Sixth Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 57
Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers,
“Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice,
you cannot be saved.”
Because there arose no little dissension and debate
by Paul and Barnabas with them,
it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others
should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders
about this question.
The apostles and elders, in agreement with the whole church,
decided to choose representatives
and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas,
and Silas, leaders among the brothers.
This is the letter delivered by them:
“The apostles and the elders, your brothers,
to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia
of Gentile origin: greetings.
Since we have heard that some of our number
who went out without any mandate from us
have upset you with their teachings
and disturbed your peace of mind,
we have with one accord decided to choose representatives
and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So we are sending Judas and Silas
who will also convey this same message by word of mouth:
‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,
namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols,
from blood, from meats of strangled animals,
and from unlawful marriage.
If you keep free of these,
you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’”
R. (4) O God,
let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.
R. O God,
let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.
R. O God,
let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you!
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
R. O God,
let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The angel took me in spirit to a great, high mountain
and showed me the holy city Jerusalem
coming down out of heaven from God.
It gleamed with the splendor of God.
Its radiance was like that of a precious stone,
like jasper, clear as crystal.
It had a massive, high wall,
with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed
and on which names were inscribed,
the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites.
There were three gates facing east,
three north, three south, and three west.
The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation,
on which were inscribed the twelve names
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
I saw no temple in the city
for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb.
The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it,
for the glory of God gave it light,
and its lamp was the Lamb.
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:
“Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.
“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me tell you,
‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.”
6th
Sunday of Easter – Cycle C
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it
is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.
1st Reading - Acts 15:1-2, 22-29
Last week we heard of the end of Saint Paul’s first missionary journey. Today
we hear of the Council of Jerusalem.
Just as the Jewish faith had a ruling council (Greek: Synedrion; transliterated
into English as Sanhedrin), the early Christian church was not disorganized
with the apostles and their followers each going their own separate ways. When
a question arose, they would gather to work out a common answer which was
applicable to all. The council of Jerusalem is the first known of these
councils and was called to answer the questions raised by the Judaizers around
A.D. 50, some 17-20 years after Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection. Since
that time there have been many local councils and 21 universal (ecumenical)
councils. To be considered an ecumenical council, the works must be approved by
the pope.
The council of Jerusalem falls in the middle of the book of Acts and describes
the turning point for the Church when the council officially recognizes the
evangelization of the Gentiles. This evangelization had been initiated by
Saints Peter, Barnabas and Paul. Thus, the Christian church broke away from the
Mosaic rules while maintaining its roots in the rich theology and traditions of
the chosen people.
15:1 Some who had come down from Judea
This points to the Jerusalem church as their origin.
were instructing the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised
The main issue at this council is “do you have to become a Jew before you can
become a Christian?”
according to the Mosaic practice, you cannot be saved.”
Circumcision was prescribed by the Torah which, according to Hebrew tradition,
was written down by Moses. Genesis 17:9 traces the practice of circumcision to
Abraham. Circumcision placed a physical mark on the body indicating that the bearer
was one of God’s chosen people.
2 Because there arose no little dissension and debate by Paul
and Barnabas with them,
For once, Saint Luke reports a conflict that Saint Paul does not (see Galatians
2:1).
it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others should go up to
Jerusalem to the apostles and presbyters about this question.
The officials of the Jerusalem church. Galatians 2:9 tells us that Saints
Peter, James and John were there.
