Mission of Reform

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church, challenge us to contemplate how the response of St. Catherine and Paul and Barnabas to the mission they received from Christ might guide our efforts to be signs of peace and love in our communities.

St Catherine of Siena Church

The Reading from the Acts of the Apostles presents the First Mission that Begins in Cyprus.

* [12:25] They returned to Jerusalem: many manuscripts read “from Jerusalem,” since Acts 11:30 implies that Paul and Barnabas are already in Jerusalem. This present verse could refer to a return visit or subsequent relief mission. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)

* [13:1–3] The impulse for the first missionary effort in Asia Minor is ascribed to the prophets of the Antiochene community, under the inspiration of the holy Spirit. Just as the Jerusalem community had earlier been the center of missionary activity, so too Antioch becomes the center from which the missionaries Barnabas and Saul are sent out.

* [13:4–14:27] The key event in Luke’s account of the first missionary journey is the experience of Paul and Barnabas at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:14–52). The Christian kerygma proclaimed by Paul in the synagogue was favorably received. Some Jews and “God-fearers” (see note on Acts 8:26–40) became interested and invited the missionaries to speak again on the following sabbath (Acts 13:42). By that time, however, the appearance of a large number of Gentiles from the city had so disconcerted the Jews that they became hostile toward the apostles (Acts 13:44–50). This hostility of theirs appears in all three accounts of Paul’s missionary journeys in Acts, the Jews of Iconium (Acts 14:1–2) and Beroea (Acts 17:11) being notable exceptions.

* [13:5] John: that is, John Mark (see Acts 12:12, 25). (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 67 is a petition for a bountiful harvest.

* [Psalm 67] A petition for a bountiful harvest (Ps 67:7), made in the awareness that Israel’s prosperity will persuade the nations to worship its God.

* [67:2] May God be gracious to us: the people’s petition echoes the blessing pronounced upon them by the priests, cf. Nm 6:22–27. (Psalms, PSALM 67 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John presents a Recapitulation of His Teaching

j. [12:44] 13:20; 14:1.

k. [12:45] 14:7–9.

l. [12:46] 1:9; 8:12.

m. [12:47] 3:17.

n. [12:48] Lk 10:16; Heb 4:12.

o. [12:49] 14:10, 31; Dt 18:18–19.

Sara Schulte-Bukowinski comments that Catherine of Siena is perhaps best known for her efforts to bring an end to the Avignon Papacy, her extreme penitential practices, reception of the stigmata, and for being named a Doctor of the Church.

She was an ascetic, but placed her reliance more on virtue than penance (The Dialogue, 17). She was a person who lived in the tensions.

Amidst those tensions Catherine entered deeply into the spiritual life, experiencing incredible insights from her intimate relationship with the Divine. She found the most stable cloister cell was an interior place, not dependent on physical location. In this inner cell she began to understand that her reverence for God is bound up with knowledge of herself. To know one’s self is ultimately to know God who “is,” because the self “is not” without God. She advances the basic Biblical proposition that we are made in the image of God, and goes so far as to say that “it is, indeed, through the effect of love, that the soul becomes another Himself…the soul unites herself with God by the affection of love” (The Dialogue, 1-2). Catherine’s language is that of relationship, not of obligation. (Schulte-Bukowinski, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes Whoever sees Jesus sees the Father, by Cyril of Alexandria, 375-444 A.D.

"[Our Lord] gradually accustoms their minds to penetrate the depth of the mysteries concerning himself, [leading them] not to the human person but to that which was of the divine essence. He does this inasmuch as the Godhead is apprehended completely in the person of God the Father, for he has in himself the Son and the Spirit. With exceeding wisdom he carries them onward, ... for he does not exclude himself from being believed on by us because he is God by nature and has shone forth from God the Father. But skillfully (as has been said) he handles the mind of the weak to mold them to godliness in order that you might understand him to say something like this: 'When you believe on me - I who, for your sakes, am a man like yourselves, but who also am God by reason of my own nature and because of the Father from whom I exist - do not suppose that it is on a man you are setting your faith. For I am by nature God, notwithstanding that I appear like one of yourselves, and I have within myself him who begat me. Forasmuch therefore as I am consubstantial with him that has begotten me, your faith will assuredly pass on also to the Father himself.' As we said therefore, the Lord, gradually trains them to something better and profitably interweaves the human with what is God-befitting." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 8.7) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 12:44-50 comments that Jesus makes it clear that he came to rescue us from the “darkness” of our sin (John 12:46).

