Love Shown in Deed

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today alert us to the challenge of separation from communities we have loved as we practice our conviction that the better part is to give rather than receive.

Separation and Love

The Reading from the Acts of the Apostles presents a saying of Jesus (Acts 20:35) not recorded in the gospel tradition.

* [20:16–35] Apparently aware of difficulties at Ephesus and neighboring areas, Paul calls the presbyters together at Miletus, about thirty miles from Ephesus. He reminds them of his dedication to the gospel (Acts 20:18–21), speaks of what he is about to suffer for the gospel (Acts 20:22–27), and admonishes them to guard the community against false prophets, sure to arise upon his departure (Acts 20:28–31). He concludes by citing a saying of Jesus (Acts 20:35) not recorded in the gospel tradition. Luke presents this farewell to the Ephesian presbyters as Paul’s last will and testament.

* [20:28] Overseers: see note on Phil 1:1. The church of God: because the clause “that he acquired with his own blood” following “the church of God” suggests that “his own blood” refers to God’s blood, some early copyists changed “the church of God” to “the church of the Lord.” Some prefer the translation “acquired with the blood of his own,” i.e., Christ. (Acts, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 68 presents an invitation for all kingdoms to praise Israel’s God.

* [Psalm 68] The Psalm is extremely difficult because the Hebrew text is badly preserved and the ceremony that it describes is uncertain. The translation assumes the Psalm accompanied the early autumn Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkoth), which included a procession of the tribes (Ps 68:25–28)...  and praise for God’s past help and for the future interventions that will be modeled on the ancient exodus-conquest (Ps 68:20–24); 7. procession at the Feast of Tabernacles (Ps 68:25–28); 8. prayer that the defeated enemies bring tribute to the Temple (Ps 68:29–32); 9. invitation for all kingdoms to praise Israel’s God (Ps 68:33–35). (Psalms, PSALM 68 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John presents the climax of The Priestly Prayer of Jesus.

* [17:1–26] Climax of the last discourse(s). Since the sixteenth century, this chapter has been called the “high priestly prayer” of Jesus. He speaks as intercessor, with words addressed directly to the Father and not to the disciples, who supposedly only overhear. Yet the prayer is one of petition, for immediate (Jn 17:6–19) and future (Jn 17:20–21) disciples. Many phrases reminiscent of the Lord’s Prayer occur. Although still in the world (Jn 17:13), Jesus looks on his earthly ministry as a thing of the past (Jn 17:4, 12). Whereas Jesus has up to this time stated that the disciples could follow him (Jn 13:33, 36), now he wishes them to be with him in union with the Father (Jn 17:12–14).

* [17:15] Note the resemblance to the petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “deliver us from the evil one.” Both probably refer to the devil rather than to abstract evil. (John, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB, n.d.)

Carol Zuegner comments on  “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” She can’t tell you how many times she heard that when she was a child.

The phrase reminds me of a saying from St. Ignatius of Loyola: “Love is shown more in deeds than in words.” Words are important, but putting love into action, giving of yourself – that’s what Ignatius wants us to do. We are created to love and serve God. We can do that in ways big and small. We can be consistently kind. Sometimes, that’s hard. We can assume good intentions, giving people the benefit of the doubt. (Also hard, sometimes.)

I often pray for the grace to be attentive and to act with intention. To be attentive to God and to find God in all things. To be intentional with giving of myself to others. Acknowledging the many gifts I receive each day: the love and care from friends and family, the beauty of the world around me.

I pray that I remember it is more blessed to give than to receive, and to be appreciative of the gifts and graces that I receive every minute of every day. (Zuegner, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The Bond of Christian Unity in Love,” by Cyril of Alexandria, 375-444 A.D.

"Christ wishes the disciples to be kept in a state of unity by maintaining a like-mindedness and an identity of will, being mingled together as it were in soul and spirit and in the law of peace and love for one another. He wishes them to be bound together tightly with an unbreakable bond of love, that they may advance to such a degree of unity that their freely chosen association might even become an image of the natural unity that is conceived to exist between the Father and the Son. That is to say, he wishes them to enjoy a unity that is inseparable and indestructible, which may not be enticed away into a dissimilarity of wills by anything at all that exists in the world or any pursuit of pleasure, but rather reserves the power of love in the unity of devotion and holiness. And this is what happened. For as we read in the Acts of the Apostles, 'the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul' (Acts 4:32), that is, in the unity of the Spirit. This is also what Paul himself meant when he said 'one body and one Spirit' (Ephesians 4:4). 'We who are many are one body in Christ for we all partake of the one bread' (1 Corinthians 10:17; Romans 12:5), and we have all been anointed in the one Spirit, the Spirit of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13)." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 11.9.18) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 17:11-19 reminds that no matter how we may feel, we have all the rights and privileges that every citizen of heaven enjoys.

You have the right to enter the presence of God at any time “to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help” (Hebrews 4:16). Nothing can keep you from the Lord or his boundless grace!

You have the privilege, as you gaze on the Lord in prayer, of being “transformed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Every time you turn to the Lord, he draws you closer to the full glory of heaven.

