Faith and Love

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today inspire our mission to be ambassadors of Christ with faith and demonstrations of love that anticipate the New Heaven and the New Earth.

Faith and Love

Reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes the End of the First Mission

* [14:23] They appointed presbyters: the communities are given their own religious leaders by the traveling missionaries. The structure in these churches is patterned on the model of the Jerusalem community (Acts 11:30; 15:2, 5, 22; 21:18). (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 145 declares the “works of God” make God present and invite human praise.

* [Psalm 145] A hymn in acrostic form; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Acrostic poems usually do not develop ideas but consist rather of loosely connected statements. The singer invites all to praise God (Ps 145:1–3, 21). The “works of God” make God present and invite human praise (Ps 145:4–7); they climax in a confession (Ps 145:8–9). God’s mighty acts show forth divine kingship (Ps 145:10–20), a major theme in the literature of early Judaism and in Christianity. (Psalms, PSALM 145 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Reading from the Book of Revelation proclaims the New Heaven and the New Earth.

* [21:1] Sea,no more: because as home of the dragon it was doomed to disappear; cf. Jb 7:12.

* [21:2] New Jerusalem,bride: symbol of the church (Gal 4:26); see note on Rev 19:7.

* [21:3–4] Language taken from Ez 37:27; Is 25:8; 35:10; cf. Rev 7:17.

* [21:3] People: other ancient manuscripts read a plural, “peoples.”

* [21:5] The one,on the throne: God himself; cf. Rev 4:1–11. (Revelation, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of John, Jesus declares The New Commandment.

* [13:31–38] Introduction: departure and return. Terms of coming and going predominate. These verses form an introduction to the last discourse of Jesus, which extends through Jn 14–17. In it John has collected Jesus’ words to his own (Jn 13:1). There are indications that several speeches have been fused together, e.g., in Jn 14:31 and Jn 17:1.

* [13:34] I give you a new commandment: this puts Jesus on a par with Yahweh. The commandment itself is not new; cf. Lv 19:18 and the note there. (John, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)

Sara Schulte-Bukowinski asks how are we called to love?

 I am certainly not saying every individual believer should go out of their way to take dangerous personal risks. The cross may come to us if we are faithful, but we don’t have to go looking for it. We just have to be faithful. I look at those who actually feel called to love at great risk—international peacekeepers, doctors without borders, aid workers throughout the world—with profound admiration. They model something of Ruth for me, and Ruth models something of God’s incarnate love. I may need to give more thought to where and how God might be calling me to such love.

Can I love without thinking of “me and my own” first? Can I love without fear that there won’t be enough if I’m generous? Can I love without worrying about whether someone is getting something they don’t deserve? I already know someone who is: through God’s grace and faithful love, it’s me. (Schulte, 2025)

Don Schwager quotes “Love One Another as I Have Loved You Christ's love goes further than anything previous”, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"He plainly indicates the novelty involved in his command here - and the extent to which the love he enjoins here surpasses the old idea of mutual love (Deuteronomy 6:5) - by adding the words 'Even as I have loved you, you also should love one another.' ... The law of Moses mandated the necessity of loving our brothers as ourselves, yet our Lord Jesus the Christ loved us far more than he loved himself. Otherwise, he would have never descended to our humiliation from his original exaltation in the form of God and on an equality with God the Father, nor would he have undergone for our sakes the exceptional bitterness of his death in the flesh, nor have submitted to beatings from the Jews, to shame, to derision, and all his other sufferings too numerous to mention. Being rich, he would never have become poor if he had not loved us far more than he loved himself. It was indeed something new for love to go as far as that! Christ commands us to love as he did, putting neither reputation, wealth or anything else before love of our brothers and sisters. If need be, we even need to be prepared to face death for our neighbor's salvation as our Savior's blessed disciples did, as well as those who followed in their footsteps. To them the salvation of others mattered more than their own lives, and they were ready to do anything or to suffer anything to save souls that were perishing." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 9) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 13:31-35 comments that Jesus had shown his apostles what love looks like. He was infinitely patient with their weak faith and their misunderstanding of him. He was constantly urging them to receive his Father’s mercy so that they could show mercy to one another. And now he would go so far as to offer his own life on the cross to set them free. This is how he loved them: by laying down his life for them. And this is how he wants us to love each other: in tangible ways, by pouring ourselves out in love for each other.

Jesus is no longer with us in the same way that he was with his apostles. But he is with us through the gift of his Spirit, through our brothers and sisters in Christ, and through his presence in the Eucharist. He is still with us to shower his love on us and to help us love one another in return. So let’s turn to him and receive that love. Let’s fulfill his new commandment!

