Service and Signs

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to invoke the Holy Spirit in our actions of truth, goodness, and charity and recognize Jesus' participation in our service.

Place of Service

In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Seven are chosen to serve the need for assistants.

* [6:1–7] The Hellenists…the Hebrews: the Hellenists were not necessarily Jews from the diaspora, but were more probably Palestinian Jews who spoke only Greek. The Hebrews were Palestinian Jews who spoke Hebrew or Aramaic and who may also have spoken Greek. Both groups belong to the Jerusalem Jewish Christian community. The conflict between them leads to a restructuring of the community that will better serve the community’s needs. The real purpose of the whole episode, however, is to introduce Stephen as a prominent figure in the community whose long speech and martyrdom will be recounted in Acts 7.

* [6:2–4] The essential function of the Twelve is the “service of the word,” including development of the kerygma by formulation of the teachings of Jesus.

* [6:2] To serve at table: some commentators think that it is not the serving of food that is described here but rather the keeping of the accounts that recorded the distribution of food to the needy members of the community. In any case, after Stephen and the others are chosen, they are never presented carrying out the task for which they were appointed (Acts 6:2–3). Rather, two of their number, Stephen and Philip, are presented as preachers of the Christian message. They, the Hellenist counterpart of the Twelve, are active in the ministry of the word.

* [6:6] They…laid hands on them: the customary Jewish way of designating persons for a task and invoking upon them the divine blessing and power to perform it. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 33 praises the Greatness and Goodness of God.

* [Psalm 33] A hymn in which the just are invited (Ps 33:1–3) to praise God, who by a mere word (Ps 33:4–5) created the three-tiered universe of the heavens, the cosmic waters, and the earth (Ps 33:6–9). Human words, in contrast, effect nothing (Ps 33:10–11). The greatness of human beings consists in God’s choosing them as a special people and their faithful response (Ps 33:12–22). (Psalms, PSALM 33 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of John, Jesus walks on the water.

* [6:16–21] The fifth sign is a nature miracle, portraying Jesus sharing Yahweh’s power. Cf. the parallel stories following the multiplication of the loaves in Mk 6:45–52 and Mt 14:22–33.

* [6:19] Walking on the sea: although the Greek (cf. Jn 6:16) could mean “on the seashore” or “by the sea” (cf. Jn 21:1), the parallels, especially Mt 14:25, make clear that Jesus walked upon the water. John may allude to Jb 9:8: God “treads upon the crests of the sea.”

* [6:20] It is I: literally, “I am.” See also notes on Jn 4:26 and Mk 6:50. (John, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries was not available at publication time.

Don Schwager quotes “Christ our physician,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"God sent the human race a physician, a savior, One Who healed without charging a fee. Christ also came to reward those who would be healed by Him. Christ heals the sick, and He makes a gift to those whom He heals. And the gift that He makes is Himself!" (excerpt from Sermon 102,2) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Acts 6:1-7 comments that as we minister within the Church or fulfill our role as a spouse, parent, or child, remember those deacons. Their most important qualification was their openness and obedience to the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit can fill you with all that you need to bring the love of Jesus to whatever role you have. He can give you wisdom to know what to do with a troubled child or how to care for an elderly parent. He can fill you with the desire to lead a Bible study or small group to share your faith with other people.

You can be a conduit for the Holy Spirit to move in you and shine forth from you. Rely on him as you go about your daily tasks, and you may be surprised at the way he leads you!

“Holy Spirit, I’m eager to serve in any way you need me.” (Meditation on Acts 6:1-7, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler contrasts some passages in Acts about unity in the community with the decision today to appoint assistants to oversee the fair distribution of food to both Hellenists and Hebrews in the community. The diaconate became a recognized part of the tripartite clery circa 150 CE. Friar Jude reminds us of the dual danger perceived in the Sea of Galilee, storms and the reservoir of evil.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces author Felicia Murrell who invites us to practice knowing and experiencing God’s love. How do we get to the place where this is the God we see, the God we encounter and know, the God who frames our imaginings when we think of God? 

For me, Divine Love is unveiled through communion, connection, and acts of living that create openhearted wonder.  

Consistent engagement with spiritual practices often invites us into such spaciousness, creating access points for us to become more consciously aware of Divine Love’s kenotic expression in us and through us.  

To that end, all spiritual practices have this purpose—to allow us to touch the depths of our inner selves and to live a generous life of participation with Divine Love in absolute openheartedness; to move from what we know in our heads about God to living and moving and having our being in God; to be present in this life, to the world around us, and to Divine Love.  

What is true about God? God is Love (1 John 4:16). (Rohr, n.d.)

We have the opportunity in our service, like Jesus, of the needs of others, to encounter the Divine Love and the power of the Spirit.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 13, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/6?1 

John, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 13, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/6?16 

Meditation on Acts 6:1-7. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 13, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/04/13/935781/ 

Psalms, PSALM 33 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 13, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/33?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Tending the Fire Within: Weekly Summary. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved April 13, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/tending-the-fire-within-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 13, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=apr13 

Deliverance and Labourers

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the events of our journey where we were delivered from negative situations and apply that experience to our work as disciples of Christ.

