Community in the Storm

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to step out amid the storms of violence and hatred on our journey and witness to the love and support of Christ for people in peril.

Christ in the Curves

The Reading from the Acts of the Apostles presents growth in the Church at Antioch.

* [11:19–26] The Jewish Christian antipathy to the mixed community was reflected by the early missionaries generally. The few among them who entertained a different view succeeded in introducing Gentiles into the community at Antioch (in Syria). When the disconcerted Jerusalem community sent Barnabas to investigate, he was so favorably impressed by what he observed that he persuaded his friend Saul to participate in the Antioch mission.

* [11:26] Christians: “Christians” is first applied to the members of the community at Antioch because the Gentile members of the community enable it to stand out clearly from Judaism. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 87 is a song of Zion.

* [Psalm 87] A song of Zion, like Ps 46; 48; 76; 132.

* [87:2] The gates: the city itself, a common Hebrew idiom.

* [87:5–6] The bond between the exile and the holy city was so strong as to override the exile’s citizenship of lesser cities. (Psalms, PSALM 87 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of John, Jesus proclaims His relationship to the Father at the Feast of the Dedication.

* [10:22] Feast of the Dedication: an eight-day festival of lights (Hebrew, Hanukkah) held in December, three months after the feast of Tabernacles (Jn 7:2), to celebrate the Maccabees’ rededication of the altar and reconsecration of the temple in 164 B.C., after their desecration by Antiochus IV Epiphanes (Dn 8:13; 9:27; cf. 1 Mc 4:36–59; 2 Mc 1:18–2:19; 10:1–8).

* [10:23] Portico of Solomon: on the east side of the temple area, offering protection against the cold winds from the desert.

* [10:24] Keep us in suspense: literally, “How long will you take away our life?” Cf. Jn 11:48–50. If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly: cf. Lk 22:67. This is the climax of Jesus’ encounters with the Jewish authorities. There has never yet been an open confession before them.

* [10:25] I told you: probably at Jn 8:25 which was an evasive answer.

* [10:29] The textual evidence for the first clause is very divided; it may also be translated: “As for the Father, what he has given me is greater than all,” or “My Father is greater than all, in what he has given me.”

* [10:30] This is justification for Jn 10:29; it asserts unity of power and reveals that the words and deeds of Jesus are the words and deeds of God. (John, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)

Becky Nickerson celebrates that they welcomed our first grandchild, Jackson, to the world. It didn’t take long, and Jackson knew their voices. And they, in return, listened to his every sound and movement and knew him as well.

The Lord’s voice is steady and leading us. Do we always listen to it? Nope. Sometimes we may flat-out ignore it. Yet when the world gets “noisy,” or we are impatient and waiting for God to answer, we sometimes need to listen closer. God’s voice is there. And we know God’s voice. 

In my several years of research on the topic of belonging, I have learned that belonging is an active term. It requires active engagement, trust, vulnerability, and intentionality. Belonging, while personally and individually determined, often encompasses being seen (for all aspects of who we are), heard, and affirmed. It involves feeling connected, valued, and known. 

In the embrace of the Lord, we have a place of belonging. That too is active. “No one can take them out of my hand.” God knows each of us by name. We belong with and to God. Today, amidst the “noise” of your day, I invite you to listen closely and intentionally, resting in the assurance that you are known, you belong, and you are loved. (Nickerson, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The Great might of Christ's hand,” by Clement of Alexandria, 150-215 A.D.

"The faithful also have the help of Christ, and the devil is not able to snatch them. Those who have an endless enjoyment of good things remain in Christ's hand, no one thereafter snatching them away from the bliss that is given to them. [No one can throw them] into punishment or torments. For it is not possible that those who are in Christ's hand should be snatched away to be punished because of the great might Christ has. For 'the hand' in the divine Scripture signifies 'the power'" It cannot be doubted therefore that the hand of Christ is unconquerable and mighty to all things." (excerpt from the COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 7.1) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Acts 11:19-26 comments on an adage that says, “God writes straight with crooked lines.” But what can you do when all that you can see is the bend in the road?

Start by reminding yourself as you face that curve: God always has a plan in mind. Hold fast to what you know, despite what you can’t see. Those early believers, though hounded out of Jerusalem, continued to proclaim the good news. In the same way, you can continue to love and serve the Lord, wherever you are, whatever has happened. Cling to the truths you know, even as you wait for God to show you the next steps he has planned for you. As you pray, listen for the Lord’s gentle encouragement. He will help you negotiate all of life’s curves.

