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 

Anticipating Judgement

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to ponder the images of the Final Judgement prior to the vision of the New Heaven and the New Earth to increase our awareness of the signs on our journey of truth, love, and compassion.

Our Journey to Life

The reading from the Book of Revelation presents a vision of the “Thousand Years” before the Dead are judged and the New Heaven and the New Earth are realized.

* [20:1–6] Like the other numerical values in this book, the thousand years are not to be taken literally; they symbolize the long period of time between the chaining up of Satan (a symbol for Christ’s resurrection-victory over death and the forces of evil) and the end of the world. During this time God’s people share in the glorious reign of God that is present to them by virtue of their baptismal victory over death and sin; cf. Rom 6:1–8; Jn 5:24–25; 16:33; 1 Jn 3:14; Eph 2:1.

* [20:11–15] A description of the final judgment. After the intermediate reign of Christ, all the dead are raised and judged, thus inaugurating the new age.

(Revelation, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB, n.d.)

* [21:1–22:5] A description of God’s eternal kingdom in heaven under the symbols of a new heaven and a new earth; cf. Is 65:17–25; 66:22; Mt 19:28.

 

* [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 (Revelation, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 84 praises the Joy of Worship in the Temple.

* [Psalm 84] Israelites celebrated three pilgrimage feasts in Jerusalem annually. The Psalm expresses the sentiments of the pilgrims eager to enjoy the divine presence. (Psalms, PSALM 84|USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke presents the Lesson of the Fig Tree.

x. [21:29–33] Mt 24:32–35; Mk 13:28–31.

y. [21:32] 9:27; Mt 16:28.

z. [21:33] 16:17. (Luke, CHAPTER 21| USCCB, n.d.)

Mirielle Mason brought these quotes together to say that when faced with biblical apocalypse or “unprecedented times” Christ is the hope we can cling to. This is especially pertinent as we approach Advent, where we will prepare for the birth of Jesus Christ and all the hope that He represents for the world.

This state of mind is easier on paper than it is in practice. I can tell myself to follow Christ’s example and to believe in the hope He represents. It is simple to say that I will lay my anxiety at His feet, but oh how difficult it is in practice. Every day I fight to pray and place my trust in God and His word. I know there are those who find this easy, and to them I say I am happy for their good fortune. To me, this is something I must work for every day. In closing, I would like to pray for all those who feel like Frodo in the above quote. That we may remain steadfast in the fight to lay our troubles at the feet of our Lord, and do our best each and every day to embody the hope Christ represents and let it be shown in our world. (Mason, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “My words will not pass away,” by an anonymous early author from the early Greek fathers.

"'This generation' refers both to those who suffer temptation and to those who cause it. It refers to sinners among men and to the demons who are at work in them. For neither group will cease being in the world until its consummation. For Christ said, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels' (Matthew 25:41). Moreover, it is necessary that the source of temptation be preserved as long as there is faith which needs testing. It is also possible, however, that 'this generation' refers to those mortal Christians who would not pass over into eternal life and be made immortal and impassible 'until' all the events about which Christ was speaking had taken place.

"'Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away' because heaven and earth were created to serve you, but my words were uttered to govern you. Both heaven and earth are subject to vanity, as the apostle said, 'Creation is subject to vanity' (Romans 8:20). Truth, however, is by nature unable to deceive and can never die." (excerpt from INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 49, the Greek fathers). (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Revelation 20:1-4, 11–21:2 comments on why Jesus died, and why he rose. It was so the ancient powers of sin and death could be destroyed and their hold over us could be dissolved forever.

Spend time in prayer today marveling that the One who conquered death itself is with you. Marvel that he has written your name in his book of life!

“Jesus, I rejoice that by your cross and resurrection, you have raised me to new, eternal life!” (Meditation on Revelation 20:1-4, 11–21:2, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the visions of Revelation as Satan is definitely defeated after the symbolic “1000 years” after Jesus Resurrection. The understanding of “rapture” by some is contrasted with Friar Jude’s explanation. Friar Jude reminds us to be aware of the signs of our invitation to convert prior to our “End Time”.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, considers how Jesus’ parables reveal the realm of God. Fr. Richard can think of many contemporary examples of how people have risked security to share lives and seek God’s realm: prayer groups, peace and justice ministries, social agencies and shelters, communities of contemplation and action. Living in this sacred dimension may be spiritual, but it’s also very real, and it’s very attractive when we discover it. 

In the seventh parable, (Chapter 13 of Matthew’s Gospel) Jesus reiterates the idea that the realm of God has little to do with the ego-based expectations of our culture or religion (13:47–50). No church, community, or individual is perfect. We humans are always turning away from the realm of God and then undergoing a new conversion to return. To turn toward the kingdom, we must turn away from our smaller selves. To say, “Thy kingdom come,” we must say in the next breath, “My kingdom go.” [3] (Rohr, n.d.)

We reflect on the struggles that accompany our journey and take hope in the vision of the “New Heaven and the New Earth” that Christ is inviting us to celebrate.

References

Luke, CHAPTER 21| USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB Daily Bible Readings. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/21?29 

Mason, M. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/112924.html 

Meditation on Revelation 20:1-4, 11–21:2. (n.d.). Word Among Us. https://wau.org/meditations/2024/11/29/1139142/ 

Psalms, PSALM 84|USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB Daily Bible Readings. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/84?3 

Revelation, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 29, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/revelation/20 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Parables of the Kingdom of God. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 29, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/parables-of-the-kingdom-of-god/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). My Words Will Not Pass Away. Daily Scripture net. https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=nov29