Invited to remain

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today nudge us to consider how we welcome people in the spirit of our invitation to remain as loving disciples of Jesus.

Welcome others

The reading from the Book of Acts concludes the section on the Council of Jerusalem.

* [15:13–35] Some scholars think that this apostolic decree suggested by James, the immediate leader of the Jerusalem community, derives from another historical occasion than the meeting in question. This seems to be the case if the meeting is the same as the one related in Gal 2:1–10. According to that account, nothing was imposed upon Gentile Christians in respect to Mosaic law; whereas the decree instructs Gentile Christians of mixed communities to abstain from meats sacrificed to idols and from blood-meats, and to avoid marriage within forbidden degrees of consanguinity and affinity (Lv 18), all of which practices were especially abhorrent to Jews. Luke seems to have telescoped two originally independent incidents here: the first a Jerusalem “Council” that dealt with the question of circumcision, and the second a Jerusalem decree dealing mainly with Gentile observance of dietary laws (see Acts 21:25 where Paul seems to be learning of the decree for the first time).1 

Psalm 96 is a hymn inviting all humanity to praise the glories of Israel’s God.

* [Psalm 96] A hymn inviting all humanity to praise the glories of Israel’s God (Ps 96:1–3), who is the sole God (Ps 96:4–6). To the just ruler of all belongs worship (Ps 96:7–10); even inanimate creation is to offer praise (Ps 96:11–13). This Psalm has numerous verbal and thematic contacts with Is 40–55, as does Ps 98. Another version of the Psalm is 1 Chr 16:23–33.2 

The Gospel from John continues the discourse on the union of Jesus with his disciples.

 * [15:1–16:4] Discourse on the union of Jesus with his disciples. His words become a monologue and go beyond the immediate crisis of the departure of Jesus.3

Julie Kalkowski observes that learning to see as God sees is a lifelong journey…to be able to check our all too human tendency to use different standards on how we treat others.

What is it in my life that prevents me from being able to see as God sees? Am I so insecure that I can't see someone different from me as another child of God?  Why am I not able to trust God enough to see others with the compassion they need and deserve instead of feeling fear or discomfort? Once I can figure that out, when I can "Remain in my love." as Jesus counsels his disciples in today's Gospel,  then my " joy might be complete." Which is another quandary I face. Since I know my joy will be complete, why is it so hard to remain in God's love? To follow Jesus? Some days it is so easy and others days, I don't pay attention or I am 'too busy'. 4 

Don Schwager quotes “Joy in rejoicing over us,” by Saint Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"And what else is Christ's joy in us except that he is pleased to rejoice over us? And what is this joy of ours that he says is to be made full, but our having fellowship with him?... His joy, therefore, in us is the grace he has bestowed on us, and that is also our joy. But he rejoiced over this joy even from eternity when he chose us before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). Nor can we rightly say that his joy was not full. For God's joy was never at any time imperfect. But that joy of his was not in us. For we, in whom that joy could exist, had as yet no existence. And even when our existence commenced, it began not to be in him. But in him it always was, who in the infallible truth of his own foreknowledge rejoiced that we should yet be his own. Accordingly, he had a joy over us that was already full when he rejoiced in foreknowing and foreordaining us. And there could hardly be any fear intermingling in that joy of his that might imply a possible failure in what he foreknew would be done by himself." (excerpt from TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 83.1)5 

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 15:9-11 comments that lots of people would pay a fortune for the secret to the complete joy that Jesus promises in today’s Gospel reading.

So there is a catch after all! Obedience is such a chore.
Well, not really. Instinctively, we all sense that we’re happy when we’re doing what God wants—even when it’s difficult. If nothing else, we know this from how we feel when we aren’t doing his will. Cardinal John Henry Newman made this point in one of his sermons:
“Can’t you recall, at some time or other, having done something you knew to be wrong? Don’t you remember what a piercing bitter feeling came on you afterwards? Isn’t the feeling of a bad conscience more distressing than any other?”
Why is it so distressing? Because God created us to be happy by abiding in him. So when we choose our way over his, we are going against our very nature. We are disrupting the flow of love that sustains us and gives us such joy.6 

Friar Jude Winkler describes the gathering to decide how to treat Gentiles who become followers of the Way. The account in the letter of Paul to the Galatians was written before Luke wrote Acts. Friar Jude contrasts the justification declared by Paul and the being saved of Luke. Friar Jude reminds that the freedom of the Gospel is freedom from the passions and sin that keep us from joy.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, cites the poetry of Mechthild of Magdeburg (1207–c. 1282/1294) and the writing of Protestant theologian Jürgen Moltmann to support our contemplation of the Indwelling Spirit. The image of the intimacy of mother and child was also frequently invoked by Jean Vanier in his description of our connection to the Divine.

