Sixth Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 56
Lectionary: 56
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When Peter entered,
Cornelius met him
and, falling at his feet, paid him homage.
Peter, however, raised him up, saying,
“Get up. I myself am also a human being.”
Then Peter proceeded to speak and said,
“In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.
Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly
is acceptable to him.”
While Peter was still speaking these things,
the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word.
The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter
were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit
should have been poured out on the Gentiles also,
for they could hear them speaking in tongues and glorifying God.
Then Peter responded,
“Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people,
who have received the Holy Spirit even as we have?”
He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
and, falling at his feet, paid him homage.
Peter, however, raised him up, saying,
“Get up. I myself am also a human being.”
Then Peter proceeded to speak and said,
“In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.
Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly
is acceptable to him.”
While Peter was still speaking these things,
the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word.
The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter
were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit
should have been poured out on the Gentiles also,
for they could hear them speaking in tongues and glorifying God.
Then Peter responded,
“Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people,
who have received the Holy Spirit even as we have?”
He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
R. (cf. 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his
saving power.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Beloved, let us
love one another,
because love is of God;
everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.
In this way the love of God was revealed to us:
God sent his only Son into the world
so that we might have life through him.
In this is love:
not that we have loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.
because love is of God;
everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.
In this way the love of God was revealed to us:
God sent his only Son into the world
so that we might have life through him.
In this is love:
not that we have loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord,
and my Father will love him and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord,
and my Father will love him and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus said to his
disciples:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you
and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you
and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”
Scripture Study, May
10, 2015
May 10, 2015 Sixth
Sunday of Easter
Happy Easter! Yes, it is still Easter. We are
not quite through celebrating the central event of our faith. This weekend the
Church celebrates the Sixth Sunday of Easter. Thursday of next week is the
celebration of the Ascension of the Lord in most of the world. In several
ecclesiastical provinces of North America, however, this celebration is
transferred to the following Sunday. In those places, the second reading and
the gospel reading for the Seventh Sunday of Easter may be substituted for the
second reading and gospel reading of this Sunday. If you live in one of those
place, as I do, be flexible. For the purposes of this Scripture Series I will
use the readings given for this Sunday (the Sixth Sunday of Easter) this week
and those for the Ascension, next week because those are the readings that will
be used at St. Raymond Parish.
The first reading is a look at the Spirit’s action in drawing people into the church from the ranks of “outsiders.” The church must follow where the Spirit leads. In the second reading, John indicates that all love originates in God and that the ultimate expression of that love was God sending Jesus. The Gospel tells us that we must remain in Christ’s love and that our status as His friends demands that we act accordingly. We must live out the love of Jesus if we are truly to be friends of God.
The first reading is a look at the Spirit’s action in drawing people into the church from the ranks of “outsiders.” The church must follow where the Spirit leads. In the second reading, John indicates that all love originates in God and that the ultimate expression of that love was God sending Jesus. The Gospel tells us that we must remain in Christ’s love and that our status as His friends demands that we act accordingly. We must live out the love of Jesus if we are truly to be friends of God.
First Reading: Acts 10: 25-26, 34-35, 44-48
25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and, falling at his
feet, paid him homage. 26 Peter, however, raised him up, saying,
“Get up. I myself am also a human being.” [27 While he
conversed with him, he went in and found many people gathered together 28 and said to them, “You know that it is unlawful for a
Jewish man to associate with, or visit, a Gentile, but God has shown me that I
should not call any person profane or unclean. 29 And that is why I came without objection when sent for.
May I ask, then, why you summoned me?”
30 Cornelius replied, “Four days ago at this hour, three
o’clock in the afternoon, I was at prayer in my house when suddenly a man in
dazzling robes stood before me and said, 31 ‘Cornelius, your
prayer has been heard and your almsgiving remembered before God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called
Peter. He is a guest in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you immediately, and you were kind enough to
come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to listen to all
that you have been commanded by the Lord.”]
34 Then Peter proceeded to speak and said, “In truth, I see
that God shows no partiality. 35 Rather, in every
nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him. [36 You know the word (that) he sent to the Israelites as he
proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all, 37 what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee
after the baptism that John preached, 38 how God anointed
Jesus of Nazareth with the holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and
healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of
the Jews and (in) Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.
