Shepherd for Modern Society

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of our role as disciples of the stone rejected by the builders.

Western Christianity from these ruins

In the rejection of Peter described in the Acts of the Apostles, the “Rock” is inspired by the Spirit to proclaim that deliverance comes through Jesus.

* [4:12] In the Roman world of Luke’s day, salvation was often attributed to the emperor who was hailed as “savior” and “god.” Luke, in the words of Peter, denies that deliverance comes through anyone other than Jesus.

In the First Letter of John, Christians living in Christ are exhorted to live virtuous lives to prepare for ultimately attaining true knowledge of God.

* [3:1–3] The greatest sign of God’s love is the gift of his Son (Jn 3:16) that has made Christians true children of God. This relationship is a present reality and also part of the life to come; true knowledge of God will ultimately be gained, and Christians prepare themselves now by virtuous lives in imitation of the Son.

The Gospel from John, contrasts the Good Shepherd with the hireling who works only for self interest.

* [10:1–21] The good shepherd discourse continues the theme of attack on the Pharisees that ends Jn 9. The figure is allegorical: the hired hands are the Pharisees who excommunicated the cured blind man. It serves as a commentary on Jn 9. For the shepherd motif, used of Yahweh in the Old Testament, cf. Ex 34; Gn 48:15; 49:24; Mi 7:14; Ps 23:1–4; 80:1.

Steve Scholer asks what we do when someone singles us out and praises us for a job well done. This situation is one where we may be tempted to put self interest first.

Do we take all the credit for ourselves, or do we give the praise and glory to our Lord and Savior? The best course of action is the latter, to not let pride come between us and God. We need to humble ourselves and give the praise and glory to God. Besides being right, it helps reinforce his constant presence in our lives and that his guiding hand is always on our shoulder, and that the good we are trying to do each and every day in this world is not for our personal gain, but for the greater glory of his kingdom.  Truth be told, we may just be the stones that were rejected by the builders; but, by our unselfish actions we can become the cornerstones of God’s church here on earth.

The greater glory of the Kingdom of God may have been an underlying theme of Western Christianity in the account of history as described by blogger Tribunus.

Western culture is, above all else, Roman - and Christian Roman at that. This is so because it has been shaped and defined by Roman Catholicism, ruled by a Roman Emperor, guided by a Roman Pontiff and blessed by Roman rites in a Roman language.

One of our modern challenges is to assess current leadership in society in the Light of the model of Jesus as Good Shepherd.

Don Schwager quotes Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D, on the nature of green pastures and still waters to which we are led by the Good Shepherd.

"The pastures that this good shepherd has prepared for you, in which he has settled you for you to take your fill, are not various kinds of grasses and green things, among which some are sweet to the taste, some extremely bitter, which as the seasons succeed one another are sometimes there and sometimes not. Your pastures are the words of God and his commandments, and they have all been sown as sweet grasses. These pastures had been tasted by that man who said to God, 'How sweet are your words to my palate, more so than honey and the honeycomb in my mouth!'" (excerpt from Sermon 366,3,1)

Friar Jude Winkler ties the description of the stone rejected to the rock in which Jesus Cross was supported on the Cross. He understands the journey of the faithful is ultimately to be no longer restricted by time and space. The Good Shepherd is characterized as One who lays down his Life for the sheep. The goal of One flock and One Shepherd requires a desire to welcome all people.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, declares that Jesus is by no definition a classic patriarch. He notes that throughout the Bible, both feminine and masculine images are used to illustrate the divine.

Jesus is by no definition a classic patriarch. The Divine is often called “Sophia” or Holy Wisdom in the Hebrew Scriptures; and God is variously described as a compassionate mother, a hen protecting her chicks, and even “The Breasted One” or El Shaddai (Genesis 17:1, Exodus 6:2).

One of the dualisms that challenges believers today is the tension between building a fortress to protect our Christian heritage from modern hired hands in world leadership and being yeast to infuse a selfish world with social justice that gathers the sheep in His fold.

