Serving Peace

 

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to meditate on the events in our lives that have brought peace and to contemplate our actions in the service of peace.

Peaceful waters

 

The reading from the Acts of the Apostles relates that seven disciples were chosen to serve.

 

* [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.1

Psalm 33 praises the greatness and goodness of 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).2

In the Gospel of John, Jesus walks on the water as He brings peace to the disciples.

 

* [6:16–21] The fifth sign is a nature miracle, portraying Jesus sharing Yahweh’s power. Cf. the parallel stories following the multiplication of the loaves in Mk 6:45–52 and Mt 14:22–33.3

Mike Cherney shares that John’s version brings to mind his experience of the world in the last 12 months, a turbulent ride from which (perhaps) we are finally emerging safely on the other side.

 

Dear Lord,

I pray for trust in you even in the midst of the storm.

We are hopefully nearing the end of a period unlike the others in our lives.

I regularly encounter conflicting narratives of the situation at hand.

I want to trust but I am nagged by doubts.

I am reminded of the apostles’ failure to trust.

I find some consolation in the faith of the early Church.

I recall the strength that the Spirit brought to that community.

I ask for love and your grace in preparation for the time of Pentecost.I desire a heart that is open and the fortitude to live up to my potential.4

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

 

"God sent the human race a physician, a savior, One Who healed without charging a fee. Christ also came to reward those who would be healed by Him. Christ heals the sick, and He makes a gift to those whom He heals. And the gift that He makes is Himself!" (excerpt from Sermon 102,2)5

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 6:16-21 comments that the storm-tossed disciples learned that Jesus is not limited by his physical absence, and we need to trust that as well. We are always in his mind and in his heart. He sees our struggles, and he continues to hold us close and to intercede for us before his Father.

 If you have concerns for yourself or a loved one, take heart. Remember the disciples in the boat. Commit to memory this line from today’s responsorial psalm: “The eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness” (33:18). He sees you. He has you in the palm of his hand. And he will act at just the right time. “Jesus, help me to believe and trust that you will never take your eyes off of me.”6

Friar Jude Winkler discusses the racial injustice to Hellenists that prompted the anointing of deacons for service to the community. A heresy mentioned in Revelations is not connected to the Nicolas in Acts, but to the Gnostics. Friar Jude connects the Gospel text to Psalm 23 and the completion of the episode of the loaves and fishes.

 

A post from Franciscan Media reflects on the life of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha. The Church in Canada celebrates her memorial today.

 

We like to think that our proposed holiness is thwarted by our situation. If only we could have more solitude, less opposition, better health. Kateri Tekakwitha repeats the example of the saints: Holiness thrives on the cross, anywhere. Yet she did have what Christians—all people—need: the support of a community. She had a good mother, helpful priests, Christian friends. These were present in what we call primitive conditions, and blossomed in the age-old Christian triad of prayer, fasting and almsgiving: union with God in Jesus and the Spirit, self-discipline and often suffering, and charity for her brothers and sisters.7

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares the work of John O’Donohue (1956–2008), a modern teacher on the sacred nature of friendship, who explains how this blessing can be shared.

 

A person should always offer a prayer of graciousness for the love that has awakened in them. When you feel love for your beloved and the beloved’s love for you, now and again you should offer the warmth of your love as a blessing for those who are damaged and unloved. Send that love out into the world to people who are desperate, to those who are starving, to those who are trapped in prison, in hospitals, and into all the brutal terrains of bleak and tormented lives. When you send that love out from the bountifulness of your own love, it reaches other people. This love is the deepest power of prayer.8

Our work, with the Prince of Peace, includes calming the waters of fear when we encounter people in need on our journey.

 

References

1	(n.d.). Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. Retrieved April 17, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/6
2	(n.d.). Psalms, PSALM 33 | USCCB. Retrieved April 17, 2021, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/33
3	(n.d.). John, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. Retrieved April 17, 2021, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/6:1
4	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - Online Ministries - Creighton University. Retrieved April 17, 2021, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/041721.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 17, 2021, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
6	(2021, April 17). 2nd Week of Easter - The Word Among Us. Retrieved April 17, 2021, from https://wau.org/meditations/2021/04/17/188654/
7	(n.d.). Saint Kateri Tekakwitha | Franciscan Media. Retrieved April 17, 2021, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-kateri-tekakwitha
8	(n.d.). Friendship and Grace: Weekly Summary — Center for Action and .... Retrieved April 17, 2021, from https://cac.org/friendship-and-grace-weekly-summary-2021-04-17/

 

Completely fulfilled

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to explore complete fulfillment that we desire as individuals and communally as the Body of Christ.

Wisdom and Bread of Life

The Acts of the Apostles describes the martyrdom of St. Stephen who connects with Jesus as he dies and forgives his murderers.

* [7:57] Covered their ears: Stephen’s declaration, like that of Jesus, is a scandal to the court, which regards it as blasphemy.

