The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhort us to accept the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in our lives to reveal the path to the peace of full life in relationship with Jesus.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles outlines the compromise at the Council at Jerusalem to accomodate Gentile believers.
* [15:13–35] Some scholars think that this apostolic decree suggested by James, the immediate leader of the Jerusalem community, derives from another historical occasion than the meeting in question. This seems to be the case if the meeting is the same as the one related in Gal 2:1–10. According to that account, nothing was imposed upon Gentile Christians in respect to Mosaic law; whereas the decree instructs Gentile Christians of mixed communities to abstain from meats sacrificed to idols and from blood-meats, and to avoid marriage within forbidden degrees of consanguinity and affinity (Lv 18), all of which practices were especially abhorrent to Jews. Luke seems to have telescoped two originally independent incidents here: the first a Jerusalem “Council” that dealt with the question of circumcision, and the second a Jerusalem decree dealing mainly with Gentile observance of dietary laws (see Acts 21:25 where Paul seems to be learning of the decree for the first time). (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 15, n.d.)
Psalm 67 exhorts nations to Praise God.
* [Psalm 67] A petition for a bountiful harvest (Ps 67:7), made in the awareness that Israel’s prosperity will persuade the nations to worship its God. * [67:2] May God be gracious to us: the people’s petition echoes the blessing pronounced upon them by the priests, cf. Nm 6:22–27. (Psalms, PSALM 67, n.d.)
In the reading from the Book of Revelation, John shares a vision of a New Jerusalem.
* [21:1–22:5] A description of God’s eternal kingdom in heaven under the symbols of a new heaven and a new earth; cf. Is 65:17–25; 66:22; Mt 19:28. (Revelation, CHAPTER 21, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus offers us peace and Love.
* [14:27] Peace: the traditional Hebrew salutation šālôm; but Jesus’ “Shalom” is a gift of salvation, connoting the bounty of messianic blessing. (John, CHAPTER 14, n.d.)
Molly Mattingly comments that as he prepares his disciples to recognize his presence in a new way, Jesus outlines what it means to love him. Molly reads his words less like a rulebook and more like a statement of the obvious: this is how it looks to love Christ and that is not. Those who love Christ want to be close to him, to dwell with him. Because they want to be close to him, they follow him, listen to him, and remember what he taught them. In that desire for closeness, the Holy Spirit continues to teach them and work in their memory.
The Holy Spirit was working in the early Church as they discerned how to welcome in those who wanted to follow Christ from outside of Jewish tradition and attempted to define the expanded community’s embodied practice of walking close with God. John, or the community he taught, wrote from the perspective of having witnessed the presence of Christ and the Holy Spirit after Pentecost. The Spirit had been praying and reflecting in them for 60-90 years after the Resurrection, revealing more in the teachings they had heard and the practices they engaged. They had witnessed God dwelling ever-closer with them. How has the Holy Spirit been praying in us and teaching us? What is essential for me to follow Christ? How do I live out my love for Christ and dwell with God? (Mattingly, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “God is pleased to dwell in us,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"God is not too grand to come, he is not too fussy or shy, he is not too proud - on the contrary he is pleased to come if you do not displease him. Listen to the promise he makes. Listen to him indeed promising with pleasure, not threatening in displeasure, "We shall come to him," he says, "I and the Father." To the one he had earlier called his friend, the one who obeys his precepts, the keeper of his commandment, the lover of God, the lover of his neighbor, he says, "We shall come to him and make our abode with him." (excerpt from Sermon 23,6) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23 comments that we’ve been reading from the Book of Revelation every Sunday since Easter. Some of its images are inspirational while others might leave us scratching our heads. And that’s okay. Because as apocalyptic literature, Revelation is not meant to be interpreted literally; its symbolism is meant to give us a vision of God’s plan coming to fulfillment.
The truth is, we’re not fully there. At least not yet. But let John’s images lift your heart and fill you with hope. Let them inspire both gratitude and intercession in you. Gratitude for God’s promise of heavenly glory. And intercession that this promise will be fulfilled in your own life and in the lives of all your brothers and sisters in Christ. “Jesus, thank you for the glory of your Church. Help each of us come closer to that glory today!” (Meditation on Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler ponders the question of the Apostles. If Jesus is the Messiah for the people of Israel should the Gentiles become Jews? The vision in Revelation of the New Jerusalem incorporates salvation history with God as the centre of life. Friar Jude reminds us of the ambiguous meaning of Paraclete that opens our heart to many blessings of the Spirit.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that religion has probably never had such a bad name. Christianity is now seen as “irrelevant” by some, “toxic” by many, and often as a large part of the problem rather than any kind of solution. Some of us are almost embarrassed to say we are Christian because of the negative images that word conjures in others’ minds. Young people especially are turned off by how judgmental, exclusionary, impractical, and ineffective Christian culture seems to be.
Throughout the history of Christianity, it would seem Jesus’ teaching has had little impact, except among people who surrendered to great love and great suffering. Could this be the real core of the Gospel? Such people experience God rather than merely have disconnected ideas about God. We need to rely on the mind of mystics now to offer any kind of alternative—contemplative or nondual—consciousness. We need practice-based religion that teaches us how to connect with the Infinite in ways that actually change us from our finite perspectives. We must rediscover what St. Francis of Assisi (1182–1226) called the “marrow of the Gospel.” [1] It’s time to rebuild from the bottom up. If the foundation is not solid and sure, everything we try to build on top of it is weak and ineffective. Perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise that so much is tumbling down around us. It’s time to begin again. In the year 1205, Jesus spoke to Francis through the San Damiano cross: “Francis, rebuild my church, for you see it is falling into ruin.” If Jesus himself says the church is falling into ruin, I guess we can admit it also without being accused of being negative or unbelieving. Maybe we have to admit it for anything new and good to happen. (Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation, n.d.)
The great love and great suffering that the Spirit may use to reveal the gifts of Love and Peace from the Father, shared by the Son, are our reassurance of full life on our journey.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 15. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/15?1
Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. (n.d.). Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/redeeming-our-religion-2022-05-22/
John, CHAPTER 14. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/14?23
Mattingly, M. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/052222.html
Meditation on Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/05/22/386622/
Psalms, PSALM 67. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/67?2
Revelation, CHAPTER 21. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/revelation/21?10
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=may22
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