40 This man God raised (on) the third day and granted that he
be visible, 41 not to all the people, but to us, the
witnesses chosen by God in advance, who ate and drank with him after he rose
from the dead. 42 He commissioned us to preach to the
people and testify that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living
and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness,
that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his
name.”]
44 While Peter was still speaking these things, the holy
Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word. 45 The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were
astounded that the gift of the holy Spirit should have been poured out on the
Gentiles also, 46 for they could hear them speaking in
tongues and glorifying God. Then Peter responded, 47 “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people,
who have received the holy Spirit even as we have?” 48 He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ.
NOTES on First Reading:
* The portions of the text shown above in
brackets are not included in the reading. I included them to make the reading
easier to follow for those who are unfamiliar with the story.
* 10:25 In the ancient world there was a very
thin line between religion and superstition even with a man like Cornelius. In
spite of his religious experience and apparent faith in the God of Israel he
treats Peter as if he were divine.
* 10:28 This is a reference back to the vision
of Acts 10:9-16 which he understands in the light of the angelic visitation
recounted in 10:22.
* 10:34-43 Peter’s speech to the household of
Cornelius is probably fairly typical of early Christian preaching to Gentiles.
For this speech Luke has taken material that
was already part of the Christian tradition and reworked it to some extent. It
is full of Luke’s universalist themes and language.
* 10:35 God’s choice of Israel to be the
people of God so that He might reveal Himself did not mean that he withheld
Divine favor from all the other peoples of the earth. All the peoples of the
world are loved by God.
* 10:36-43 This speech has the ring of Luke
speaking more directly to his Christian readers rather than Peter speaking to
the household of Cornelius, as is indicated by the opening words, “You know.”
The speech traces the continuity between the preaching and teaching of Jesus of
Nazareth and the proclamation of Jesus by the early Christians. The emphasis on
this divinely ordained continuity (Acts 10:41) is meant to assure Luke’s
readers of the fidelity of Christian tradition to the words and deeds of Jesus.
* 10:38 The early church saw the ministry of Jesus
as an integral part of God’s revelation. For this reason they were interested
in conserving the historical substance of the ministry of Jesus. Under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit this tradition lead to the writing and
preservation of the four gospels. The passion and urgency in the tone of the
remaining verses (up to 44) of this speech clearly show this desire to pass on
the teaching of Jesus.
* 10:44 The Gentiles receive the Gift of the
Spirit just as the Jewish Christians did. This is but one of the several
Pentecost-like events related in Acts. The Spirit’s action is presented here as
being unmediated and therefore a complete gift without dependence even on
Baptism.
* 10:45 The Spirit’s power was greater than
the religious divisions of the day. God still acts without regard to the
limitations we attempt to place on Him.
* 10:46 They are described as doing the same
thing that the Jewish Christians did when they received the Spirit (Acts 2:4).
* 10:47-48 This is one of the main points of
the story. The spirit of God is in charge of the action. The Spirit has moved;
the institution (church) can only follow as He has led.
Second Reading: 1 John 4: 7-10
7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God;
everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. 8Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is
love. 9 In this way the love of God was revealed
to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through
him. 10 In this is love: not that we have loved
God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.
NOTES on Second Reading:
* 4:7-12 These verses present a theological
reflection on love as a central attribute in the nature of God and as a primary
means of experiencing God’s presence. We show that we are children of God by
our love for others. The depths of God’s love is expressed in the free gift of
his Son for us, given so that we might share life with God. The love we have
for one another must be modeled after this love of God. In this unique
Christian love we know God and can “see” the invisible God.
* 4:8 Because love is so central to God’s
nature, one who is without love is without God.
* 4:9 God’s love was shown in the gift of
Jesus. That love is revealed even now in us by the continuing action of the
body of Jesus (the Church).
* 4:10 The depths of God’s love is expressed
in the free gift of his Son for us, given so that we might share life with God.
Any love we have for one another is but a pale reflection of the love of God
for us.
Gospel Reading: John 15: 9-17
9 [Jesus said to His disciples:] “As the Father loves me, so
I also love you. Remain in my love. 10 If you keep my
commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s
commandments and remain in his love.
11 “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and
your joy may be complete. 12 This is my
commandment: love one another as I love you. 13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life
for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I
command you. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a
slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. 16 It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and
appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask
the Father in my name he may give you. 17 This I command
you: love one another.”
NOTES on Gospel:
* 15:9 This mutual love is grounded in the
fact that both Jesus and the disciples keep the commands of love and abide in
the love of the Father as expressed in Jesus.
