The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to seek the guidance of the Spirit as we are called to reject the idols of our culture and seek full life in Christ.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes the mission of Paul and Barnabas in Lystra and Derbe.
* [14:8–18] In an effort to convince his hearers that the divine power works through his word, Paul cures the cripple. However, the pagan tradition of the occasional appearance of gods among human beings leads the people astray in interpreting the miracle. The incident reveals the cultural difficulties with which the church had to cope. Note the similarity of the miracle worked here by Paul to the one performed by Peter in Acts 3:2–10.
* [14:12] Zeus…Hermes: in Greek religion, Zeus was the chief of the Olympian gods, the “father of gods and men”; Hermes was a son of Zeus and was usually identified as the herald and messenger of the gods.
* [14:14] Tore their garments: a gesture of protest.
* [14:15–17] This is the first speech of Paul to Gentiles recorded by Luke in Acts (cf. Acts 17:22–31). Rather than showing how Christianity is the logical outgrowth of Judaism, as he does in speeches before Jews, Luke says that God excuses past Gentile ignorance and then presents a natural theology arguing for the recognition of God’s existence and presence through his activity in natural phenomena. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 14, n.d.)
Psalm 115 proclaims the Impotence of Idols and the Greatness of God
* [Psalm 115] A response to the enemy taunt, “Where is your God?” This hymn to the glory of Israel’s God (Ps 115:1–3) ridicules the lifeless idols of the nations (Ps 115:4–8), expresses in a litany the trust of the various classes of the people in God (Ps 115:9–11), invokes God’s blessing on them as they invoke the divine name (Ps 115:12–15), and concludes as it began with praise of God. Ps 135:15–18 similarly mocks the Gentile gods and has a similar litany and hymn (Ps 135:19–21). (Psalms, PSALM 115, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus promises the truth is revealed by the Spirit.
* [14:22] Judas, not the Iscariot: probably not the brother of Jesus in Mk 6:3 // Mt 13:55 or the apostle named Jude in Lk 6:16 but Thomas (see note on Jn 11:16), although other readings have “Judas the Cananean.” (John, CHAPTER 14, n.d.)
Edward Morse comments that having a holy fear of God – beginning with a basic respect for the reality that He is our creator and that His words deserve respect and attention – seems to play an important role in initiating this holy reaction rooted in love that leads to intimacy and dwelling together with our Lord.
In today’s gospel, our Lord promised Judas that the Holy Spirit would be sent to teach us, which ensures that we are not dependent solely on our own devices, which can sometimes lead us astray, just as the people of Lycaonia. We need the humility to seek assistance, the openness to receive and learn, and the gratitude to hold on to that teaching. We have been given the gift of the Church and its sacraments to help us to think together and grow under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit, so that we may be formed into a people where God can make his dwelling.
Lord, help your Church to do the work of evangelism, not only in teaching but also in living out all of your commands in holy respect for your person. Help us to embrace humility and gratitude, knowing that your love was sent to us while we were yet sinners to draw us to dwell with you, both now and for eternity. Thanks be to God. (Morse, 2023)
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 John 14:21-26 comments that God comes to us: this is his initiative. But we have a role to play as well. We need to be willing to share our lives with him. As we listen to his word and receive his grace, we’ll have him on our minds throughout the day. We will be more conscious that he is always with us, always seeking to share his life with us. We will want to be wherever he is. We will want to do whatever he is doing.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will “teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you” (John 14:26). It is the Spirit who leads us into this intimate relationship with the Lord. It is he who convinces us that God is with us and who prompts us to turn our hearts to him throughout the day. And it is he who will help us make our home in the Lord just as he has made his home in us!
“Come, risen Christ, and dwell with me this day.” (Meditation on John 14:21-26, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the difficulties of Paul and Barnabas when they are misunderstood and honoured as Zeus and Hermes. This humorous account may have been passed around in the early Christian community. Friar Jude reminds us of the promise of the Paraclete to teach us and reveal the truth of Jesus to us.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, points out how Jesus upended the social norms of his time by honoring people’s identity as beloved children of God. Jesus refuses to abide by the honor/shame system that dominated the Mediterranean culture of his time. He refuses to live up to what is considered honorable and refuses to shame what people consider shameful. (If that is not apparent in our reading of the Gospels, we need to read them again.) This does not gain him many friends. It’s perhaps the thing that most bothers the priests and the elders. In response to his ignoring the debt codes and purity codes, they decided to kill him (see Mark 3:6, 11:18; Matthew 12:14; Luke 19:47; John 11:53).
Once challenged, Jesus’ listeners were given a new place to find their identity: not in their social positions of honor or shame but in God. Who we are in God is who we are. That’s the end of ups and downs. Our value no longer depends upon whether our family or village likes us, or whether we’re good-looking, wealthy, or obedient to the laws. Jesus’ message is incredibly subversive in any honor/shame society. As he takes away old foundations, he offers a new, more solid one: neither shame-based nor guilt-based but based in who we are in God.
Who we are in God is a beloved child. Our identity is no longer dependent on the estimation of our culture or even on our own estimation of ourselves. Through prayer, and the awareness of God within us, we continually discover our true identity, “life … hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). (Rohr, 2023)
We have the Advocate to assist us in exploring what cultural icons may be impeding our understanding of the truth in Jesus Love and Word.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 14. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 8, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/14?5
John, CHAPTER 14. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 8, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/14?
Meditation on John 14:21-26. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved May 8, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/05/08/674533/
Morse, E. (2023, May 8). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved May 8, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/050823.html
Psalms, PSALM 115. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 8, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/115?1
Rohr, R. (2023, May 8). Upending the Social Order — Center for Action and Contemplation. Daily Meditations Archive: 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/upending-the-social-order-2023-05-08/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). If You Love Me, Keep My Word. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 8, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=may8
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