Chosen for Love and Hope

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, in communities who will celebrate the Ascension on Sunday May 17, share the essential action of the Spirit in the growth of the Mission of the Church.

Chosen for Mission

The Reading from the Acts of the Apostles presents the Choice of Judas’s Successor.

* [1:1–26] This introductory material (Acts 1:1–2) connects Acts with the Gospel of Luke, shows that the apostles were instructed by the risen Jesus (Acts 1:3–5), points out that the parousia or second coming in glory of Jesus will occur as certainly as his ascension occurred (Acts 1:6–11), and lists the members of the Twelve, stressing their role as a body of divinely mandated witnesses to his life, teaching, and resurrection (Acts 1:12–26).

* [1:26] The need to replace Judas was probably dictated by the symbolism of the number twelve, recalling the twelve tribes of Israel. This symbolism also indicates that for Luke (see Lk 22:30) the Christian church is a reconstituted Israel. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 113 is a hymn exhorting the congregation to praise God’s name.

* [Psalm 113] A hymn exhorting the congregation to praise God’s name, i.e., the way in which God is present in the world; the name is mentioned three times in Ps 113:1–3. The divine name is especially honored in the Temple (Ps 113:1) but its recognition is not limited by time (Ps 113:2) and space (Ps 113:3), for God is everywhere active (Ps 113:4–5) especially in rescuing the lowly faithful (Ps 113:7–9). (Psalms, PSALM 113 | USCCB, n.d.)

The passage from the Gospel of John resembles a parable where Israel is spoken of as a vineyard and love is described in terms of Greek words “agapaō and phileō”.

* [15:1–17] Like Jn 10:1–5, this passage resembles a parable. Israel is spoken of as a vineyard at Is 5:1–7; Mt 21:33–46 and as a vine at Ps 80:9–17; Jer 2:21; Ez 15:2; 17:5–10; 19:10; Hos 10:1. The identification of the vine as the Son of Man in Ps 80:15 and Wisdom’s description of herself as a vine in Sir 24:17 are further background for portrayal of Jesus by this figure. There may be secondary eucharistic symbolism here; cf. Mk 14:25, “the fruit of the vine.”

* [15:2] Takes away, prunes: in Greek there is a play on two related verbs.

* [15:6] Branches were cut off and dried on the wall of the vineyard for later use as fuel.

* [15:13] For one’s friends: or: “those whom one loves.” In Jn 15:9–13a, the words for love are related to the Greek agapaō. In Jn 15:13b–15, the words for love are related to the Greek phileō. For John, the two roots seem synonymous and mean “to love”; cf. also Jn 21:15–17. The word philos is used here.

* [15:15] Slaves,friends: in the Old Testament, Moses (Dt 34:5), Joshua (Jos 24:29), and David (Ps 89:21) were called “servants” or “slaves of Yahweh”; only Abraham (Is 41:8; 2 Chr 20:7; cf. Jas 2:23) was called a “friend of God.” (John, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB, n.d.)

A Member of the Creighton University Community asks what does it mean to love our brothers and sisters near and far as God loves.

One way to live agape is through the virtue of solidarity. Solidarity calls us to “an active commitment to our neighbor and demands of us a shared responsibility for all of humanity. This duty is not limited to one’s own family, nation or state, but extends progressively to all…so no one can consider himself or herself extraneous or indifferent to the lot of another member of the human family.” -John Paul II, Centesimus Annus, no. 51

Further explained, “[Solidarity] is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people, both near and far. On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good.” -Sollicitudo rei Socialis, no. 38.