References


(n.d.). CHAPTER 4 1 While they were still speaking to the people, the priests .... Retrieved April 22, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts/acts4.htm

(n.d.). 1 John, chapter 3 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved April 22, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1john/3

(n.d.). John, chapter 10 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved April 22, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john10:46

(n.d.). Creighton Online Ministries - Creighton University. Retrieved April 22, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html

(2011, May 10). ROMAN CHRISTENDOM: Good Shepherd Sunday. Retrieved April 22, 2018, from http://romanchristendom.blogspot.com/2011/05/good-shepherd-sunday.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 22, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 22, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Hard Saying

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate how the hard saying of Jesus is the source and summit of our Life.

Bread and Life

In the Acts of the Apostles, Luke describes the miraculous actions of Peter that resonate with the action of Jesus.

* [9:31–43] In the context of the period of peace enjoyed by the community through the cessation of Paul’s activities against it, Luke introduces two traditions concerning the miraculous power exercised by Peter as he was making a tour of places where the Christian message had already been preached. The towns of Lydda, Sharon, and Joppa were populated by both Jews and Gentiles and their Christian communities may well have been mixed.

The Gospel of John describes the reaction to Jesus hard saying in John 6.53.

* [6:60–71] These verses refer more to themes of Jn 6:35–50 than to those of Jn 6:51–58 and seem to be addressed to members of the Johannine community who found it difficult to accept the high christology reflected in the bread of life discourse.

Rev. Richard Gabuzda invites us  to allow ourselves to listen carefully to Jesus’ words and reflect on whether or not we allow ourselves to be drawn into their realism and the promises these words make.

Yet, how precious is our acceptance of and belief in these words!  In an instant, these words speak volumes of Jesus’ promise to remain with and in those who follow him.  What more dramatic illustration of this promise could there be than our taking his body and blood into our own bodies?  In addition, the Christian tradition will capitalize on these words to reinforce the sanctity of our life in the flesh and, most pointedly, the statement of the Creeds that speak of belief in the resurrection of the body—that is, our bodies.  The tradition will refer to the Eucharist as the “medicine of immortality,” the implication being that the flesh and blood of Jesus becomes the principle of, the seed of our eternal life.

Don Schwager quotes Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D. on Eat Life - Drink Life.

"'Unless you eat My Flesh and drink My Blood, you shall not have life in you,' says the Lord. Eat life - drink life. You will then have life, and life is complete. Then the Body and Blood of Christ will be life for each person under this condition: what is eaten visibly in the Sacrament be spiritually eaten and spiritually drunk in truth itself." (excerpt from Sermon 102,2)

Friar Jude Winkler describes the spread of Christianity from the spiritual centre of the world, Jerusalem to the political centre of the world, Rome. The multiplication of the loaves and fishes and the Bread of Life discourse are at the centre of the seven signs of Jesus as Son of God in the Gospel of John. In this Gospel, the confession of Peter is a rare description of him favourably compared to the Beloved Disciple.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, quotes John O’Donohue on the body as a sacrament.

The body is a sacrament . . . a visible sign of invisible grace. . . . All our inner life and intimacy of soul longs to find an outer mirror. It longs for a form in which it can be seen, felt, and touched. The body is the mirror where the secret world of the soul comes to expression. . . . The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. —John O’Donohue

Our intimate reception of Jesus in our body is the Source of our Divine connection.
References


(n.d.). Acts 9:1. Retrieved April 21, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts/acts9.htm

(n.d.). John, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved April 21, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/6

(n.d.). Creighton Online Ministries - Creighton University. Retrieved April 21, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 21, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 21, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Seeing the Life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary invite contemplation on the role of intuition, transforming encounters and action on how we live as the Body of Christ.

Gather at the Table

In the passage from the Acts of the Apostles, Luke describes the conversion of Saul to become an instrument of God.