* 15:13 The words “for one’s friends” can also
be translated as “those whom one loves.” In John 15:9-13a, the Greek words used
for love are related to the Greek word, “agapao.” In John 15:13b-15, the Greek
words for love are related to the Greek, “phileo.” Here in John, the two roots
seem synonymous and mean “to love.” See also John 21:15-17. Here the word,
philos, is used.
Wisdom 7:27 speaks of the “wise” as God’s
friends. Here that tradition is expanded to include all those who believe
rather than only a select few.
* 15:15 Moses (Deut 34:5), Joshua (Joshua
24:29), and David (Psalm 89:21) were all called “servants” or “slaves of
Yahweh.” Abraham (Isaiah 41:8; 2 Chron 20:7; see also James 2:23) is the only
one who was called a “friend of God.”
* 15:16 In the earlier parts of John’s Gospel,
salvation was linked to believing. Here the stress is on “bearing fruit” as the
result of having received the new status as “friends.”
Meditation: "I
have called you friends"
What is the greatest act of love which one can give for the sake
of another? Jesus defines friendship - the mutual bond of trust and affection
which people choose to have for one another - as the willingness to give
totally of oneself - even to the point of laying down one's life for a friend.
How is such love possible or even desirable? God made us in love for love. That
is our reason for being, our purpose for living, and our goal in dying.
God is love
Scripture tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8) - and everything he does flows from his immense love for us. He loved us so much - far beyond what we could ever expect or deserve - that he was willing to pay any price to redeem us from our slavery to sin and death. That is why the Father sent us his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave up his life as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. In this great exchange - the Father giving up his Son to death on the cross in order to give us abundant everlasting life and adopt us as his beloved sons and daughters in Christ (Romans 8:14-17).
Scripture tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8) - and everything he does flows from his immense love for us. He loved us so much - far beyond what we could ever expect or deserve - that he was willing to pay any price to redeem us from our slavery to sin and death. That is why the Father sent us his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave up his life as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. In this great exchange - the Father giving up his Son to death on the cross in order to give us abundant everlasting life and adopt us as his beloved sons and daughters in Christ (Romans 8:14-17).
It is for this reason that we can take hold of a hope that does
not fade and a joy that does not diminish because God has poured his
love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us(Romans
5:5). God's love is not limited or subject to changing circumstances. It is an
enduring love that has power to change and transform us to be like him -
merciful, gracious, kind, forgiving, and steadfast in showing love not only for
our friends, but for our enemies as well. God's love is boundless because he is
the source of abundant life, perfect peace, and immeasurable joy for all who
open their hearts to him. That is why Jesus came to give us abundant life
through the gift and working of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment - a new way of loving
and serving one another. Jesus' love was wholly directed toward the good of
others. He love them for their sake and for their welfare. That is why he
willingly layed down his own life for us to free us from sin, death, fear, and
everything that could separate us from the love of God. Our love for God and
our willingness to lay down our life for others is a response to the exceeding
love God has given us in Christ. Paul the Apostle states,
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?... For I am
sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things
present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything
else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in
Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:35,38-39).
Friendship with God
Jesus calls his disciples his friends. Jesus not only showed his disciples that he personally cared for them and sought their welfare. He personally enjoyed their company and wanted to be with them. He ate with them, shared everything he had with them - even his inmost heart and thoughts. And he spent himself doing good for them. To know Jesus prsonally is to know God and the love and friendship he offers to each one of us.
Jesus calls his disciples his friends. Jesus not only showed his disciples that he personally cared for them and sought their welfare. He personally enjoyed their company and wanted to be with them. He ate with them, shared everything he had with them - even his inmost heart and thoughts. And he spent himself doing good for them. To know Jesus prsonally is to know God and the love and friendship he offers to each one of us.
One of the special marks of favor shown in the Scriptures is to
be called the friend of God. Abraham is called the friend
of God (Isaiah 41:8, James 2:23). God spoke with Moses as a man speaks
with his friend (Exodus 33:11). Jesus, the Lord and Master, calls the disciples
his friends rather than his servants.
What does it mean to be a friend of God? Friendship with God
certainly entails a loving relationship which goes beyond mere duty and
obedience. Jesus' discourse on friendship and brotherly love echoes the words
of Proverbs: A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for
adversity (Proverbs 17:17). The distinctive feature of Jesus'
relationship with his disciples was his personal love for them. He
loved his own to the end (John 13:1). His love was unconditional and
wholly directed to the good of others. His love was also sacrificial. He gave
the best he had and all that he had. He gave his very life for those he loved
in order to secure for them everlasting life with the Father.
