Learning to Love

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today remind us to approach our understanding of our faith from a position of humble openness to deeper revelation of our role and understanding of the Life of Love.

Learning Our Way

In the Reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Apollos appears as a preacher.

* [18:24, 25] Apollos appears as a preacher who knows the teaching of Jesus in the context of John’s baptism of repentance. Aquila and Priscilla instruct him more fully. He is referred to in 1 Cor 1:12; 3:5–6, 22.

* [18:26] The Way [of God]: for the Way, see note on Acts 9:2. Other manuscripts here read “the Way of the Lord,” “the word of the Lord,” or simply “the Way.” (Acts, ACTS OF THE APOSTLES | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 47 acknowledges the universal rule of Israel’s God.

* [Psalm 47] A hymn calling on the nations to acknowledge the universal rule of Israel’s God (Ps 47:2–5) who is enthroned as king over Israel and the nations (Ps 47:6–9). (Psalm 47, PSALMS | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John proclaims the connection of Jesus to the Father in addressing our needs.

* [16:25] See note on Jn 10:6. Here, possibly a reference to Jn 15:1–16 or Jn 16:21. (John, JOHN | USCCB, n.d.)

Angela Maynard reflects on a time when she asked God for something for a friend and her prayers were answered—resulting in complete joy. 

She had the biggest smile on her face and told me that she was given the opportunity to pick up 16 hours/week in another department. She will be able to continue her work through retirement and maintain her insurance benefits at a place that is affordable for her family. I told her how happy I was for her. I am truly thrilled because the department she will be working in exudes joy! She will be an incredible asset to the individuals served there and her heart will be so full! She agreed. I let her know that I had been praying for her and she told me this had to be a “God thing.” She said she was so worried and she had to give it to God and trust in the prayers she knew were being offered for her. She is grateful for the prayers and I must say, my faith got a nice boost today! (Maynard, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Offer prayers in Christ's name,” by Cyril of Alexandria, 376-444 A.D.

"He urges the disciples to seek for spiritual gifts and at the same time gives them confidence that, if they ask for them, they will not fail to obtain them. He adds the word Amen, that he might confirm their belief that if they ask the Father for anything they would receive it from him. He would act as their mediator and make known their request and, being one with the Father, grant it. For this is what he means by 'in my name'. For we cannot draw near to God the Father in any other way than through the Son. For it is by him that we have access in the one Spirit to the Father (Ephesians 2:8). It was because of this that he said, 'I am the door. I am the way. No one comes to the Father but by me' (John 10:7; 14:6). For as the Son is God, he being one with the Father provides good things for his sanctified people and is found to be generous of his wealth to us... Let us then offer our prayers in Christ's name. For in this way, the Father will most readily consent to them and grant his graces to those who seek them, that receiving them we may rejoice." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 11.2) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Acts 18:23-28 comments that Apollos’ story tells us that it is no lasting shame to find out we are mistaken. There is always so much more to learn! We may have been trying our best to follow Jesus, but perhaps we didn’t fully understand an important point of doctrine. But that should never keep us from seeking greater understanding, and it certainly shouldn’t keep us from trying to serve the Lord!

So let’s rejoice that God looks on us with love before, during, and after these teaching moments. Rather than letting the gloom or embarrassment of our missteps push us to hide from God or withdraw from the people around us, let’s respond with gratitude for his light and clarity, and set out to follow him anew.

“Jesus, gentle and humble of heart, please keep teaching me your ways!” (Meditation on Acts 18:23-28, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Paul has travelled to Antioch where he encounters Apollos and he used his knowledge to proclaim Jesus fulfills the promise of the Hebrew Testament. Apollos had to be taught about Christian baptism and when instructed, he continued to refute the Jews in public. The language and vocabulary of the Letter to the Hebrews are different from that of Paul and some scholars suggest that Apollos is possibly the author of Hebrews. He is connected to the Hebrew Testament and Alexandria to support the theory about the author. The Gospel of John proclaims if we ask in His name, the Father will grant it. We are not slaves but friends. Friar Jude comments that God will give what we most need, not what we most want. We are protected from things we may want but do not need for the risk of harm they may contain.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces the sixth season of Turning to the Mystics, where James Finley explores the teachings of Julian of Norwich. 

We know that the wind blows across the surface of the water and the waves rise and fall. We live our daily lives on the surface of the water, the fluctuating patterns of our conditioned states of consciousness, and the constantly shifting patterns of our day-to-day conditions, whatever they might be. As we get into living an interior or contemplative life, we dive beneath the surface of the water. We come to calmer places in the interiority of ourselves where God is with us in the midst of life. Our life of service still goes on. What happens, happens, but we learn to be grounded in a depth of divine presence that sustains us and is one with us in all that’s happening. (Rohr, n.d.)

