The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to seek the guidance of the Spirit to serve those who we may have neglected through prejudice or fear.
Serving the Community
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles identifies seven chosen to serve the community.
* [6:2] To serve at table: some commentators think that it is not the serving of food that is described here but rather the keeping of the accounts that recorded the distribution of food to the needy members of the community. In any case, after Stephen and the others are chosen, they are never presented carrying out the task for which they were appointed (Acts 6:2–3). Rather, two of their number, Stephen and Philip, are presented as preachers of the Christian message. They, the Hellenist counterpart of the Twelve, are active in the ministry of the word.1
Psalm 33 praises the Greatness and Goodness of God.
* [Psalm 33] A hymn in which the just are invited (Ps 33:1–3) to praise God, who by a mere word (Ps 33:4–5) created the three-tiered universe of the heavens, the cosmic waters, and the earth (Ps 33:6–9). Human words, in contrast, effect nothing (Ps 33:10–11). The greatness of human beings consists in God’s choosing them as a special people and their faithful response (Ps 33:12–22).2
In the Gospel of John, Jesus walks on the water.
* [6:19] Walking on the sea: although the Greek (cf. Jn 6:16) could mean “on the seashore” or “by the sea” (cf. Jn 21:1), the parallels, especially Mt 14:25, make clear that Jesus walked upon the water. John may allude to Jb 9:8: God “treads upon the crests of the sea.”* [6:20] It is I: literally, “I am.” See also notes on Jn 4:26 and Mk 6:50.3
Eileen Wirth focuses on the men who agreed to both serve and pray as role models for the kind of church Pope Francis is calling us to build, one that prioritizes service and de-emphasizes the power and privilege of hierarchy.
I think fondly of two staffers at Creighton. One greeted every student she checked into the cafeteria with a warm smile and “hey baby” while the other ran the convenience shop and unsuccessfully tried to hide her heart of gold behind a gruff manner. She didn’t fool anyone! And there were so many others! Some of them even wore Roman collars on formal occasions. I think especially of people like the wonderful Fr. Tom Schloemer S.J., a retired dorm chaplain and career counselor who could steer students on a path for life in one conversation. He changed countless lives including mine. Deo gratias! So please join me in trying to notice unsung people who serve and thank them for what they do whether they’re dishing up meals at a homeless shelter, teaching junior high or carrying out the trash for an older neighbor. You’ll make everyone – that person, yourself and Jesus – happy if you do, even more so if you emulate these unobtrusive role models who are everywhere among us.4
Don Schwager quotes “Christ our physician,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"God sent the human race a physician, a savior, One Who healed without charging a fee. Christ also came to reward those who would be healed by Him. Christ heals the sick, and He makes a gift to those whom He heals. And the gift that He makes is Himself!" (excerpt from Sermon 102,2)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 6:16-21 comments that we can certainly understand the disciples’ fear. But we might also wonder: hadn’t they just seen the miracle of the loaves and the fishes? Did they forget that Jesus had power over nature? He could multiply food, calm the sea, and walk on water. Where was their faith? Jesus didn’t chide them, however; he only reassured them, saying, “It is I. Do not be afraid” (6:20).
God doesn’t chide us either. But he doesn’t want our fears to rob us of believing in his power to work in new and even wondrous ways. So when we’re in a scary situation, we can come to the Lord in faith and pray, “I have seen you work wonders, Lord. I choose to believe and trust that you will take care of this situation I put before you. I trust in your power to act, however you will.” “Lord Jesus, help me not to be blinded by my fears.”6
Friar Jude Winkler suggests there may have been racial prejudice against the Greek speaking community as described in Acts. The first deacons, diakonia, did charity work and also preached. The allusion to Psalm 23 in John 6 continues as Jesus, the Good Shepherd, dispels fear and leads us to tranquil waters.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Richard Wagamese (1955–2017) who is a beloved Canadian indigenous writer whose life was transformed by returning to his Ojibwe family and culture after being separated from them for most of his young life. In his final book Embers, he shares meditations, reflections, and prayers that came to him during times of ritual and morning silence.
The words in this book are embers from the tribal fires that used to burn in our villages. They are embers from the spiritual fires burning in the hearts, minds and souls of great writers on healing and love. . . . They are heart songs. They are spirit songs. And, shared with you, they become honour songs for the ritual ways that spawned them. Bring these words into your life. Feel them. Sit with them. Use them. Wagamese invites us to remember prayerfully both creation and the Creator: Remember. Remember that Creator is the wind on my face, the rain in my hair, the sun that warms me. Creator is the trees, rocks, grasses, the majesty of the sky and the intense mystery of the universe. Creator is the infant who giggles at me in the grocery line, the beggar who reminds me how rich I really am, the idea that fires my most brilliant moment, the feeling that fuels my most loving act and the part of me that yearns for that feeling again and again. Whatever ceremony, ritual, meditation, song, thought or action it takes to reconnect to that feeling is what I need to do today. . . Remember.7
Our attention to the prompting of the Spirit to serve others may be accompanied by fear that the Good Shepherd offers to remove from the situation.
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