Love to the death
The Lord Jesus gives his followers a new commandment - a new way of love that goes beyond giving only what is required or what we think others might deserve. What is the essence of Jesus' new commandment of love? It is a love to the death - a purifying love that overcomes selfishness, fear, and pride. It is a total giving of oneself for the sake of others - a selfless and self-giving love that is oriented towards putting the welfare of others ahead of myself.
The Lord Jesus gives his followers a new commandment - a new way of love that goes beyond giving only what is required or what we think others might deserve. What is the essence of Jesus' new commandment of love? It is a love to the death - a purifying love that overcomes selfishness, fear, and pride. It is a total giving of oneself for the sake of others - a selfless and self-giving love that is oriented towards putting the welfare of others ahead of myself.
Jesus says that there is no greater proof in love than the
sacrifice of one's life for the sake of another. Jesus proved his love by
giving his life for us on the cross of Calvary. Through the shedding of his
blood for our sake, our sins are not only washed clean, but new life is poured
out for us through the gift of the Holy Spirit. We prove our love for God and
for one another when we embrace the way of the cross. What is the cross in my
life? When my will crosses with God's will, then God's will must be done. Do
you know the peace and joy of a life fully surrendered to God and consumed with
his love?
The Lord Jesus tells us that he is our friend and he loves us
whole-heartedly and unconditionally. He wants us to love one another just as he
loves us, whole-heartedly and without reserve. His love fills our hearts and
transforms our minds and frees us to give ourselves in loving service to
others. If we open our hearts to his love and obey his command to love our
neighbor, then we will bear much fruit in our lives, fruit that will last for
eternity. Do you wish to be fruitful and to abound in the love of God?
"Teach us, good Lord, to serve you as you deserve, to give
and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not
to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for any reward, save that of knowing
that we do your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Prayer
of Ignatius Loyola)
SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
SUNDAY, MAY 10, JOHN 15:9-17
(Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48; Psalm 98; 1 John 4:7-10)
SUNDAY, MAY 10, JOHN 15:9-17
(Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48; Psalm 98; 1 John 4:7-10)
KEY VERSE: "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you" (v 12).
TO READ: Jesus taught his disciples about the intimate unity that existed between him and his Father. Everything that Jesus said and did was in obedience to his Father's word. The Father's love so filled Jesus that it overflowed to his followers. They would remain in Jesus' love if they were obedient to his "new" command: to love one another as he loved them. Jesus' commandment to love God and to love one's neighbor as oneself fulfilled and summed up all the other commandments. There was no other commandment greater than these (Mk 12:31b). Jesus' disciples were loyal to the mission that he entrusted to them when they revealed his love to the world. They were his "friends" (Jn 15:14) if they demonstrated that love by their readiness to lay down their lives as he did. Jesus did not ask his followers to do anything that he himself was unwilling to do. He would prove his love on Calvary by offering his life for the sake of his friends (v 13).
TO REFLECT: Have I shown sacrificial love to my friends?
TO RESPOND: Risen Lord, help me to love others as you do.
Mother's Day in the United States was first
suggested in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe as a day dedicated to peace. Mother's Day
for peace was celebrated for a number of years, but Howe died without gaining
formal recognition for her vision of peace on Mother's Day. In 1907 Ana Jarvis,
from Philadelphia, inspired by her own mother in caring for soldiers and their
families during the Civil War, was successful in her campaign for a national
day of recognition for all mothers to be celebrated on the second anniversary
of her mother's death, the 2nd Sunday of May. President Woodrow Wilson, in
1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day as a national
holiday that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May. Many countries
celebrate Mother's Day at different times throughout the year.
"Arise women of the day! Arise whether our baptism be that of water or of fears! Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience ... We women of one country will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure others ... From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own. It says: Disarm! Disarm!" Julia Ward Howe, Author of the Battle Hymn of the Republic.
"Arise women of the day! Arise whether our baptism be that of water or of fears! Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience ... We women of one country will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure others ... From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own. It says: Disarm! Disarm!" Julia Ward Howe, Author of the Battle Hymn of the Republic.
Sunday 10 May 2015
6th Sunday of Easter. W.
Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power—Ps 97(98):1-4. 1 John 4:7-10. John 15:9-17.
Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power—Ps 97(98):1-4. 1 John 4:7-10. John 15:9-17.
Readings
‘God does not have
favourites.’
Today’s first reading reminds us that God loves everyone and that the Spirit comes to all who believe. For this we give thanks. It is good to end each day with a brief thanksgiving for what stands out as particularly thanks-worthy. As we more and more thank God for our daily trivia, our heart opens in awareness of the divine smile on so many everyday affairs, and thence to the wonder of God’s greater gifts.
Today’s first reading reminds us that God loves everyone and that the Spirit comes to all who believe. For this we give thanks. It is good to end each day with a brief thanksgiving for what stands out as particularly thanks-worthy. As we more and more thank God for our daily trivia, our heart opens in awareness of the divine smile on so many everyday affairs, and thence to the wonder of God’s greater gifts.
Lord, help me sense your kindness in each
little daily benefit; to be more and more appreciative of the marvel of your
Son’s unlimited self-giving—even to the opening of his heart upon the cross.
Open my heart to an awareness of how much you truly love me.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
|
Seek the Holy Spirit
|
The Holy Spirit will put the wind back into your sails if you ask
him to. For, as St. Paul says, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do
not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with
sighs too deep for words” (Romans 8:26).
May
10
St. Damien de Veuster of Moloka'i
(1840-1889)
St. Damien de Veuster of Moloka'i
(1840-1889)
When Joseph de Veuster was born in Tremelo, Belgium, in 1840, few
people in Europe had any firsthand knowledge of leprosy (Hansen's disease). By
the time he died at the age of 49, people all over the world knew about this
disease because of him. They knew that human compassion could soften the
ravages of this disease.
Forced to
quit school at age 13 to work on the family farm, Joseph entered the
Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary six years later, taking the
name of a fourth-century physician and martyr. When his brother Pamphile, a
priest in the same congregation, fell ill and was unable to go to the Hawaiian
Islands as assigned, Damien quickly volunteered in his place. In May 1864, two
months after arriving in his new mission, Damien was ordained a priest in
Honolulu and assigned to the island of Hawaii.
In 1873,
he went to the Hawaiian government's leper colony on the island of Molokai, set
up seven years earlier. Part of a team of four chaplains taking that assignment
for three months each year, Damien soon volunteered to remain permanently,
caring for the people's physical, medical and spiritual needs. In time, he
became their most effective advocate to obtain promised government support.
Soon the
settlement had new houses and a new church, school and orphanage. Morale
improved considerably. A few years later he succeeded in getting the Franciscan
Sisters of Syracuse, led by Mother Marianne Cope (January 23), to help staff
this colony in Kalaupapa.
Damien
contracted Hansen's disease and died of its complications. As requested, he was
buried in Kalaupapa, but in 1936 the Belgian government succeeded in having his
body moved to Belgium. Part of Damien's body was returned to his beloved
Hawaiian brothers and sisters after his beatification in 1995.
Damien
was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 11, 2009.
When
Hawaii became a state in 1959, it selected Damien as one of its two
representatives in the Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol.
Comment:
Some people thought Damien was a hero for going to Molokai and others thought he was crazy. When a Protestant clergyman wrote that Damien was guilty of immoral behavior, Robert Louis Stevenson vigorously defended him in an "Open Letter to Dr. Hyde."
Some people thought Damien was a hero for going to Molokai and others thought he was crazy. When a Protestant clergyman wrote that Damien was guilty of immoral behavior, Robert Louis Stevenson vigorously defended him in an "Open Letter to Dr. Hyde."
Quote:
During the canonization homily, Pope Benedict XVI said: "Let us remember before this noble figure that it is charity which makes unity, brings it forth and makes it desirable. Following in Saint Paul's footsteps, Saint Damien prompts us to choose the good warfare (1 Tm 1:18), not the kind that brings division but the kind that gathers people together. He invites us to open our eyes to the forms of leprosy that disfigure the humanity of our brethren and still today call for the charity of our presence as servants, beyond that of our generosity."
During the canonization homily, Pope Benedict XVI said: "Let us remember before this noble figure that it is charity which makes unity, brings it forth and makes it desirable. Following in Saint Paul's footsteps, Saint Damien prompts us to choose the good warfare (1 Tm 1:18), not the kind that brings division but the kind that gathers people together. He invites us to open our eyes to the forms of leprosy that disfigure the humanity of our brethren and still today call for the charity of our presence as servants, beyond that of our generosity."
