The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary encourage us to contemplate the Will of God for gathering believers as it is experienced in our lives.
Gathering The Body
The reading from the Prophet Ezekiel declares a Covenant with the diaspora.
I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will bless them and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary among them forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.1
The response from the Book of Jeremiah assures Israel will be gathered.
Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock.”1
In the Gospel of John, Jesus is to die for the nation.
* [11:48] The Romans will come: Johannine irony; this is precisely what happened after Jesus’ death.2
The Daily Reflection of Creighton University's Online Ministries by Nicky Santos, S.J. is not available at this time.
Don Schwager quotes “The crucifixion is always lived,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"The crucifixion is something that must continue throughout our life, not for forty days only, although Moses, Elijah, and Christ fasted forty days. We are meant to learn from them not to cling to this present world or imitate what it says, but to nail our unregenerate selves to the cross." (excerpt from Sermon 205,1)3
The Word Among Us Meditation on Ezekiel 37:21-28 comments that God wanted Israel to be united because his plan was for his people to be a light to draw all the nations to himself. Now we see Jesus making that wholeness possible as Jews and Gentiles alike are brought together through him into God’s family. People from every background and perspective, from every nation and ethnic group, from every age group and demographic, can find unity in him.
We know that Ezekiel’s prophecy has yet to be fulfilled completely; we still see division in the Church. But if we look at the Church spread throughout the world, we’ll also see a sign that many nations have indeed come together to worship the Lord. So let’s pray for unity in the Church. Let’s pray that Jesus, our Savior, will “fix” not just the broken parts of our individual lives but what is broken in the entire people of God. Let’s pray that the unity that God so longs to see in his people will become a light to all the nations. As you prepare to begin Holy Week, remember that Jesus has the power to put an end to all divisions. He can heal everything that is broken! “Lord, send your Spirit on your Church, that we may truly become one body.”4
David Deane has traced the history that brings us to Christian Ecumenism in the 21st Century. He shared his concerns at a talk at the Barat Spirituality Centre.
The main image for the church in early Christianity was the body of Christ. For centuries now, that body has been dismembered. What have been the consequences of this? How has it shaped us and impacted our service of Christ’s mission? This presentation offers responses to these questions, and suggests that Christian unity needs to be a coherent and focussed goal for the 21st century.5
Friar Jude Winkler explains the vision of Ezekiel in exile in Babylon of a Davidic leader to restore Israel. The words of Caiaphas become a prophecy of Jesus' Passion. Friar Jude reminds us of the Lenten conversion to unite our will with that of God for us.
Rev. Dr. Barbara Holmes offers pastoral comfort and prophetic challenge in times of crises. The truth of the matter is that we live on a mysterious planet, with other living beings whose interiority and spiritual realities are just beyond our cognitive reach.
Breathe deeply and exhale slowly three times.
Your ancestors survived many crises. What were the crises of their days that required a communal response?
What is the crisis of your day that requires a communal response?
Sit for ten minutes. Feel the “troubles of this world.” Breathe deeply, exhaling your sense of helplessness, inhaling Ella Baker’s strength, channeling Rosa Parks’ quiet resolve. (Substitute exemplars as needed, but include one exemplar from a cultural community that is not your own.)
Remember an instance of oppression against a group that is not yours.
What, if anything, did you feel called to do as an ally? Did you do it? If you did something in response to the crisis, what did you do and what happened as a result? . . .
If your community were under siege, what help would you need or want?6
The Spirit prompts us to live the message of unity in the Body of Christ and stand in sharp contrast to the conflict and persecution of these troubled times.
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