the Lord to take flesh in her own life. Events which might make us wince or chuckle or even yawn fill her biographies: a mystical experience at six, childhood betrothal to Christ, stories of harsh asceticism, her frequent ecstatic visions. Still, Catherine lived in an age which did not know the rapid change of 21st-century mobile America. The value of her life for us today lies in her recognition of holiness as a goal to be sought over the course of a lifetime.7
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, explains that the spiritual message is really quite simple, although a very hard one for us to learn. It is saying that nothing is permanent. Apocalyptic literature tells us to be prepared for that, so we won’t be shocked or scandalized when someone dies, or something is destroyed. You might learn this truth the moment after you hear of the death of your mother or father, when the rug is pulled out from beneath you. Or, during that moment when you go to the doctor and get a fatal diagnosis and are told you have three months left to live. Or when your house is destroyed by a tornado or flood in seconds. Apocalyptic literature describes such moments and crises. Again, this message is not meant to be heard as a threat, but as a truth that nothing lasts forever.
God puts us in a world of passing things where everything changes and nothing remains the same. The only thing that doesn’t change is change itself. It’s a hard lesson to learn. It helps us appreciate that everything is a gift. We didn’t create it. We don’t deserve it. It will not last, but while we breathe it in, we can enjoy it, and know that it is another moment of God, another moment of life. People who take this moment seriously take every moment seriously, and those are the people who are ready for heaven. If religion isn’t leading us into an eternal now, an eternal moment, an always-true moment, an always-love moment, then we have not lived the moment at all.8
Our life experience shows that there are times of great loss and glorious connection to the Divine. Our message to others is in our life story.
References
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