We contemplate our relationship with Father and Son and offer thanksgiving for the Spirit who enkindles in our heart the fire of Divine Love that inspires our action.

References

Acts, ACTS OF THE APOSTLES | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved May 16, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/18?23 

John, JOHN | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved May 16, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/16?23 

Maynard, A. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved May 16, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-may-16-2026 

Meditation on Acts 18:23-28. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved May 16, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/05/16/1568661/ 

Psalm 47, PSALMS | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved May 16, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/47?2 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Julian of Norwich: A Universal Mystic: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved May 16, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/julian-of-norwich-a-universal-mystic-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Ask in Jesus' Name, That Your Joy May Be Full. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 16, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

A Cornerstone of Faith and Works

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to be open to the path of faith and works in Jesus Way as our mission of “diakonia” in the many dwellings of the Father.

Faith Works and Full Life

The Reading from the Acts of the Apostles presents The Need for Assistants.

* [6:1–7] The Hellenists…the Hebrews: the Hellenists were not necessarily Jews from the diaspora, but were more probably Palestinian Jews who spoke only Greek. The Hebrews were Palestinian Jews who spoke Hebrew or Aramaic and who may also have spoken Greek. Both groups belong to the Jerusalem Jewish Christian community. The conflict between them leads to a restructuring of the community that will better serve the community’s needs. The real purpose of the whole episode, however, is to introduce Stephen as a prominent figure in the community whose long speech and martyrdom will be recounted in Acts 7.

* [6:2–4] The essential function of the Twelve is the “service of the word,” including development of the kerygma by formulation of the teachings of Jesus.

* [6:2] To serve at table: some commentators think that it is not the serving of food that is described here but rather the keeping of the accounts that recorded the distribution of food to the needy members of the community. In any case, after Stephen and the others are chosen, they are never presented carrying out the task for which they were appointed (Acts 6:2–3). Rather, two of their number, Stephen and Philip, are presented as preachers of the Christian message. They, the Hellenist counterpart of the Twelve, are active in the ministry of the word.

* [6:6] They…laid hands on them: the customary Jewish way of designating persons for a task and invoking upon them the divine blessing and power to perform it. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 33 invites the just to Praise God.

* [Psalm 33] A hymn in which the just are invited (Ps 33:1–3) to praise God, who by a mere word (Ps 33:4–5) created the three-tiered universe of the heavens, the cosmic waters, and the earth (Ps 33:6–9). Human words, in contrast, effect nothing (Ps 33:10–11). The greatness of human beings consists in God’s choosing them as a special people and their faithful response (Ps 33:12–22). (Psalms, PSALM 33 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Reading from the First Letter of Peter presents God’s House and People.

* [2:4–8] Christ is the cornerstone (cf. Is 28:16) that is the foundation of the spiritual edifice of the Christian community (1 Pt 2:5). To unbelievers, Christ is an obstacle and a stumbling block on which they are destined to fall (1 Pt 2:8); cf. Rom 11:11.

* [2:5] Let yourselves be built: the form of the Greek word could also be indicative passive, “you are being built” (cf. 2 Pt 2:9).

* [2:9–10] The prerogatives of ancient Israel mentioned here are now more fully and fittingly applied to the Christian people: “a chosen race” (cf. Is 43:20–21) indicates their divine election (Eph 1:4–6); “a royal priesthood” (cf. Ex 19:6) to serve and worship God in Christ, thus continuing the priestly functions of his life, passion, and resurrection; “a holy nation” (Ex 19:6) reserved for God, a people he claims for his own (cf. Mal 3:17) in virtue of their baptism into his death and resurrection. This transcends all natural and national divisions and unites the people into one community to glorify the one who led them from the darkness of paganism to the light of faith in Christ. From being “no people” deprived of all mercy, they have become the very people of God, the chosen recipients of his mercy (cf. Hos 1:9; 2:23). (1 Peter, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John continues to present the Last Supper Discourses.

* [14:1–31] Jesus’ departure and return. This section is a dialogue marked off by a literary inclusion in Jn 14:1, 27: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

* [14:1] You have faith: could also be imperative: “Have faith.”

* [14:3] Come back again: a rare Johannine reference to the parousia; cf. 1 Jn 2:28.

* [14:4] The way: here, of Jesus himself; also a designation of Christianity in Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22.

* [14:6] The truth: in John, the divinely revealed reality of the Father manifested in the person and works of Jesus. The possession of truth confers knowledge and liberation from sin (Jn 8:32).

* [14:7] An alternative reading, “If you knew me, then you would have known my Father also,” would be a rebuke, as in Jn 8:19.

* [14:8] Show us the Father: Philip is pictured asking for a theophany like Ex 24:9–10; 33:18. (John, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB, n.d.)