LECTIO DIVINA:
6TH SUNDAY OF EASTER (B)
Lectio:
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Jesus’ commandment
John 15:9-17
John 15:9-17
1.
OPENING PRAYER
Father, you are the source of life and you
always surprise us with your gifts. Grant us the grace of responding to the
call of your Son Jesus who has called us friends, so that in following him, our
master and shepherd, we may learn to observe his commandments, the new and
definitive Law that is himself, the way leading to you and of remaining in you.
Through Christ your Son, our Lord.
2.
THE TEXT
9 I have loved you just as the Father has
loved me. Remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments you will remain in
my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love.
11 I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be
complete.
12 This is my commandment: love one another,
as I have loved you. 13 No one can have greater love than to lay down his life
for his friends. 14 You are my friends, if you do what I command you. 15 I
shall no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know the master's
business; I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have
learnt from my Father. 16 You did not choose me, no, I chose you; and I
commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last; so that the
Father will give you anything you ask him in my name. 17 My command to you is
to love one another.
3.
READING
The context of our passage already determines
the tone: this is Jesus’ long discourse to his disciples during the last supper
and after the washing of the feet of the disciples, which according to John
characterises Jesus’ ministry of love even to the end, (Jn 13:1-15). If we look
at these compact chapters, we can see a dynamism which goes from a gesture as
such, the washing of the feet, a gesture in keeping with Jesus’ works as signs
of his identity and which appeal to the faith of those looking on and
listening, to the long discourse addressed to his disciples as an expression of
leave-taking but also as an indication of the required attitude and the reality
to look for, even to the so-called “priestly” prayer of Jesus to the Father (Jn
17), a prayer that goes beyond the circle of his disciples for the benefit of
all those who believe in him in all times. There is an ascending movement of
the narrative that coincides with the raising of Jesus on the cross, an upward
movement perceived by John as the glorification of Jesus and one that
ultimately describes Easter as the passing of the Word from humanity back to
the Father.
In Jesus’ discourse, expressions follow one
another closely forming a vortex of communication, which is neither oppressive
in its rhythm nor tiring. Each expression is complete, simple and incisive and
places the Jesus of John in a continuity of favourite themes and terms.
In the context just before this passage, Jesus
spoke of himself as the true vine (Jn 15:1); an image suggesting two
relationships: the Father who is the vinedresser and the disciples who are the
branches. This image is revealing: besides being an exhortation to the
disciples, it is a given fact: the Father looks after his precious plants,
looks after the relationship established between Jesus and his disciples and so
the disciples from now on live in a communion that defines them. The
exhortation is expressed in the very image itself and is made explicit and is
centred in the word “remain”. The disciples are called to remain in Jesus just
like the branches remain in the vine so as to have life and bear fruit. The
theme of bearing fruit as also that of asking and receiving, which recurs in
our passage, is here anticipated, putting before us an example of John’s special
style of hinting and echoing. The tone of verse 9 changes because there is no
longer an image but a direct reference to a relationship: “I have loved you
just as the Father has loved me”. Jesus places himself in a descending movement
that goes from God to humanity. The verb “to love” already occurred in chapter
14 in connection with the observance of the commandments; now in our passage it
occurs again in a new synthesis where the “commandments” give way to “the
commandment” of Jesus: “My command to you is to love one another” (Jn 15:17).
This reciprocal relationship is repeated immediately after in an incisive
command: “remain in my love”. Jesus goes from the verb “to love” to the
substantive “love” to show that the action flowing from the Father through the
Son to humanity has created a new order of things, a possibility which until
then was unthinkable. In verse 10 the reciprocity is accomplished in the
inverse sense: the observance of Jesus’ commandments is for the disciples the
way of responding to his love in an analogical and real continuity of the
attitude of the Son who has observed the commandments of the Father and thus
remains in his love. This perspective is quite different from that of the
legalism that had been monopolized by the terms “law” and “commandments”.
Everything is referred to Jesus in his truer perspective: a response of love to
the love received, the proclamation of the possibility of remaining in the
presence of God. Also the words in verse 11 become a further way out of the
legalistic mentality: the aim is joy, a joy of relationship, the joy of Christ
in his disciples, their joy present in its fullness.
