The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhort us to recall the consistent presence of God in our lives presented today in feminine and masculine images of support for fullness of life.
The reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah declares that Zion’s Children will Be Brought Home from exile.
* [49:8] You: the individual is not named; perhaps Cyrus or the prophet.
* [49:12] Syene: now called Aswan, at the first cataract of the Nile in southern Egypt. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 49 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 145 praises the Greatness and the Goodness of God.
* [Psalm 145] A hymn in acrostic form; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Acrostic poems usually do not develop ideas but consist rather of loosely connected statements. The singer invites all to praise God (Ps 145:1–3, 21). The “works of God” make God present and invite human praise (Ps 145:4–7); they climax in a confession (Ps 145:8–9). God’s mighty acts show forth divine kingship (Ps 145:10–20), a major theme in the literature of early Judaism and in Christianity. (Psalms, PSALM 145 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of John declares the authority of the Son and witnesses to Jesus.
* [5:17] Sabbath observance (10) was based on God’s resting on the seventh day (cf. Gn 2:2–3; Ex 20:11). Philo and some rabbis insisted that God’s providence remains active on the sabbath, keeping all things in existence, giving life in birth and taking it away in death. Other rabbis taught that God rested from creating, but not from judging (=ruling, governing). Jesus here claims the same authority to work as the Father, and, in the discourse that follows, the same divine prerogatives: power over life and death (Jn 5:21, 24–26) and judgment (Jn 5:22, 27).
* [5:19] This proverb or parable is taken from apprenticeship in a trade: the activity of a son is modeled on that of his father. Jesus’ dependence on the Father is justification for doing what the Father does.
* [5:21] Gives life: in the Old Testament, a divine prerogative (Dt 32:39; 1 Sm 2:6; 2 Kgs 5:7; Tb 13:2; Is 26:19; Dn 12:2).
* [5:22] Judgment: another divine prerogative, often expressed as acquittal or condemnation (Dt 32:36; Ps 43:1).
* [5:28–29] While Jn 5:19–27 present realized eschatology, Jn 5:28–29 are future eschatology; cf. Dn 12:2. (John, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)
Barbara Dilly comments that God’s people so often respond inelegantly. It sounds like we have the blues.
And that is what I think Jesus has come to tell us. Jesus puts the swing in our faith. Can’t you just feel it in the words, “I am the resurrection and the life”? “Whoever believes in me will never die.” Those words really swing for me! As we read the words of Jesus in the Gospel today, we can hear the upbeat. It is not about abandonment. It is about being saved. So, while we sing those down beat songs during Lent that remind us of our sins of despair, we can also sing the upbeat songs that lift us out of our darkness. Isaiah tells us, we can break forth into joyful sound and rejoice with all the earth for the mercy the Lord shows to the afflicted.
I pray this week that we can hear the upbeat way God speaks to us and that we can put some swing in our faith in the way we relate our faith to others. As the Lord comforts his people and shows mercy to his afflicted, we also can try a little kindness. Look up the old song, “Try a Little Kindness” by Glenn Campbell. It says it well, with swing! (Dilly, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “The wonderful exchange,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Unless the Word of God had first assumed our mortal flesh he could not have died for us. Only in that way was the immortal God able to die and to give life to mortal humans. Therefore, by this double sharing he brought about a wonderful exchange. We made death possible for him, and he made life possible for us." (excerpt from Sermon 218c,1) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 5:17-30 comments that Jesus continually reminds us that his Father is our Father. Every time we pray to “our Father, who art in heaven,” Jesus is there as well, inviting us into his Father’s loving embrace.
And when you gaze with gratitude on Jesus—especially when you fix your eyes on an image of Christ crucified—be sure to ask him to show you the outstretched arms of his Father. Ask him to tell you that he is your Father as well!
“Jesus, thank you for showing me the Father. Help me to walk with the Father as you did and to know his unfailing love.” (Meditation on John 5:17-30, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the sense among the Babylonian exiles that God was impotent. The feminine image of God in Isaiah 49 proclaims Israel is not forgotten and is the recipient of the unconditional love of God. Friar Jude notes the masculine image of God in John is rejected by the Pharisees because of Jesus' work on the Sabbath and His declaration of a special relationship with the Father.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Episcopal priest Adam Bucko who offers encouragement for action and contemplation amid circumstances of systemic injustice. He believes returning to the gospel and tending to our spiritual lives are essential practices in times of crisis and unknowing.
It may not be in our power to determine how things will unfold, but it is in our power to decide how we respond. It is in our power to hold on to the practices that nourish us, inform us, and give us courage. It is in our power to remain in integrity, to choose nonviolence and noncooperation in the face of all the violence we are already seeing.
Jesus was clear: Love always. Bless those who persecute you. Forgive even the unforgivable. Turn the other cheek, not in surrender but in defiance of violence. Do not repay evil with evil, but overcome evil with good. This may not change the world, but sometimes it is important to do things simply because they are the right things to do. In the end, all we have is our integrity. So let us stand in it, grounded in the One who renews us each moment and calls us to a nonviolent witness of love—one that is big enough to hold both our friends and our oppressors, knowing that love endures beyond violence. (Rohr, n.d.)
Reference:
Adam Bucko, “This Demands a Response: A Call to Spiritual Defiance,” Contemplative Witness with Adam Bucko (Substack newsletter), February 14, 2025. Used with permission.
When we ponder where we can go in times of chaos and disruption we remember the Divine promise that we are never forgotten and we restate our faith, hope, and love in the guidance of the Spirit in our actions to support all people.
References
Dilly, B. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved April 2, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/040225.html
Isaiah, CHAPTER 49 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved April 2, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/49?8
John, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved April 2, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/5?17
Meditation on John 5:17-30. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved April 2, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/04/02/1239355/
Psalms, PSALM 145 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved April 2, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/145?8
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Gospel Instructions. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved April 2, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/gospel-instructions/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). My Father Is Working Still, and I Am Working. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved April 2, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=apr2
No comments:
Post a Comment