Eileen Wirth comments that the passage from Acts reminds us that the early Christians had their flaws and squabbled with each other just like we do.She is actually a little surprised that they didn’t turn serving dinner over to the community’s women.

I also think about the prayer/service conundrum that this passage highlights. Isn’t humble service a form of prayer? I think of saints like Mother Teresa working in the slums of Calcutta and the pre-papal pictures of Pope Leo donning rubber boots to aid flood victims in Peru. Prayer and service seem inexorably linked, rather than being an either/or choice.

But we don’t have to go to India or Peru to find people who linked the two. We all have our own local role models. One of mine is the late John Schlegel S.J., who not only served as president of Creighton but spent many evenings inconspicuously serving dinner to the homeless at Siena-Francis House. I suspect this work inspired him to create the University’s day of service to the homeless that brought hundreds to the campus for health checks, job assistance and other aid. (Wirth, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The Father Works Together with the Son,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"The Father was not born of the Virgin, and yet this birth of the Son from the Virgin was the work of both Father and Son. The Father did not suffer on the cross, and yet the passion of the Son was the work of both Father and Son. The Father did not rise again from the dead, and yet the resurrection of the Son was the work of both Father and Son. You have the persons quite distinct, and their working inseparable. So let us never say that the Father worked anything without the Son, the Son anything without the Father. Or perhaps you are worried about the miracles Jesus did, in case perhaps he did some that the Father did not do? Then what about 'But the Father abiding in me does his works'?" (excerpt from Sermon 52,14) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 14:1-12 comments that Jesus’ words “Where I am you also may be” (John 14:3) can be reassuring for us as well. He promises to be with each of us always. He dwells in us through Baptism. He comes to us under the appearance of bread and wine in the Eucharist. He is with us through his Holy Spirit. And he is preparing a dwelling place for us, too, in his Father’s house.

This is the good news: Jesus is always present to you—both now and forever in eternity. Whatever trials you may experience, you never have to feel alone or abandoned. You can call on him for his guidance, his wisdom, and his mercy at any moment of the day or night.

So “do not let your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1). The One who died and rose for you will never let you go. Even when you can’t sense his presence, know that he is with you. He is interceding for you with the Father. Even now, he is preparing a dwelling place for you, a place so wonderful that it’s beyond anything you could ever imagine!

“Jesus, I praise you for your constant presence in my life!” (Meditation on John 14:1-12, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Acts presents the episode where the Apostles are told that widows and orphans are being ignored. The word “diakonia” is a Greek noun meaning "service," "ministry," or "relief," and it occurs in the choice of the first seven deacons. The Apostles lay their hands on them to ordain them to govern through the action of the Holy Spirit. In the Last Supper Discourses, in the Gospel of John, Jesus is the living stone and the people are built into the house of the Lord. Jesus is the fulfillment of all the promises. The stone is a solid foundation and also a stumbling block. God has consecrated these people who are made into “Church”. In the Last Supper Discourses, Jesus shows them He is way truth and life. In the Hebrew Testament, God is “emet” that means faithful and truthful. The Life of Vitality begins in encountering Jesus. We have seen the Father in the works and words of Jesus. Friar Jude comments that Our Trinity is a community that is not split, but involves service, community, and mutual love as exists between the Father and the Son. 

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces James Finley and Mirabai Starr who describe how the Song of Songs in the Old Testament expresses the soul’s longing for God as well as God’s longing for us.

The Song of Songs is our soul’s quintessential blueprint. We often have this sense that to be born is to be separated from our source. The path of this life, then, is a path of return and homecoming—and it’s characterized in many ways by longing, yearning, and remembering in our bones that we come from Love. The desire beyond all other desires is to return to Love. That spiritual longing is often expressed or mirrored in our human relationships. I don’t see that as a problem. Our human relationships are not illusions that stand in for the real thing, the spiritual longing of our spiritual selves. Rather, our human relationships are the field on which this love dance plays out in this life.

Anyone who’s ever been smitten by love doesn’t need to explain why the Song of Songs is sacred. In other words, love’s the best thing going. It’s way up there with hummingbirds and sunsets. It’s one of God’s better ideas, because a life rich with love is a life rich with meaning. God is the infinity of love; therefore, our love for each other is an incarnate manifestation of that infinite love, which is incarnate in our love for each other.

The Song of Songs expresses this love song of the heart. The rhythms of the poet’s voice are the rhythms of love itself. The language is so poetic because it’s evocatively incarnating the nonlinear realizations of love. That’s why, when we read Scripture this way, it affects us at such a deep level. (Rohr, n.d.)

We contemplate the role of the Holy Spirit in opening the Love between Father and Son as the fuel for our service to the “widows and orphans” of our daily environment.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 3, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/6? 

John, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 3, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/14? 