In verse 12, as we have already said, the
discourse becomes more urgent. Jesus says that his commandments are a single
one: “that you love one another as I have loved you”. Notice how the line of
relationships remains the same, always as a response: the disciples will love
one another in the way that Jesus has loved them. What follows, however,
re-establishes in absolute terms the primacy of Jesus’ gift: “No one can have
greater love than to lay down his life for his friends” (v. 13). This is the
work beyond compare of his love, an action that lifts the quality of
involvement to its highest point, the gift of life. Here we have a conspicuous
digression in the new name given to the disciples, namely that of “friends” as
opposed to that of “servants”. The difference lies in the fact that the servant
does not know what his master is planning. The servant is called to do and that
is all. Jesus’ discourse follows a thread: it is because he has loved his
disciples and is about to give his life for them that he has revealed to them
his Father’s plan. He did this by means of his signs and works. He will do this
in the greatest of his works, his death on the cross. Again Jesus shows his
close relationship with the Father: “I have made known to you everything I have
learnt from my Father” (v. 15). Yet at the centre of this affirmation to his
disciples as friends Jesus expresses an order of things: “You are my friends if
you do what I command you” (v. 14).
The final verses of our passage recall the
image of the vine with the added statements above: It is Jesus who has chosen
his disciples not the other way round. The initiative is his. However, the process
of the image of the vine planted in the soil is presented differently. The
disciples are called so that they may go and it is in this going that they will
bear fruit, then the fruit is meant to remain (the same word used as in
remaining in Jesus’ love).
The identity of the disciples is based on the
choice made by Jesus and points to a journey to be undertaken, a fruit to be
borne. The picture is complete: the call in the past, the present listening and
the future bearing of fruit. Yet there is still Someone who must be considered,
there is still an attitude to acquire. “To bear fruit” may lead the disciples
towards unilateral action. However, the words “so that”, connect the bearing of
fruit to what follows: to ask and to receive, to experience need and the gift
abundantly and freely given (“anything you ask”). That Someone whom Jesus
reveals is the Father, source of love and of the mission of the Son, the Father
to whom we may turn in the name of the Son in so far as we have remained in his
love. The conclusion is given in a solemn and concise form: “My command to you
is to love one another”.
4.
MEDITATION
Jesus’ words just before his glorification
tell the Church the meaning of following him and of his demands. They are
strong words, mirroring the glory of Him who will freely give his life for the
salvation of the world (cfr. Jn 10:17-18); but they are also precise words and
thus simple, essential, close, connected and typical of a farewell discourse
where repetition becomes a pressing and gentle appeal. To be a disciple of
Christ is first of all a gift: it is He who has chosen his own, it is He who
has revealed to them his mission and in doing so has revealed the “background”
of the project of salvation: the will of the Father, the love between Father
and Son, which is now communicated to humanity. The disciples now know, not as
were the first steps of the past history of salvation and the present of those
who chose to close themselves and not want to understand the value of the works
accomplished by the Son by the will of the Father. This knowledge will demand
of them consequent options so as not to remain in an empty and sterile pretence
(cfr. 1Jn 4:8.20). “Remain” in the love of Jesus and observe his “commandments”
is above all a revelation, the gift of a supreme possibility that frees people
from a servile state even in respect of God and places them in a new, full and
reciprocal relationship with the Him, typical of friendship. “To remain in his
love” is what the Synoptics would call the “kingdom of God”, a new stage in
history, at first wounded and now freed.
In the Hebrew culture, the observance of the
commandments was connected with pedantic teaching that often went into the
smallest details. This had its value because it witnessed to an effort by pious
Jews to remain faithful to God. However, they ran the risk, common to all human
endeavours, that they would lose sight of God’s initiative and emphasize the
human response. In John’s Gospel, Jesus restores and thus renews the semantics
of the “law” and of the “commandments” with the concept of “love” and the
invitation to “remain”. When Jesus proclaims and shows the love of the Father
in the act of giving his life for the salvation of the world, he renews and
personalises this observance. It is love that reveals its quality, not in the
abstract, but in the concrete and visible face of Christ who loves “to the end”
and lives in person the greatest love. Several times Jesus describes his
relationship with the Father. The fact that here he places himself under the
sign of obedience to the Father gives new meaning to obedience. It is not the
obedience of a servant but of a Son. The work to be accomplished, that is, “the
commandments of my Father”, is not something separate from the person of Jesus,
but that which he knows and desires whole-heartedly. The Word that was with the
Father is always with him to accomplish the things that please the Father in a
concrete communion that is life giving. This is precisely what Jesus asks of
his disciples: to keep in mind that “as the Father has loved… as I have loved
you” must not remain on the level of an example, but on the level of a
generative source. The love of the Father is the source of the love expressed
by the Son, and the love of the Son is the source of the love that the
disciples will give to the world.
