The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to meditate on our relationship with Christ wherein we encounter the Father and come to appreciate His Plan to address the needs of all His Creation.
Dignity of the worker
In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Paul declares “we are now turning to the Gentiles.”
* [13:46] The refusal to believe frustrates God’s plan for his chosen people; however, no adverse judgment is made here concerning their ultimate destiny. Again, Luke, in the words of Paul, speaks of the priority of Israel in the plan for salvation (see Acts 10:36).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, Jesus promises “If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.”
* [14:8] Show us the Father: Philip is pictured asking for a theophany like Ex 24:9–10; 33:18.3
Jay Carney cannot help but see resonance of Paul’s experience with our own times, and especially Pope Francis’ efforts to steer the Church toward a ministry of mercy toward the excluded. As Francis has said on so many occasions, the “culture of encounter” requires us to accompany and touch the suffering flesh of others, most especially the modern-day “Gentiles” who have been ostracized from our Christian communities.
As in the time of Paul and Barnabas, Francis’ outreach to the margins has sparked “jealousy” and “violent abuse” among his religious naysayers. But today’s reading also reminds us that God ultimately has the last word, and this last word is “joy.” Guided by the Holy Spirit, may Pope Francis – and you and I – continue to take delight in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the mixed-up communities that this gospel calls into being.4
Don Schwager quotes “The Father's portrait in the Son,” by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.
"By means of this image the Lord showed Philip the Father. Yes, he who looks on the Son sees, in portrait, the Father. Notice what kind of portrait is spoken of. It is truth, righteousness, the power of God. It is not silent, for it is the Word. It is not insensible, for it is Wisdom. It is not vain and foolish, for it is power. It is not soulless, for it is the life. It is not dead, for it is the resurrection." (excerpt from ON THE CHRISTIAN FAITH 1.7.50)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 14:7-14 comments that in the C. S. Lewis’ novel “The Great Divorce,” a man finds himself in the afterlife journeying toward heaven. Along the way, he encounters a parade of angels and young people singing, dancing, and tossing flowers in front of a beautiful woman named Sarah. The man is surprised to learn that Sarah was just an ordinary woman on earth. She is surrounded by the many young people whose lives were touched by her humble, faithful love for Christ.
But why did Jesus say that we will do “greater” works than he did (John 14:12)? Because unlike Jesus, we will have to overcome our sin and selfishness to do it. It isn’t always easy to love as he did. Sometimes you have to say no to your desire to take care of only yourself. Sometimes you have to overcome the fear of stepping out in faith. And sometimes you have to care for someone you don’t like all that much. But that’s okay, because every victory you achieve over your sin makes you an even more moving witness to the Lord. It makes you capable of doing the greater works that Jesus promised.6
A post from Franciscan Media on St Joseph the Worker notes Jesus, too, was a carpenter. He learned the trade from Saint Joseph and spent his early adult years working side-by-side in Joseph’s carpentry shop before leaving to pursue his ministry as preacher and healer. In his encyclical Laborem Exercens, Pope John Paul II stated: “the Church considers it her task always to call attention to the dignity and rights of those who work, to condemn situations in which that dignity and those rights are violated, and to help to guide [social] changes so as to ensure authentic progress by man and society.”
To capture the devotion to Saint Joseph within the Catholic liturgy, in 1870, Pope Pius IX declared Saint Joseph the patron of the universal Church. In 1955, Pope Pius XII added the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. This silent saint, who was given the noble task of caring and watching over the Virgin Mary and Jesus, now cares for and watches over the Church and models for all the dignity of human work.7
Friar Jude Winkler sees our opportunity to share the Cross with Jesus when we endure rejection. Jesus is not a “miracle producing machine” but is in relationship with us like a parent who knows what we need. Friar Jude reminds us to relate to the “parent” not the “power” of God.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, notes that most Christian denominations made the Gospel into what CAC teacher and friend Brian McLaren describes as “an evacuation plan for the next world,” which does not allow us to take the incarnation seriously.
Without a sense of the inherent sacredness of the world—of every tiny bit of life and death—we struggle to see God in our own reality, let alone to respect reality, protect it, or love it. The consequences of this ignorance are all around us, seen in the way we have exploited and damaged our fellow human beings, the dear animals, the web of growing things, the land, the waters, and the very air.8
We meditate on “The Word became flesh” to seek understanding of the Way in which Jesus cares for us.
References
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