Friday, May 8, 2026

 

Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter

(Acts 15:22-31; John 15:12-17)

Sr. Marie Chin was a Sister of Mercy from Jamaica who became famous as a speaker on the spirituality of mercy.  She told the story of how she discovered mercy with the help of a leper.  When she was in secondary school she accompanied a woman religious to a leper colony.  Knocking on the door of one of the huts, they heard a voice from inside say, “Come in.” Entering, she saw something that repulsed her.  The leper, named Miss Lillian, had a completely deformed face.  When she stretched out her arm, which was little more than a stump without fingers, to the youth, Marie was taken aback again.  “Go on,” Miss Lillian prodded, “put your hand in mine.”  Marie responded, “I can’t; I’m afraid.”  The leper woman said, “Yes, you can.”  Marie said that she did not know where the grace came to touch the rotten flesh, but suddenly she was shaking hands with the leper. The story may help us to understand why Jesus has to command us to love one another.

As anyone over twenty should realize, love is often not easy.  Fyodor Dostoyevsky called love in action “a harsh and dreadful thing.”  Love, after all, requires commitment and often suffering as well.  We could never love everybody, and some of us might never love anybody without Jesus’ command.  We also need Jesus’ help to accomplish the seemingly impossible feat of loving as he loved. 

Let us not worry if we do not feel affection for others.  Affection is not of the essence of love.  We must, however, treat everyone with respect.  Those for whom we feel a particular repulsion we can, at least, pray for.  We pray that they receive God’s grace to become better people and to know His eternal love.

 

Thursday, May 7, 2026

 

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter

(Acts 15:7-21; John 15:9-11)

The primitive Church community faces a monumental problem in today’s reading from Acts. Should it set aside the Jewish law that has given its members a sense of distinctiveness, rectitude, and stability to accept new members who for good reason cannot abide by the rule?  The Church here is not alone in confronting a dilemma imposed by the law.  In the play Billy Budd, the protagonist -- as innocent a soul as ever existed -- is tried for an infraction that carries a death sentence. Budd did what was prohibited by law, but the circumstances seem to excuse him.

Maliciously accused by an officer of mutiny, Budd’s speech impediment incapacitated him from defending himself verbally.  To protest the lie, Budd struck the officer who fell to the floor, hit his head, and died.  The jury must decide if Budd is guilty of striking an officer.  Similarly in the first reading, the governing body of apostles and presbyters must decide whether God permits willing but uncircumcised men into the community of disciples.  Peter provides the winning argument.  He tells the jury that circumcision, the traditional sign of faith, is not the only sign.  Rather evidence of being moved by the Holy Spirit provides even greater evidence of a person’s faith.  

After James, the leader of the community, indicates agreement with Peter, the leadership decides to allow admittance of uncircumcised men to the community.  In contrast, Billy Budd is hanged for his action.  We are chastened to be very discerning about how we judge.  Rules need not dictate every case.  Rather intent and other circumstances may affect culpability.

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

(Acts 15:1-6; John 15:1-8)

“Mary’s Meals” sounds like a local church outreach to impoverished homebound people.  The reality, however, is that the organization feeds three million children a day at educational sites in seventeen underdeveloped countries.  The organization was founded by a Catholic Scotsman as the fruit of his devotion to the Blessed Mother.  It exemplifies the abundant fruit on the branches in today’s gospel parable.

Jesus uses the image of a vine and branches to indicate the potential of his love.  Staying connected to Jesus, disciples receive a copious supply of his love.  Nourished by that love, they will do much good.  Disciples are under the Father’s care.  He will prune them of defects that hinder fructification.  But disciples must stay connected to Jesus through Scripture and the sacraments.  If they wander from him, their fruit will taste like bitter grapes.

Sometimes our lives become very busy.  We have a dozen things to do and very little time.  We may have to limit our prayer, but we should never eliminate it.  Quite the contrary, we should pray as we begin to address the demands before us and periodically turn to Jesus in our activity.  Keeping Jesus in mind will make our work abundantly worthwhile.

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

 

Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

(Acts 14:19-28; John 14:27-31a)

Most Americans are aware of Adolph Hitler’s false promise of peace to English Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain before World War II.  Far fewer realize that the United States government made a similar bogus promise to the Sioux Nation in 1868.  In the Treaty of Fort Laramie the U.S. government promised the Sioux a reservation that included the Black Hills.  Then, after gold was discovered in the Black Hills. Congress unilaterally abrogated that treaty.  The point here is not to condemn the United States, but to show how tenuous peace is among humans. 