We continually experience the Holy Spirit as both a divine counterpart to whom we call, and a divine presence in which we call—as the space we live in. There is nothing extraordinary about this. As children we experienced our mothers as both too—as a presence surrounding us and a counterpart calling us. The response to the plea for the Holy Spirit is the Spirit’s coming and remaining, its outpouring and its indwelling. . . .
The astonishing thing is that here the Holy Spirit is seen not just as a divine Person but as a divine element too. The Spirit is “sent” and “comes” like a tempest; it spreads itself out over all living things, like the waters of a flood, pervading everything. If the Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit and the special presence of God, then when God’s Spirit is poured out, “all flesh” will be deified. All mortal flesh will be filled with the eternal life of God, for what comes from God is divine and eternal like God. . .7 

Our intimate connection to Jesus is brought to consciousness especially through the Indwelling Spirit, our guide to living in accord with the will of the Father.

References

1	(n.d.). Acts, chapter 15 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved May 23, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts/15
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 96 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved May 23, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/96
3	(n.d.). John, chapter 15 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved May 23, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/15
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved May 23, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 23, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
6	(n.d.). 5th Week of Easter - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily Meditations .... Retrieved May 23, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/05/23/
7	(2019, May 23). God Outpouring — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved May 23, 2019, from https://cac.org/god-outpouring-2019-05-23/

Present for Life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of the change we see when we enter into our experience of the Presence of God.

The road to...

The reading from Acts describes Saul’s Conversion, Baptism and initial preaching in Damascus.

 * [9:1–19] This is the first of three accounts of Paul’s conversion (with Acts 22:3–16 and Acts 26:2–18) with some differences of detail owing to Luke’s use of different sources. Paul’s experience was not visionary but was precipitated by the appearance of Jesus, as he insists in 1 Cor 15:8. The words of Jesus, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” related by Luke with no variation in all three accounts, exerted a profound and lasting influence on the thought of Paul. Under the influence of this experience he gradually developed his understanding of justification by faith (see the letters to the Galatians and Romans) and of the identification of the Christian community with Jesus Christ (see 1 Cor 12:27). That Luke would narrate this conversion three times is testimony to the importance he attaches to it. This first account occurs when the word is first spread to the Gentiles. At this point, the conversion of the hero of the Gentile mission is recounted. The emphasis in the account is on Paul as a divinely chosen instrument (Acts 9:15).1

Psalm 117 calls on the nations to acknowledge God’s supremacy.

* [Psalm 117] This shortest of hymns calls on the nations to acknowledge God’s supremacy. The supremacy of Israel’s God has been demonstrated to them by the people’s secure existence, which is owed entirely to God’s gracious fidelity.2 

The Bread of Life Discourse from the Gospel of John connects to our celebration of Eucharist.

* [6:54–58] Eats: the verb used in these verses is not the classical Greek verb used of human eating, but that of animal eating: “munch,” “gnaw.” This may be part of John’s emphasis on the reality of the flesh and blood of Jesus (cf. Jn 6:55), but the same verb eventually became the ordinary verb in Greek meaning “eat.”3 

Dennis Hamm, S.J. comments the deepest issue here is that “the real presence” is about the Risen Lord. And our union with the body of the Risen Christ begins with our incorporation into his risen body that we understand as the community of the church.

Risen Lord Jesus, you are indeed our good news that we share with ‘all the world’ by enabling us to participate in your living body, even being your living body in the way that Saul of Tarsus (St. Paul) taught us to understand your real presence in this hungry world of yours, now and forever. Alleluia!4 

Don Schwager quotes “Abiding in Christ,” by Saint Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

 " Jesus recommended to us His Body and Blood in bread and wine, elements that are reduced into one out of many constituents. What is meant by eating that food and taking that drink is this: to remain in Christ and have Him remaining in us." (excerpt from Sermon on John 26,112)5

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 6:52-59 is a thank you for the Eucharist!