You have the right to call God, the Creator of all, “Abba, Father!” (Romans 8:15). That’s because you truly are his child, a coheir with Christ himself.

You have the privilege of calling St. Paul, Thérèse of Lisieux, Carlo Acutis, and every other saint your brother or sister. They are your “fellow citizens,” and together you are “members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). No matter your situation, you are never alone!

You belong to heaven. Let the truth of this great gift sink in today. Let it fill you with praise and wonder at the goodness and love of the Lord.

“Jesus, I am in awe that you have made me part of your heavenly home!” (Meditation on John 17:11-19, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that the passage in Acts presents the continuation of the farewell of Paul at Miletus. He has told the truth and he warns that wolves and people inside the community would rise against them. Paul worked to supply his own ministry. At the end of the meeting, they weep. The ministry is involved with the people with whom we live and whatever they are going through. The Gospel of John continues the Priestly Prayer of Jesus that He has proclaimed God to the disciples. They will be in the world, with the people who have rejected the Way of Christ, but not of the world. Friar Jude clarifies the "world”, in John’s Gospel, as those who have rejected Christ. Jesus' disciples are set aside and made holy in the truth.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, describes authentic prayer and contemplation as a mutual gaze of love. Much of the early work of contemplation is discovering a way to observe ourselves from a compassionate and nonjudgmental distance until we can eventually live more and more of our lives from this calm inner awareness and acceptance. In a contemplative stance, we find ourselves smiling, sighing, and weeping at ourselves, much more than needing either to hate or to congratulate ourselves—because we are finally looking at ourselves with the eyes of God.

So when you pray, try to stay beneath your thoughts, neither fighting them nor thinking them. Everything that comes also goes, usually in waves. Hold yourself at a more profound level, perhaps in your chest, solar plexus, or deep breath, but stay in your body-self somehow. Do not rise to the mind and its endlessly repetitive commentary.

Just rest in what I like to call our animal contentment. It will feel exactly like nothing, like emptiness. Stay crouched there at the cellular level, without shame or fear, long enough for the Deeper Source to reveal itself. Universal love flows through you from that Deeper Source as a vital energy much more than an idea. (Rohr, n.d.)

We accept the invitation of the Spirit to let our good works, our faithfulness and forgiveness, be the sign to our community that Love, Hope and Faith are the foundation of full life.

References

Acts, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved May 20, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/20?28 

John, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 20, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/17?11 

Meditation on John 17:11-19. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved May 20, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/05/19/1571639/ 

Psalms, PSALM 68 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 20, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/68? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Inner Awareness and Acceptance. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved May 20, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/inner-awareness-and-acceptance/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Consecrated in God's Truth. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 20, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Zuegner, C. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved May 20, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-may-20-2026 

Providence and Prayer

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to consider our approach to prayer and the mystical aspect of our relationship to Christ in the events of life.

Prayer Place

The Reading from the First Book of Samuel presents Hannah’s Prayer.

* [1:11] No razor...: the Septuagint adds “he shall drink neither wine nor liquor.” This addition is a further suggestion that Samuel is dedicated to God under a nazirite vow (Nm 6:4–5); see note on v. 22.

* [1:20] Samuel: Hannah’s explanation associates her son’s name with the narrative’s wordplay on the Hebrew verbs s’l (“ask,” vv. 17, 27), his’il (“hand over, dedicate,” v. 28), sa’ul (“dedicated,” v. 28), and the noun se’elah (“request,” vv. 17, 27). The name, however, is related to the Hebrew root s’l only through assonance. It means “his name is El/God,” not “the one requested of or dedicated (sa’ul) to God” (v. 28), which is the meaning of the name Saul. The author may have lifted the s’l wordplay from a narrative about Saul to portray Samuel as God’s gracious answer to Hannah’s request. (1 Samuel, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the response from the First Book of Samuel, Hannah declares her heart exults in the Lord.

* [2:1–10] Hannah appeals to a God who maintains order by keeping human affairs in balance, reversing the fortunes of the arrogant, who, like Peninnah, boast of their good fortune (vv. 1, 3, 9) at the expense of those like Hannah who receive less from the Lord. Hannah’s admission places her among the faithful who trust that God will execute justice on their behalf. The reference “his king ... his anointed” (v. 10) recalls the final sentence of the Book of Judges and introduces the kingship theme that dominates the Books of Samuel.

* [2:3] Speak ... mouths: addressed to the enemies mentioned in v. 1. (1 Samuel, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Mark proclaims Jesus Cure of a Demoniac.

* [1:21–45] The account of a single day’s ministry of Jesus on a sabbath in and outside the synagogue of Capernaum (Mk 1:21–31) combines teaching and miracles of exorcism and healing. Mention is not made of the content of the teaching but of the effect of astonishment and alarm on the people. Jesus’ teaching with authority, making an absolute claim on the hearer, was in the best tradition of the ancient prophets, not of the scribes. The narrative continues with events that evening (Mk 1:32–34; see notes on Mt 8:14–17) and the next day (Mk 1:35–39). The cleansing in Mk 1:40–45 stands as an isolated story.