* [9:1–19] This is the first of three accounts of Paul’s conversion (with Acts 22:3–16 and Acts 26:2–18) with some differences of detail owing to Luke’s use of different sources… The emphasis in the account is on Paul as a divinely chosen instrument (Acts 9:15).

In the Bread of Life Discourse, the Gospel of John describes the deep level of intimacy Jesus desires with the flesh of humanity.

* [6:54–58] Eats: the verb used in these verses is not the classical Greek verb used of human eating, but that of animal eating: “munch,” “gnaw.” This may be part of John’s emphasis on the reality of the flesh and blood of Jesus (cf. Jn 6:55), but the same verb eventually became the ordinary verb in Greek meaning “eat.”

Maureen McCann Waldron was helped when she learned that the Greek word for “feed” that John used in this Gospel could more accurately be translated as “graze.”

John’s imagery is startling but the invitation from Jesus is very human. If we constantly return to the source of our life, he promises us a real relationship with him. Not only will we remain in Jesus but that Jesus will remain in us. In every day of our lives, that invitation is renewed and if we accept it, we will be fed with a life we could not have imagined. Real presence. Real food and drink. Preparing us to really give our lives as food and drink for others.

Don Schwager quotes a sermon on Abiding in Christ, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

" Jesus recommended to us His Body and Blood in bread and wine, elements that are reduced into one out of many constituents. What is meant by eating that food and taking that drink is this: to remain in Christ and have Him remaining in us." (excerpt from Sermon on John 26,112)

Friar Jude Winkler notes that Paul intuits who is speaking to him. Paul’s actions did not reflect a nervous breakdown but a transformation in seeing the world. Jewish people are scandalized by drinking blood because life belongs to God. In Greek, the Bread of Life text has the sense of being famished for Jesus and devour is very intimate and like marriage where two flesh become one.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, quotes Diarmuid O’Murchu that a great deal about our understanding and care of all human bodies that needs to be transformed.

It will take time to find a meaningful middle ground, the pursuit of sexual justice, and an ensuing empowering sense of intimacy.

Our intimacy in the Body of Christ makes our connection with the source of Life fully integrated with our flesh.
References

(n.d.). Acts, chapter 9 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved April 20, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts/9

(n.d.). John, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved April 20, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/6

(n.d.). Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved April 20, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 20, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 20, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Taught by God

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with the action of learning more about the universal invitation to all people to live as children of God.

Teaching time

The Acts of the Apostles details the conversion of the eunuch as Philip responds to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

* [8:30–34] Philip is brought alongside the carriage at the very moment when the Ethiopian is pondering the meaning of Is 53:7–8, a passage that Christianity, from its earliest origins, has applied to Jesus; cf. note on Acts 3:13.

In the Gospel from John, Jesus continues to teach as Wisdom Incarnate as He introduces our relationship to Him as flesh.

* [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.

Thomas Lenz finds the readings of today seem to focus his attention on the connection between Jesus and bread. He notes that society may try to influence us to a different understanding.

Society has a tremendous influence on how we think and on our actions. It’s easy to be convinced that a no-carb diet is the way to good health. Just the same, it is easy to be convinced that the way to happiness and peace is through material goods and actions that are counter to the “consumption” of Jesus. Jesus is the bread of life. To consume him means that we are fully nourished, happy and healthy.

Don Schwager considers the advice of Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D., about studying the Scriptures with humility.

"My ambition as a youth was to apply to the study of the Holy Scriptures all the refinement of dialectics. I did so, but without the humility of the true searcher. I was supposed to knock at the door so that it would open for me. Instead I was pushing it closed, trying to understand in pride what is only learned in humility. However, the all-merciful Lord lifted me up and kept me safe." (excerpt from Sermon 51,6)

Friar Jude Winkler notes that the passage from Isaiah that the eunuch was studying is not far from texts which indicate the inclusion of eunuchs in the New Israel. Jesus as Wisdom Incarnate will teach His audience and initiate them into the life of God. The intimacy of two becoming one flesh as we consume the Bread of Life is compared to marriage by Friar Jude.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that, at the time of Vatican II, the Catholic Church seemed to realize the inadequacy of the Greek view of marriage—solely for procreation. He borrows from Diarmuid O’Murchu’s insights on gender and sexuality within a historical context.

