The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to be open to the transformation of our talents by the Spirit to bring people to Christ.
.jpeg)
Building at Breakfast
In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter and John appear before the Council.
[4:11] Early Christianity applied this citation from Ps 118:22 to Jesus; cf. Mk 12:10; 1 Pt 2:7. * [4:12] In the Roman world of Luke’s day, salvation was often attributed to the emperor who was hailed as “savior” and “god.” Luke, in the words of Peter, denies that deliverance comes through anyone other than Jesus.1
Psalm 118 is a song of victory.
* [118:22] The stone the builders rejected: a proverb: what is insignificant to human beings has become great through divine election. The “stone” may originally have meant the foundation stone or capstone of the Temple. The New Testament interpreted the verse as referring to the death and resurrection of Christ (Mt 21:42; Acts 4:11; cf. Is 28:16 and Rom 9:33; 1 Pt 2:7).2
In the Gospel of John, Jesus appears to Seven Disciples.
* [21:1–23] There are many non-Johannine peculiarities in this chapter, some suggesting Lucan Greek style; yet this passage is closer to John than Jn 7:53–8:11. There are many Johannine features as well. Its closest parallels in the synoptic gospels are found in Lk 5:1–11 and Mt 14:28–31. Perhaps the tradition was ultimately derived from John but preserved by some disciple other than the writer of the rest of the gospel. The appearances narrated seem to be independent of those in Jn 20. Even if a later addition, the chapter was added before publication of the gospel, for it appears in all manuscripts.3
Steve Scholer asks us to imagine we walk into our favorite spot for breakfast and there, sitting in the corner booth, is Jesus, and he looks you in the eye and says, “Come, have breakfast.”
Much has been said and written about the power of “visualization.” Properly applied, it helps us anticipate the moment and prepare ourselves for what will happen. If we want to come closer to Jesus in our prayer life, maybe visualizing Christ sitting next to us as we pray, or being at our side throughout the day, might be a good place for us to start. For many of us, the visualization might be the traditional image of Jesus in a long white robe. For others, Jesus might be sitting across from them wearing a hoodie. It really doesn’t matter, if we just close our eyes and let our minds imagine what it would be like to have Jesus at our side, listening to what we have to say, and participating in our conversation. Visualizing Jesus at our side while praying might lead to a much deeper and more honest conversation with God. As we all know, it is a lot harder to avoid our true thoughts and feelings when the person we are talking to is sitting face-to-face with us. As Easter Week draws to a close, let us continue to not only see God in all things, but to always see God with us at all times, asking us to “come” and be with him in our thoughts, words and deeds.4
Don Schwager quotes “Resurrected Bodies,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"The bodies of the righteous at the resurrection will need neither any fruit to preserve them from dying of disease or the wasting decay of old age nor any bodily nourishment to prevent hunger and thirst. For they will be endowed with such a sure and inviolable gift of immortality that they will not eat because they have to, but only if they want to. Not the power but the necessity of eating and drinking shall be taken away from them... just like our Savior after his resurrection took meat and drink with his disciples, with spiritual but still real flesh, not for the sake of nourishment, but in an exercise of his power." (excerpt from City of God 13.22)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 21:1-14 comments that today, at every Eucharistic feast celebrated throughout the world, Jesus comes to us really and truly, in the form of bread and wine. He comes to us, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, to transform us and fill us with his grace. But Jesus can also use ordinary gatherings to reveal himself and make his presence known.
Jesus wants to be present with you at your mealtimes. Try to share a meal with someone this week. If you live alone, you might invite a friend to join you, even if it’s just for coffee or dessert. If you have a family, eating together may already be part of your routine, but maybe it’s not. Put away your phones, turn off the TV, and sit down together. As you gather, invite the Lord to be with you and to reveal himself. Share some food; talk about your day. And keep an eye out for how Jesus might be working among you. “Lord, as you did with the disciples, reveal yourself to me again.”6
Friar Jude Winkler notes that the Sadducees, who put Peter and John on trial, did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. The rejected quarry stone that supported the Cross on Calvary is a symbol of Jesus who becomes the cornerstone. Friar Jude reminds us that, after encountering Jesus at Mass, we are called to the mission of fishers of people.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that, on Earth Day, for Catholic theologian Elizabeth Johnson, the resurrection of Jesus is a promise of new life for all creation.
The reasoning runs like this. This person, Jesus of Nazareth, Wisdom incarnate, was composed of star stuff and earth stuff; his life formed a genuine part of the historical and biological community of Earth; his body existed in a network of relationships drawing from and extending to the whole physical universe. As a child of the earth he died, and the earth claimed him back in a grave. In his resurrection his flesh was called to life again in transformed glory. Risen from the dead, Jesus has been reborn as a child of the earth, radiantly transfigured. . . . The evolving world of life, all of matter in its endless permutations, will not be left behind but will be transfigured by the resurrecting action of the Creator God. [2]7
Writing at the beginning of the pandemic, Franciscan theologian Ilia Delio reminds us that we can celebrate the risen Christ in our lives and in the natural world.
We have an invitation to go to church in a new way, by praying before the new leaves budding through dormant trees or the wobbly flowers by the side of the road pushing through the solid earth. . . [With Francis of Assisi], we too can sing with the air we breathe, the sun that shines upon us, the rain that pours down to water the earth. And we can cry with those who are mourning, with the forgotten, with those who are suffering from disease or illness, with the weak, with the imprisoned. We can mourn in the solidarity of compassion but we must live in the hope of new life. For we are Easter people, and we are called to celebrate the whole earth as the body of Christ. Every act done in love gives glory to God: a pause of thanksgiving, a laugh, a gaze at the sun, or just raising a toast to your friends at your virtual gathering. The good news? “He is not here!” Christ is everywhere, and love will make us whole. [3]7
As we gather with friends and family in the Easter season, or on Earth Day, we are open to the prompting of the Spirit to action that calls us to the fullness of life.
References
No comments:
Post a Comment