The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today declare God is Love and challenge us to demonstrate this Love in action.
In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles Gentiles hear the Good News and Gentiles receive the Holy Spirit.
* [10:1–48] The narrative centers on the conversion of Cornelius, a Gentile and a “God-fearer” (see note on Acts 8:26–40). Luke considers the event of great importance, as is evident from his long treatment of it. The incident is again related in Acts 11:1–18 where Peter is forced to justify his actions before the Jerusalem community and alluded to in Acts 15:7–11 where at the Jerusalem “Council” Peter supports Paul’s missionary activity among the Gentiles. The narrative divides itself into a series of distinct episodes, concluding with Peter’s presentation of the Christian kerygma (Acts 10:4–43) and a pentecostal experience undergone by Cornelius’ household preceding their reception of baptism (Acts 10:44–48). (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 98 praises the Judge of the World.
* [Psalm 98] A hymn, similar to Ps 96, extolling God for Israel’s victory (Ps 98:1–3). All nations (Ps 98:4–6) and even inanimate nature (Ps 98:7–8) are summoned to welcome God’s coming to rule over the world (Ps 98:9). (Psalms, PSALM 98 | USCCB, n.d.)
The reading from the First Letter of John, declares God Is Love.
* [4:7–12] Love as we share in it testifies to the nature of God and to his presence in our lives. One who loves shows that one is a child of God and knows God, for God’s very being is love; one without love is without God. The revelation of the nature of God’s love is found in the free gift of his Son to us, so that we may share life with God and be delivered from our sins. The love we have for one another must be of the same sort: authentic, merciful; this unique Christian love is our proof that we know God and can “see” the invisible God. (1 John, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus' discourse teaches us to abide in His Love.
* [15:13] For one’s friends: or: “those whom one loves.” In Jn 15:9–13a, the words for love are related to the Greek agapaō. In Jn 15:13b–15, the words for love are related to the Greek phileō. For John, the two roots seem synonymous and mean “to love”; cf. also Jn 21:15–17. The word philos is used here.
* [15:15] Slaves,friends: in the Old Testament, Moses (Dt 34:5), Joshua (Jos 24:29), and David (Ps 89:21) were called “servants” or “slaves of Yahweh”; only Abraham (Is 41:8; 2 Chr 20:7; cf. Jas 2:23) was called a “friend of God.” (John, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB, n.d.)
George Butterfield comments that St. John tells us something important about love; it requires action.
God didn’t just say, “I love you.” We like to say that talk is cheap. He did something when he sent Jesus “as expiation for our sins.” You don’t “reveal” love for another with warm feelings and words only, although words are better than nothing. You reveal love by actions. “God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him.” I strive to demonstrate love for my wife. She especially senses that love when I cook dinner, feed the dogs, or do the dishes. Those are simple things around our house, but they spell love. I am a knucklehead, and it has taken me years to find this out. What actions say “I love you” to the ones we love? (Butterfield, 2024)
Don Schwager quotes “Love encompasses the other commandments,” by Ephrem the Syrian (306-373 AD.
"This is my commandment." Have you then only one precept? This is sufficient, even if it is unique and so great. Nevertheless he also said, "Do not kill" (Matthew 19:18) because the one who loves does not kill. He said, "Do not steal," because the one who loves does even more - he gives. He said, "Do not lie," for the one who loves speaks the truth, against falsehood. "I give you a new commandment" (John 13:14). If you have not understood what "This is my commandment" means, let the apostle be summoned as interpreter and say, "The goal of his commandment is love" (1 Timothy 1:5). What is its binding force? It is that of which [the Lord] spoke, "Whatever you want others to do to you, you should do also" (Matthew 7:12)."Love one another" in accordance with this measure, "as I have loved you." That is not possible, for you are our Lord who loves your servants. But we who are equals, how can we love one another as you have loved us? Nevertheless, he has said it... His love is that he has called us his friends. If we were to give our life for you, would our love be equal to yours?... How then can what he said be explained, "As I have loved you"? "Let us die for each other," he said. As for us, we do not even want to live for one another! "If I, who am your Lord and God, die for you, how much more should you die for one another." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON TATIAN'S DIATESSARON 19.13) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 John 4:7-10 comments that Peter was doing what Jesus had commanded when he said, “Love one another as I love you” (John 15:12). He was laying down his life for these former enemies by listening to the Spirit’s leading, taking the time to journey to Caesarea, entering the centurion’s house, and then going out on a limb to baptize Gentiles.
Each day we are presented with opportunities to lay down our lives for one another out of love. It might cost us our time or our energy. It might require courage, patience, or forbearance. We might have to step out in faith. But as we do these things—even those that seem routine or mundane—we are making the abstract truth that “God is love” into a living reality. We are revealing God’s love to the world.
“Holy Spirit, open my eyes to those times today when I can love someone as you have loved me.” (Meditation on 1 John 4:7-10, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler recalls Peter’s vision of unclean animals prior to his visit to the “God fearer” Cornelius who is baptized by the Holy Spirit and water. Acts tells us how the Holy Spirit organizes the Growth of the Church. Friar Jude reminds us to reflect on expiation of our sins as the greatest love of God for us shown by Jesus on the Cross.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, considers how the spiritual journey of “homecoming” requires holding the tension between the past and future.
To understand better, let’s look at the telling word homesick. This usually connotes something sad or nostalgic, an emptiness that looks either backward or forward for satisfaction. I am going to use it in an entirely different way. I want to propose that we are both sent and drawn by the same force, which is precisely what Christians mean when they say the Cosmic Christ is both alpha and omega. We are both driven and called forward by a kind of deep homesickness, it seems. There is an inherent and desirous dissatisfaction that both sends and draws us forward, and it comes from our original and radical union with God. What appears to be past and future is in fact the same home, the same call, and the same God, for whom ‘‘a thousand years are like a single day’’ (Psalm 90:4) and a single day like a thousand years. (Rohr, n.d.)
We contemplate the action that the Spirit calls us to engage in that makes the Love that is God visible to people in our environment.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 5, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/10?25
Butterfield, G. (2024, May 4). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved May 5, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/050524.html
John, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 5, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/15?9
Meditation on 1 John 4:7-10. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved May 5, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/05/05/949214/
1 John, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 5, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/4?7
Psalms, PSALM 98 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 5, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/98?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Holy Homesickness. Wikipedia. Retrieved May 5, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/holy-homesickness/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). I Have Called You Friends. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 5, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=may5
No comments:
Post a Comment