He came, not to “condemn” us, but to “save” us (12:47). He has spoken about condemnation and salvation throughout the Gospel of John (3:17-18; 5:24, 29; 8:10-11). Now he announces one more time that everyone who believes in his words, which come from his Father, will be saved from the “darkness” and be brought into the “light” (12:46). These words of his will be our final judge: did we treasure them and strive to follow them?

Jesus never minces words. He wants us to be clear-eyed about our sins and about our need for his salvation. But he also wants us to be clear about the mercy that he extends to everyone who places his words at the center of their hearts and actions. There is not a single soul who is beyond the reach of his love. There is not a single unredeemable person. He promised that whoever believes in him can be saved. Whoever believes in him can have eternal life. Whoever believes in him “will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).

“Jesus, thank you for your great gift of salvation!” (Meditation on John 12:44-50, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in Acts we hear the Barbabas and Paul take John Mark to Antioch. Barnabas and Saul are set aside by laying on of hands to implore the Spirit to lead to them to the synagogues of Cyprus The message is brought first to the Jews then to the Gentiles. If you see Christ, you see the Father who has sent Him to reveal life and love. If we accept we are saved, if we reject we are lost. We have to embrace salvation. God can’t force us to Love Him. Friar Jude comments that living in non love and evil is our condemnation and it is brought upon ourselves.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Author Diana Butler Bass, who recounts how fear continued to accompany the disciples well after the resurrection. Butler Bass acknowledges that fear is a biological response and universal experience, but that Jesus’s assurance is also true. 

“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you….’ When he had said this, he breathed on them…”

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.”

The door opens toward love—the love of God, the love of neighbor.

I can’t explain it. All I know is that it is right. And I feel it. When I’m scared, I breathe. My breath. Sacred breath. Spirit breath. The in, out, in, out, in, out of life. My heart slows and opens, making room for the other, giving space to love. In, out, in, out. Breathe in peace. Breathe out love.

Peace, love. Peace, love.

Fear abates.

Perfect love casts out fear.

I think of the first words of scripture, how “in the beginning” there was nothing but chaos. Then, God breathed. Chaos was transformed by that breath into a world of beauty and sustenance.

Easter began in confusion and terror behind a locked door. Now, it comes to a quiet conclusion in the breathing … the promise and possibility of new creation. Peace, love.

Perhaps that’s what is meant by resurrection. Being raised from the deadened weight of fear to love. (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the Spirit to inspire our transformation from fear of rejection and ridicule to being witness to the peace and love that Jesus calls us to present to the world.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 29, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/12?24 

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved April 29, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/13 

Meditation on John 12:44-50. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved April 26, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/04/29/1552558/ 

Psalms, PSALM 67 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 29, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/67? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 29, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/breathing-in-love-breathing-out-fear/ 

Schulte-Bukowinski, S. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved April 29, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-april-29-2026 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Believe in Me - That You May Not Remain in Darkness. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 29, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Spirit Scripture and Support

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary, today, Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, invite us to reflect on our spiritual rebirth and the support we acquire from Scripture and the Spirit.

Support from St Catherine

The reading from the Acts of the Apostles presents Life in the Christian Community.

* [4:32–37] This is the second summary characterizing the Jerusalem community (see note on Acts 2:42–47). It emphasizes the system of the distribution of goods and introduces Barnabas, who appears later in Acts as the friend and companion of Paul, and who, as noted here (Acts 4:37), endeared himself to the community by a donation of money through the sale of property. This sharing of material possessions continues a practice that Luke describes during the historical ministry of Jesus (Lk 8:3) and is in accord with the sayings of Jesus in Luke’s gospel (Lk 12:33; 16:9, 11, 13). (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 93 is a hymn celebrating the kingship of God.