Today is the feast day of Saint Matthias. How do we share in the “luck” of Saint Matthias who joined the apostles after casting lots? If we imagine ourselves in Matthias’ place, our spot opening up to join the apostles, just after Jesus’ crucifixion. What would our ministry be? How would we live our lives? What can we do today to bring our lives more into congruence with our call? (Member of Creighton University Community, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes Jesus ascends to heaven in his body - divine and human nature, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"You heard what came to our ears just now from the Gospel: 'Lifting up his hands, he blessed them. And it happened, while he was blessing them he withdrew from them, and was carried up to heaven.' Who was carried up to heaven? The Lord Christ was. Who is the Lord Christ? He is the Lord Jesus. What is this? Are you going to separate the human from the divine and make one person of God, another of the man, so that there is no longer a trinity of three but a quaternary of four? Just as you, a human being, are soul and body, so the Lord Christ is Word, soul and body. The Word did not depart from the Father. He both came to us and did not forsake the Father. He both took flesh in the womb and continued to govern the universe. What was lifted up into heaven, if not what had been taken from earth? That is to say, the very flesh, the very body, about which he was speaking when he said to the disciples, 'Feel, and see that a spirit does not have bones and flesh, as you can see that I have' (Luke 24:39). Let us believe this, brothers and sisters, and if we have difficulty in meeting the arguments of the philosophers, let us hold on to what was demonstrated in the Lord's case without any difficulty of faith. Let them chatter, but let us believe." (excerpt from Sermon 242,6)

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 15:9-17 comments that while Matthias had followed Jesus from the very beginning of his ministry, it wasn’t until years later that he received this deeper calling to become one of the Twelve. Clearly, Matthias’ vocation matured over time—to the point that in the end, he gave his life out of love for the One who had first chosen him.

What hope this brings! You may be tempted to think that your life is a matter of chance. Not so: God is too wise and too loving to leave you as a victim of circumstance. Just as he chose Matthias, he has chosen you to follow his Son. He has chosen you to be a disciple in the specific time and place in which you live: as a father or mother, a worker or student—as a disciple who shines the light of Christ into the world. That calling will continue to grow as you follow him, and he will give you all the grace you need to carry it out!

“Thank you, Jesus, for choosing me to be your own!”

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in the Acts of the Apostles, the choice of Matthais as the apostle to replace Judas is presented.  They choose someone who has been with them from the beginning. They pray and choose lots as they depend on the Spirit to guide the growth of the Church. This is a continuation of a Hebrew custom of how when the king used the Urim and Thummim, in a sacred ritual to discern the will of God. God would speak through the lots for the new Apostle. In the Gospel of John, during the Last Supper Discourse, Jesus implores His  followers to live a life of virtue and follow the main commandment and give their life for others. This is not a relationship of slaves but one of friends. Friar Jude comments that we live in dignity by loving, as Jesus, all the children of God.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Dr. Gloria Durka who explores Thomas Merton’s love of Julian’s positive theology.

Learning to remain hopeful amidst the darkness of suffering is a struggle in which all of us become engaged from time to time—and it can be a bitter trial. The optimism of Julian can help us as it did Thomas Merton. In his book Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, Merton wrote the following:

I pray much to have a wise heart, and perhaps the rediscovery of Lady Julian of Norwich will help me. I took her book with me on a quiet walk among the cedars. She is a true theologian…. She first experienced, then thought, and the thoughtful deepening of experience worked it back into her life, deeper and deeper, until her whole life as a recluse at Norwich was simply a matter of getting completely saturated in the light she had received all at once…. Her life was lived in the belief in this “secret,” the “great deed” that the Lord will do on the Last Day, not a deed of destruction and revenge, but of mercy and of life, all partial expectations will be exploded and everything will be made right…. [1]

Julian’s writings are permeated with Christian hope. She experienced all of the aspects of hope in her own spiritual life: the rocklike dependability of God, the God who is always near, the God of the impossible, the God who is Father and Mother to us. (Rohr, n.d.)

We acknowledge the Wisdom of the Spirit in guiding our decisions that we hope to make in contemplation of the experience we have of the Love of God as motivation for our action in support of the people in our environment.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved May 14, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/1?15 

John, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 14, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/15?9 

Meditation on John 15:9-17. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved May 14, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/05/14/1563865/ 

Member of Creighton University Community. (2026, May 14). Daily Reflection May 14, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved May 14, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-may-14-2026 

Psalms, PSALM 113 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved May 14, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/113?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Essential Joy. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved May 14, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/essential-joy/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Lord Jesus Was Taken up into Heaven. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 14, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Insecurity and Christian Action

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary, today, challenge us to be involved in action inspired by our faith tradition to eliminate insecurity in food, housing, and health care using our gifts of cleverness and the Love of Christ.

Action against Food Insecurity

The Reading from the Book of Amos condemns cheating the poor in our commerce.

* [8:5] Ephah: see note on Is 5:10. (Amos, CHAPTER 8, n.d.)

