Words of Life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to deepen our faith in the promise of Christ for life that is more than our human senses normally perceive.

The Path of Life

The reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes the healing of Aeneas and the mission of Peter in Lydda and Joppa.

* [9:31–43] In the context of the period of peace enjoyed by the community through the cessation of Paul’s activities against it, Luke introduces two traditions concerning the miraculous power exercised by Peter as he was making a tour of places where the Christian message had already been preached. The towns of Lydda, Sharon, and Joppa were populated by both Jews and Gentiles and their Christian communities may well have been mixed.

* [9:36] Tabitha (Dorcas), respectively the Aramaic and Greek words for “gazelle,” exemplifies the right attitude toward material possessions expressed by Jesus in the Lucan Gospel (Lk 6:30; 11:41; 12:33; 18:22; 19:8). (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 116 is a thanksgiving for recovery from Illness.

* [Psalm 116] A thanksgiving in which the psalmist responds to divine rescue from mortal danger (Ps 116:3–4) and from near despair (Ps 116:10–11) with vows and Temple sacrifices (Ps 116:13–14, 17–19). The Greek and Latin versions divide the Psalm into two parts: Ps 116:1–9 and Ps 116:10–19, corresponding to its two major divisions. (Psalms, PSALM 116 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of John, Jesus declares the Words of Eternal Life.

* [6:60–71] These verses refer more to themes of Jn 6:35–50 than to those of Jn 6:51–58 and seem to be addressed to members of the Johannine community who found it difficult to accept the high christology reflected in the bread of life discourse.

* [6:62] This unfinished conditional sentence is obscure. Probably there is a reference to Jn 6:49–51. Jesus claims to be the bread that comes down from heaven (Jn 6:50); this claim provokes incredulity (Jn 6:60); and so Jesus is pictured as asking what his disciples will say when he goes up to heaven.

* [6:63] Spirit,flesh: probably not a reference to the eucharistic body of Jesus but to the supernatural and the natural, as in Jn 3:6. Spirit and life: all Jesus said about the bread of life is the revelation of the Spirit. (John, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

Vivian Amu asks “How many of us have enough faith to know that God will heal as many people as possible though us?”

I find that if I don’t receive the healing or miracle I am praying for, the intensity and boldness of my prayers increase but there is always a slight decrease in my faith. During prayers I find myself searching for the presence and peace of God. I would pray with all my strength as if God cared about intensity, volume, word combinations, and quantity. It usually takes me awhile in prayer to realize that God just wants me to reach out and ask for help. Afterall, “to whom shall we go? as Simon Peter said.”

Loving God, increase our faith so we may go out and heal one another in your name. Amen. (Amu, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Eat Life - Drink Life,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"'Unless you eat My Flesh and drink My Blood, you shall not have life in you,' says the Lord. Eat life - drink life. You will then have life, and life is complete. Then the Body and Blood of Christ will be life for each person under this condition: what is eaten visibly in the Sacrament be spiritually eaten and spiritually drunk in truth itself." (excerpt from Sermon 102,2) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 6:60-69 comments that at times, we get tripped up by Jesus’ hard teachings, some of which challenge our underlying ideas or opinions. For example, in today’s passage, some disciples couldn’t accept Jesus’ teaching that his flesh was “true food” and that he himself was the bread come down from heaven (John 6:55, 51). Those disciples returned to their former way of life and stopped following Jesus.

 

When you don’t understand something that Jesus teaches, you can still trust that the Father is drawing you to himself. He is still sparking the desire in you to love his Son, and he is offering you the grace to embrace Jesus’ words, which are “Spirit and life” (John 6:63). Don’t turn away like the disciples in today’s reading. Keep pressing in, as Peter did, until you can freely say, “Master, to whom shall I go? You have the words of eternal life” (6:68).

“Thank you, Jesus, that the Father has paved the way for me to come to you! Help me to respond to his grace.” (Meditation on John 6:60-69, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the preaching of Peter and the action of the Holy Spirit as he heals in the name of Christ and reanimates with words similar to Jesus “Tabitha Cum”. Peter, unusual in John’s Gospel, is given the opportunity to proclaim Jesus as having the words of eternal life. Friar Jude reminds us that we believe the Promises of Jesus in the bread and wine as we continue to trust Him.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces CAC staff member and dancer Jenna Keiper who writes of the healing wisdom of embodied movement.

God in the earth. God in the trees. God in myself. God, embodied. She speaks through every Body, and so the invitation is extended to every Body: Gray hair, unlined faces, stiff joints, supple muscles. Tall and short and bigger-bodied. Slow, quick, pregnant, dying. Alone in your room or on the floor in community. If you have a Body that moves in any way, then movement is your birthright. And if your Body can no longer move, then we will find a way to move in energy with you. Welcome, fellow travelers. Where words fade, the Body speaks. (Rohr, n.d.)

We ponder our path with Christ that is a promise of eternal life even as we trust the Spirit to guide us through the daily challenges of trials and troubles.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 20, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/9?31 

Amu, V. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved April 20, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/042024.html 

John, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 20, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/6?60 

Meditation on John 6:60-69. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 20, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/04/20/939680/ 

Psalms, PSALM 116 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 20, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/116?12 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Art and Contemplation: Weekly Summary. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved April 20, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/art-and-contemplation-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). You Have the Words of Everlasting Life. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved April 20, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=apr20 

Recognize Restoration

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate the events of our lives that resonate with a prompting of the Spirit to seek life more fully.

Restoration revealed

The reading from the Book of Sirach praises the life of Elijah.