Meditation on John 14:1-12. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved May 3, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/05/03/1556525/ 

1 Peter, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrie ved May 3, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1peter/2? 

Psalms, PSALM 33 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 3, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/33? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Love Song of the Soul. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved May 3, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/love-song-of-the-soul/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Lord, Show Us the Father. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 3, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Wirth, E. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton On line Ministries. Retrieved May 3, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-may-3-2026 

Triduum Passion and Love

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary, today, in the second part of the Triduum, Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion, invite us to be present with Jesus as the Christian community gathers to contemplate the love of God proclaimed on the Cross.

Shared Passion and Love

The reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah presents the fourth oracle of the Suffering Servant.

* [52:13–53:12] The last of the “servant of the Lord” oracles (see note on 42:1–4). Taken together, these oracles depict a figure of one called by God for a vocation to Israel and the nations (42:4; 49:5–6); the servant’s exaltation both opens and closes the passage (52:13; 53:12). The servant responded in fidelity but has suffered opposition (50:4–6). In this fourth oracle the servant is characterized as “a man of suffering” (53:3) and appears to be unjustly put to death (53:8–9). Those who have witnessed his career somehow recognize that he is innocent, has undergone suffering for their sins (53:4–6), and his death is referred to as a reparation offering (see note on 53:10–11). The servant is described in ways that identify him with Israel (which is frequently referred to as “servant” in the context of Second Isaiah—e.g., 41:8, 9; 44:2, 21; 43:4) and is designated as “Israel” in 49:3; yet Israel outside the “servant of the Lord” oracles is not presented as sinless, but rather in exile because of sin (40:2; 42:21–25) and even as servant as deaf and blind (42:18–19). The servant is thus both identified with Israel and distinguished from it. As with the previous servant poems, this chapter helped the followers of Jesus to interpret his suffering, death, and resurrection; see especially the passion narratives. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 52 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 31 is a prayer and Praise for Deliverance from Enemies.

* [Psalm 31] A lament (Ps 31:2–19) with a strong emphasis on trust (Ps 31:4, 6, 15–16), ending with an anticipatory thanksgiving (Ps 31:20–24). As is usual in laments, the affliction is couched in general terms. The psalmist feels overwhelmed by evil people but trusts in the “God of truth” (Ps 31:6). (Psalms, PSALM 31 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the reading from the Letter to the Hebrews, Jesus is proclaimed the Great High Priest.

* [4:14–16] These verses, which return to the theme first sounded in Heb 2:16–3:1, serve as an introduction to the section that follows. The author here alone calls Jesus a great high priest (Heb 4:14), a designation used by Philo for the Logos; perhaps he does so in order to emphasize Jesus’ superiority over the Jewish high priest. He has been tested in every way, yet without sin (Heb 4:15); this indicates an acquaintance with the tradition of Jesus’ temptations, not only at the beginning (as in Mk 1:13) but throughout his public life (cf. Lk 22:28). Although the reign of the exalted Jesus is a theme that occurs elsewhere in Hebrews, and Jesus’ throne is mentioned in Heb 1:8, the throne of grace (Heb 4:16) refers to the throne of God. The similarity of Heb 4:16 to Heb 10:19–22 indicates that the author is thinking of our confident access to God, made possible by the priestly work of Jesus. (Hebrews, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John presents the Passion Narrative from The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus to the Burial of Jesus.

* [19:14] Noon: Mk 15:25 has Jesus crucified “at the third hour,” which means either 9 A.M. or the period from 9 to 12. Noon, the time when, according to John, Jesus was sentenced to death, was the hour at which the priests began to slaughter Passover lambs in the temple; see Jn 1:29.

* [19:16] He handed him over to them to be crucified: in context this would seem to mean “handed him over to the chief priests.” Lk 23:25 has a similar ambiguity. There is a polemic tendency in the gospels to place the guilt of the crucifixion on the Jewish authorities and to exonerate the Romans from blame. But John later mentions the Roman soldiers (Jn 19:23), and it was to these soldiers that Pilate handed Jesus over.

* [19:17] Carrying the cross himself: a different picture from that of the synoptics, especially Lk 23:26 where Simon of Cyrene is made to carry the cross, walking behind Jesus. In John’s theology, Jesus remained in complete control and master of his destiny (cf. Jn 10:18). Place of the Skull: the Latin word for skull is Calvaria; hence “Calvary.” Golgotha is actually an Aramaic rather than a Hebrew word. (John, CHAPTER 19 | USCCB, n.d.)

Thomas Kelly, Ph.D., Professor of Theology and Director of the Christian Spirituality Program at Creighton University, shares a reflection.

Don Schwager quotes quotes from a commentary “It Is Finished”

The Word Among Us offers a Meditation on Isaiah 52:13–53:12

Friar Jude Winkler offers some comments.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces “Jesus Forgives”