Sexual abuse flared on several fronts, often involving children, adolescents and vulnerable adults. Sexual deviancy, promiscuity and the extensive spread of pornography were deemed to be the primary culprits. Virtually nobody named—and still fail to do so—the explosion of sexual repression, buried deep in the human psyche over several previous centuries. It is the legacy of that repression that still continues to haunt our contemporaries, and particularly those of a religious background. Responsible incarnational redress will not be forthcoming till that deep psychic woundedness is acknowledged, named, and subjected to a more discerning and compassionate analysis. [3]

Acceptance, rejection, expression, repression, humility, and pride impact our human relationships and our perception of God. The Holy Spirit works with our openness to bring us life that is resonant with our intimacy with the Word made flesh.
References


(n.d.). Acts, chapter 8 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved April 19, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts8:58

(n.d.). John, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved April 19, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/john/6:44

(n.d.). Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved April 19, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 19, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/ 

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 19, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Scattered not lost

The Hellenists in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are particularly persecuted.

Not lost

We contemplate how the promise of Jesus of unbroken friendship and freedom from the fear of being forsaken or cut off from God must have been deeply meaningful to them.

The Acts of the Apostles illustrates that the Christian movement contained the seeds of doctrinal divergence from Judaism.

* [8:3] Saul…was trying to destroy the church: like Stephen, Saul was able to perceive that the Christian movement contained the seeds of doctrinal divergence from Judaism. A pupil of Gamaliel, according to Acts 22:3, and totally dedicated to the law as the way of salvation (Gal 1:13–14), Saul accepted the task of crushing the Christian movement, at least insofar as it detracted from the importance of the temple and the law. His vehement opposition to Christianity reveals how difficult it was for a Jew of his time to accept a messianism that differed so greatly from the general expectation.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus, the bread of life, reveals himself as spiritual food which produces the very life of God within us.

* [6:35–59] Up to Jn 6:50 “bread of life” is a figure for God’s revelation in Jesus; in Jn 6:51–58, the eucharistic theme comes to the fore. There may thus be a break between Jn 6:50–51.

George Butterfield is reminded of Tertullian who said that "the blood of the martyrs is seed."

In the Gospel, Jesus states that the will of his Father is that those who believe in him will have eternal life "and I shall raise him on the last day." The Evil One and his henchmen simply cannot win. If they kill Christians, the blood of those martyrs raises up new Christians. And, besides that, they can never ultimately get rid of the people they manage to kill because Jesus promises that he will raise them up. Those who fight against God and kill his children cannot win in the end. They only postpone the inevitable. Jesus is Lord. His children will reign with him. The tyrants of this world will win some battles. But they will lose the war.

Morgan Lee shares some recent research to adjust the Tertullian assertion.

Not necessarily, says missiologist Justin Long, who recently compared Pew’s latest tally of religious freedom restrictions to Operation World’s latest tally of Christian growth (see chart). His conclusion: Church growth is "not strongly" correlated with either governmental or societal persecution. However, Christianity "tends loosely" to change more rapidly (grow or shrink) when governmental restriction is high, and stays relatively stable when such pressure is low.

Don Schwager, reflecting on the “Bread of Life Discourse” comments that Jesus offers unbroken friendship and the gift of everlasting life with God.

Jesus makes three claims here. First he offers himself as spiritual food which produces the very life of God within us. Second, he promises unbroken friendship and freedom from the fear of being forsaken or cut off from God. Third, he offers us the hope of sharing in his resurrection. Jesus rose physically never to die again. Those who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior will be bodily raised up to immortal life with Jesus when he comes again on the last day.

