Love and Providence

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to be witness to hope in Love and Divine Providence as we explore these resonances in our own journey.

“Yes” to the Plan of God

The Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah proclaims The Servant of the Lord.

* [49:1] Gave me my name: designated me for a special task or mission (cf. Jer 1:5).

* [49:3] Israel: the servant is identified with the people of Israel as their ideal representative; however, vv. 5–6 seem to distinguish the servant from Israel.

* [49:6] The servant’s vocation extends beyond the restoration of Israel in order to bring the knowledge of Israel’s God to the rest of the earth; cf. Lk 2:32. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 49 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 139 offers a meditation on God’s omnipresence and omniscience.

* [Psalm 139] A hymnic meditation on God’s omnipresence and omniscience. The psalmist is keenly aware of God’s all-knowing gaze (Ps 139:1–6), of God’s presence in every part of the universe (Ps 139:7–12), and of God’s control over the psalmist’s very self (Ps 139:13–16). Summing up Ps 139:1–16, 17–18 express wonder. There is only one place hostile to God’s rule—wicked people. The psalmist prays to be removed from their company (Ps 139:19–24). (Psalms, PSALM 139 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Reading from the Acts of the Apostles proclaims Paul’s Address about Christian kerygma in the Synagogue.

* [13:4–14:27] The key event in Luke’s account of the first missionary journey is the experience of Paul and Barnabas at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:14–52). The Christian kerygma proclaimed by Paul in the synagogue was favorably received. Some Jews and “God-fearers” (see note on Acts 8:26–40) became interested and invited the missionaries to speak again on the following sabbath (Acts 13:42). By that time, however, the appearance of a large number of Gentiles from the city had so disconcerted the Jews that they became hostile toward the apostles (Acts 13:44–50). This hostility of theirs appears in all three accounts of Paul’s missionary journeys in Acts, the Jews of Iconium (Acts 14:1–2) and Beroea (Acts 17:11) being notable exceptions. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke presents The Birth of John the Baptist.

* [1:57–66] The birth and circumcision of John above all emphasize John’s incorporation into the people of Israel by the sign of the covenant (Gn 17:1–12). The narrative of John’s circumcision also prepares the way for the subsequent description of the circumcision of Jesus in Lk 2:21. At the beginning of his two-volume work Luke shows those who play crucial roles in the inauguration of Christianity to be wholly a part of the people of Israel. At the end of the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 21:20; 22:3; 23:6–9; 24:14–16; 26:2–8, 22–23) he will argue that Christianity is the direct descendant of Pharisaic Judaism.

* [1:59] The practice of Palestinian Judaism at this time was to name the child at birth; moreover, though naming a male child after the father is not completely unknown, the usual practice was to name the child after the grandfather (see Lk 1:61). The naming of the child John and Zechariah’s recovery from his loss of speech should be understood as fulfilling the angel’s announcement to Zechariah in Lk 1:13, 20. (Luke, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Gladyce Janky comments that we must find ways to step back from hectic lives so we can silence the noise – both internal and external.  When we pull away, even for a brief time, we begin to recognize the subtle movement of grace – the desires God plants, the gifts received, the people He places in our path.

For most of us, escaping for an extended time in the desert might feel like a luxury we cannot afford – or might want to avoid, especially in an Arizona summer.  But the spiritual desert is necessary.  We must find ways to step back from hectic lives so we can silence the noise – both internal and external.  When we pull away, even for a brief time, we begin to recognize the subtle movement of grace – the desires God plants, the gifts received, the people He places in our path.  Ever so slowly, our purpose becomes less something we are chasing or trying to grasp, and more something we receive and live into. 