Our reading today skips over verses 3-21 which give some insight into how the
Council proceeded. Let’s review them to gain some background:
3 They were sent on their journey by the church, and passed
through Phoenicia and Samaria telling of the conversion of the Gentiles, and
brought great joy to all the brothers. 4 When they arrived in Jerusalem, they
were welcomed by the church, as well as by the apostles and the presbyters, and
they reported what God had done with them. 5 But some from the party of the
Pharisees who had become believers stood up and said, “It is necessary to
circumcise them and direct them to observe the Mosaic law.” 6 The apostles and
the presbyters met together to see about this matter. 7 After much debate had
taken place, Peter got up and said to them, “My brothers, you are well aware
that from early days God made his choice among you that through my mouth the
Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows
the heart, bore witness by granting them the holy Spirit just as he did us. 9
He made no distinction between us and them, for by faith he purified their
hearts. 10 Why, then, are you now putting God to the test by placing on the
shoulders of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been
able to bear? 11 On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the
grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they.” 12 The whole assembly fell
silent,
Notice that after Saint Peter (our first pope) speaks, the issue is settled;
there is no more debate.
and they listened while Paul and Barnabas described the signs and wonders God
had worked among the Gentiles through them. 13 After they had fallen silent,
James responded, “My brothers, listen to me. 14 Symeon has described how God
first concerned himself with acquiring from among the Gentiles a people for his
name. 15 The words of the prophets agree with this, as is written: 16 ‘After
this I shall return and rebuild the fallen hut of David; from its ruins I shall
rebuild it and raise it up again, 17 so that the rest of humanity may seek out
the Lord, even all the Gentiles on whom my name is invoked. Thus says the Lord
who accomplishes these things, 18 known from of old.’ 19 It is my judgment,
therefore, that we ought to stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but
tell them by letter to avoid pollution from idols, unlawful marriage, the meat
of strangled animals, and blood. 21 For Moses, for generations now, has had
those who proclaim him in every town, as he has been read in the synagogues
every sabbath.”
Saint Paul is not amending Saint Peter’s decision but is offering a manner of
implementation which will not offend the sensibilities of the Jewish onlookers
while at the same time relieving the converts, both Jewish and Gentile, of the
prescriptions of the Mosaic law.
And now, back to the reading.
22 Then the apostles and presbyters, in agreement with the whole church,
decided to choose representatives and to send them to Antioch with Paul and
Barnabas. The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas,
He is otherwise unknown.
and Silas,
Saint Paul’s future companion
leaders among the brothers. 23 This is the letter delivered by them: “The
apostles and the presbyters, your brothers, to the brothers in Antioch, Syria,
and Cilicia of Gentile origin:
Although the problem appeared in Antioch, the letter is addressed to its
expanding mission territories.
greetings. 24 Since we have heard that some of our number (who went out)
without any mandate from us
The implication is that the conduct was unauthorized. This would indicate that
there was a central authority within the Church, even at this early date.
have upset you with their teachings and disturbed your peace of mind, 25 we
have
Verse 22 says “apostles and elders” this is the central authority within the
Church.
with one accord
The decision was unanimous. Verse 22 declares “in agreement with the whole
church.” The ruling body has the ability (and responsibility) to bind the
Church in matters of doctrine (Matthew 16:19, 18:18).
decided to choose representatives and to send them to you along with our
beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 who have dedicated their lives to the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ. 27 So we are sending Judas and Silas who will also convey
this same message by word of mouth: 28 ‘It is the decision of the holy Spirit
The true guide of the Church as it spreads from Jerusalem. It directs the work
of the authorities as they make the decision. Church authority does not act on its
own power or agenda; it is legitimate only in carrying out the saving will of
God. The text which follows contains two parts; one disciplinary, and the other
moral.
and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities, 29 namely,
to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled
animals,
This is the disciplinary part which lays down rules of prudence which can
change. It asks Christians of Gentile background to abstain, out of charity
toward Jewish Christians, from what has been sacrificed to idols, from blood,
and from meat of animals killed by strangulation (thus still having the blood
in them). To perform these things would be a sure way of breaking up a mixed
Christian community of Jewish and Gentile Christians. The effect of the decree
means that the disciplinary rules contained in it, although they derive from
the Mosaic law, no longer oblige by virtue of that law but rather by virtue of
the authority of the Church, which has decided to apply them for the time
being. What matters is not what Moses says but what Jesus the Christ says
through the Church.
and from unlawful marriage.