* [1:23] An unclean spirit: so called because of the spirit’s resistance to the holiness of God. The spirit knows and fears the power of Jesus to destroy his influence; cf. Mk 1:32, 34; 3:11; 6:13.

* [1:24–25] The Holy One of God: not a confession but an attempt to ward off Jesus’ power, reflecting the notion that use of the precise name of an opposing spirit would guarantee mastery over him. Jesus silenced the cry of the unclean spirit and drove him out of the man.

* [1:24] What have you to do with us?: see note on Jn 2:4. (Mark, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Suzanne Braddock notes that Jesus met with resistance from the first. A man possessed by an unclean spirit called out “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are - the Holy One of God!”

I ask myself: What have I to do with Jesus? Who is He to me? Do I know Him truly as the Holy One of God? Yes, He will destroy evil in  the end, I believe. But His desire for  us is not destruction, but life. Abundant life. Fully alive. To be the me who was created to be just that - me. Not some person perfect in all respects, but perfectly me. As St. Irenaeus said “The glory of God is man fully alive.”  Woman, too.

May this year foster growth in me to fulfill God’s will for me at my creation. To realize what gifts He has given me that I may use to bring light and life to others. To not just say prayers but to listen silently for God’s loving response. To sit at His knee and wonder. (Braddock, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Knowing without loving,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Those words show clearly that the demons had much knowledge, but entirely lacked love. They dreaded receiving their punishment from him. They did not love the righteousness that was in him. He made himself known to them to the extent he willed; and he willed to be made known to the extent that was fitting. But he was not made known to them as he is known to the holy angels, who enjoy participation in his eternity, in that he is the Word of God. To the demons he is known as he had to be made known, by striking terror into them, for his purpose was to free from their tyrannical power all who were predestined for his kingdom and glory, which is eternally true and truly eternal. Therefore, he did not make himself known to the demons as the life eternal, and the unchangeable light which illuminates his true worshipers, whose hearts are purified by faith in him so that they see that light. He was known to the demons through certain temporal effects of his power, the signs of his hidden presence, which could be more evident to their senses, even those of malignant spirits, than to the weak perception of human beings. (excerpt from CITY OF GOD 9.21) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Samuel 1:9-20 comments we don’t always get exactly what we are asking for. Not every parent who prays for a child will conceive one; not everything that we long for will come in the way we were expecting it. However, with prayerful reflection over time, we begin to see the many blessings that the Lord has given us. It’s true that God answers in his own time, even though we may feel that we are running out of patience.

Take heart! Your heavenly Father longs to hear your prayers and petitions. He wants you to come into his presence, just as Hannah did, and pour out your heart. And as you do, he will pour out his mercy on you.

Remember that God is always listening. He loves you. He has great blessings in store for you. He has a good plan for your life. So come to him with an open heart, ready to receive whatever he wants to give you. And one day, in this life or in the next, you will join Hannah and proclaim: “My heart exults in the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:1).

“Lord, I know that you hear my prayers. Help me to trust in you.” (Meditation on 1 Samuel 1:9-20, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that 1 Samuel tells of Hannah at the sanctuary and how she prays to God to remove her curse and she will give birth to her son, Samuel. The Lord listens, and she will dedicate Samuel to the Lord. Eli approves of her prayer even after misjudgement of her state and intention, a message perhaps to us. Mark, at the beginning of the Gospel, presents Jesus proclaiming the Kingdom through action. The demons, as spiritual creatures, recognize Jesus. He is establishing the Kingdom of God where the Evil One will have no power over us. Friar Jude notes we will know God in the depth of our hearts.

Jennifer Garcia Bashaw and Aaron Higashi authors of Serving Up Scripture: How to Interpret the Bible for Yourself and Others comment that the second creation story in Genesis contradicts much of the first. They show how both are needed.

In addition to the chapters’ portrayals of God, the stories flatly contradict each other in their orders of creation. In Genesis 1, vegetation is created before animals, then animals are created before men and women, who are made at the same time. But in Genesis 2:4 and following, Adam is created before any vegetation, then animals are created before Eve.…

In many ways, the Bible does us a favor by beginning with two contradictory stories. In so doing, the Bible signals to us at the outset what this text actually is: a diverse collection of religious traditions that have been brought together by different communities of faith over a long period of time…. When you read the Bible, you’re reading an anthology of ancient religious literature—not a textbook, not an instructional manual, not a love letter from God, and not a complete work of systematic theology. (Garcia Bashaw & Higashi, n.d.)

We contemplate the action of the Spirit in our lives to reveal the reality of our Creation that extends beyond what our five senses initially present to us.

References

Braddock, S. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved January 13, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-january-13-2026 

Garcia Bashaw, J., & Higashi, A. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 13, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-gift-of-two-stories/ 

Mark, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 13, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/1?21 

Meditation on 1 Samuel 1:9-20. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved January 13, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/01/13/1479145/ 

1 Samuel, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 13, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1samuel/1 

1 Samuel, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 13, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1samuel/2 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Jesus Taught with Authority. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 13, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/