Psalm 113 exhorts the congregation to praise God’s name.

* [Psalm 113] A hymn exhorting the congregation to praise God’s name, i.e., the way in which God is present in the world; the name is mentioned three times in Ps 113:1–3. The divine name is especially honored in the Temple (Ps 113:1) but its recognition is not limited by time (Ps 113:2) and space (Ps 113:3), for God is everywhere active (Ps 113:4–5) especially in rescuing the lowly faithful (Ps 113:7–9). (Psalms, PSALM 113, n.d.)

The Reading from the First Letter to Timothy insists that the liturgical prayer of the community concerns itself with the needs of all.

* [2:1–7] This marked insistence that the liturgical prayer of the community concern itself with the needs of all, whether Christian or not, and especially of those in authority, may imply that a disposition existed at Ephesus to refuse prayer for pagans. In actuality, such prayer aids the community to achieve peaceful relationships with non-Christians (1 Tm 2:2) and contributes to salvation, since it derives its value from the presence within the community of Christ, who is the one and only savior of all (1 Tm 2:3–6). The vital apostolic mission to the Gentiles (1 Tm 2:7) reflects Christ’s purpose of universal salvation. 1 Tm 2:5 contains what may well have been a very primitive creed. Some interpreters have called it a Christian version of the Jewish shema: “Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD alone…” (Dt 6:4–5). The assertion in 1 Tm 2:7, “I am speaking the truth, I am not lying,” reminds one of similar affirmations in Rom 9:1; 2 Cor 11:31; and Gal 1:20.

* [2:6] The testimony: to make sense of this overly concise phrase, many manuscripts supply “to which” (or “to whom”); two others add “was given.” The translation has supplied “this was.” (Amos, CHAPTER 8, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke presents The Parable of the Dishonest Steward .

* [16:1–8a] The parable of the dishonest steward has to be understood in the light of the Palestinian custom of agents acting on behalf of their masters and the usurious practices common to such agents. The dishonesty of the steward consisted in the squandering of his master’s property (Lk 16:1) and not in any subsequent graft. The master commends the dishonest steward who has forgone his own usurious commission on the business transaction by having the debtors write new notes that reflected only the real amount owed the master (i.e., minus the steward’s profit). The dishonest steward acts in this way in order to ingratiate himself with the debtors because he knows he is being dismissed from his position (Lk 16:3). The parable, then, teaches the prudent use of one’s material goods in light of an imminent crisis.

* [16:6] One hundred measures: literally, “one hundred baths.” A bath is a Hebrew unit of liquid measurement equivalent to eight or nine gallons.

* [16:7] One hundred kors: a kor is a Hebrew unit of dry measure for grain or wheat equivalent to ten or twelve bushels.

* [16:8b–13] Several originally independent sayings of Jesus are gathered here by Luke to form the concluding application of the parable of the dishonest steward.

* [16:8b–9] The first conclusion recommends the prudent use of one’s wealth (in the light of the coming of the end of the age) after the manner of the children of this world, represented in the parable by the dishonest steward.

* [16:9] Dishonest wealth: literally, “mammon of iniquity.” Mammon is the Greek transliteration of a Hebrew or Aramaic word that is usually explained as meaning “that in which one trusts.” The characterization of this wealth as dishonest expresses a tendency of wealth to lead one to dishonesty. Eternal dwellings: or, “eternal tents,” i.e., heaven.

* [16:10–12] The second conclusion recommends constant fidelity to those in positions of responsibility.

* [16:13] The third conclusion is a general statement about the incompatibility of serving God and being a slave to riches. To be dependent upon wealth is opposed to the teachings of Jesus who counseled complete dependence on the Father as one of the characteristics of the Christian disciple (Lk 12:22–39). God and mammon: see note on Lk 16:9. Mammon is used here as if it were itself a god. (Luke, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Larry Gillick, SJ, comments that money, when it is not our master, can do great and wonderful things. The “children of light” are those who try to live toward the good, the Light. As children of the light we are invited to be prudent about what is important ultimately to us as those who are of “this generation”, who like the unworthy servant, are prudent for what they think is the “long term”.

