The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with the cycles of our life between lows and highs and the consolation of love in God and friends.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes the mission of Paul in Corinth.
* [18:2] Aquila…Priscilla: both may already have been Christians at the time of their arrival in Corinth (see Acts 18:26). According to 1 Cor 16:19, their home became a meeting place for Christians. Claudius: the Emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome ca. A.D. 49. The Roman historian Suetonius gives as reason for the expulsion disturbances among the Jews “at the instigation of Chrestos,” probably meaning disputes about the messiahship of Jesus.
* [18:6] Shook out his garments: a gesture indicating Paul’s repudiation of his mission to the Jews there; cf. Acts 28:17–31.
* [18:7] A worshiper of God: see note on Acts 8:26–40.
* [18:8] Crispus: in 1 Cor 1:14 Paul mentions that Crispus was one of the few he himself baptized at Corinth. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 18 | 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.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus promises that sorrow will turn into Joy.
Kimberly Grassmeyer comments that the idea of Christ's crucifixion at the hands of fearful, jealous leaders is a painful one, but the additional imagery of angry, hateful mobs cheering and joyful at his torture and death is nothing short of heartbreaking.
This is not how the world "should work"; it's not how loving and kind humans "should behave". I would prefer to see us as our better angels - that we would rather reflexively, instinctively recoil when we see images of this sort today. Jesus Christ died to save us from our sins, so I guess that in the big picture, yes, we could get away with lacking compassion, or spewing hate toward others. But Jesus Christ taught us to love one another: to be compassionate and giving and kind. I pray that when we see instances of 'man's inhumanity toward man' that we NOT turn our faces away, nor rejoice, but rather that we, like the Disciples, weep and mourn, but then go out to do God's work in spreading the love of Christ and actively working for change. It's a big ask in a tough world, but my childlike heart still hopes that we'll try. Amen. (Grassmeyer, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Christ our physician,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"God sent the human race a physician, a savior, One Who healed without charging a fee. Christ also came to reward those who would be healed by Him. Christ heals the sick, and He makes a gift to those whom He heals. And the gift that He makes is Himself!" (excerpt from Sermon 102,2) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Acts 18:1-8 comments that when we’re very busy, giving up our precious free time is hard! Of course, the Lord wants us to rest and to enjoy the people in our lives. Yet, like Paul, we can be assured that God will also give us strength to do whatever he leads us to. We might ask him today, Is there any of my free time that you would like me to use differently? Perhaps he will alert us to an opportunity to help someone or bring to mind a friend or coworker that we could spend time with. Or maybe, like Paul, he will ask us to share the gospel in a new way.
On the other hand, some of us are in the habit of saying yes to so many things that we constantly feel exhausted. If that sounds familiar, ask the Lord for clarity today. What are those things, if any, that you would like me to stop doing? Am I getting the rest and refreshment that I need? Sometimes the answer isn’t clear or takes time to unfold. But trust that as you surrender your time—even your free time—to the Lord, he will give you the wisdom to find balance and fulfill his purpose for you.
“Lord, thank you for showing me what to focus on today.” (Meditation on Acts 18:1-8, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the connection of Paul to Aquila and Priscilla as workers in the same trade after Emperor Claudius had expelled all Jews and Christians from Rome. Paul is expelled from the synagogue as he acts on the instruction that salvation is offered first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. Friar Jude comments on the going away and return of Jesus in His Resurrection, or His return at the end time.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, names some obstacles that keep us from our true spiritual home. We are created with an inner drive and necessity that sends all of us looking for our True Self, our true home, whether we know it or not. This journey is a spiral and never a straight line. There is a God-size hole in all of us, waiting to be filled. God creates the very dissatisfaction that only grace and finally divine love can satisfy.
If we go to the depths of anything, we’ll begin to knock upon something substantial, “real,” and with a timeless quality. We’ll move from the starter kit of “belief” to an actual inner knowing. This is most especially true if we have ever (1) loved deeply, (2) accompanied someone through the mystery of dying, or (3) stood in genuine life-changing awe before mystery, time, or beauty. This “something real” is what all the world religions were pointing to when they spoke of heaven, home, nirvana, bliss, or enlightenment. They were not wrong at all; their only mistake was that they pushed it off into the next world. If heaven is later, it is because it is first of all now.
These experiences of homecoming and depth become the pledge, guarantee, hint, and promise of an eternal something. Once we touch upon the Real, there is an inner insistence that the Real, if it is the Real, has to be forever. We could call it wishful thinking, but this insistence has been a constant intuition since the beginnings of humanity. Jesus made it into a promise, as when he tells the Samaritan woman that the spring within her “will well up unto eternal life” (John 4:14). In other words, heaven/union/love/home now emerge from within us, much more than from a mere belief system or any belonging system, which largely remain on the outside of the self. (Rohr, n.d.)
As we journey through days of sorrow and joy, we are reminded of Jesus' promises through the Presence of the Holy Spirit as our companion.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 9, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/18?1
Grassmeyer, K. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved May 9, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/050924.html
Meditation on Acts 18:1-8. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved May 9, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/05/09/951592/
Psalms, PSALM 98 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 9, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/98?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). The Departure and the Return. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved May 9, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-departure-and-the-return/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Your Sorrow Will Turn into Joy. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 9, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=may9
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