“Lord, I can’t see where you’re leading me, but I trust that you will work out your good plan for my life.” (Meditation on Acts 11:19-26, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that, in Acts, God has the message spread even to Antioch where Gentiles are converting. Barnabas and Paul go to Antioch. Now in Antioch they take the name “Christian” as they follow the Messiah, Jesus. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is at the feast of Dedication and He continues to speak about how the sheep will hear His voice. In John, the Father has sent Jesus into the world and He offers an eternal life that will never perish. Friar Jude proclaims that Life in Christ offers so much love that even if we die, we will continue.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, responds to a sermon, in which the Rt. Rev. Michael Curry considers how Jesus sustains us in the storms of life.

When it was darkest, when it was most uncertain, Peter … saw a figure coming toward them…. It was Jesus. He was walking on the water. And Peter, without even thinking, says, “Lord, if you bid me come to you, I’ll come to you!” And Jesus says, “Well come on, brother.” Peter jumps out of the boat and starts walking on the water, heading toward Jesus, and he actually did it. He just saw him, he said, “Lord!” He kept walking. “Lord! It’s you!” Reverend Curry offers an African American spiritual, pointing to the faith of people in crisis:

Then, he looked around, and it was a serious “uh-oh” moment. And the text says … that when Peter looked at the wind and the waves and saw the storm around him and lost his focus on Jesus and focused on the storm, that is when he began to sink.

Remember the song …

I got my hand on the Gospel plow
Wouldn’t take nothin’ for my journey now
Keep your eyes on the prize
Hold on, hold on
Keep your eyes on the prize
Hold on

Oh, I bet that there’s some wisdom here, because in Matthew’s version, I want you to notice that the storm doesn’t stop. This is not a story about Jesus calming the sea. The storm rages on. But if you want to know how to walk through a storm? Keep your eyes on the prize. Keep your eyes focused on this Jesus, on his teachings, on his spirit. Abide with him, dwell with him, live in him. And when you live in him, guess what? He will start living in you….

That’s how Peter walks on water. To throw yourself into the arms of Jesus … and hold on. (Rohr, n.d.)

We may find ourselves in a struggle with the storms of life and we implore the Spirit to remind us that we are not alone and if we Stop, Take a breath, Observe, and Proceed with the support of Christ, all will be well.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/11? 

John, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/10?22 

Meditation on Acts 11:19-26. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved April 28, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/04/28/1551908/ 

Nickerson, B. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved April 28, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-april-28-2026 

Psalms, PSALM 87 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 28, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/87?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Keep Your Eyes on the Prize. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 28, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/keep-your-eyes-on-the-prize/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). My Sheep Hear My Voice. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 28, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Resurrection and Life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the ways in which the Spirit is calling us to experience full life in our relationships with family.

Full Life in Family

The reading from the Prophet Jeremiah describes his prophecies in the Temple.

* [26:1] The beginning of the reign: a technical expression for the time between a king’s accession to the throne and the beginning of his first official (calendar) year as king. Jehoiakim’s first regnal year was 608 B.C. (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 26, n.d.)

Psalm 69 is a prayer for Deliverance from Persecution

* [Psalm 69] A lament complaining of suffering in language both metaphorical (Ps 69:2–3, 15–16, the waters of chaos) and literal (Ps 69:4, 5, 9, 11–13, exhaustion, alienation from family and community, false accusation). (Psalms, PSALM 69, n.d.)

In the Gospel of John, Jesus proclaims His nature to Martha, who declares her faith in Christ as Lord. 

* [11:1–44] The raising of Lazarus, the longest continuous narrative in John outside of the passion account, is the climax of the signs. It leads directly to the decision of the Sanhedrin to kill Jesus. The theme of life predominates. Lazarus is a token of the real life that Jesus dead and raised will give to all who believe in him. Johannine irony is found in the fact that Jesus’ gift of life leads to his own death. The story is not found in the synoptics, but cf. Mk 5:21 and parallels; Lk 7:11–17. There are also parallels between this story and Luke’s parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus (Lk 16:19–31). In both a man named Lazarus dies; in Luke, there is a request that he return to convince his contemporaries of the need for faith and repentance, while in John, Lazarus does return and some believe but others do not. (John, CHAPTER 11, n.d.)