“Jesus, thank you for your love! Lord, teach me to love the people around me as you have loved me.” (Meditation: John 13:31-35, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler  notes the presentation in Acts indicates the need to accept necessary hardships as Christians who may suffer rejection and yet continue to give forgiveness. Revelation proclaims a New Heaven and a New Earth and indicates a transformation where we are not disembodied spirits. Friar Jude reminds us of the new definition of glory in John’s Gospel that is the Love of God demonstrated by Jesus' total love on the Cross.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, offered a teaching philosophy in CAC’s Living School that our personal experience is the filter through which we understand both Christian Scripture and Tradition.

No matter the religion or denomination in which we are raised, our spirituality still comes through the first filter of our own life experience. We must begin to be honest about this instead of pretending that any of us are formed exclusively by scriptures or our churches or religious traditions. There is no such thing as an entirely unbiased position. The best we can do is own and be honest about our own filters. God allows and invites us to trust our own experience. Then Scripture and Tradition hopefully keep our personal experiences both critical and compassionate. These three components—Scripture, Tradition, and experience—make up the three wheels of what we at the CAC call the learning “tricycle” of spiritual growth. [1]  (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the inspiration of the Spirit as we work to make the vision of Revelation real through our acceptance to live Jesus Commandment to “love one another”.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 18, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/14?21 

John, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 18, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/13?31 

Meditation: John 13:31-35. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved May 18, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/05/18/1279872/ 

Psalms, PSALM 145 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 18, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/145?8 

Revelation, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 18, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/revelation/21?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Honoring Three Wheels of Wisdom. Retrieved May 18, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/honoring-three-wheels-of-wisdom/ 

Schulte, S. (2025, May 18). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved May 18, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/051825.html 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Love One Another as I Have Loved You. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 18, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=may18 

Truth and Our Questions

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today anchor our faith in the truths proclaimed to us through the action of the Spirit.

Spirit of Truth and Love

In the reading from the First Letter of John, a New Commandment is proclaimed.

* [2:3–6] The way we may be sure: to those who claim, “I have known Christ and therefore I know him,” our author insists on not mere intellectual knowledge but obedience to God’s commandments in a life conformed to the example of Christ; this confirms our knowledge of him and is the love of God…perfected. Disparity between moral life and the commandments proves improper belief.

* [2:7–11] The author expresses the continuity and freshness of mutual charity in Christian experience. Through Christ the commandment of love has become the light defeating the darkness of evil in a new age. All hatred as darkness is incompatible with the light and Christian life. Note also the characteristic Johannine polemic in which a positive assertion is emphasized by the negative statement of its opposite. (1 John, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 96 offers praise to God Who Comes in Judgement.

* [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. (Psalms, PSALM 96 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus Is Presented in the Temple.

* [2:22–40] The presentation of Jesus in the temple depicts the parents of Jesus as devout Jews, faithful observers of the law of the Lord (Lk 2:23–24, 39), i.e., the law of Moses. In this respect, they are described in a fashion similar to the parents of John (Lk 1:6) and Simeon (Lk 2:25) and Anna (Lk 2:36–37).

* [2:22] Their purification: syntactically, their must refer to Mary and Joseph, even though the Mosaic law never mentions the purification of the husband. Recognizing the problem, some Western scribes have altered the text to read “his purification,” understanding the presentation of Jesus in the temple as a form of purification; the Vulgate version has a Latin form that could be either “his” or “her.” According to the Mosaic law (Lv 12:2–8), the woman who gives birth to a boy is unable for forty days to touch anything sacred or to enter the temple area by reason of her legal impurity. At the end of this period she is required to offer a year-old lamb as a burnt offering and a turtledove or young pigeon as an expiation of sin. The woman who could not afford a lamb offered instead two turtledoves or two young pigeons, as Mary does here. They took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord: as the firstborn son (Lk 2:7) Jesus was consecrated to the Lord as the law required (Ex 13:2, 12), but there was no requirement that this be done at the temple. The concept of a presentation at the temple is probably derived from 1 Sm 1:24–28, where Hannah offers the child Samuel for sanctuary services. The law further stipulated (Nm 3:47–48) that the firstborn son should be redeemed by the parents through their payment of five shekels to a member of a priestly family. About this legal requirement Luke is silent.

* [2:25] Awaiting the consolation of Israel: Simeon here and later Anna who speak about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem represent the hopes and expectations of faithful and devout Jews who at this time were looking forward to the restoration of God’s rule in Israel. The birth of Jesus brings these hopes to fulfillment.