In the Gospel of John, the beginning of the Bread of Life Discourse resonates with the personification of Wisdom in the Hebrew Testament.

* [6:22–71] Discourse on the bread of life; replacement of the manna. Jn 6:22–34 serve as an introduction, Jn 6:35–59 constitute the discourse proper, Jn 6:60–71 portray the reaction of the disciples and Peter’s confession.

Mary Lee Brock is grateful for this powerful reminder in this Easter season that Jesus is the bread of everlasting life.

Then Jesus captures my attention by talking about bread.  I start listening attentively and quickly realize that Jesus is not talking about bread I will have with my dinner but a different kind of bread.  This leaves me intrigued and eager to hear more. Jesus says to us, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”  Jesus is explaining to us that God sent him from heaven to give life to the world. Although in my imagination I am still in a crowd scene I feel an immediate sense of calm and well-being.

Don Schwager prays his confession of the bread of life.

"Lord Jesus Christ, you are the bread of life. You alone can satisfy the hunger in my heart. May always find in you, the true bread from heaven, the source of life and nourishment I need to sustain me on my journey to the promised land of heaven."

Friar Jude Winkler explains how Stephen defends himself before a mob court. In the early verses of the Bread of Life discourse about Wisdom Incarnate, John indicates that whatever was written about Wisdom was written about Jesus.

Eric Chabot comments on some of the Wisdom texts.

One way of looking at Jesus’ deity draws on Israel’s Wisdom literature. Israel’s Wisdom literature includes books such as Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Sirach, and the Wisdom of Solomon. Protestants do not accept Sirach and the Wisdom of Solomon as part of their canon. In examining the following texts, it can be observed there are amazing similarities. Hence, it would be hard to deny that the “high” Christology of the New Testament was not greatly influenced by Wisdom Christology. First century Jews were strongly monotheistic, so to them, the figure of Wisdom was not a second God. Wisdom is described not only as a personification of God, but as a separate person from God. Here are some of the Wisdom texts:

Today is the memorial in Canada (celebrated on July 14 in the United States) of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, given the name Tekakwitha, baptized as Catherine and informally known as Lily of the Mohawks. The reflection from Franciscan Media outlines her holiness.

We like to think that our proposed holiness is thwarted by our situation. If only we could have more solitude, less opposition, better health. Kateri Tekakwitha repeats the example of the saints: Holiness thrives on the cross, anywhere. Yet she did have what Christians—all people—need: the support of a community. She had a good mother, helpful priests, Christian friends. These were present in what we call primitive conditions, and blossomed in the age-old Christian triad of prayer, fasting and almsgiving: union with God in Jesus and the Spirit, self-discipline and often suffering, and charity for her brothers and sisters.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments on mystics as those who reconnect what has been separated and experience deep intimacy and union with God, self, and others.

How we relate to one thing is probably how we relate to everything. How we relate sexually to ourselves and others is a good teacher for how we relate to God (and how we relate to God is an indicator of how we will relate to everything else). Religion, as its root re-ligio (to “re-ligament”) indicates, is the task of putting our divided realities back together: human and divine, male and female, heaven and earth, sin and salvation, mistake and glory, matter and spirit. This is the task of every human life.

Our Christian community is called to be an example of the power of the Bread of Life to overcome separation.

References

(n.d.). Acts, chapter 7 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved April 17, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts7:71

(n.d.). John, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved April 17, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/john/6:30

(n.d.). Creighton's Online Ministries - Creighton University. Retrieved April 17, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 17, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(2011, March 23). Jesus as Wisdom Incarnate – THINKAPOLOGETICS.COM. Retrieved April 17, 2018, from https://chab123.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/jesus-as-wisdom-incarnate/

(n.d.). Saint Kateri Tekakwitha – Franciscan Media. Retrieved April 17, 2018, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-kateri-tekakwitha/

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 17, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Counter cultural inputs call us to life

Rejection and reconcilliation

The lives, preaching and example presented in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today tell of the paradox in which the Good News brings disagreement, dispute and persecution to the faithful. The persecution of the early members of the Synagogue who were followers of the Way of Jesus is described in the Book of Acts to be of sufficient intensity to cause families to be separated, people placed in prison and believers scattering from Jerusalem. The persecution of people worldwide for their religious practice continues to be a daily terror. The path of Christ which believers choose is one which for Jesus and many of the saints of the history of the Church, including SaintKateri Tekakwitha, remembered today,  has passed through suffering, rejection, persecution and death. It is marked by forgiveness and healing offered to persecutors. It is crowned by eternal intimacy with Jesus which is proclaimed in the Gospel from John today as being brought to Him and raised up to life in Him. Daily intimate contact with the Divine Jesus occurs in many ways for believers. Disagreement among Christians, ironically, about the nature of this intimacy is the ongoing scandal of our faith when it leads to the dispute, disagreement, rejection and persecution of brothers and sisters who have accepted His invitation to come to Him, be gathered up according to the Will of the Father and never be lost.