Teaching about Life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to be open to being led by the Spirit to encounters that reveal truth and goodness at the core of our life experience.

Led by the Spirit

In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Philip teaches the Ethiopian Eunuch.

* [8:26–40] In the account of the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch, Luke adduces additional evidence to show that the spread of Christianity outside the confines of Judaism itself was in accord with the plan of God. He does not make clear whether the Ethiopian was originally a convert to Judaism or, as is more probable, a “God-fearer” (Acts 10:1), i.e., one who accepted Jewish monotheism and ethic and attended the synagogue but did not consider himself bound by other regulations such as circumcision and observance of the dietary laws. The story of his conversion to Christianity is given a strong supernatural cast by the introduction of an angel (Acts 8:26), instruction from the holy Spirit (Acts 8:29), and the strange removal of Philip from the scene (8:39).

* [8:27] The Candace: Candace is not a proper name here but the title of a Nubian queen.

* [8:30–34] Philip is brought alongside the carriage at the very moment when the Ethiopian is pondering the meaning of Is 53:7–8, a passage that Christianity, from its earliest origins, has applied to Jesus; cf. note on Acts 3:13.

* [8:37] The oldest and best manuscripts of Acts omit this verse, which is a Western text reading: “And Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he said in reply, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’” (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 66 offers praise for God’s Goodness to Israel.

* [Psalm 66] In the first part (Ps 66:1–12), the community praises God for powerful acts for Israel, both in the past (the exodus from Egypt and the entry into the land [Ps 66:6]) and in the present (deliverance from a recent but unspecified calamity [Ps 66:8–12]). In the second part (Ps 66:13–20), an individual from the rescued community fulfills a vow to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving. As often in thanksgivings, the rescued person steps forward to teach the community what God has done (Ps 66:16–20). (Psalms, PSALM 66 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of John, Jesus declares He is the Bread of Life.

* [6:35–59] Up to Jn 6:50 “bread of life” is a figure for God’s revelation in Jesus; in Jn 6:51–58, the eucharistic theme comes to the fore. There may thus be a break between Jn 6:50–51. (John, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

Mike Cherney wrestles with the questions and uncertainty that this season brings to him, and is  moved to pray a refection from Thomas Merton. 

“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.”

Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1958) pg. 79 (Cherney, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Studying the Scriptures with humility,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"My ambition as a youth was to apply to the study of the Holy Scriptures all the refinement of dialectics. I did so, but without the humility of the true searcher. I was supposed to knock at the door so that it would open for me. Instead I was pushing it closed, trying to understand in pride what is only learned in humility. However, the all-merciful Lord lifted me up and kept me safe." (excerpt from Sermon 51,6) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Acts 8:26-40 comments that the best way to learn to hear the Spirit’s voice is to try responding when you do feel a nudge. That’s likely what the first believers did.

Maybe the Spirit is telling you to open your Bible. Maybe he is telling you to contact someone who could use your help or inspiring you to a different work of mercy. It all starts with taking that first step. That’s what the entire Book of Acts is about. Because the first believers obeyed the voice of the Spirit, word spread about the transforming power of Jesus’ death and resurrection throughout the known world.

It just goes to show, you never know what can happen if, like Philip, you listen and obey!

“Lord, I want to listen for—and obey—your voice today!” (Meditation on Acts 8:26-40, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes the role of the Spirit in the encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch that features explanation of the Song of the Suffering Servant in Deutero Isaiah and Baptism of the eunuch. The Holy Spirit guides the growth of the Church. Friar Jude reminds us of the connection of the Real Presence in the Bread of Life Discourse to the Word became flesh in the Prologue of John’s Gospel.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Mirabai Starr who considers the leap of faith required to accept the invitation to creativity.