* [2:35] (And you yourself a sword will pierce): Mary herself will not be untouched by the various reactions to the role of Jesus (Lk 2:34). Her blessedness as mother of the Lord will be challenged by her son who describes true blessedness as “hearing the word of God and observing it” (Lk 11:27–28 and Lk 8:20–21). (Luke, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

Mike Cherney asks what did Mary and Joseph know about their Son? The Gospel says, “The Child's father and mother were amazed at what was said about Him” in conjunction with Simeon’s comments. Were Jesus’ parents fully aware of who He was, or did they too need to grow in this knowledge? 

My prayer today focuses on the present.     

Dear Lord,
So much of my life has been spent living in the future or living in the past.
Allow me to live fully in the present, experiencing and growing in knowledge.
Help me to direct my attention to the here and now.
Assist me in being more aware of Your many gifts that surround me.
Let me sing a new song with praise and gratitude.
Guide me with the use of my time acting in Your service.
Grant me the strength and awareness to practice what I preach. (Cherney, 2023)

Don Schwager quotes “Simeon and Anna represent both sexes awaiting their Redeemer”, by Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.

"Simeon and Anna, a man and a woman of advanced age, greeted the Lord with the devoted services of their professions of faith. As they saw him, he was small in body, but they understood him to be great in his divinity. Figuratively speaking, this denotes the synagogue, the Jewish people, who, wearied by the long awaiting of his incarnation, were ready with both their arms (their pious actions) and their voices (their unfeigned faith) to exalt and magnify him as soon as he came. They were ready to acclaim him and say, 'Direct me in your truth and teach me, for you are my saving God, and for you I have waited all the day' (Psalm 25:5). What needs to be mentioned, too, is that deservedly both sexes hurried to meet him, offering congratulations, since he appeared as the Redeemer of both." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPELS 1.18) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 2:22-35 asks us to stretch out our arms and let Mary place Jesus in them.

Treasure the Messiah, the hope of your people, whom you are holding in your own arms. Let him move your heart to respond and to offer your life to him!

“Jesus, I am so grateful that you set aside your heavenly power and glory to become a vulnerable child I can hold in my arms! Thank you for the unconditional love that has brought you so very close to me.” (Meditation on Luke 2:22-35, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes how the emphasis on keeping the commandments in the Letters of John is different from the Gospel of John in which Love of Jesus is the commandment.The Holy Family goes up to the Temple for the purification rite for the mother and the Redemption rite of the first born male. Friar Jude reminds us of the difficulty of the the young Jewish girl to discern the mission of Jesus.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, reminds us of the loving heart of the prophets.

We need the wisdom of a “full prophet,” one who can love and yet criticize, one who can speak their words of correction out of an experience of gratitude, not anger. We have to pray to God to teach us that. I don’t know how else we learn it. We can’t learn it in our minds rationally. God has to soothe our angry hearts and spirits. God has to allow us to come to a place of freedom, a place of peace, and a place of fullness before we can speak as a prophet. [1]

A prophet must hold on to the truth of their anger, especially as it is directed toward injustice—but the danger of the anger is that when we let it control us, we’re not a help anymore. That’s why we have so many false prophets in America and in the world today. They are so angry. I want to sit there and say, “I agree with you. That situation deserves anger, but you’re not a good messenger because you’re only making me more angry. You’re feeding your anger by letting it become your ego.” Of course, in my early life that was me. I think what we see in the Hebrew prophets is autobiographical. My early social justice sermons at New Jerusalem just edged people out of the room. I’m sure many of them thought, “I don’t think we want to hear Richard today. He’s on one of his tirades.” They saw me at my angriest when I had just come back from Latin America and Africa. Anger is usually a necessary starting place, but it is never the full message. [2]

That’s why I always go back to prayer. It’s the only way for me. I rest in God, let God massage my heart for a while, cool me down and say, “I love you. You don’t have to save the world, Richard. You don’t have to ‘play’ the prophet and you don’t have to do anything except what I tell you to do.” The more I rest there with God, the next time the words come out so differently.

We’ve got to learn how to discern the Spirit. We have to listen to our own hearts and discern where the voices are coming from. Are they harsh, angry, hurtful, resentful, cynical voices telling us we’ve got to go out and do some righteous thing? Or are they coming from a place of freedom and a place of peace? (Rohr, 2023)

Our faith in Jesus Christ is supported by our connection to the role of the Messiah, who is revealed in the truth of the Holy Spirit.

References

Cherney, M. (2023, December 29). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Online Ministries. Retrieved December 29, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/122923.html 

Luke, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 29, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/2?22 

Meditation on Luke 2:22-35. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 29, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/12/29/862080/ 

1 John, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 29, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/2?3 

Psalms, PSALM 96 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 29, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/96?1 

Rohr, R. (2023, December 29). A Full Prophet — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 29, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-full-prophet/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Favor of God Was upon Him. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 29, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=dec29