The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to deepen our faith in the promise of Christ for life that is more than our human senses normally perceive.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes the healing of Aeneas and the mission of Peter 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.
* [9:36] Tabitha (Dorcas), respectively the Aramaic and Greek words for “gazelle,” exemplifies the right attitude toward material possessions expressed by Jesus in the Lucan Gospel (Lk 6:30; 11:41; 12:33; 18:22; 19:8). (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, 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 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus declares 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.
* [6:62] This unfinished conditional sentence is obscure. Probably there is a reference to Jn 6:49–51. Jesus claims to be the bread that comes down from heaven (Jn 6:50); this claim provokes incredulity (Jn 6:60); and so Jesus is pictured as asking what his disciples will say when he goes up to heaven.
* [6:63] Spirit,flesh: probably not a reference to the eucharistic body of Jesus but to the supernatural and the natural, as in Jn 3:6. Spirit and life: all Jesus said about the bread of life is the revelation of the Spirit. (John, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)
Vivian Amu asks “How many of us have enough faith to know that God will heal as many people as possible though us?”
I find that if I don’t receive the healing or miracle I am praying for, the intensity and boldness of my prayers increase but there is always a slight decrease in my faith. During prayers I find myself searching for the presence and peace of God. I would pray with all my strength as if God cared about intensity, volume, word combinations, and quantity. It usually takes me awhile in prayer to realize that God just wants me to reach out and ask for help. Afterall, “to whom shall we go? as Simon Peter said.”
Loving God, increase our faith so we may go out and heal one another in your name. Amen. (Amu, 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) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 6:60-69 comments that at times, we get tripped up by Jesus’ hard teachings, some of which challenge our underlying ideas or opinions. For example, in today’s passage, some disciples couldn’t accept Jesus’ teaching that his flesh was “true food” and that he himself was the bread come down from heaven (John 6:55, 51). Those disciples returned to their former way of life and stopped following Jesus.
When you don’t understand something that Jesus teaches, you can still trust that the Father is drawing you to himself. He is still sparking the desire in you to love his Son, and he is offering you the grace to embrace Jesus’ words, which are “Spirit and life” (John 6:63). Don’t turn away like the disciples in today’s reading. Keep pressing in, as Peter did, until you can freely say, “Master, to whom shall I go? You have the words of eternal life” (6:68).
“Thank you, Jesus, that the Father has paved the way for me to come to you! Help me to respond to his grace.” (Meditation on John 6:60-69, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the preaching of Peter and the action of the Holy Spirit as he heals in the name of Christ and reanimates with words similar to Jesus “Tabitha Cum”. Peter, unusual in John’s Gospel, is given the opportunity to proclaim Jesus as having the words of eternal life. Friar Jude reminds us that we believe the Promises of Jesus in the bread and wine as we continue to trust Him.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces CAC staff member and dancer Jenna Keiper who writes of the healing wisdom of embodied movement.
God in the earth. God in the trees. God in myself. God, embodied. She speaks through every Body, and so the invitation is extended to every Body: Gray hair, unlined faces, stiff joints, supple muscles. Tall and short and bigger-bodied. Slow, quick, pregnant, dying. Alone in your room or on the floor in community. If you have a Body that moves in any way, then movement is your birthright. And if your Body can no longer move, then we will find a way to move in energy with you. Welcome, fellow travelers. Where words fade, the Body speaks. (Rohr, n.d.)
We ponder our path with Christ that is a promise of eternal life even as we trust the Spirit to guide us through the daily challenges of trials and troubles.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 20, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/9?31
Amu, V. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved April 20, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/042024.html
John, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 20, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/6?60
Meditation on John 6:60-69. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 20, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/04/20/939680/
Psalms, PSALM 116 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 20, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/116?12
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Art and Contemplation: Weekly Summary. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved April 20, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/art-and-contemplation-weekly-summary/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). You Have the Words of Everlasting Life. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved April 20, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=apr20
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