Jay Carney comments that while her contemplative sister Mary “stays at home,” it is the active Martha who seeks out Jesus. It is Martha who confronts Jesus in a biblical spirit of lamentation, decrying his past absence yet also calling on God to act through him.

It is Martha  who confesses the hope of resurrection, and then goes on to proclaim one of the highest Christological statements in all of the gospels: “I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” If the Church is built on the faith of Peter, it is also surely built on the faith of Martha, as well as the contemplative silence of Mary, and the new life given to Lazarus. (Creighton U. Daily Reflection, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The voice of life and joy that awakens the dead,” by Athanasius of Alexandria (295-373 AD).

"I am the voice of life that wakens the dead. I am the good odor that takes away the foul odor. I am the voice of joy that takes away sorrow and grief.... I am the comfort of those who are in grief. Those who belong to me are given joy by me. I am the joy of the whole world. I gladden all my friends and rejoice with them. I am the bread of life" (John 6:35). (excerpt from HOMILY ON THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 11:19-27 comments that family life is not always picture-perfect, but if the whole family tries to come together in faith, despite their differences, each member can grow in love, both for the Lord and for each other. We know that sometimes it is hard to get all family members on the same wavelength, but God can take even the most halting effort and bless it.

Let’s take today’s feast as an opportunity to pray for all families, including our own. May we all take strides to grow closer to each other. May we all take strides to grow closer to the Lord together. And most important, may we all welcome Jesus into our homes and invite him to live with us, just as Martha, Mary, and Lazarus did.

“Lord, be with every family, and help them embrace their calling!” (Meditation on John 11:19-27, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler locates the prophecy of Jeremiah in the Temple to the time shortly after the rediscovery of the Book of Deuteronomy as the prophet identifies two paths, one of which leads to destruction like that of the shrine at Shiloh. The false security of worship hides the need to be accountable for our sins. Friar Jude reminds us that the vitality of full life begins in our encounter with Jesus. In Luke, Jesus reminds Martha of the need for us to spend time with our guests.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that we must receive all words of God tenderly and subtly, so that we can speak them to others with tenderness and subtlety. He  would even say that anything said with too much bravado, overassurance, or with any need to control or impress another, is never the voice of God within us. If any thought feels too harsh, shaming, or diminishing of ourselves or others, it is not likely the voice of God.

If we can trust and listen to our inner divine image, our whole-making instinct, or our True Self, we will act from our best, largest, kindest, most inclusive self. There is a deeper voice of God, which we must learn to hear and obey. It will sound like the voice of risk, of trust, of surrender, of soul, of common sense, of destiny, of love, of an intimate stranger, of your deepest self. It will always feel gratuitous, and it is this very freedom that scares us. God never leads by guilt or shame! God leads by loving the soul at ever-deeper levels, not by shaming at superficial levels. (Rohr, n.d.)

Divine guidance in our journey to greater fullness of life in our family is likely to move us to prayer, inclusion, and openness to attend to the needs of others.

References

Creighton U. Daily Reflection. (n.d.). Online Ministries. Retrieved July 29, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/072922.html 

Jeremiah, CHAPTER 26. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 29, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/26?1 

John, CHAPTER 11. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 29, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/11?19 

Meditation on John 11:19-27. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 29, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/07/29/451286/ 

Psalms, PSALM 69. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 29, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/69?5 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Listening to the Voice of God. Daily Meditations Archive: 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/listening-to-the-voice-of-god-2022-07-29/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture ... Retrieved July 29, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=jul29a 

Master's Voice

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary for the Fourth Sunday of Easter consider the question of who are the people of God. Who has the revelation of the relationship with the Divine? For whom is this relationship intended? The Acts of the Apostles points out the difficulties of some of the traditional Jewish believers to accept the Incarnation and the intimacy of Emmanuel, (God among us). The Jewish converts who heard the Word were able to be more open to the power of the Spirit and the Apostles found that more and more Gentiles became the “sheep” in John’s Gospel who have “heard His voice and follow Him”. The psalmist reminds us that all peoples are summoned to be the sheep of the Divine Shepherd. The particular path of some of the early Church members was through persecution, martyrdom and suffering. As the author of Revelations proclaims “their robes have been washed white in the blood of the Lamb”. Listen! Hear the Voice?