Friar Jude Winkler notes that the Hellenists are being persecuted but the Apostles remain untouched in the account from Acts. The Hellenists particularly aggravated the Jews. Friar Jude claims that persecution becomes an opportunity to evangelize and as Christians we turn anything around to grace. The realized eschatology in the Gospel of John is at the core of our sense of being saved as “Already but not yet” as Friar Jude explains.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, connects to concepts of The Essential Self and the Passing Self as he summarizes some of Diarmuid O’Murchu’s helpful insights into gender and the Passing Self from his recent book, Incarnation: A New Evolutionary Threshold.

O’Murchu writes, that “how we experience ourselves as male or female is largely the result of learned conditioning.” Our different biological features are “secondary to our identity.” Both sex and gender are “fluid concepts that exist along a spectrum, rather than as fixed binaries determined by biology or genetic imprinting.” [3] In spiritual terms, gender is an attribute of the “false” or passing self, and is thus not one’s essential identity in God. The “True Self” or “Anchored Self” is beyond gender, which is probably the point Jesus is making when he says in heaven there is no marriage or giving in marriage (Luke 20:35).

Some of the difficulties we have with spirituality and gender resonates with the particular pain endured by the Hellenists in the first century.

References

(n.d.). Acts, chapter 8 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved April 18, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts8:58

(n.d.). John, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved April 18, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/6

(n.d.). Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved April 18, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html

(2014, December 4). Sorry, Tertullian | Christianity Today. Retrieved April 18, 2018, from http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/december/sorry-tertullian.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 18, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 18, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Completely fulfilled

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to explore complete fulfillment that we desire as individuals and communally as the Body of Christ.

Wisdom and Bread of Life

The Acts of the Apostles describes the martyrdom of St. Stephen who connects with Jesus as he dies and forgives his murderers.

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

In the Gospel of John, the beginning of the Bread of Life Discourse resonates with the personification of Wisdom in the Hebrew Testament.

* [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.

Mary Lee Brock is grateful for this powerful reminder in this Easter season that Jesus is the bread of everlasting life.

Then Jesus captures my attention by talking about bread.  I start listening attentively and quickly realize that Jesus is not talking about bread I will have with my dinner but a different kind of bread.  This leaves me intrigued and eager to hear more. Jesus says to us, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”  Jesus is explaining to us that God sent him from heaven to give life to the world. Although in my imagination I am still in a crowd scene I feel an immediate sense of calm and well-being.

Don Schwager prays his confession of the bread of life.

"Lord Jesus Christ, you are the bread of life. You alone can satisfy the hunger in my heart. May always find in you, the true bread from heaven, the source of life and nourishment I need to sustain me on my journey to the promised land of heaven."

Friar Jude Winkler explains how Stephen defends himself before a mob court. In the early verses of the Bread of Life discourse about Wisdom Incarnate, John indicates that whatever was written about Wisdom was written about Jesus.

Eric Chabot comments on some of the Wisdom texts.

One way of looking at Jesus’ deity draws on Israel’s Wisdom literature. Israel’s Wisdom literature includes books such as Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Sirach, and the Wisdom of Solomon. Protestants do not accept Sirach and the Wisdom of Solomon as part of their canon. In examining the following texts, it can be observed there are amazing similarities. Hence, it would be hard to deny that the “high” Christology of the New Testament was not greatly influenced by Wisdom Christology. First century Jews were strongly monotheistic, so to them, the figure of Wisdom was not a second God. Wisdom is described not only as a personification of God, but as a separate person from God. Here are some of the Wisdom texts:

Today is the memorial in Canada (celebrated on July 14 in the United States) of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, given the name Tekakwitha, baptized as Catherine and informally known as Lily of the Mohawks. The reflection from Franciscan Media outlines her holiness.