Times of Deliverance

The reading from the Prophet Isaiah declares Zion’s future deliverance.

* [30:20] Teacher: God, who in the past made the people blind and deaf through the prophetic message (6:9–10) and who in his anger hid his face from the house of Jacob (8:17), shall in the future help them to understand his teaching clearly (cf. Jer 31:34). (Isaiah, CHAPTER 30 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 147 is praise for God’s Care for Jerusalem.

* [Psalm 147] The hymn is divided into three sections by the calls to praise in Ps 147:1, 7, 12. The first section praises the powerful creator who restores exiled Judah (Ps 147:1–6); the second section, the creator who provides food to animals and human beings; the third and climactic section exhorts the holy city to recognize it has been re-created and made the place of disclosure for God’s word, a word as life-giving as water. (Psalms, PSALM 147 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew proclaims the harvest Is great but the labourers few as the Mission of the Twelve is described by Jesus.

* [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. (Matthew, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

* [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.)

George Butterfield has never been fond of or good at waiting.

The readings for today tell of a God who is gracious and answers our needs. He gives us food and drink. He binds up our wounds and heals our bruises. He sustains the lowly. Holidays can be tough on some folks. Jesus’ heart is moved with pity for the troubled and abandoned. He is a good shepherd. He calls us to be like him. May this Advent be a time of lifting up those who are troubled. Never fear – our Lord will come. Blessed are all those who wait for the Lord. (Butterfield, 2023)

Don Schwager quotes “In remembrance of heavenly life,” by Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.

"Why should the lunar reckoning be calculated from the noontide hours, seeing that the moon had not yet been placed in the heavens or gone forth over the earth? On the contrary, none of the feast days of the law began and ended at noon or in the afternoon, but all did so in the evening. Or else perchance it is because sinful Adam was reproached by the Lord 'in the cool of the afternoon' (Genesis 3:8) and thrust out from the joys of Paradise. In remembrance of that heavenly life which we changed for the tribulation of this world, the change of the moon, which imitates our toil by its everlasting waxing and waning, ought specifically to be observed at the hour in which we began our exile. In this way every day we may be reminded by the hour of the moon's changing of that verse, 'a fool changes as the moon' (Sirach 27:11) while the wise man 'shall live as long as the sun' (Psalm 72:5), and that we may sigh more ardently for that life, supremely blessed in eternal peace, when 'the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days.' Indeed, because (as it is written) 'from the moon is the sign of the feast day' (Sirach 43:7), and just as the first light of the moon was shed upon the world at eventide, so in the law it is compulsory that every feast day begin in the evening and end in the evening (see Exodus 12:18). (excerpt from THE RECKONING OF TIME 3.43) (Schwager, 2019)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26 comments that God our Father knows that if we have his Spirit, we have access to all the grace and strength we need to face every hardship, difficulty, and challenge life could ever throw at us. If we have the Spirit, we have a never-ending flow of divine love and wisdom to lift us up and guide us in bad times as well as good times. Everything else pales in comparison!

Today—right here and now—the Holy Spirit is ready to “be gracious to you” (Isaiah 30:19). He’s ready to fill you with his love, to ease any fears you have, and to support you on your journey toward heaven. How could we not rejoice in his love?

“Lord, I praise you for the generous gift of your Spirit!” (Meditation on Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes how God teaches Zion how to walk in the way of the Lord as God responds to our deepest hunger. In Matthew, Jesus is moved by sheep without a shepherd. Friar Jude notes that Matthew tells the proclamation of God’s Law and Love to the Jews initially, and through the Magi to indicate the Gospel is for all people.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Rabbi Hara Person who shares a practice that helped rekindle her connection to beauty, gratitude, and the Divine. 

In teaching that we are to say one hundred blessings a day, the Talmud encourages us to take notice and not simply lurch unseeingly through our days…. Bringing photography back into my life was a visual version of this urging to truly perceive and experience the beauty of the world and not take any of it for granted…. Making these small photos on my phone … helped me find my way back to gratitude and a connection to God….

These photos have become part of a spiritual practice that grounds me and reminds me that not all is difficult, not all is complicated—that joy and amazement exist—if I take a moment to look. (Rohr, 2023)

We implore the Spirit to increase our awareness of the fullness of life in Jesus Way as we accept our call to labour in the field of the Lord.

References

Butterfield, G. (2023, December 9). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved December 9, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/120923.html 

Isaiah, CHAPTER 30 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 9, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/30?19 

Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 9, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10 

Matthew, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 9, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/9?35 

Meditation on Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 9, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/12/09/844402/ 

Psalms, PSALM 147 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 9, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/147?1 

Rohr, R. (2023, December 9). Awe and Amazement: Weekly Summary — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 9, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/awe-and-amazement-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (2019, June 24). The Kingdom of Heaven Is at Hand. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved December 9, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=dec9