This reading reinforces the importance of trusting in God’s timing, and of patience through multiple generations.  God is listening; He has not forgotten the pain of His creation, and He will respond.  The work we do in our lifetimes may not yield results until future generations build on the foundations we lay.  As Ignatius learned during his years of formation and transformation into God’s servant, we are here to do the work God has entrusted to us, not try to follow in the footsteps of John or other saints.  We only need to trust and then move forward as far as we can on our portion of the path known as God’s plan for Salvation History.(Janky, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes Parallels between John and Jesus, by Ephrem the Syrian (306-373 AD)

"The elderly Elizabeth gave birth to the last of the prophets, and Mary, a young girl, to the Lord of the angels. The daughter of Aaron gave birth to the voice in the desert (Isaiah 63:9), but the daughter of David to the strong God of the earth. The barren one gave birth to him who remits sins, but the Virgin gave birth to him who takes them away (John 1:29). Elizabeth gave birth to him who reconciled people through repentance, but Mary gave birth to him who purified the lands of uncleanness. The elder one lit a lamp in the house of Jacob, his father, for this lamp itself was John (John 5:35), while the younger one lit the Sun of Justice (Malachi 4:2) for all the nations. The angel announced to Zechariah, so that the slain one would proclaim the crucified one and that the hated one would proclaim the envied one. He who was to baptize with water would proclaim him who would baptize with fire and with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11). The light, which was not obscure, would proclaim the Sun of Justice. The one filled with the Spirit would proclaim concerning him who gives the Spirit. The priest calling with the trumpet would proclaim concerning the one who is to come at the sound of the trumpet at the end. The voice would proclaim concerning the Word, and the one who saw the dove would proclaim concerning him upon whom the dove rested, like the lightning before the thunder." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON TATIAN'S DIATESSARON 1.31) (Schwager, n.d.) 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 1:57-66, 80 comments that John’s very conception and birth were powerful signs of God’s love and faithfulness, but they were just the beginning. Even more important was the way John fulfilled his mission to prepare God’s people for the Messiah.

Let’s rejoice in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who is faithful in keeping every one of his promises. He intervened in the lives of Zechariah and Elizabeth to bring about the birth of John, and he continues to intervene today to bring about his plans and promises in our lives. May we trust in his goodness, his faithfulness, and his ability to accomplish his will—even if it takes a miracle.

“Lord, you are so faithful! I give you thanks for all the ways you have intervened in my life.” (Meditation on Luke 1:57-66, 80, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 49 John the Baptist is a messenger of conversion as a sharp sword pointing to the Saviour Jesus, even as John stirred in the womb. Acts presents the kerygma made by Paul in the Synagogue testifying to John the Baptist who preached repentance and Jesus Baptism brings us to the life of the Trinity. The matrimonial symbolism of the Baptist is connected to not being worthy to put on the sandals of Jesus as the widow is Israel. Elizabeth wants the name of “John” meaning “Yahweh saves” He carries his mission in his name. The mute Zechariah did not believe in his own prayer and was silenced until the birth of the Baptist. Jesus finds John was in the desert and Friar Jude wonders if the Baptist did go down to Qumran where there were continuous ablutions and an austere lifestyle that were later incorporated in the ideas of the Baptist and his community.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, reflects on the shared hope that characterized the first community he founded in the late 1970s.

Hope is a participation in the very life of God. It has nothing to do with circumstances or events going well. It can even thrive in the midst of adversity and trial. True faith, which always includes hope and love, is a predisposition to “yes.” I would go so far as to say that a foundational “yes” is the most distinguishing element between an ego- and fear-based agenda and a Spirit-guided one. As Paul writes of Jesus, “With him it was always ‘yes,’ and however many the promises God made, the ‘yes’ to them all is in him” (2 Corinthians 1:19–20).

Deconstruction comes naturally to most of us, but deconstruction is rather useless without reconstruction and a positive vision. It’s the easiest thing in the world to stand on a pedestal of superiority and point out who and what is wrong—without doing anything positive or becoming a positive answer ourselves. After we criticize and deconstruct, what are we actually for? An awful lot of activists on the left and reactionaries on the right have no positive vision, nothing they believe in, no one they are in love with. They are just overwhelmed with what’s wrong and think that by eliminating the so-called “contaminating element,” the world will be just, peaceful, and right again. (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the patience of the Spirit in our decisions and actions in hope that Love will prevail as the consequence of our Faith and “Yes” to the Plan of God.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 24, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/13? 

Isaiah, CHAPTER 49 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 24, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/49? 