This is the moral part, it declares that the pagan (Gentile) converts are free
of the obligation of circumcision and of the Mosaic law but are subject to the
gospel’s immutable moral teaching on matters to do with chastity.
If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’”
2nd Reading - Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23
Last week we heard the beginning of John’s description of the Heavenly
Jerusalem, we now continue with that description. We must remember that it was
Jesus’ mission to go to the earthly Jerusalem to offer His sacrifice; so that
we could find the path which we must follow to reach the Heavenly Jerusalem and
dwell with Him forever.
10 He [the angel] took me in spirit to a great, high mountain
and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.
The seer is granted a vision wherein he is taken to a high mountain to admire
the spouse descending from the presence of God (see Ezekiel 40:2-3). He is an
inspired apostle, receiving revelation.
11 It gleamed with the splendor of God.
Like the transfiguration, and when Moses came down from the mountain. God’s
presence, filling the Church, transfigures her. During Judah’s apostasy, the
prophet Ezekiel saw the Glory-Cloud (Shekinah) depart from the Temple and
travel east, to the Mount of Olives (Ezekiel 10:18-19; 11:22-23); later, in his
vision of the New Jerusalem, he sees the Shekinah returning to dwell in the new
Temple, the Church (Ezekiel 43:1-5). This was fulfilled when Christ, the
incarnate Glory of God, ascended to His Father in the Cloud from the Mount of
Olives (Luke 24:50-51), thereupon sending His Spirit to fill the Church at
Pentecost.
Its radiance was like that of a precious stone, like jasper, clear as crystal.
The glory of the Church is being compared with its source, the splendor (glory)
of God. Recall also the reading from Isaiah 54:11-12 we heard last Easter vigil
(“Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days. Through
his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear.
Therefore I will give him his portion among the great, and he shall divide the
spoils with the mighty, because he surrendered himself to death and was counted
among the wicked; and he shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon for
their offenses.”)
12 It had a massive, high wall, with twelve gates where
twelve angels
Because the city comes from heaven, these must be the celestial guards.
were stationed and on which names were inscribed, (the names) of the twelve
tribes of the Israelites.
John alludes to the perfect continuity between God’s people in the Old Covenant
(Ezekiel
; Exodus 28:17-21) and the Church in the New Covenant (Matthew 19:28;
Luke
13 There were three gates
Three, in Hebrew numerology, is the number of completion.
facing east, three north, three south, and three west.
Four directions, in Hebrew numerology, this indicates the whole world. Three
gates times four directions equals twelve, the number of earthly fullness and
governmental perfection in Hebrew numerology.
14 The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its
foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve apostles of
the Lamb.
The preaching of the apostles is to the formation of the Church as the
foundation is to an edifice (see 1 Timothy 3:15b).
22 I saw no temple in the city,
The temple was the focal point of the historical Jerusalem, for it was there
that God dwelt among His people. But God’s presence in the heavenly Jerusalem
is not bounded by temple walls (John 4:21,24). The glory of God and the Lamb
completely permeates the city (John 2:19-22; 2 Corinthians 6:16). In Revelation
21:15 (omitted in our reading today) we find that Saint John measured this
Heavenly Jerusalem and found that it was a perfect cube; its length, breadth,
and height were equal. This means that the Heavenly Jerusalem is shaped just
like the Holy of Holies (1 Kings 6:20), in fact it is the Holy of Holies. There
is no longer a need for the Holy Place or the various courtyards, everyone can
approach God directly.
for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb.
He is consistently and intimately associated with God.
23 The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for
the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the Lamb.
See Isaiah 24:23; 60:1-3, 19-20; John 8:12; 1 John 1:5.
Gospel - John 14:23:29
Having heard last week of Jesus giving us a new commandment, to love one
another, we rejoin Jesus and the apostles at the Last Supper. Jesus is
instructing His apostles of the things to come. Before entering into the
reading for today, it might be useful and informative to backtrack a few verses
to John 14:15 and read:
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
The ten commandments, the new one just given (Love one another), and later “Do
this in remembrance of me.”
