Law and Faith

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the consolation and reassurance against fear that our relationship with Christ offers through the inspiration of the Spirit.

The Spirit and the Law

The reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes the events leading to the Arrest of Stephen.

* [6:8–8:1] The summary (Acts 6:7) on the progress of the Jerusalem community, illustrated by the conversion of the priests, is followed by a lengthy narrative regarding Stephen. Stephen’s defense is not a response to the charges made against him but takes the form of a discourse that reviews the fortunes of God’s word to Israel and leads to a prophetic declaration: a plea for the hearing of that word as announced by Christ and now possessed by the Christian community. The charges that Stephen depreciated the importance of the temple and the Mosaic law and elevated Jesus to a stature above Moses (Acts 6:13–14) were in fact true. Before the Sanhedrin, no defense against them was possible. With Stephen, who thus perceived the fuller implications of the teachings of Jesus, the differences between Judaism and Christianity began to appear. Luke’s account of Stephen’s martyrdom and its aftermath shows how the major impetus behind the Christian movement passed from Jerusalem, where the temple and law prevailed, to Antioch in Syria, where these influences were less pressing. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 6, n.d.)

Psalm 119 praises the Glories of God’s Law.

* [Psalm 119] This Psalm, the longest by far in the Psalter, praises God for giving such splendid laws and instruction for people to live by. The author glorifies and thanks God for the Torah, prays for protection from sinners enraged by others’ fidelity to the law, laments the cost of obedience, delights in the law’s consolations, begs for wisdom to understand the precepts, and asks for the rewards of keeping them. (Psalms, PSALM 119, n.d.)

The Gospel of John presents the Bread from Heaven.

* [6:22–71] Discourse on the bread of life; replacement of the manna. Jn 6:22–34 serve as an introduction, Jn 6:35–59 constitute the discourse proper, Jn 6:60–71 portray the reaction of the disciples and Peter’s confession.

* [6:23] Possibly a later interpolation, to explain how the crowd got to Capernaum.

* [6:27] The food that endures for eternal life: cf. Jn 4:14, on water “springing up to eternal life.” (John, CHAPTER 6, n.d.)

Andy Alexander, S.J. (2012) comments that the Easter message comes back: Work for food that endures for eternal life. Jesus is that food.

In this chapter he will say it quite clearly: feed on me and have life because of me. (John 6:57) We all know, deep down inside that this is the remedy we are looking for. Allowing Jesus back into our consciousness and into our spirits, throughout each day, will be the nourishment we need for that deeper kind of life we've been hungering for. It just feels more peaceful, just to think about it and breathe it in. We can imagine restoring some needed habits, like looking at a cross or crucifix each morning or making the sign of the cross early in our day. We can place our life in his hands as we prepare for the day. Everything starts to re-align. Tensions and anxieties begin to fade. It's hard to feed on Jesus and yell at someone I live with. When I'm being fed by reminding myself of his love and mercy, it's hard to be as impatient and frustrated with everyone. Gradually, Easter returns. We remember that the tomb is empty, Jesus is alive, and we are too. We become alive again with the gift of eternal life he won for us. And, we start giving thanks again, counting our blessings rather than recounting our problems. (Alexander, 2023)

Don Schwager quotes “God is our landlord,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Our wish, you see, is to attain to eternal life. We wish to reach the place where nobody dies, but if possible we do not want to get there via death. We would like to be whisked away there while we are still alive and see our bodies changed, while we are alive, into that spiritual form into which they are to be changed when we rise again. Who wouldn't like that? Isn't it what everybody wants? But while that is what you want, you are told, Quit. Remember what you have sung in the psalm: 'A lodger am I on earth'" If you are a lodger, you are staying in someone else's house; if you are staying in someone else's house, you quit when the landlord bids you. And the landlord is bound to tell you to quit sooner or later, and he has not guaranteed you a long stay. After all, he did not sign a contract with you. Seeing that you are lodging with him for nothing, you quit when he tells you to. And this, too, has to be put up with, and for this, too, patience is very necessary." (excerpt from Sermon 359A,8) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Acts 6:8-15 comments that we, too, have been raised with Christ, so we don’t have to be controlled by the fear of death—or of anything else, for that matter. Because whatever difficulties we encounter in this life, we know that one day we will be ushered into God’s kingdom and see our Lord face-to-face. Of course, that doesn’t mean we won’t experience fear from time to time. It just means that fear doesn’t have to dictate how we approach life.

You might never proclaim the gospel as forcefully as Stephen did. But as you live your life without being controlled by fear, you’ll become a witness to the world of the hope of Jesus’ resurrection and of life everlasting just the same.