 “Jesus, you know that I am not perfect—I have questions, struggles, and doubts—but when I eat your Flesh and drink your Blood, I receive your very life into me, and that changes me. I give you permission to enter into my questions and struggles and to touch them with your peace and assurance.
“As I approach, Lord, I hear the words ‘The Body of Christ.’ And when I receive your Body, my soul is healed. You have the power to remove my anxiety, illness, or heaviness. I have nothing to fear because you are with me. Your Eucharistic table is the table you set before me in the presence of my enemies. As I feast, you scatter these enemies: the troubles I face in the world, my own fallen nature, my sickness and weariness.
“Jesus, I rejoice that you love to enter under the ‘roof’ of my life. You delight in me, and you come to dwell in me because I am your beloved. Heal my soul, and enable me to remain in you!6

Friar Jude Winkler explores some of the background in the first account by Luke of the conversion of Saul. The eating of flesh and blood is a difficulty to Jewish spirituality. Friar Jude declares the mystery of the Eucharist that satisfies the greatest hunger of our heart.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, observes at the Trinitarian level, God is a verb more than a noun, God is a flow more than a substance, God is an experience more than a deity sitting on a throne. And we live naturally inside that flow of love—if we do not resist it.

 The inner radiance of God started radiating at least 13.8 billion years ago. We must realize that we are the continuation of that radiance in our small segment of time on Earth. We can either allow it and let the Trinitarian Flow flow through us or we can deny it, which is to deny the divine image.
This is nothing I can prove to you. This is nothing I can make logical or rational. It can only be known experientially in the mystery of love when you surrender yourself to it, when you grant subjectivity or a blessed I-Thou relationship to every other thing—a plant, an animal, a single tree, the big blue sky, “Brother Sun, Sister Moon,” as my Father Francis of Assisi put it. The contemplative mind refuses to objectify things. It sees similarity, likeness, symbolism, communion, connection, and meaning everywhere. It becomes a fully symbolic universe. Use whatever words you want, but with this vision you will live in a fully alive and congenial universe where you can never be lonely again.7

The “body matters” is a cliche that is deeply experienced in our relationship with Jesus.

Addendum: Remembering those who found God in the body


Sister Teresa White FCJ considers the model of holiness that we find in Damien of Molokai, a Belgian saint who spent half his life in Hawaii and who is known for his ministry to the lepers.

An interesting touch in the play, in keeping with the writer’s portrayal of Damien as a ‘modern’ character, is his ecumenical outreach – though he himself would not have used that term. He sees his vocation to work among the lepers on Molokai as a ministry to all of them, whether Catholic or not. He asks the question, ‘What do you say to a dying leper, begging for the comforting sign of God’s forgiveness?8 

CBC IDEAS pays tribute to Jean Vanier with this encore presentation of documentary series by producer Philip Coulter.

"Community is a sign that love is possible in a materialistic world." Jean Vanier, who founded the l'Arche movement in 1963 for people with profound disabilities, quickly learned that "normal" people have much to learn about being human by watching those we perceive as weak. Jean Vanier died today in France at the age of 91. 9 

References

1	(n.d.). Acts, chapter 9 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved May 10, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts/9
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 117 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved May 10, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/117
3	(n.d.). John, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved May 10, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/6
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved May 10, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 10, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
6	(n.d.). Saint Damien de Veuster, Priest (Optional Memorial) - Mass Readings .... Retrieved May 10, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/05/10/
7	(n.d.). Aliveness — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved May 10, 2019, from https://cac.org/aliveness-2019-05-10/
8	(2016, October 7). Damien of Molokai | Thinking Faith: The online journal of the Jesuits in .... Retrieved May 10, 2019, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/damien-molokai
9	(n.d.). Remembering Jean Vanier: The Rabbit and the Giraffe, Part 2 - CBC.ca. Retrieved May 10, 2019, from https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/remembering-jean-vanier-the-rabbit-and-the-giraffe-part-2-1.3766420

Truth in Life shown in loving service

The precious nature of life is known to the widow