Our Way of Full Life

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to review our application of the “Way” in which we proclaim Truth and Life for all in our world.

Shepherd of Full Life

The Reading from the Book of Exodus presents the Arrival at Sinai of the Israelites.

* [19:2] Apparently from a different source (P) than v. 1, which notes the date, v. 2 from the J source includes a second notice of the arrival in the wilderness of Sinai. The Israelites now will be camped at Sinai from this point on all the way to Nm 10:10. This is a striking indication of the centrality and importance of the Sinai narrative in the overall composition of the Pentateuch.

* [19:5] Covenant: while covenants between individuals and between nations are ubiquitous in the ancient Near East, the adaptation of this concept to express the relationship that will henceforth characterize God’s relationship to Israel represents an important innovation of biblical faith. Other gods might “choose” nations to fulfill a special destiny or role in the world; but only Israel’s God is bound to a people by covenant. Thereby Israel’s identity as a people is put upon a foundation that does not depend upon the vicissitudes of Israelite statehood or the normal trappings of national existence. Israel will be a covenant people.

* [19:6] Kingdom of priests: inasmuch as this phrase is parallel to “holy nation,” it most likely means that the whole Israelite nation is set apart from other nations and so consecrated to God, or holy, in the way priests are among the people (cf. Is 61:6; 1 Pt 2:5, 9). (Exodus, CHAPTER 19 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 100 invites the people to enter the Temple courts with thank offerings.

* [Psalm 100] A hymn inviting the people to enter the Temple courts with thank offerings for the God who created them.

* [100:3] Although the people call on all the nations of the world to join in their hymn, they are conscious of being the chosen people of God. (Psalms, CHAPTER 100 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans proclaims Christian Faith, Hope, and Love.

* [5:1–11] Popular piety frequently construed reverses and troubles as punishment for sin; cf. Jn 9:2. Paul therefore assures believers that God’s justifying action in Jesus Christ is a declaration of peace. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ displays God’s initiative in certifying humanity for unimpeded access into the divine presence. Reconciliation is God’s gift of pardon to the entire human race. Through faith one benefits personally from this pardon or, in Paul’s term, is justified. The ultimate aim of God is to liberate believers from the pre-Christian self as described in Rom 1–3. Since this liberation will first find completion in the believer’s resurrection, salvation is described as future in Rom 5:10. Because this fullness of salvation belongs to the future it is called the Christian hope. Paul’s Greek term for hope does not, however, suggest a note of uncertainty, to the effect: “I wonder whether God really means it.” Rather, God’s promise in the gospel fills believers with expectation and anticipation for the climactic gift of unalloyed commitment in the holy Spirit to the performance of the will of God. The persecutions that attend Christian commitment are to teach believers patience and to strengthen this hope, which will not disappoint them because the holy Spirit dwells in their hearts and imbues them with God’s love (Rom 5:5).

* [5:1] We have peace: a number of manuscripts, versions, and church Fathers read “Let us have peace”; cf. Rom 14:19.

* [5:7] In the world of Paul’s time the good person is especially one who is magnanimous to others. (Romans, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew declares the Mission of the Twelve and Commissioning of the Twelve.

* [9:36] See Mk 6:34; Nm 27:17; 1 Kgs 22:17.

* [9:37–38] This Q saying (see Lk 10:2) is only imperfectly related to this context. It presupposes that only God (the master of the harvest) can take the initiative in sending out preachers of the gospel, whereas in Matthew’s setting it leads into Mt 10 where Jesus does so.

* [10:1] His twelve disciples: although, unlike Mark (Mk 3:13–14) and Luke (Lk 6:12–16), Matthew has no story of Jesus’ choosing the Twelve, he assumes that the group is known to the reader. The earliest New Testament text to speak of it is 1 Cor 15:5. The number probably is meant to recall the twelve tribes of Israel and implies Jesus’ authority to call all Israel into the kingdom. While Luke (Lk 6:13) and probably Mark (Mk 4:10, 34) distinguish between the Twelve and a larger group also termed disciples, Matthew tends to identify the disciples and the Twelve. Authority…every illness: activities the same as those of Jesus; see Mt 4:23; Mt 9:35; 10:8. The Twelve also share in his proclamation of the kingdom (Mt 10:7). But although he teaches (Mt 4:23; 7:28; 9:35), they do not. Their commission to teach comes only after Jesus’ resurrection, after they have been fully instructed by him (Mt 28:20). (Matthew, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

* [10:2–4] Here, for the only time in Matthew, the Twelve are designated apostles. The word “apostle” means “one who is sent,” and therefore fits the situation here described. In the Pauline letters, the place where the term occurs most frequently in the New Testament, it means primarily one who has seen the risen Lord and has been commissioned to proclaim the resurrection. With slight variants in Luke and Acts, the names of those who belong to this group are the same in the four lists given in the New Testament (see note on Mt 9:9). Cananean: this represents an Aramaic word meaning “zealot.” The meaning of that designation is unclear (see note on Lk 6:15).

