The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, resonate with the difficulty encountered when living according to the Word of God is alien to the culture that surrounds us.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes the experience 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.
Psalm 115 praises 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).
In the Gospel of John, Jesus promises the Advocate for the Word of the Father.
* [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.”
Susan Naatz comments that today’s gospel is tucked squarely in the middle of the chapters in John’s gospel called the Farewell Discourse (chapters 13 – 17) because here Jesus…prepares his disciples for his departure from them and offers a vision for their life in his absence…. At the heart of this vision is the community’s love for one another. And the soul of the vision is our loving relationship with God and Jesus.
Jesus used the most powerful word in any language, love. He defined, described, and passed it on to us. He did not use it in a superficial, sentimental way. He wanted people to love with depth and passion and not count the cost. He instructed his disciples passionately explaining that if they followed his teachings and loved one another they would demonstrate their love for him and one another. Love for one another is to be the identifying mark of the Christian community in the world. He expects the same from us now.
An incredible example of how to live God’s love comes from the witness of Saint Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church. We are graced today to celebrate her Memorial. She lived God’s love by becoming …the protagonist of an intense activity of spiritual guidance for people from every walk of life: nobles and politicians, artists and ordinary people, consecrated men and women and religious, including Pope Gregory XI. She was incredibly courageous while experiencing great hardship for her beliefs.
Say it. Mean it. Live it. That is our command. Love one another.
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)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 14:21-26 comments that there is a vast difference between knowing about a person and getting to know him. You don’t get to know someone only by learning his age, his address, or where he works. Ultimately, it’s love that opens the way to the most important and intimate kind of knowledge. Just think about a couple who have been married for many years. Their love has given them a much deeper understanding of each other than when they were first married.
This is the kind of relationship that Jesus offers each of us. He is inviting us to come to know him and experience his love. He wants more than grand gestures; he wants to dwell in us, to bring us into friendship with him, and to teach us to abide in his love.
“Jesus, thank you for loving me. Lord, reveal yourself to me more and more!”
Friar Jude Winkler notes the confusion of the Greek audience, after a healing by Paul and Barnabas, of the apostles with Hermes and Zeus. The Gospel of John exhorts us to live an ordered life with the Commandments as guidelines to the right path. Friar Jude reminds us of the nuances of the Holy Spirit that help us avoid the “world” of our concupiscence that rejects the Word.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, names the tension created by Gospel teachings on simplicity and cultural expectations of abundance.
Franciscan spirituality asks us to let go, to recognize that there is enough to go around to meet everyone’s need but not everyone’s greed. A worldview of enoughness will predictably emerge in us as we realize our naked being in God instead of thinking that more of anything or more frenetic doing can fill up our infinite longing and restlessness. Francis did not just tolerate or endure simplicity; he loved it and called it poverty. Francis dove into simplicity and found his freedom there. This is hard for most of us to even comprehend.
Francis knew that climbing ladders to nowhere would never make us happy nor create peace and justice on this earth. Too many have to stay at the bottom of the ladder so some can be at the top. Living simply helps level the playing field and offers abundance and enoughness to all, regardless of our status or state of belonging to religion or group.
We call on the Holy Spirit to clarify our understanding and presentation of the Word of God to our community today that is in need of truth, charity, and compassion.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 29, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/14?5
John, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 29, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/14?21
Meditation on John 14:21-26. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 29, 2024, from https://www.one-tab.com/page/x2gXBoa5SlegM9_izR7uvg
Naatz, S. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved April 29, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/042924.html
Psalms, PSALM 115 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 29, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/115?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). A System of Too Much. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved April 29, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-system-of-too-much/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). If You Love Me, Keep My Word. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 29, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=apr29
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