16And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be
with you for ever, 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive
because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with
you, and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you desolate;
As orphans, without a family.
I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more,
but you will see me; because I live, you will live also. 20 In that day you
will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 He who has my
commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be
loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas
(not Iscariot)
Judas the son of James, included in Luke’s list of the twelve (Luke 6:16; Acts
1:13) and traditionally identified with the Thaddeus of Mark 3:18 and Matthew
10:3.
said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to
the world?
The answer to this question is the Eucharist. It is present throughout the
world but is not believed.
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “Whoever loves me will
keep my word,
He who has my commandments and keeps them.
and my Father will love him,
Covenant language and imagery.
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
There is no longer any separation between God and the believers; they don’t
need to look to the parousia to experience the presence of God.
24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
It is the lack of love and obedience that precludes the world from having any
part in this manifestation of Father and Son. “Unless you turn and become like
children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3).” “All who
received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God
(John 1:12).”
yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me. 25 “I
have told you this while I am with you. 26 The Advocate, the holy Spirit that
the Father will send in my name -
As the Son was sent in the name of the Father to do His works and will (John
5:43), so the Spirit stands in relation to the Son. Recall that in Semitic
usage, name is equivalent to the person. Faith is not simply the acceptance of
a proposition, but a commitment to a person. he will teach you everything and
remind you of all that (I) told you.
After Christ’s ascension, it will be the function of the Holy Spirit to
complete the revelation of Christ by enlightening the Church concerning the
true and full meaning of what Jesus had done and said. This function was not
completed when the New Testament was written but continues today as the Church
continues to guide and teach.
27 Peace
Peace, in Hebrew is shalom. Shalom was and is the common Jewish formula of
greeting and farewell. The word has a much deeper significance however, as an
expression of the harmony and communion with God that is the seal of the
covenant (see Numbers 6:24-26). Shalom came to have an eschatological and
messianic meaning (see Isaiah 9:6), virtually the same as salvation. It is this
spiritual tranquility that Christ gives, which has no resemblance to what the
world gives.
I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it
to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. 28 You heard me tell you,
‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would
rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I.
During the Arian controversy, this verse was used to support a subordinationist
Christology. Though Christ is one with the Father (John 10:30), as the Son he
has been sent by the Father to do His will, and in this relationship the Father
is the greater. Christ’s return to the Father with His mission accomplished is
the condition of all that He has promised to His disciples.
29 And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may
believe.
Meditation: "My peace
I give to you"
Do you know the love
that surpasses all, that is stronger than death itself (Song of Songs 8:6)? In Jesus' last supper
discourse he speaks of the love he has for his disciples and of his Father's
love. He prepares his disciples for his imminent departure to return to his
Father by exhorting them to prove their love for him through their loyalty and
obedience to his word. He promises them the abiding instruction and consolation
of the Holy Spirit.
God unites us to himself
in a bond of love and peace
Saint Augustine says the Lord loves each of us as if there were only
one of us to love. God’s love for each of us is as real and tangible as the
love of a mother for her child and the love of a lover who gives all for his
beloved. God made us in love for love - to know him personally and to grow in
the knowledge of his great love for us and to love him in return.
How can we know and be
assured of the love of God? The Holy Spirit helps us to grow in the knowledge
of God and his great love. The Spirit enables us to experience the love of God
and to be assured of the Lord’s abiding presence with us (see Romans 8:35-39). The Holy Spirit also
opens our ears to hear and understand the word of God. Do you listen
attentively to God's word and believe it? Ask the Holy Spirit to inflame your
heart with the love of God and his word.
The true nature of peace
Do
you know the peace which surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7)? In his farewell
discourse Jesus grants peace as his gift to his disciples.