Knowledge and practice are thus closely
connected in the “spiritual Gospel”, as John’s Gospel has been called by the
Fathers of the Church. When faith is authentic, it will not put up with a
dichotomy concerning life.
In this passage, the disciples appear as the
object of the caring cure of their master. He will not forget them, not even in
the imminent trial to come, when he prays for them to the Father and “for those
who through their teaching will come to believe in me” (Jn 17:20). At the end
of their listening, their welcoming and their commitment there is their joy,
which is the same as that of their master. He has chosen them using criteria
that only God knows, a choice that recalls the choice of Israel, the smallest
of all nations. It is Jesus who has formed, taught and strengthened them. All
this acquires a new and more intense meaning in the light of Easter and
Pentecost. It is like a paradox, and this is what they are called to: to be
steadfast and remain and yet to go. Steadfastness and dynamism whose source is
the mystery of God, whereby the Word was with the Father and yet built his tent
in our midst (cfr. Jn 1:2.14).
Formed in steadfastness and going to bear
lasting fruit, this is what defines the task of the disciples after the Pasch
of the Lord, but in our passage all this is connected with the invitation to
ask the Father in Jesus’ name. It is, then, from the Father, in Christ and with
the power of the Consoler that will come the grace to love and, in loving, to
bear witness.
5.
PRAYER
There are some points in this passage that may
help us renew our style of prayer:
- A prayer that is truly “Trinitarian”, not
just theoretically or in its expression, but also as an inherent dynamic of the
prayer itself.
- The need for prayer and life to be one.
Prayer is the mirror, the expression and the measure of our life of faith.
- The joy that must accompany our attitude of
prayer.
- Appreciating all that is human (awareness of
relationships, love of prayer, experience of joy, perception of union with God)
and being aware that all is gift.
PSALM
119:129-136
Wonderful are your instructions,
so I observe them.
As your word unfolds it gives light,
and even the simple understand.
I open wide my mouth,
panting eagerly for your commandments.
Turn to me, pity me;
those who love your name deserve it.
Keep my steps firm in your promise;
that no evil may triumph over me.
Rescue me from human oppression,
and I will observe your precepts.
Let your face shine on your servant,
teach me your will.
My eyes stream with tears
because your Law is disregarded.
6.
CONTEMPLATION
The Word of God calls us to confirm in our
heart and in our actions the newness of being disciples of the Son. The four
aspects: relationship with God, reading reality, commitment and attention to
the life of the Church are like seeds of contemplation, attitudes and possible
choices.
Relationship with God: growing in an awareness
of being in relationship with the Trinity; we are thought of, wanted, gifted,
saved between the Father and the Son in the Spirit; presenting our actions in
response to the love of God who first called us.
Reading reality: recognizing personal
reactions to persons and institutions, such as the trivialising of the concept
of “love” in a materialist interpretation as well as in spiritual escapism. On
the other hand, to be aware of the expectations of free and freeing
relationships as experiences of an authentic gift often not recognised.
Commitment to reality: to give one’s life (in
all its forms) as a concrete expression and appreciation of love; the
importance of new communications of experiences of wisdom in following the
fruits of the witness given to the Gospel in the world that God wishes to save.
The life of the Church as a life of relationship
in relationship: to see the Church not only as an image of the Trinity, but
“within” the Trinity; to regain the feeling of freedom and joy in the community
of believers.
7.
CLOSING PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for the loving
care with which you have taught and still teach your disciples. We praise you,
Lord, conqueror of sin and of death, because you have gambled all that was
yours, even your infinite relationship with the Father in the Spirit. You have
presented this relationship to us who risk not understanding it, trivialising
it, forgetting it. You spoke of it to us so that we may understand how great a
love has given us life. Grant, Lord, that we may remain in you as the branches
remain united to the vine that nourishes them and allows them to bear fruit.
Turn your gaze of faith and hope on us that we may learn to go from words and
desires to the concreteness of actions in imitation of you who have loved us to
the end when you gave your life to us so that we may have life in you. You who
live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Spirit for ever and
ever. Amen.
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