* [Psalm 93] A hymn celebrating the kingship of God, who created the world (Ps 93:1–2) by defeating the sea (Ps 93:3–4). In the ancient myth that is alluded to here, Sea completely covered the land, making it impossible for the human community to live. Sea, or Flood, roars in anger against God, who is personified in the storm. God’s utterances or decrees are given authority by the victory over Sea (Ps 93:5). (Psalms, PSALM 93 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of John, Nicodemus ‘You must be born from above.’

* [3:8] Wind: the Greek word pneuma (as well as the Hebrew rûah) means both “wind” and “spirit.” In the play on the double meaning, “wind” is primary.

* [3:14] Lifted up: in Nm 21:9 Moses simply “mounted” a serpent upon a pole. John here substitutes a verb implying glorification. Jesus, exalted to glory at his cross and resurrection, represents healing for all.

* [3:15] Eternal life: used here for the first time in John, this term stresses quality of life rather than duration. (John, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Martha Slocombe asks how many times have we gotten a recommendation from someone we love and trust and ignored it?

So often we hear testimony of a vibrant life with the eternal one – a.k.a. God – from scripture, from our pastor or priest, or a friend, and we do nothing. We wait for a future time when we can absorb it. We leave a proverbial tab open, knowing we will likely never get around to viewing it, let alone being inspired by it. 

So invite you today to pause, to be present, to read these words of scripture, to allow yourself to be moved by them, to find God in them, and to live into them more deeply and fully. (Slocombe, 2025)

Don Schwager quotes “He descended so that we might ascend,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Spiritual birth happens when human beings, being earthly, become heavenly. And this can only happen when they are made members of me. So that he may ascend who descended, since no one ascends who did not descend. Therefore everyone who needs to be changed and raised must meet together in a union with Christ so that the Christ who descended may ascend, considering his body (that is to say, his church)6 as nothing other than himself." (ON THE MERITS AND FORGIVENESS OF SINS AND ON INFANT BAPTISM 1.60) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Acts 4:32-37 comments that Blessed Frédéric Ozanam is a more contemporary example of someone who, like the early Christians, looked beyond himself to the needs of the people around him.

Most of us don’t live in as close-knit a community as the first Christians, where everything was held in common. Nor would many of us be able, like Barnabas, to sell our property, donate it to our local parish, and still be able to care for ourselves and our families. But God still calls us to bear witness to Jesus through acts of generosity and loving service that line up with our circumstances. So ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to see the needs around you. Sharing some of your resources, including your time and attention, can make a big difference!

“Lord, show me how I can share the blessings you have given me.” (Meditation on Acts 4:32-37, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on one of descriptions in Acts of the community at prayer. We are reminded to balance the “Pollyanna” description of Luke with a realistic look at our occasions of missing the mark. Friar Jude reminds us that John emphasizes the sign of the Son of Man being lifted up on the Cross as glory and love.

A Special Note from Fr. Richard Rohr in his 83rd year.

 

I’m delightfully surprised I am still writing to you! God has given me more time and energy than I could ever have hoped for. Lately, I’ve been reflecting—sometimes even dreaming at night—about my time in college, my years intensely studying theology, and how earnest yet ego-driven I was to get ordained and become a priest. But I am immensely grateful for how God has used it all.

Throughout all these years I’ve tried to pass my words through three gates: “Is it true? Is it loving? Is it necessary?” Because we must be sustained by a sense of what we are for, and not just what we are against. The contemplative path isn’t primarily about learning—it’s about living. Through contemplation, we begin to see differently, to love more deeply, and to act with courage. Spreading this message seems to be needed now more than ever, and with your support, that is exactly what we will do. (Rohr, n.d.)

We contemplate the tripod of piety, study, and action that is presented by the texts today and seek the guidance of the Spirit as we support the understanding and well being of the people in our environment. 

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 29, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/4?32 

John, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 29, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/3?7 

Meditation on Acts 4:32-37. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 29, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/04/29/1264642/ 

Psalms, PSALM 93 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved April 29, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/93?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). A Special Note. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 29, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-special-note-from-fr-richard-ripples-of-loving-action/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 29, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=apr29 

Slocombe, M. (2025, April 29). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved April 29, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/042925.html 

The Father’s Word

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.

Church of Saint Catherine of Siena

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