“Jesus, thank you for the promise of eternal life. May it dispel all my fears.” (Meditation on Acts 6:8-15, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the relationship of the Greek speaking Jews with the Law and the Temple in the events leading to the arrest of the Greek speaking Stephen. In the Gospel of John, the great sin is not to believe Jesus is the Son of God. Friar Jude notes the conflict between seeking Jesus' help with material needs and ignoring the deepest needs of our heart.

James Finley comments on the writings and sermons of medieval mystic Meister Eckhart (1260–1327) who counseled detachment from anything that would separate us from God, whom he understood as the very ground of our being. He gives some practical strategies so that we can practice finding our way to the ground in day-by-day consciousness by being sensitive to certain tendencies in our heart.

Every time we catch ourselves getting reactive, every time we catch ourselves acting as if the outcome of the situation has the authority to name who we are, we are to take a deep breath and remind ourselves that it’s not true. That there’s this hidden, unfelt, deep, abyss-like center in which we’re being unexplainably sustained in the midst of the circumstances. [4]  (Finley, 2023)

We are prompted by the Spirit to pause and allow the Love of Jesus and our trust in His care to be the Way to navigate the storms and fears of our journey.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 6. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 24, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/6?8 

Alexander, A. (2023, April 24). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved April 24, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/042423.html 

Finley, J. (2023, April 24). God Is the Ground of Our Being — Center for Action and Contemplation. Daily Meditations Archive: 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/god-is-the-ground-of-our-being-2023-04-24/ 

John, CHAPTER 6. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 24, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/6?22 

Meditation on Acts 6:8-15. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 24, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/04/24/663473/ 

Psalms, PSALM 119. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved April 24, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/119?23 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 24, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=apr24 

 

Example of Divine Inspiration

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to open our eyes to see the marvelous gifts God provides to people for the love and care of others.

Marvelous gifts

In the reading from the Book of Jonah the conversion of Nineveh is the fruit of Jonah’s obedience and the Ninevites’ Repentance.

 * [3:7–8] Fasting and wearing sackcloth are signs of human repentance; here they are legislated even for the animals—a humorous touch, perhaps anticipating 4:11.1

Psalm 51 declares nearness to God brings joy and the authority to teach sinners. Such proclamation is better than offering sacrifice.

 * [Psalm 51] A lament, the most famous of the seven Penitential Psalms, prays for the removal of the personal and social disorders that sin has brought. The poem has two parts of approximately equal length: Ps 51:3–10 and Ps 51:11–19, and a conclusion in Ps 51:20–21. The two parts interlock by repetition of “blot out” in the first verse of each section (Ps 51:3, 11), of “wash (away)” just after the first verse of each section (Ps 51:4) and just before the last verse (Ps 51:9) of the first section, and of “heart,” “God,” and “spirit” in Ps 51:12, 19. The first part (Ps 51:3–10) asks deliverance from sin, not just a past act but its emotional, physical, and social consequences. The second part (Ps 51:11–19) seeks something more profound than wiping the slate clean: nearness to God, living by the spirit of God (Ps 51:12–13), like the relation between God and people described in Jer 31:33–34. Nearness to God brings joy and the authority to teach sinners (Ps 51:15–16). Such proclamation is better than offering sacrifice (Ps 51:17–19). The last two verses express the hope that God’s good will toward those who are cleansed and contrite will prompt him to look favorably on the acts of worship offered in the Jerusalem Temple (Ps 51:19 [20–21]).2

The Sign of Jonah is cited by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke when the people demand a sign.

 * [11:29–32] The “sign of Jonah” in Luke is the preaching of the need for repentance by a prophet who comes from afar. Cf. Mt 12:38–42 (and see notes there) where the “sign of Jonah” is interpreted by Jesus as his death and resurrection.3

Nicky Santos, S.J. comments that if we read the verses before today’s reading, we will see that the people are accusing Jesus of performing his miracles and healings through the power of Beelzebul, the prince of devils. Their interior disposition was one of distrust and disbelief. It is this disposition that Jesus is criticizing, saying that the only sign that would be given them would be the sign of Jonah, referring to his own death and resurrection.

 As I reflected on the reading, the word that came to mind was “receptivity.” As believers of Jesus, we already acknowledge the sign of God’s love for us through the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. But how receptive are we to the manifestation of that love in our daily lives? What is our interior disposition even in the midst of turmoil and strife? Are we able to recognize God working through us, and through others, performing little miracles in our own world?4

Don Schwager quotes “Don't put off conversion - tomorrow may never come,” by Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

 "God is not now so long-suffering in putting up with you that He will fail to be just in punishing. Do not say then: 'Tomorrow I shall be converted, tomorrow I shall please God, and all that I shall have done today and yesterday will be forgiven me.' What you say is true: God has promised forgiveness if you turn back to Him. But what He has not promised is that you will have tomorrow in which to achieve your conversion." (excerpt from Commentary on Psalm 144,11)5

The Word Among Us Meditation on Jonah 3:1-10 notices how quickly the people of Nineveh responded to Jonah’s message. Obviously, they were serious about fulfilling their goal of repentance. But what do you suppose motivated them? It’s apparent that the Ninevites were in this together. All of them fasted and all of them did penance. This is surely what helped them keep their resolve.