Janky, G. (2026, June 24). Daily Reflections. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved June 24, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-june-24-2026 

Luke, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 24, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1?57 

Meditation on Luke 1:57-66, 80. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved June 24, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/06/24/1597747/ 

Psalms, PSALM 139 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 24, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/139? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Participatory Hope. CAC.org. Retrieved June 24, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/participatory-hope/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Hand of the Lord Was with Him. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 24, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2026&date=jun24a 

Experience Shared for Change

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the action of Jesus in preparation of His Disciples to proclaim His Message in their mission to the world.

Experience and Example

The Reading from the Acts of the Apostles presents Paul’s Arrival at Antioch in Pisidia and Paul’s Address in the Synagogue.

* [13:4–14:27] The key event in Luke’s account of the first missionary journey is the experience of Paul and Barnabas at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:14–52). The Christian kerygma proclaimed by Paul in the synagogue was favorably received. Some Jews and “God-fearers” (see note on Acts 8:26–40) became interested and invited the missionaries to speak again on the following sabbath (Acts 13:42). By that time, however, the appearance of a large number of Gentiles from the city had so disconcerted the Jews that they became hostile toward the apostles (Acts 13:44–50). This hostility of theirs appears in all three accounts of Paul’s missionary journeys in Acts, the Jews of Iconium (Acts 14:1–2) and Beroea (Acts 17:11) being notable exceptions.

* [13:5] John: that is, John Mark (see Acts 12:12, 25).

* [13:6] A magician named Bar-Jesus who was a Jewish false prophet: that is, he posed as a prophet. Again Luke takes the opportunity to dissociate Christianity from the magical acts of the time (Acts 13:7–11); see also Acts 8:18–24.

* [13:9] Saul, also known as Paul: there is no reason to believe that his name was changed from Saul to Paul upon his conversion. The use of a double name, one Semitic (Saul), the other Greco-Roman (Paul), is well attested (cf. Acts 1:23, Joseph Justus; Acts 12:12, 25, John Mark).

* [13:16–41] This is the first of several speeches of Paul to Jews proclaiming that the Christian church is the logical development of Pharisaic Judaism (see also Acts 24:10–21; 26:2–23).

* [13:16] Who are God-fearing: see note on Acts 8:26–40.

* [13:18] Put up with: some manuscripts read “sustained.”

* [13:20] At the end of about four hundred and fifty years: the manuscript tradition makes it uncertain whether the mention of four hundred and fifty years refers to the sojourn in Egypt before the Exodus, the wilderness period and the time of the conquest (see Ex 12:40–41), as the translation here suggests, or to the time between the conquest and the time of Samuel, the period of the judges, if the text is read, “After these things, for about four hundred and fifty years, he provided judges.” (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 89 declares how the Davidic king became king of earthly kings.

* [Psalm 89] The community laments the defeat of the Davidic king, to whom God promised kingship as enduring as the heavens (Ps 89:2–5). The Psalm narrates how God became king of the divine beings (Ps 89:6–9) and how the Davidic king became king of earthly kings (Ps 89:20–38). Since the defeat of the king calls into question God’s promise, the community ardently prays God to be faithful to the original promise to David (Ps 89:39–52). (Psalms, PSALM 89 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of John, today’s discourses precede the traditional narrative of the passion.

* [13:1–19:42] The Book of Glory. There is a major break here; the word “sign” is used again only in Jn 20:30. In this phase of Jesus’ return to the Father, the discourses (Jn 13–17) precede the traditional narrative of the passion (Jn 18–20) to interpret them for the Christian reader. This is the only extended example of esoteric teaching of disciples in John.

* [13:1–20] Washing of the disciples’ feet. This episode occurs in John at the place of the narration of the institution of the Eucharist in the synoptics. It may be a dramatization of Lk 22:27—“I am your servant.” It is presented as a “model” (“pattern”) of the crucifixion. It symbolizes cleansing from sin by sacrificial death.

* [13:16] Messenger: the Greek has apostolos, the only occurrence of the term in John. It is not used in the technical sense here. (John, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Elvin Cardoso, SJ, comments that, like the disciples, we often struggle to fully understand this call. We may hear the words, even participate in the rituals, yet fail to connect them to our daily lives. 