We like to think that our proposed holiness is thwarted by our situation. If only we could have more solitude, less opposition, better health. Kateri Tekakwitha repeats the example of the saints: Holiness thrives on the cross, anywhere. Yet she did have what Christians—all people—need: the support of a community. She had a good mother, helpful priests, Christian friends. These were present in what we call primitive conditions, and blossomed in the age-old Christian triad of prayer, fasting and almsgiving: union with God in Jesus and the Spirit, self-discipline and often suffering, and charity for her brothers and sisters.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments on mystics as those who reconnect what has been separated and experience deep intimacy and union with God, self, and others.

How we relate to one thing is probably how we relate to everything. How we relate sexually to ourselves and others is a good teacher for how we relate to God (and how we relate to God is an indicator of how we will relate to everything else). Religion, as its root re-ligio (to “re-ligament”) indicates, is the task of putting our divided realities back together: human and divine, male and female, heaven and earth, sin and salvation, mistake and glory, matter and spirit. This is the task of every human life.

Our Christian community is called to be an example of the power of the Bread of Life to overcome separation.

References

(n.d.). Acts, chapter 7 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved April 17, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts7:71

(n.d.). John, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved April 17, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/john/6:30

(n.d.). Creighton's Online Ministries - Creighton University. Retrieved April 17, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 17, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(2011, March 23). Jesus as Wisdom Incarnate – THINKAPOLOGETICS.COM. Retrieved April 17, 2018, from https://chab123.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/jesus-as-wisdom-incarnate/

(n.d.). Saint Kateri Tekakwitha – Franciscan Media. Retrieved April 17, 2018, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-kateri-tekakwitha/

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 17, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

Dissonance Sent by God

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of our reaction to proposals and action plans of others that do not satisfy our notions.

Missing Mindfulness? 

In the Acts of the Apostles Luke describes the reaction of the Synagogue of Freedmen to the preaching of Stephen.


* [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.

In the Gospel from John, Jesus challenges those looking for wonders and wealth to seek food that truly satisfies.

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

Cindy Costanzo reminds herself, in seeking wholeness, to be as intentional with her spirit as she is with nutrition, exercise and social practices.

God offers me that opportunity daily, to take time to find God in the everyday events of life and give thanks. The early moments in a day when it is quiet and peaceful…the busy, hectic workday thanking God for my gifts and talents and the talents of others…the late afternoon or early evening slow down, tired from the day, anxious to return ‘home’ to rest and relax for the next day….thanking God for that special place.  But I must be intentional about my prayers in the morning, throughout the day and in the evening. If I do this then my ‘choices’ for the day are in harmony with Jesus, our Risen Lord.

Don Schwager asks what do we most hunger for - wealth, peace, health, love, the good life? Jesus connects with Isaiah when He asked if the crowd were simply hungry for things which satisfy the body or for that which satisfies the heart and soul.

Jesus echoes the question posed by the prophet Isaiah: "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy" (Isaiah 55:2)? There are two kinds of hunger - physical and spiritual. Only God can satisfy the hunger in our heart and soul - the hunger for truth, for life, and for love.

Friar Jude Winkler notes how Stephen, as a Hellenist, may have spoken with less understanding of Moses and the Temple than the Hebrew population. Believe that Jesus is the One sent by the Father and the Evangelist John asserts that this is our essential choice for life.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, uses the Song of Songs, in the Hebrew Scriptures, to capture the sense in a quote from Father Ron Rolheiser of the influence of Platonic dualism that deemed body as bad and spirit as good. He advocates a much more integrated notion of the human being.

We wake up in the world and in every cell of our being we ache, consciously and unconsciously, sensing that we are incomplete . . . aching at every level for a wholeness that, at some dark level, we know we have been separated from.

We are challenged to consider our response to spiritual nudges that may be opportunities to grow toward greater wholeness.

References

(n.d.). Acts, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved April 16, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts6:54

(n.d.). John, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved April 16, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/6

(n.d.). Creighton's Online Ministries - Creighton University. Retrieved April 16, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 16, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 16, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/