 You are not alone; you are part of the body of Christ. There is so much more incentive to stay the course when you have other people running the race with you.
“Lord, give me the humility to reach out to my brothers and sisters for help and encouragement!”6

Friar Jude Winkler comments that this was the second time Jonah had been called to go to Nineveh. The last city he wanted to help was the pagan capital of enemy nation Assyria. Jesus is speaking of one of the two versions of the sign of Jonah. Friar Jude reminds us that Jesus, as Wisdom Incarnate, calls us to open our eyes to the revelation all around us.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, discusses people setting examples for us by employing their many gifts to meet the needs of others, caring for others’ health, nourishment, education, and welfare. They impart a measure of acceptance and appreciation that can help people believe in their own value. These appear as Enneagram Twos. They can share generously and will even give their “last shirt” to others. They stand by friends and family when they have to endure suffering, pain, or conflict.

 Like all of us, Twos want to be liked, but they also have an exaggerated desire for external validation. Twos happily spoil and look after other people, even when unasked, but if their “care” becomes burdensome or confining and others distance themselves instead of returning this “love,” the Two feels betrayed and exploited.
The constant and great temptation of Twos is to help others, and in this way they evade themselves and their own needs. When immature Twos are hurt, they can suddenly stop being sweet and pliant and lash out. At such moments they are capable of doing frightful injury to the very person they supposedly love above all. This is the shadow side of the Two’s love that may not be recognized at first glance.
Twos are healed and redeemed the more they experience God as the Real Lover and realize that true, selfless love only comes by sharing in God’s love. This insight leads through a moment of deep shame to genuine humility.7

We are invited to seek the inspiration of the Spirit as we act and see truth, beauty and goodness revealed in our relationships with others.

References

1	(n.d.). Jonah, chapter 3 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 4, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/jonah/3
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 51 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 4, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/51
3	(n.d.). Luke, chapter 11 - United States Conference. Retrieved March 4, 2020, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/11
4	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved March 4, 2020, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
5	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 4, 2020, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
6	(n.d.). Saint Casimir (Optional Memorial) - Mass Readings and .... Retrieved March 4, 2020, from https://wau.org/meditations/
7	(n.d.). Type Two - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 4, 2020, from https://cac.org/type-two-the-need-to-be-needed-2020-03-04/

Enduring rejection

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary on the Feast of St. Stephen urge us to contemplate the gift of our spirit and how that gift may not always be received with the generosity intended in the giving.

Gifts of our Spirit

The reading from the Book of Acts describes the arrest of Stephen and the accusation against him that led to the stoning of the first martyr.

* [6:13] False witnesses: here, and in his account of Stephen’s execution (Acts 7:54–60), Luke parallels the martyrdom of Stephen with the death of Jesus.1

 * [7:57] Covered their ears: Stephen’s declaration, like that of Jesus, is a scandal to the court, which regards it as blasphemy.2

The psalmist declares God as “my rock and my fortress” in Psalm 31 that includes the trust of declaring “into your hands I commend my spirit.”

 * [31:6] Into your hands I commend my spirit: in Lk 23:46 Jesus breathes his last with this Psalm verse. Stephen in Acts 7:59 alludes to these words as he is attacked by enemies. The verse is used as an antiphon in the Divine Office at Compline, the last prayer of the day.3

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus warns of coming persecutions declaring that the one who endures to the end will be saved.

 * [10:22] To the end: the original meaning was probably “until the parousia.” But it is not likely that Matthew expected no missionary disciples to suffer death before then, since he envisages the martyrdom of other Christians (Mt 10:21). For him, the end is probably that of the individual’s life (see Mt 10:28).

Tamora Whitney comments that those who were disputing Stephen were furious because they could not withstand his wisdom. When he said he had a vision of Jesus standing at the right hand of God, they called it blasphemy and stoned him at the gates of Jerusalem. With his dying breath he forgave his assaulters and commended his spirit to the Lord. And to this day the feast of Stephen is a day for charity, generosity, and almsgiving.