What kind of peace does he offer? The peace of Christ is more
than the absence of trouble. It includes everything which makes for our highest
good. The world's approach to peace is avoidance of trouble and a refusal to
face unpleasant things. Jesus offers the peace which conquers our fears and
anxieties. Nothing can take us from the peace and joy of Jesus Christ. No
sorrow or grief, no danger, no suffering can make it less.
How can we attain the
peace which the Lord Jesus offers his followers? Through the gift and work of
the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, the Lord Jesus shows us how to yield our
passions of anger, fear, and pride to him so we can receive his gift of peace.
The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness and strengthens us with his gifts and
supernatural virtues which enable us to live as wise and holy disciples of
Christ.
Caesarius of Arles
(470-542 AD), an early church bishop in Gaul who was noted for his godly wisdom
and preaching of Scripture, linked peace with the character of Christ and the
Christlike virtues which help us to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Caesarius describes some of the key character traits (virtues) which form us
into true people of peace:
"Peace,
indeed, is serenity of mind, tranquility of soul, simplicity of heart, the bond
of love, the fellowship of charity. It removes hatred, settles wars, restrains
wrath, tramples on pride, loves the humble, pacifies the discordant and makes
enemies agree. For it is pleasing to everyone. It does not seek what belongs to
another or consider anything as its own. It teaches people to love because it
does not know how to get angry, or to extol itself or become inflated with
pride. It is meek and humble to everyone, possessing rest and tranquility
within itself. When the peace of Christ is exercised by a Christian, it is
brought to perfection by Christ. If anyone loves it, he will be an heir of God,
while anyone who despises it rebels against Christ.
"When our Lord
Jesus Christ was returning to the Father, he left his peace to his followers as
their inherited good, teaching them and saying, 'My peace I give to you, my
peace I leave with you.' Anyone who has received this peace should keep it, and
one who has destroyed it should look for it, while anyone who has lost it
should seek it. For if anyone is not found with it, he will be disinherited by
the Father and deprived of his inheritance." (Sermon 174.1)
"Lord Jesus, in
love you created me and you drew me to yourself. May I never lose sight of you
nor forget your steadfast love and faithfulness. And may I daily dwell upon
your word and give you praise in the sanctuary of my heart, You who are my
All."
Daily Quote from the
early church fathers: God is pleased to dwell in us, by
Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"God is not too
grand to come, he is not too fussy or shy, he is not too proud - on the
contrary he is pleased to come if you do not displease him. Listen to the
promise he makes. Listen to him indeed promising with pleasure, not threatening
in displeasure, "We shall come to him," he says, "I and the
Father." To the one he had earlier called his friend, the one who obeys
his precepts, the keeper of his commandment, the lover of God, the lover of his
neighbor, he says, "We shall come to him and make our abode with
him." (excerpt from Sermon 23,6)
MAY IS MARY'S MONTH
The month of May, with its profusion of blooms, was adopted
by the Church in the eighteenth century as a celebration of the flowering of
Mary's spirituality. In Isaiah's prophecy of the Virgin birth of the Messiah,
the figure of the Blossoming Rod, or Root of Jesse, the flower symbolism of
Mary was extended by the Church Fathers, and, in the liturgy, by applying to
her the flower figures of the Biblical books of Canticles, Wisdom, Proverbs and
Sirach. In the medieval period, the rose was adopted as the flower symbol of
the Virgin Birth, as expressed in Dante's phrase, 'The Rose wherein the Divine
Word was made flesh,' and depicted in the rose windows of the great gothic
cathedrals, from which came the Christmas carol, 'Lo, How a Rose 'ere
Blooming.' Also, with the spread of the Franciscan love of nature, the rose of
the fields, waysides and gardens, came to be seen as symbols of Mary.
This month of May
* Honor Mary with a Rosary each day.
* Read some inspiring literature about Mary.
* Set up a little Shrine to her outside or inside your house.
* Love her!
SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
SUNDAY, MAY 1, JOHN
14:23-29
(Acts 15:1-2, 22-29; Psalm 67;
Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23)
KEY VERSE: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you" (v.27).