This is not an easy parable, but it does fit into Luke’s basic theme of living wisely with the gifts the Giver or Lord has given us. “Wisely” for Luke has to do more with our distribution of wealth than its accumulation. The steward was unwise in his use of the master’s wealth. He was wise, according to Jesus, by making friends with the master’s other servants by reducing their debts. A good question might be asked here. Did the steward cheat his master by this reduction, or did he reduce their debt by the exact amount his master was owing him? Whatever was going on, Jesus reflecting on the story reminds His followers to try to make life-long friends with wealth, because when they do, they will find out how short-lived that friendship really is. (Gillick, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus recommends the foresight, prudence, and ingenuity of the steward,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Why did the Lord Jesus Christ present this parable to us? He surely did not approve of that cheat of a servant who cheated his master, stole from him and did not make it up from his own pocket. On top of that, he also did some extra pilfering. He caused his master further loss, in order to prepare a little nest of quiet and security for himself after he lost his job. Why did the Lord set this before us? It is not because that servant cheated but because he exercised foresight for the future. When even a cheat is praised for his ingenuity, Christians who make no such provision blush. I mean, this is what he added, 'Behold, the children of this age are more prudent than the children of light.' They perpetrate frauds in order to secure their future. In what life, after all, did that steward insure himself like that? What one was he going to quit when he bowed to his master's decision? He was insuring himself for a life that was going to end. Would you not insure yourself for eternal life?" (excerpt from 359A.10.) (Gillick, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Amos condemns a liturgy that is superficial; they resent the Sabbath and he strongly attacks social injustice and cheating practices “add to the shekel” to increase its weight with a lead plug. For buying the lowly and the poor they will be punished. First Timothy tells us to pray for everyone. God is One and we should be one as a people. We will show our message is true. Luke tells an odd parable. A steward who has been stealing and makes a place for himself after being dismissed is recommended. He normally would be punished, but cleverness was celebrated in ancient times. Jesus urges our cleverness in spiritual things to forgive and find time to pray. Friar Jude suggests an easy solution when we seem to run out of time for prayer and reflection, Be clever in spiritual things. Serve God not possessions or “mammon”.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, reflects on the spiritual and moral futility of violence, drawing on the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and his radical call to love. Part of the genius of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968), inspired by the teachings of Jesus and Gandhi, was that he was able to show thoughtful people that violence was not only immoral but actually impractical and, finally, futile. In the long run, it doesn’t achieve its stated purposes, because it only deepens bitterness on both sides and leaves them in an endless and impossible cycle of violence that cannot be stopped by itself. Instead, some neutralizing force must be inserted from outside to stop the cycle and point us in a new direction. Palestinian Christian theologian Munther Isaac challenges us to confront the deep disconnect between the nonviolent teaching of Jesus and the ways Christianity has often aligned with systems of power and violence, even today: (Rohr, n.d.)

Christianity and violence should not go hand in hand, at least theoretically. The teachings of Jesus are very clear. The teachings of Paul and the apostles are very clear. There is no place for violence for the followers of Jesus. Yet an honest assessment of even the last 150 years will clearly reveal that many who claimed to be Christians committed some of the worst atrocities in our world: the Belgians in Congo, the Germans in Namibia, the French in Algeria, the Bosnian Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, the Guatemalan genocide against the Laya indigenous people, and of course the Holocaust against the Jewish people in Europe.  

The Bible and theology have played a significant role in this war of genocide in Gaza.… To be clear, I fully believe that when Scripture is used to justify genocide or promote ideologies of supremacy, this use has nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus nor the essence of the Christian faith. Yet, shamefully, the church has aligned itself with the empire throughout the centuries. It has chosen the path of power and influence. One would expect Christians to have learned the lesson. We have not. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the inspiration of the Spirit as we contemplate how to live with the compassion of Amos and Jesus and use our gift of cleverness about the ways of the world to be agents of transformation in our environment.

References

Amos, CHAPTER 8. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 21, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/amos/8?4 

Gillick, L. (n.d.). Daily Bible Reflections. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved September 21, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-september-21-2025 

Luke, CHAPTER 16 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 21, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/16?1 

1 Timothy, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 21, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1timothy/2?1 

Psalms, PSALM 113. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 21, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/113?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Love as the Source of Nonviolence. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 21, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/love-as-the-source-of-nonviolence/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Who Will Entrust to You the True Riches? Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 21, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=sep21