Good king Wenceslaus went out on the feast of Stephen to deliver food and fuel to a poor man and encouraged his page to aid his charitable actions. The song ends, “You who will now bless the poor will yourselves find blessing.” In the United Kingdom Boxing day was set aside to give a small gift to those who have served you throughout the year. In Ireland Wren boys go house to house giving wren feathers for good luck in exchange for a treat, maybe a piece of Christmas cake. The first martyr St. Stephen’s dying charity has encouraged faith and charity around the world.5 

Don Schwager quotes “Your Father speaks through you in every age,” by Saint Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

 "To be sure, we heard in that reading, 'But when they deliver you up, do not be anxious how or what you are to speak... for it is not you who are speaking but the Spirit of your Father who speaks through you.' And he says in another place: 'Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the world' (Matthew 28:20). Does this mean that the people who heard those words of the Lord would be here until the end of the world? The Lord was referring, rather, not only to those about to depart from this life but also to the others, including us and those who would come after us in this life. He saw everyone in his single body, and the words he spoke, 'I am with you even to the end of the world,' were heard by them and by us too. And if we did not hear them then in our knowledge, we heard them in his foreknowledge. Therefore, safe as sheep among the wolves, let us keep the commandments of him who directs us. And let us be 'innocent as doves but cautious as snakes' (Matthew 10:16). Innocent as doves that we may not harm anyone; cautious as snakes that we may be careful of letting anyone harm us." (excerpt from SERMON 64A.2)6

The Word Among Us Meditation on Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59 comments that it’s the token of affection embodied in the gift that has the most impact, along with the way you have put a little bit of yourself into the gift. Your hope, after all, is that the gift will help the recipient remember you fondly. You might say, in fact, that when we give a gift, it’s like saying, “Receive my spirit.”

 Every day, courageous men and women around the world are offering their lives as a gift to the Lord—and it’s not just the martyrs. It can be everyday people like yourself as well. Think of all the ways you sacrifice for your loved ones. You put aside your preferences and defer to your spouse or your friends. You get up early to make sure things run smoothly, and sometimes you lose sleep praying for and worrying about the people in your life who are struggling. You bite your tongue, you change your plans, you forgive and forbear. And as you do each of these things, you can follow Stephen’s example and say to the Lord, “Receive my spirit.”7

Friar Jude Winkler connects St. Stephen to the establishment of the diaconate. An unlawful mob was responsible for Stephen’s death. Friar Jude reminds us that the call to conversion and giving witness is still a costly exercise for believers in our world.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, teaches that every time we take in a breath, we are repeating the pattern of taking spirit into matter, and thus repeating the first creation of Adam. And every time we breathe out, we are repeating the pattern of returning spirit to the material universe. In a way, every exhalation is a “little dying” as we pay the price of inspiriting the world. Our simple breathing models our entire vocation as a human being. Like Christ, we are an incarnation of matter and spirit operating as one. This, more than anything we believe or accomplish, is how all of us continue the mystery of incarnation in space and time—either knowingly and joyfully or not.

As the theologian St. Maximus the Confessor put it, “God made all beings to this end, to [enjoy the same union] of humanity and divinity that was united in Christ.” [1] Later, St. Gregory Palamas made it even more specific: “The transformation of our human nature, its deification and transfiguration—were these not accomplished in Christ from the start, from the moment in which He assumed our nature?” [2] These kinds of jewels are found much more in the writings of the Eastern church and its Fathers. St. Athanasius “the Father of Orthodoxy” put it this way: “God [in Christ] became the bearer of flesh [for a time] in order that [humanity] might become the bearer of Spirit forever.” [3] This was the Great Exchange. Jesus was meant to be the guarantee that divinity can indeed reside within humanity, which is always our great doubt and denial. And once we recognize that as possible, then most of our problems are already solved. Resurrection of both persons and planets becomes a foregone conclusion! What that exactly means, of course, I cannot possibly know (1 Corinthians 2:9), but our faith invites us to trust in it.8 

What Fr Richard calls an incarnational worldview is the profound recognition of the presence of the divine in literally “every thing” and “every one.” It is the key to mental and spiritual health as well as to a kind of basic contentment and happiness. An incarnational worldview is the only way we can reconcile our inner worlds with the outer one, unity with diversity, physical with spiritual, individual with corporate, and divine with human.

References

1	(n.d.). Acts, chapter 6 - United States Conference. Retrieved December 26, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts/6
2	(n.d.). Acts, chapter 7 - United States Conference. Retrieved December 26, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts/7
3	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 31 - United States Conference. Retrieved December 26, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/31
4	(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 10 - United States Conference. Retrieved December 26, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10
5	(n.d.). Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries .... Retrieved December 26, 2019, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
6	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 26, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
7	(n.d.). Saint Stephen, The First Martyr (Feast) - Mass Readings and .... Retrieved December 26, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/12/26/
8	(2019, December 26). Inspiriting the World — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 26, 2019, from https://cac.org/inspiriting-the-world-2019-12-26/