* [10:5–6] Like Jesus (Mt 15:24), the Twelve are sent only to Israel. This saying may reflect an original Jewish Christian refusal of the mission to the Gentiles, but for Matthew it expresses rather the limitation that Jesus himself observed during his ministry. (Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)

Eileen Wirth comments that for years Catholics have focused on the need for more priests. But this is too narrow. Jesus is calling ALL women and men to participate in the Church’s mission and ministry in significant ways including leadership. In Elise Allen’s inspiring new biography of Pope Leo, she describes how he has long embraced this idea. In Peru, he appointed lay people including numerous women to positions of authority. In his parishes and diocese. Will this become his model for the whole Church? Let’s hope so for the good of the Church.

Leadership studies have shown that organizations do best with a mixture of male and female administrators and that surely includes the Church. At St. John’s, I’ve seen the positive impact that our female pastoral minister has made. By the time Pope Leo’s successor is elected, will lay women and men be running numerous departments in the Vatican and dioceses worldwide? There are no theological barriers to this.

Today when we “ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for the harvest,” we need to ask God to inspire “laborers” of all states of life to give their best talents to the Church and for ordained “laborers” to maximize the use of those gifts. (Wirth, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus empowers his disciples to act in his name,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).

"If the Spirit had not yet been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified, how then did the disciples cast out the unclean spirits? They did this by his own command, by the Son's authority.2 Note the careful timing of their mission. They were not sent out at the beginning of their walk with him. They were not sent out until they had sufficiently benefited by following him daily. It was only after they had seen the dead raised, the sea rebuked, devils expelled, the legs of a paralytic brought to life, sins remitted, lepers cleansed, and had received a sufficient proof of his power both by deeds and words - only then did he send them out. And he did not send them out unprepared to do dangerous deeds, for as yet there was no danger in Palestine. They had only to stand against verbal abuse. However, Jesus still warned them of larger perils to come, preparing them for what was future." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 32.3) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Romans 5:6-11 comments that Paul goes on to describe the confidence this love can give us. And he does it by stacking one rhetorical question on top of another: if Jesus has rescued us by his death, how much more will he protect us from “the wrath” that sin produces in the world (Romans 5:9)? How much more “will we be saved” from every evil in this world (5:10)? How much more indeed! There’s no limit to his love.

So every time you catch yourself wondering whether you are “good enough” for Jesus to love you, remember those three words: how much more! Remember the cross. Remember the love that moved him to give himself up to death—for you. Gaze upon the cross and let Jesus tell you how valuable and how precious you are to him. Then stand tall and joyfully “boast” to yourself about the love that God has for you. (Romans 5:11). Rejoice in the love that redeems and reconciles and saves and heals. The love that does so much more.

“Jesus, I am amazed by your love for me!” (Meditation on Romans 5:6-11, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that, in Exodus, the Lord speaks and reminds the Israelites of their exodus out of Egypt and slavery. He wants to make a kingdom of the rag tag group and have them aspire to be what God has for them.  Paul proclaims that while we were sinners, the just suffered for the unjust. Jesus died for us, we are justified by His death and we appreciate the tremendous glory to which we are called. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus presents the people as sheep without shepherds who the priests and kings have failed. The twelve are commissioned to proclaim the love of God in word and action. In The Kingdom, people will surrender to the love and law of God. Friar Jude comments that Matthew, writing for Jewish Christians, focuses on the mission to the Nation of Israel.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, reflects on the origin of the Christian church as “the Way”.

Christianity first emerged not as a new religion, but as a reform and sect of Judaism within Judea and the Mediterranean. Wherever Paul, Peter, and other early missionaries traveled, they formed small communities of believers in “the Way,” a movement that emphasized Jesus’s teachings, death, and resurrection as the path to transformation. Gradually the movement grew and took on a life of its own, welcoming non-Jews as well as Jews, becoming more inclusive and grace-oriented, until it eventually called itself “catholic” or universal. By 80 CE, there were Christians as far away as India and France. 

Historian Diana Butler Bass writes, “For all the complexity of primitive Christianity, a startling idea runs through early records of faith: Christianity seems to have succeeded because it transformed the lives of people in a chaotic world.” [1] During this time, Christianity was not so much about doctrines or eternal salvation, but about how to live a better life here and now, within the “reign of God.”

Much of what Jesus taught seems to have been followed closely during the first several hundred years after his death and resurrection. As long as Jesus’s followers were on the bottom and the edge of empire, as long as they shared the rejected and betrayed status of Jesus, they could grasp his teaching more readily. Values like nonparticipation in war, simple living, inclusivity, and love of enemies could be more easily understood when Christians were gathering secretly in the catacombs.

Several writings illustrate this early commitment to Jesus’s teachings on simplicity and generosity. For example, the Didache, compiled around 90 CE, says: “Share all things with your brother, and do not say that they are your own. For if you are sharers in what is imperishable, how much more in things which perish!” [3] At the time, Christianity was still pure, simple, and loving, relatively untouched by empire, rationalization, and compromise. [4] (Rohr, n.d.)