* [48:11] Verse 11b is not extant in the Hebrew; it is represented in the Greek tradition by “for we too shall certainly live.” But this can hardly be the original reading. (Sirach, CHAPTER 48, n.d.)

Psalm 80 is a prayer for Israel’s Restoration.

* [Psalm 80] A community lament in time of military defeat. Using the familiar image of Israel as a vineyard, the people complain that God has broken down the wall protecting the once splendid vine brought from Egypt (Ps 80:9–14). They pray that God will again turn to them and use the Davidic king to lead them to victory (Ps 80:15–19). (Psalms, PSALM 80, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus explains the Coming of Elijah.

* [17:9–13] In response to the disciples’ question about the expected return of Elijah, Jesus interprets the mission of the Baptist as the fulfillment of that expectation. But that was not suspected by those who opposed and finally killed him, and Jesus predicts a similar fate for himself. (Matthew, CHAPTER 17, n.d.)

Steve Scholer comments that true friends are hard to come by. It takes time and energy to find and keep someone with whom we feel totally comfortable spending time. Friends are the ones who help build our confidence to overcome the challenges we face daily and the ones with whom we will discuss our deepest fears and longings.

As we continue our Advent journey, let us not forget that friendship is a two-way street. Take the time to let your friends know how important they are in your life, and how much you value their friendship, and especially Jesus, the best friend anyone could ever want to have. Then, like Elijah’s friend, we, too, will realize how blessed we are to fall asleep each night with Christ as our friend. (Scholer, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “John fulfills Elijah's prophetic ministry,” by John Chrysostom, 547-407 A.D.

"They did not know this from the Scriptures, but the scribes used to tell them, and this saying was reported among the ignorant crowd, as also about Christ. Therefore the Samaritan woman also said, 'The Messiah is coming; when he comes, he will show us all things' (John 4:25). And they themselves asked John, 'Are you Elijah or the prophet?' (John 1:21). For this opinion was strong, as I said, both the one about Christ and the one about Elijah, but they did not interpret it as it should have been. For the Scriptures speak of two comings of Christ, both this one that has taken place and the future one. Paul spoke of these when he said, 'For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of men, training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright and godly lives in this world' (Titus 2:11-12).

"Behold the first advent, and listen to how he declares the coming advent: 'Awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ' (Titus 2:13). The prophets also mention both advents; of the one that is second they say that Elijah will be the forerunner; John was forerunner of the first, John whom Christ also called by the name Elijah, not because he was Elijah but because he was fulfilling Elijah's ministry. For just as Elijah will be the forerunner of the second advent, so John was of the first. But the scribes, confusing these things and perverting the people, mentioned that coming alone, the second one, to the people, and said, 'If this is the Christ, Elijah ought to have come first.' That is why the disciples also say, 'Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?'" (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 57.1) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 17:9-13 asks why do we still say and do things that cause divisions among us? The simple answer is that we are still sinners. This would be discouraging news if Jesus had left us on our own. But he didn’t. He gave us the Spirit to help us. When we give in to temptation, the Spirit convicts us of our sin and moves us to repent. And as John knew, repentance prepares us to receive the forgiveness that Jesus came to give us. It restores us to the Father time and again.

Every day, ask the Spirit to help you search your heart. When you realize you have sinned, repent—immediately. Go to Confession if necessary. If you have hurt someone, ask for their forgiveness and try to reconcile. As you do these things, the Holy Spirit will work in your heart in a deeper way. He will reveal more of God’s love, both for you and for every person you encounter.

“Holy Spirit, help me to recognize my sins so that I can repent and come back to the Father!” (Meditation on Matthew 17:9-13, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes that the Sirach passage was written during the time of Greek influence on Israel to show that Hebrew heroes and wisdom was as great as Greek culture. Jesus presents John the Baptist as the one who appears as the return of Elijah. Friar Jude reminds us of the mission of the Baptist to proclaim the Way back to the Lord.

Brian McLaren comments that Father Richard Rohr invites us to find an embodied method of prayer as a way to participate more fully in our faith. The spiritual question is this: Does one’s life give any evidence of an encounter with God? Does this encounter bring about through us any of the things that Paul describes as the “fruits” of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22)? Are we any different from our surroundings, or do we reflect the predictable cultural values and biases of our own group?

The “participatory turn” of faith is learning from concrete practices, personal disciplines, and interactive dialogues that change the seeker and allow and encourage the encounter itself. Many Christians today are rediscovering prayer beads, prayer of quiet, icons, contemplative sits, Taizé chants, charismatic prayer, walking meditation, Zen chores, extended silence, solitude, and disciplined spiritual direction. Up until now, someone could have a doctorate in theology as a Catholic or Protestant and not really know how to pray or even enjoy prayer or experience union with God. They could recommend it officially to others and maybe even define it; now we know that we must personally live our faith. 

Today, find some way to dive into your faith and experiment with ways of opening yourself to transformation, to encounter, to conscious participation in God. (Rohr, 2022)

We are influenced daily by our interactions with others and with events that nudge us towards a deeper appreciation of our gifts and giving as children of God.

References

Matthew, CHAPTER 17. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 10, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/17?9 

Meditation on Matthew 17:9-13. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 10, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/12/10/551751/ 

Psalms, PSALM 80. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 10, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/80?2 

Rohr, R. (2022, December 10). Faith: Weekly Summary — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 10, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/faith-weekly-summary-2022-12-10/ 

Scholer, S. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved December 10, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/121022.html 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Elijah Must First Come. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 10, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=dec10 

Sirach, CHAPTER 48. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 10, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/sirach/48?1