The washing of the feet is not meant to remain within the walls of the liturgy; it is an invitation that extends into every encounter, every relationship, every moment that calls for compassion, patience, and generosity. 

At the same time, in the first reading, we are reminded of another dimension of discipleship. With conviction and clarity, Paul speaks to the people, helping them see how God’s promises are fulfilled in Christ.

Today, we are invited to be attentive, to notice the quiet opportunities to “wash the feet” of others, and to recognize the moments when a word of encouragement, guidance, or truth is needed. May we be open to the Spirit, who works through both our actions and our words. And may we grow into disciples who serve with humility, speak with love, and lead others closer to God through the witness of our lives. (Cardoso, n.d.)

Don Schwager comments that “The Master wants his servants to reach their potential,” by Origen, 185-254 A.D.

"The Savior, who is Lord, does something that surpasses all other lords, who have no desire to see their servants rise up to their level. He is such a Son of the Father's goodness and love that, although he was Lord, he produced servants who could become like him, their Lord, not having the spirit of bondage, which comes from fear, but the spirit of adoption in which they too cry, 'Abba, Father.' So then, before becoming like their teacher and lord, they need to have their feet washed because they are still deficient disciples who possess the spirit of bondage to fear. But when they attain the stature of master and lord... then they will be able to imitate their master and wash the disciple's feet as the teacher. (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 32.120-22) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 13:16-20 comments that as Jesus’ self-emptying love softened and changed the apostles’ hearts, their own humility and self-emptying could do the same for the people around them. Though we are not apostles, we, too, are called to model Jesus’ sacrificial love. That might feel uncomfortable at times.

Chances are, if you’ve been deeply touched by another person’s love, it was when they cared for you in a personal way. When the love of Christ touched you through them, you might have resolved to pass it on to someone else. Their mercy led you to be more merciful; their generosity inspired your giving; their closeness to Jesus made you thirst for the same.

So begin today. Imitate Jesus by serving someone with humility and tenderness.

“Lord, help me to love as you love.” (Meditation on John 13:16-20, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that, in Acts, Paul, Barnabas and Mark go to Pisidian Antioch and Paul takes as an insult Mark’s return to Jerusalem. Paul could hold grudges for a while. In Jerusalem, Paul offers a teaching and in the middle Saul is mentioned and the choosing of David. The chosen can be rejected if they turn away. Being chosen as People of God brings a responsibility. The Gospel of John begins the Last Supper Discourse. The disciples should follow His example of service and give their life for others. The betrayal of Judas was part of God’s plan and it has Jesus show them He is the “I Am”. Friar Jude notes that Jesus talks of a future community that will honor His name in a community of believers in future generations.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces spiritual director Therese Taylor-Stinson who offers Harriet Tubman as a model of spiritual courage. She describes how Tubman’s faith has inspired her own reliance on prayer in times of crisis.

Reflecting on the way Harriet faced uncertain times, times of need, even as she sought to help others, I think of a time in my own life—a time of great trial, a time I was unable to pray, a time I felt silenced by others; I fell silent myself, except for one name I repeated again and again: “Jesus.” I did not know what significance the name held, but it was all I had. As the saying and the song go, “There’s something about the name of Jesus!” I found that my silence was prayer. My willingness to trust the unknown was prayer. My desolation was prayer. My intention for a Presence surely greater than me was prayer. I would say, like Jacob, “I will not let go until you bless me.” Though uncertain about what the blessing might be or how the blessing would be delivered, I walked in trust. I trusted that something greater than myself lived in me and would see me through. [3] (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the inspiration of the Spirit to see in our life experience the gift of a Way to share the life giving of Christ in our action in support of the people in our environment.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 30, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/13? 

Cardoso, E. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved April 30, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-april-30-2026 

John, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 30, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/13?16 

Meditation on John 13:16-20. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved April 30, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/04/30/1553021/ 

Psalms, PSALM 89 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 30, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/89?2 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 30, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/holding-steady-in-prayer/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The One Who Receives Me. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 30, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/