For this reason Jesus tells his disciples in today’s gospel that the peace he gives is not like the world’s peace.  His peace is the shalom of closeness to God.  Its surety might be compared to the security a child feels sleeping between his parents.  Jesus can promise this peace because in dying to redeem the People, he carries out his Father’s will.

We should be wary of false promises of peace in our day.  A home in the country, a cruise in the Mediterranean, or a luxury SUV may turn into a nightmare.  But when we put our trust in God, we will not end disappointed.

Monday, May 4, 2026

 

Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter

(Acts 14:5-18; John 14:21-26)

Today’s reading from Acts relates to what Pope Leo XIV told the people of Angola two weeks ago.  The reading tells how St. Paul chastises the people of Lystra for wanting to offer sacrifices to men as if they were gods.  In Angola Pope Leo warned the people of syncretism, the amalgamation of established faith with pagan practices to essentially form a new religion.

Appearing in Christian practice, syncretism corrupts the truth of faith.  When the Lystrians prepare sacrifices for Paul and Barnabas, they are making them gods.  They should realize, before they lose their way to Him, that the true God requires their utmost devotion.  If they dally with other gods, who can give them nothing, they will not develop the sacrificial love that leads to salvation.

We think of syncretism as a practice of unsophisticated people. But individuals in developed countries also practice syncretistic belief.  Burying a statue of St. Joseph upside-down to sell one’s house, for example, combines superstition with the cult of the saints.  Something similar may be said of entering a church for Mass and then refusing to participate in the prayers.  We can depend on God’s love for us.  But our love for God, which is necessary for salvation, requires the truth of faith.

Sunday, May 3, 2026

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

(Acts 6:1–7; 1 Peter 2:4–9; John 14:1–12)

Each year during the seven weeks of Easter, we hear passages from the Acts of the Apostles. This biblical book narrates the development of the early Christian community in Jerusalem and shows how the Holy Spirit promotes the spread of the Gospel throughout the world. The reading we hear today recounts how the community overcomes a problem inherent in every human organization.

Administrative problems appear in organizations as small as the family and as large as the national government. It is inevitable that, at some point, those responsible for administration will overlook someone’s need or have disagreements among themselves. The early Christian community is no exception. But it is exceptional in that it resolves the problem without resentment (at least as recorded in Acts) and with dependence on God.

Believers follow Jesus by holding close to their hearts certain principles regarding the disposition of material resources. First, no one should be in need. Clearly, the concern here is for the poor. Second, everyone should place their goods at the service of the community. This principle challenges especially the well to do. Typically, they have worked hard to obtain their possessions and do not want to see them wasted. And third, the apostles should distribute goods from the community dispensary according to each person’s need.

However, as the community experiences rapid growth, the apostles are unable to meet the increasing demand. The reading tells us that the widows of the Greek-speaking group are lacking food. They are Jews of the diaspora, who settled in Jerusalem and converted to Jesus. They turn to the apostles for help in sustaining themselves. But, being devoted to preaching, the apostles cannot meet their needs. For this reason, they must find another way to care for the widows.

Their procedure is instructive. Rather than viewing the problem as political, the apostles address it as administrative. That is, they do not dwell on why it is the “Greek widows” who are in need. Instead, they propose a solution that may cost them influence but will, in the long run, benefit everyone. They call the community together to select seven men who can serve as administrators of the communal pantry.

Three qualities are proposed for selecting the seven. Each must be a man of good reputation so that people can trust him. He must be filled with the Holy Spirit in order to guide others in ways of justice. Finally, he must have prudence to manage the common resources. Then the apostles lay hands on them to invoke the Spirit, who grants them the authority to carry out their new ministry.

We might ask how the Holy Spirit comes to the seven. Today’s Gospel gives us the key to understanding the transmission of the Holy Spirit. Jesus says that he goes to prepare a place for his disciples in his Father’s house. We often think of God’s house as being in some heaven beyond the stars. But at the beginning of this Gospel, Jesus associates his Father’s house with his own body. Jesus prepares a place for us in his Father’s house by giving himself over to be crucified and rising from the dead. Baptized into this Paschal mystery, we become members of the Body of Christ, the house of the Father where the Holy Spirit dwells.

The presence of the Holy Spirit within us gives us a new life of grace to live in this world with eternal life as our goal. The seven receive a double portion of the Spirit for their ministry of attending to the physical needs of the people.

We are approaching Pentecost, the feast of the Holy Spirit. More than celebrating the “birthday of the Church,” it is a time to reflect on how the Holy Spirit is guiding us and to ask for the gifts needed to do His will. He will not fail us. He must renew the face of the earth, and He wants us to help Him in this task.