TO KNOW: As Jesus faced the cross and his final battle with the powers of
evil, he comforted his fearful and bewildered disciples about his impending
departure. The disciples were afraid that Jesus was abandoning them, but he
assured them that he would not leave them orphans. He and the Father would send
another advocate (Greek, parakletos), the Holy Spirit. A "paraklete" was legal terminology for an
advocate, one who would give witness in someone's favor in a court of law. The
Holy Spirit would lead the disciples into a deeper truth about God and remind
them of everything that Jesus taught them. The unbelieving world could not
accept these divine truths because they did not love Jesus and did not keep his
commands. Jesus' disciples would prove their love by obedience to his word.
Jesus granted his followers the gift of peace as they awaited the fulfillment
of his promises. The peace that Jesus offered his followers was not the absence
of strife, but everything that made for their highest good (Hebrew,
"shalom"). Jesus was going back to his Father and would be released
from the human limitations of this world. He would be restored to his glory,
and if his disciples really loved him, they would be glad that it was so.
TO LOVE: Am I being true to Christ's word at home and work?
TO SERVE: Risen Lord, send your Spirit to stand beside your Church in times of
trouble.
Sunday 1 May, 2016
Sun 1st. 6th Sunday of Easter.
Acts 15:1-2, 22-29. O God, let all the nations praise
you!—Ps 66(67):2-3, 5-6, 8. Apocalypse 21:10-14, 22-23.
John 14:23-29.
Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Eastertide is a season for us to celebrate the
Resurrection with open and joyful hearts.
In today’s Gospel the Resurrected Jesus is preparing
his disciples for the time when he will no longer be with them on earth. He
tells them, ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid’. I have always loved
this phrase, if only I remember it when my heart is feeling just so!
Jesus tells them: ‘If anyone loves me he will keep my
word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make our home
in him’.
Lord, help me to love you and keep your word so that
one day I might be with you in Heaven.
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
It is much harder to criticize or to be angry with someone who
wants to listen to you rather than lecture you or get angry in turn. Let people
know that you are listening, that you know their pain, and that the message of
respect for life also says that their lives are precious, no matter how
strongly they disagree with you.
May
1
St. Joseph the Worker
Apparently in response
to the “May Day” celebrations for workers sponsored by Communists, Pius XII
instituted the feast of St. Joseph the Worker in 1955. But the relationship
between Joseph and the cause of workers has a much longer history.
In a constantly
necessary effort to keep Jesus from being removed from ordinary human life, the
Church has from the beginning proudly emphasized that Jesus was a carpenter,
obviously trained by Joseph in both the satisfactions and the drudgery of that
vocation. Humanity is like God not only in thinking and loving, but also in
creating. Whether we make a table or a cathedral, we are called to bear fruit
with our hands and mind, ultimately for the building up of the Body of Christ.
Comment:
“The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to
cultivate and care for it” (Genesis 2:15). The Father created all and asked
humanity to continue the work of creation. We find our dignity in our work, in
raising a family, in participating in the life of the Father’s creation. Joseph
the Worker was able to help participate in the deepest mystery of creation.
Pius XII emphasized this when he said, “The spirit flows to you and to all men
from the heart of the God-man, Savior of the world, but certainly, no worker
was ever more completely and profoundly penetrated by it than the foster father
of Jesus, who lived with Him in closest intimacy and community of family life
and work. Thus, if you wish to be close to Christ, we again today repeat, ‘Go
to Joseph’” (see Genesis 41:44).
Quote:
In Brothers of Men, René Voillaume of the Little Brothers of Jesus
speaks about ordinary work and holiness: “Now this holiness (of Jesus) became a
reality in the most ordinary circumstances of life, those of work, of the
family and the social life of a village, and this is an emphatic affirmation of
the fact that the most obscure and humdrum human activities are entirely
compatible with the perfection of the Son of God....this mystery involves the
conviction that the evangelical holiness proper to a child of God is possible
in the ordinary circumstances of someone who is poor and obliged to work for
his living.”