A miraculous event unfolds when we throw the lead of our personal story into the transformative flames of creativity. Our hardship is transmuted into something golden. With that gold we heal ourselves and redeem the world. As with any spiritual practice, this creative alchemy requires a leap of faith. When we show up to make art, we need to first get still enough to hear what wants to be expressed through us, and then we need to step out of the way and let it. We must be willing to abide in a space of not knowing before we can settle into knowing. Such a space is sacred. It is liminal, and it’s numinous. It is frightening and enlivening. It demands no less than everything, and it gives back tenfold…. The thing is to allow ourselves to become a vessel for a work of art to come through and allow that work to guide our hands. Once we do, we are assenting to a sacred adventure. We are saying yes to the transcendent and embodied presence of the holy. [1] (Rohr, n.d.)

We ponder the events on our journey where a “leap of faith” led to new life experience and gratitude for the nudges of the Spirit.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/8?26 

Cherney, M. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/041824.html 

John, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/6?44 

Meditation on Acts 8:26-40. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/04/18/938669/ 

Psalms, PSALM 66 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/66?8 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). A Sacred Conversation. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-sacred-conversation/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). If Anyone Eats of This Bread, He Will Live for Ever. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=apr18 

Baptized into Life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with our inner desire to understand the deepest meaning of our life and relationship to God and others.

Baptism and New Life

In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Philip teaches and baptizes the Ethiopian Eunuch.

* [8:26–40] In the account of the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch, Luke adduces additional evidence to show that the spread of Christianity outside the confines of Judaism itself was in accord with the plan of God. He does not make clear whether the Ethiopian was originally a convert to Judaism or, as is more probable, a “God-fearer” (Acts 10:1), i.e., one who accepted Jewish monotheism and ethic and attended the synagogue but did not consider himself bound by other regulations such as circumcision and observance of the dietary laws. The story of his conversion to Christianity is given a strong supernatural cast by the introduction of an angel (Acts 8:26), instruction from the holy Spirit (Acts 8:29), and the strange removal of Philip from the scene (8:39). (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 8, n.d.)

Psalm 66 praises God’s Goodness to Israel.

* [Psalm 66] In the first part (Ps 66:1–12), the community praises God for powerful acts for Israel, both in the past (the exodus from Egypt and the entry into the land [Ps 66:6]) and in the present (deliverance from a recent but unspecified calamity [Ps 66:8–12]). In the second part (Ps 66:13–20), an individual from the rescued community fulfills a vow to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving. As often in thanksgivings, the rescued person steps forward to teach the community what God has done (Ps 66:16–20). (Psalms, PSALM 66, n.d.)

In the Gospel of John, Jesus identifies Himself as Bread for the Life of the World.

* [6:35–59] Up to Jn 6:50 “bread of life” is a figure for God’s revelation in Jesus; in Jn 6:51–58, the eucharistic theme comes to the fore. There may thus be a break between Jn 6:50–51. (John, CHAPTER 6, n.d.)

Larry Gillick, S.J comments that God has not stopped working and intruding into our carriages and lives to bring us and the whole world, to the acceptance of Jesus as the fulfillment of our needs to see and know God.

The "Working-God" has invited us through our baptism, to enter into a way of seeing God.  We are invited to be cleansed from an arrogance which demands clarity, exactness and explanations.  This orientation allows us to preach as apostles of this later Christian community.  We preach by the deeds, attitudes and spirit which intrudes into the carriages and lives of others as they make their way through one desert or other.  He is the Bread of Life Who has given life to us that we might be bread for the lives in the carriages into which we are sent every day.  Have a holy ride. (Gillick, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Studying the Scriptures with humility,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"My ambition as a youth was to apply to the study of the Holy Scriptures all the refinement of dialectics. I did so, but without the humility of the true searcher. I was supposed to knock at the door so that it would open for me. Instead I was pushing it closed, trying to understand in pride what is only learned in humility. However, the all-merciful Lord lifted me up and kept me safe." (excerpt from Sermon 51,6) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Acts 8:26-40 comments that we may feel intimidated about sharing our faith because we think we are responsible for everything that happens afterward. We worry about how to break through obstinate hearts, how to overcome years of believing a false gospel, or how to answer every possible question anyone could think of. But that’s placing too much of the emphasis on us and forgetting how deeply God longs to touch each person with his love. The truth is, we aren’t meant to carry the load alone. God is already doing a lot of the prep work.