We celebrate the inspiration of the Spirit that fills the hearts of the faithful and enkindles in us the fire of love as we are commissioned to renew the face of the earth.

References

Exodus, CHAPTER 19 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Retrieved June 14, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/exodus/19?2 

Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 14, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10? 

Matthew, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 14, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/9? 

Meditation on Romans 5:6-11. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved June 14, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/06/14/1591735/ 

Psalms, CHAPTER 100 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Retrieved June 14, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/100?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). A New Way of Living. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 14, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-new-way-of-living/ 

Romans, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 14, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/5?6 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Jesus Gives His Disciples  to Heal and Set Free. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 14, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Wirth, E. (2026, June 13). Daily Reflection June 14, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved June 14, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-june-14-2026 

Commend them to God

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today remind us of our “leave taking” experiences and our ongoing prayer for love and full life for the people we see less frequently than we want.

Always On My Mind

The reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes Paul’s farewell to the Ephesian presbyters.

* [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 of the Apostles, CHAPTER 20, n.d.)

Psalm 68 is prayer that the defeated enemies bring tribute to the Temple.

* [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). Israel was being oppressed by a foreign power, perhaps Egypt (Ps 68:31–32)—unless Egypt stands for any oppressor. The Psalm may have been composed from segments of ancient poems, which would explain why the transitions are implied rather than explicitly stated. 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, n.d.)

The Gospel of John presents The Prayer of Jesus in the Last Supper Discourse.

* [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). (John, CHAPTER 17, n.d.)

David Crawford comments that one of the pastors at his church regularly includes in his benediction the call to “surrender your anxious cares to God.”

We see that with Paul, who surrenders his anxieties when he tells the presbyters, I commend you to God.  We hear echoes of that in the Gospel reading, when Jesus surrenders his anxieties by praying for God to keep and protect his followers.  If you are worried for someone, the best you can do for them is to lift them to God in prayer.  For those of us who question ourselves – “Am I ready?” or “Why didn’t I prepare better?” or “Will I be okay?” – surrender those anxious cares to God. (Crawford, 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 Acts 20:28-38 comments on the example Paul gives to us as we entrust our loved ones to God and intercede for them. Obviously, we pray fervently. We may even shed some tears as we tell the Lord about our concerns. We take opportunities to speak to them from the heart, but we don’t have to be consumed with worry. As we place them in the capable hands of our God, we can be confident that he will take care of the people we love, no matter what dangers or threats lie ahead.

Of course, that’s easier said than done. When you’re praying for a child who is discerning a religious vocation or a grandchild who seems to be getting into trouble or your sister who doesn’t want to go to church anymore, you might feel helpless. But this is where faith comes in. Ask yourself, “Is God able to protect them? Is he aware of the uncertainties that lie ahead for them? Does he know the hidden things that are going on in their hearts? Does he love them enough to help them?” The answer to all these questions is a resounding “Yes!” So take that step of faith, and like Paul, commend them and their needs to God.

“Heavenly Father, I trust you to take care of my loved ones, come what may!” (Meditation on Acts 20:28-38, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes that the Acts of the Apostles continues discourse concerning the savage wolves who would challenge the community from the outside and inside. Taught them the truth for three years even as he wanted to preach to all that the world was ending. The Gospel of John is the continuation of last Supper Discourse. Friar Jude reminds us of Jesus' petition to the Father to keep his disciples “living in the world but not of the world.”

Brian McLaren considers how Jesus’ inclusive message invites us to ongoing conversion. He points to the sacramental nature of baptism and the Eucharist, honoring the radical inclusivity of Jesus’ mission, while also naming the deep commitment required to join it.

What we need is a requirement that those who wish to enter actually have a change of heart—that they don’t sneak in to accomplish their own agenda, but rather that they genuinely want to learn a new way of thinking, feeling, living, and being in “the pastures of God.” Perhaps that is why baptism … was so important to Jesus and his disciples…. It was important to call people to a change of heart and give them a dramatic way of going public by saying, “Yes, this change of heart has happened within me, and I’m willing to identify myself publicly as a person who is on a new path.” And perhaps the Christian ritual of Eucharist was intended to function in a similar way—a kind of regular recommitment where people say, by gathering around a table and sharing in bread and wine, that they are continuing Jesus’ tradition of gathering in an inclusive community. “I’m still in,” they’re saying, “My heart is still in this mission and dream. I’m still committed.” (McLaren, n.d.)

We implore the Spirit to guide us as we surrender our anxieties from living in the world to Jesus' prayer that we may be His disciples “living in the world but not of the world”.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 20. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 4, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/20?28 

Crawford, D. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved June 4, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/060425.html 

John, CHAPTER 17. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 4, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/17?11 

McLaren, B. (n.d.). Inviting Further Conversion. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 4, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/inviting-further-conversion/ 

Meditation on Acts 20:28-38. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 4, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/06/04/1297956/ 

Psalms, PSALM 68. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 4, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/68?29 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Consecrated in God's Truth. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 4, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=jun4