LECTIO DIVINA: 6TH SUNDAY OF EASTER (C)
Lectio Divina:
Sunday, May 1, 2016
The Holy Spirit will help us
understand Jesus’ words
John 14,23-29
1. Opening prayer
Shaddai, God of the mountain,
You who make of our fragile life
the rock of your dwelling place,
lead our mind
to strike the rock of the desert,
so that water may gush to quench our thirst.
May the poverty of our feelings
cover us as with a mantle in the darkness of the night
and may it open our heart to hear the echo of silence
until the dawn,
wrapping us with the light of the new morning,
may bring us,
with the spent embers of the fire of the shepherds of the Absolute
who have kept vigil for us close to the divine Master,
the flavour of the holy memory.
2. LECTIO
a) The text:
23
Jesus answered him, "If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my
Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He
who does not love me does not keep my words; and the word which you hear is not
mine but the Father's who sent me.
25 "These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you. 26 But
the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will
teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to
you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives
do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
28 You heard me say to you, 'I go away, and I will come to you.' If you loved
me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is
greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when
it does take place, you may believe.
b) A
moment of silence:
Let us allow the voice of the Word to resonate within us.
3. MEDITATIO
a) Some
questions:
- “And
we will come to him and make our home with him”: looking in our interior camp,
will we find there the tent of the shekinah(presence) of God?
- “He who does not love me does not keep my words: Are the words of Christ
empty words for us because of our lack of love? Or could we say that we observe
them as a guide on our journey?
- “The Holy Spirit will bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you”:
Jesus turns to the Father, but everything which he has said and done remains
with us. When will we be able to remember the marvels which divine grace has
accomplished in us? Do we receive or accept the voice of the Spirit who
suggests in our interior the meaning of all that has taken place, that has
happened?
- “My peace I give to you: The peace of Christ is his resurrection”: When will
we be able in our life to abandon the anxiety and the mania of doing, which
draws us away from the sources of the being? God of peace, when will we live
solely from you, peace of our waiting?
- “I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place, you
may believe”: Before it takes place... Jesus likes to explain to us beforehand
what is going to happen, so that the events do not take us by surprise,
unprepared. But, are we ready to read the signs of our events with the words
heard from him?
b) Key
for the reading:
To make
our home. Heaven does not have a better place than a human heart which is in
love. Because a dilated heart extends the boundaries and all barriers of time
and space disappear. To live in love is equal to live in Heaven, to live in Him
who is love, and eternal love.
v. 23. Jesus answered him: If a man
loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come
to him and make our home with him. In the
origin of every spiritual experience there is always a movement forward. Take a
small step, then everything moves harmoniously. And the step to be taken is
only one: If a man loves me. Is it really possible to love God? And how is it
seen that his face is no longer among the people? To love: What does it really
mean? In general, to love for us means to wish well to one another, to be
together, to make choices to construct a future, to give oneself... to love
Jesus is not the same thing. to love him means to do as he did, not to draw
back in the face of pain, of death; to love as he did takes us very far... and
it is in this love that the word becomes daily bread to eat and life becomes
Heaven because of the Father’s presence.
vv.
24-25. He who
does not love me does not keep my words; and the word which you hear is not
mine but the Father’s who sent me.If there is no love, the
consequences are disastrous. The words of Jesus can be observed only if there
is love in the heart, otherwise they remain absurd proposals. Those words are
not the words of a man , they come for the Father’s heart who proposes to each
one of us to be like Him. In life it is not so much a question of doing things,
even if they are very good. It is necessary to be men, to be sons, to be images
similar to the One who never ceases to give Himself completely.
vv.