You will likely have a chance to witness to your faith today. Maybe the Spirit will bring to mind a relative with whom you have not been on the best of terms and lead you to seek reconciliation. You may run into an old friend who needs a word of encouragement or a neighbor who could use a helping hand. The Holy Spirit could nudge you to say something to the person next to you on the bus. Seize the opportunity to reach out. You may be surprised at how God has already opened a door for you so that your words and actions touch and change people’s hearts!

“Lord, open my eyes to the opportunities you will give me to share your good news today!” (Meditation on Acts 8:26-40, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler explains the status of the eunuch as a God-fearer who is restricted by Jewish tradition from worship in the Temple. Philip discusses the Song of the Suffering Servant from Isaiah as referring to Jesus. Friar Jude compares the use of the Hebrew word for flesh, sarx, in the Gospel of John and the letters of Paul.

Peter Edmonds SJ takes us through chapter 6 of John’s Gospel, in which Jesus speaks of himself as ‘the bread of life’ and explains how it functions as a homily, referring to and weaving together a rich assortment of Scriptural texts.

The third scriptural quotation is from the Prophets. During the exile in Babylon, Isaiah looked forward to the time when God himself would teach his people: ‘All your children shall be taught by the Lord.’ (Isaiah 54:13) This time, Jesus says, has now come, through the revelation that he gives as the bread from heaven. The references to ‘being taught’, to ‘hearing’ and ‘learning’, stress the revelatory nature of the bread from heaven. Another ‘Very truly…’ (6:47) saying sums up: the way to life is to come to Jesus (to ‘eat’ of Jesus) and find the true wisdom to hear and believe the revelation that Jesus embodies. Jesus is the one who makes God known. We learnt this at the end of the prologue (1:18) and will be reminded of it during the Passion story by Jesus’s words to Annas: ‘I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret.’ (18:20-21) (Edmonds, 2021)

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, calls for contemplative prayer to teach us the “art of detachment.” He stresses that in such prayer we don’t deny our feelings, but simply let go of their ultimacy.

To any of us comfortable people, detachment sounds like losing, but it is actually about accessing a deeper, broader sense of the self, which is already whole, already content, already filled with abundant life. This is the part of us that has always loved God and has always said “yes” to God. It’s the part of us that is Love, and all we have to do is let go and fall into it. It’s already there. Once we move our identity to that level of deep inner contentment and compassion, we realize that we’re drawing upon a Life that is larger than our own and from a deeper Abundance. Once we learn to do that, why would we ever again settle for some scarcity model for life? [2]

  

God is already present. God’s Spirit is dwelling within us. We cannot search for what we already have. We cannot talk God into coming “to” us by longer and more urgent prayers. All we can do is become quieter, smaller, and less filled with our own self and our constant flurry of ideas and feelings. Then God will be obvious in the very now of things, and in the simplicity of things. To sum it all up, we can never get there, we can only be there. [3] (Rohr, 2023)

 In the events of daily life, the Spirit presents opportunities to apprend the “Kingdom of God” and share our revelation with our companions on the journey.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 8. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/8?26 

Edmonds, P. (2021, August 5). The bread of life: John 6. Thinking Faith. Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/bread-life-john-6 

Gillick, L. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/042723.html 

John, CHAPTER 6. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/6? 

Meditation on Acts 8:26-40. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/04/27/667282/ 

Psalms, PSALM 66. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/66?8 

Rohr, R. (2023, April 27). The Art of Detachment — Center for Action and Contemplation. Daily Meditations Archive: 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-art-of-detachment-2023-04-27/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture net. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=apr27