The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to be open to the prompting of the Spirit to be people who bring life and love to the encounters of our journey.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes the Healing of Aeneas and Peter’s mission in Lydda and Joppa.
* [9:31–43] In the context of the period of peace enjoyed by the community through the cessation of Paul’s activities against it, Luke introduces two traditions concerning the miraculous power exercised by Peter as he was making a tour of places where the Christian message had already been preached. The towns of Lydda, Sharon, and Joppa were populated by both Jews and Gentiles and their Christian communities may well have been mixed. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 9, n.d.)
Psalm 116 is a thanksgiving for recovery from illness.
* [Psalm 116] A thanksgiving in which the psalmist responds to divine rescue from mortal danger (Ps 116:3–4) and from near despair (Ps 116:10–11) with vows and Temple sacrifices (Ps 116:13–14, 17–19). The Greek and Latin versions divide the Psalm into two parts: Ps 116:1–9 and Ps 116:10–19, corresponding to its two major divisions. (Psalms, PSALM 116, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus concludes the Bread of Life Discourse with the Words of Eternal Life.
* [6:60–71] These verses refer more to themes of Jn 6:35–50 than to those of Jn 6:51–58 and seem to be addressed to members of the Johannine community who found it difficult to accept the high christology reflected in the bread of life discourse. (John, CHAPTER 6, n.d.)
Colleen Chiacchere comments that the readings today speak of hope and faith in our resurrected Lord, and the Holy Spirit guiding us. She shares lines that stuck with her and invites us to some reflection questions.
In the Gospel, we hear: The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.
In these readings, are there certain words or phrases that speak freedom and hope to you? Is there a situation that God has breathed “new life” into recently?
“We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
Where has God been able to find you, or me, in our weakness, our bad habits, our aggressions, our destructive decisions. In other words, how are we or how have we been convinced that Jesus is indeed the Holy One?
You have the words of eternal life.
What is our Lord wanting to say to us, to me, today? Where might Christ offer a bit of resurrection to a dead soul, a hopeless pattern or difficult situation?
How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?
May we all feel the peace and consolation of Christ’s resurrection today in our daily activities. (Creighton U. Daily Reflection, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Eat Life - Drink Life,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"'Unless you eat My Flesh and drink My Blood, you shall not have life in you,' says the Lord. Eat life - drink life. You will then have life, and life is complete. Then the Body and Blood of Christ will be life for each person under this condition: what is eaten visibly in the Sacrament be spiritually eaten and spiritually drunk in truth itself." (excerpt from Sermon 102,2) (of Hippo & Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 6:60-69 comments that it’s not just the major events that call for decisions. The call to discipleship means choosing Christ over and over again—maybe even several times in a single day. Will we choose to forgive that careless remark someone made? Will we choose to hold our tongue when we are tempted to gossip? Will we choose to pray for someone who rubs us the wrong way? In these situations and many others, we have the opportunity to choose the Lord.
Try this experiment today. Each time you face a crossroads in the form of a temptation or a difficult decision, take a quick moment to remember Peter’s words: “Master, to whom shall we go?” (John 6:68). Breathe a quick prayer telling Jesus that you want to stay close to him, and ask his Spirit to help you. Then try your best to follow wherever he leads. “Lord, where else can I go? I believe that you have the only path to eternal life.” (Meditation: John 6:60-69, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler compares the reanimation miracle of Peter in Acts to the reanimation miracle of Jesus. The words in the Bread of Life Discourse were difficult and reminded the disciples of cannibalism. Friar Jude notes that the highpoint of Peter's confession is not without allusion to the beloved disciple in the Gospel of John.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Father John Dear who has dedicated his life to nonviolent activism and teaching peace in the manner of the nonviolent Jesus. Inspired by the witness and writings of Thomas Merton, Dear urges us to renounce our violence and take up a contemplative practice of nonviolence.
This form of contemplative prayer allows the peace of God to slowly overtake us. We die to ourselves and all that the culture of war could offer, surrendering into the abyss of God. . . . We give God our inner violence and resentments, our hurts and anger, our pain and wounds, our bitterness and vengeance. We grant clemency and forgiveness toward those who have hurt us, and move from anger, revenge, and violence to compassion, mercy, and nonviolence. This quiet, daily, uneventful experience of contemplative prayer transforms us into peacemakers. Though it might feel like sitting in darkness, it enables us to walk in light. (The Spiral of Violence: Weekly Summary — Center for Action and Contemplation, 2022)
The Spirit invites us to contemplate our connection to other people and Nature that urges us to be beacons of life and love in our daily interactions.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 9. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 7, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/9?31
Creighton U. Daily Reflection. (n.d.). Online Ministries. Retrieved May 7, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/050722.html
John, CHAPTER 6. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 7, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/6?60
Meditation: John 6:60-69. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved May 7, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/05/07/377073/
of Hippo, A., & Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 7, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=may7
Psalms, PSALM 116. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 7, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/116?12
The Spiral of Violence: Weekly Summary — Center for Action and Contemplation. (2022, May 7). Richard Rohr. Retrieved May 7, 2022, from https://cac.org/the-spiral-of-violence-weekly-summary-2022-05-07/
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