25-26. These
things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you. But the Counsellor, the
Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all
things, and will bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. To remember is an action of the
Spirit; when in our days the past is seen as something lost forever and the
future is there as something threatening to take away our joy today, only the
divine Breath in you can lead you to remember it. To remember what has been
said, every word coming from God’s mouth for you, and forgotten because of the fact
that time has gone by.
v. 27. Peace I leave with you; my
peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your
hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. The peace of Christ for us is
not absence of conflicts, serenity of life, health... but the plenitude of
every good, absence of anxiety in the face of what is going to happen. The Lord
does not assure us well-being, but the fullness of son-ship in a loving
adherence to his projects which are good for us. We will possess peace, when we
will have learnt to trust in that which the Father chooses for us.
v. 28. You heard me say to you, ‘I go
away, and I will come to you’. If you loved me, you would have rejoiced,
because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. We come back to the question of
love. If you loved me, you would have rejoiced. But what is the sense of this
expression pronounced by the Master? We could complete the phrase and say: If
you loved me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father... but since
you think of yourselves, you are sad because I am leaving, going away. The love
of the disciples is an egoistic love. They do not love Jesus because they do
not think of Him, they think of themselves. Then, the love which Jesus asks, is
this love! A love capable of rejoicing because the other will be happy. A love
capable of not thinking of self as the centre of all the universe, but as a
place in which one feels open to give and to be able to receive: not in
exchange, but as the “effect” of the gift received.
v. 29. I have told you before it takes
place, so when it does take place, you may believe. Jesus instructs his own because
he knows that they will remain confused and will be slow in understanding. His
words do not vanish, they remain as a presence in the world, treasures of
understanding in faith. An encounter with the Absolute who is always and for
always in favour of man.
c)
Reflection:
Love: a
magic and ancient word as old as the world, a familiar word which is born in
the horizon of every man in the moment in which he is called into existence. A
word written in his human fibres as origin and end, as an instrument of peace,
as bread and gift, as himself, as others, as God. A word entrusted to history
through our history of every day. Love, a pact which has always had one name
alone: man. Yes, because love coincides with man: love is the air that he
breathes, love is the food which is given to him, love is the rest to which he
entrusts himself, love is the bond of union which makes of him a land of
encounter. That love with which God has seen in his creation and has given: “It
is something very good”. And he has not taken back the commitment taken when
man made of himself a rejection more than a gift, a slap more than a caress, a
stone thrown more than a silent tear. He has loved even more with the eyes and
the heart of the Son, up to the end. This man who became a burning torch of
sin, the Father has redeemed him, again and solely out of love, in the Fire of
the Spirit.
4.
ORATIO
Psalm 37,23-31
The
steps of a man are from the Lord,
and he establishes him in whose way he delights;
though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord is the stay of his hand.
I have been young, and now am old;
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging bread.
He is ever giving liberally and lending,
and his children become a blessing.
Depart from evil, and do good;
so shall you abide for ever.
For the Lord loves justice;
he will not forsake his saints.
The righteous shall be preserved for ever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
The righteous shall possess the land,
and dwell upon it for ever.
The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
The law of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not slip.
5.
CONTEMPLATIO
I see
you, Lord, dwelling in my days through your word which accompanies me in my
more intense moments, when my love for you becomes courageous, audacious and I
do not give up in the face of what I feel that does not belong to me. that
Spirit which is like the wind: blows where it wants and his voice is not heard,
that Spirit has become space in me, and now I can tell you that he is like a
dear fried with whom to remember. To go back to remember the words said, to the
lived events, to the presence perceived while on the way, does good to the
heart. I feel profoundly this indwelling every time that in silence one of your
phrases comes to mind, one of your invitations, one of your words of
compassion, your silence. The nights of your prayer allow me to pray to the
Father and to find peace. Lord, tenderness concealed in the pleads of my
gestures, grant me to treasure all that you are: a scroll which is explained in
which it is easy to understand the sense of my existence. May my words be the
dwelling place of your words, may my hunger be your dwelling, bread of life,
may my pain be the empty tomb and the folded shroud so that everything that you
want may be accomplished, up to the last breath. I love you, Lord, my rock.
