The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the challenges that change presents us especially in responding to the call of the Spirit to transformation in our lives.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes the growth of the Church in Antioch.
* [11:19–26] The Jewish Christian antipathy to the mixed community was reflected by the early missionaries generally. The few among them who entertained a different view succeeded in introducing Gentiles into the community at Antioch (in Syria). When the disconcerted Jerusalem community sent Barnabas to investigate, he was so favorably impressed by what he observed that he persuaded his friend Saul to participate in the Antioch mission.
* [11:26] Christians: “Christians” is first applied to the members of the community at Antioch because the Gentile members of the community enable it to stand out clearly from Judaism. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 11, n.d.)
Psalm 87 praises the Joy of Living in Zion.
* [Psalm 87] A song of Zion, like Ps 46; 48; 76; 132.
* [87:2] The gates: the city itself, a common Hebrew idiom.
* [87:5–6] The bond between the exile and the holy city was so strong as to override the exile’s citizenship of lesser cities. (Psalms, PSALM 87, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus Is Rejected by the Jews.
* [10:22] Feast of the Dedication: an eight-day festival of lights (Hebrew, Hanukkah) held in December, three months after the feast of Tabernacles (Jn 7:2), to celebrate the Maccabees’ rededication of the altar and reconsecration of the temple in 164 B.C., after their desecration by Antiochus IV Epiphanes (Dn 8:13; 9:27; cf. 1 Mc 4:36–59; 2 Mc 1:18–2:19; 10:1–8).
* [10:23] Portico of Solomon: on the east side of the temple area, offering protection against the cold winds from the desert.
* [10:24] Keep us in suspense: literally, “How long will you take away our life?” Cf. Jn 11:48–50. If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly: cf. Lk 22:67. This is the climax of Jesus’ encounters with the Jewish authorities. There has never yet been an open confession before them.
* [10:25] I told you: probably at Jn 8:25 which was an evasive answer.
* [10:29] The textual evidence for the first clause is very divided; it may also be translated: “As for the Father, what he has given me is greater than all,” or “My Father is greater than all, in what he has given me.”
* [10:30] This is justification for Jn 10:29; it asserts unity of power and reveals that the words and deeds of Jesus are the words and deeds of God. (John, CHAPTER 10, n.d.)
George Butterfield reflects on the lives of Saint Athanasius, Deacon Stephen, and Barnabas and the faith that developed in Antioch.
So, brothers and sisters, let us hold onto Jesus. Let us encourage one another. Let us trust in the power of God to protect us, even as he protected St. Athanasius. And, if like St. Stephen, we lose our lives to remain faithful, let us die knowing that even death cannot snatch us out of the Father’s hand.
O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Butterfield, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “The Great might of Christ's hand,” by Clement of Alexandria, 150-215 A.D.
"The faithful also have the help of Christ, and the devil is not able to snatch them. Those who have an endless enjoyment of good things remain in Christ's hand, no one thereafter snatching them away from the bliss that is given to them. [No one can throw them] into punishment or torments. For it is not possible that those who are in Christ's hand should be snatched away to be punished because of the great might Christ has. For 'the hand' in the divine Scripture signifies 'the power'" It cannot be doubted therefore that the hand of Christ is unconquerable and mighty to all things." (excerpt from the COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 7.1) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 10:22-30 comments that we are no longer shackled by our weaknesses or faults. Because you have sent your own Spirit to live in us, we can live in holiness. We can become a living witness to the Father in our world!
“You and the Father are one. We worship you, Jesus, for filling us with hope and joy because you have come to make us one with the Father.”
“Lord, help me to see how ‘shocking’—and wonderful—it is that you and the Father are one and that you are in me.” (Meditation on John 10:22-30, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments that after Stephen’s death, Greek teachers preach to Jews and Gentiles in Antioch. The followers of the Way, the Nazarenes, become known as Christians in Antioch. Friar Jude notes the sense of scandal experienced by the religious leaders when Jesus proclaims His relationship to the Father.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Benedictine and Celtic scholar Esther de Waal who finds inspiration to manage life’s transitions in the Scriptures. She shares how we might navigate the resistance we feel as we stand on the threshold of something unknown.
Of course there is loss and it is right to grieve and not to pretend otherwise. Insecurity makes certitude attractive, and it is in times like these that I want to harness God to my preferred scheme of things, for it is risky to be so vulnerable. Yet it is this vulnerability that asks for trust and hope in God’s plans, not mine. So I try to learn each time that I am called upon to move forward to hand over the past freely, putting it behind me, and moving on with hands open and ready for the new. (Rohr, 2023)
When we frequently experience change on our journey, we have the support of our trust in God to find new life on the path on which we find ourselves.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 11. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/11?19
Butterfield, G. (2023, May 2). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/050223.html
John, CHAPTER 10. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/10?
Meditation on John 10:22-30. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/05/02/670380/
Psalms, PSALM 87. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/87?1
Rohr, R. (2023, May 2). Embracing Change — Center for Action and Contemplation. Daily Meditations Archive: 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/embracing-change-2023-05-02/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). My Sheep Hear My Voice. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=may2
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