Friday, April 12, 2024

Friday of the Second Week of Easter

(Acts 5:34-42; John 6:1-15)

Today’s readings from the Acts of the Apostles features a Jew who however unwittingly speaks on Christ’s behalf.  Gamaliel was a Jewish sage and teacher of the law.  St. Paul proudly states later in Acts that Gamaliel instructed him (22:3).  Gamaliel demonstrates earthly wisdom when he tells the Sanhedrin to free Peter and the other apostles.

Gamaliel reasons that the Christians are either from God or not.  He says in effect, that If they are from God, they cannot be stopped.  And if they are not, they will die under their own weight.  Rather than possibly offending God, Gamaliel says that it would be better to leave the Christians alone. 

Gamaliel’s human wisdom, however, is surpassed by the divine wisdom of the apostles.  They first rejoice with the experience of having suffered for the sake of Jesus.  And then they defy the temporal rulers in order to tell others about Jesus.  We should want to both cultivate Gamaliel’s earthly wisdom and more earnestly seek to develop the apostles’ divine wisdom.

Friday, April 29, 2022

 Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, virgin and Doctor of the Church

(Acts 5:34-42; John 6:1-15)

St. Catherine of Siena saw herself as married to Christ.  Undoubtedly for this reason she worked so hard for the Church, Christ’s body.  Catherine was instrumental in bringing the Bishop of Rome back to the eternal city.  Pope Gregory XI had been comfortably situated in Avignon when Catherine urged him to fulfill his episcopal duty.  She also had a major role in reconciling the city of Florence with the pope.

Catherine evidently never went to school.  Some biographers say she never learned to write.  Yet she left behind a legacy of letters and a brilliant spiritual memoir called the Dialogues.  She also had a large following of both lay people and clergy.  She was vaulted into prominence by mystical experiences together with a zeal to work for the love of the Lord.  Her work was both prophetic and social.  She spoke out for truth and assisted the in greatest need.

As a youth Catherine joined the Dominican Order.  At one point, accused of being a fake, she was brought before the Dominican leadership.  The charges, however, were dropped, and Catherine was allowed to continue her wide-ranging ministries.  We might hear the wisdom of Gamaliel from the first reading today applied to Catherine’s life. Such an extraordinarily ambitious person is bound to cause dissension.  But being from God, no one could stop her.  Catherine is co-patroness of Italy and Europe.  She is also the model of anyone who relies on a strong relationship with Christ to combat injustice.

Friday, April 16, 2021

Friday of the Second Week of Easter 

(Acts 5:34-42; 6:1-15)

The Czech priest Jan Hus led a reform movement of the Church in Bohemia during the late fourteenth and early fifteenth century.  He seemed to have opposed the doctrine of transubstantiation although it is said that his teachings were not heretical.  In any case, with a guarantee of safety by the Holy Roman Emperor he went to the Council of Constance in 1415 for questioning.  There he was tried and summarily executed!  The Church should have heeded the advice of Gamaliel in today’s first reading.

The wise Pharisee counsels the Sanhedrin that religious movements are better left alone. If they are of human contrivance, as most are, they will play themselves out.  But if they are divinely authorized, persecuting them cannot succeed and will incur God’s indictment. Christianity is the best example.  The Jewish leaders did not suppress the Church at the time.  Instead, they allowed it to become God’s major instrument in the world.

Czechs resented the treatment of Jan Hus across the centuries.  They resisted returning whole-heartedly to the Church in the fifteenth century. Later many Czechs embraced Protestantism.  At the new millennium Pope St. John Paul II publicly asked forgiveness for the Church’s mistreatment of Jan Hus.  His testimony as well as Gamaliel’s recommends to all of us the need for religious tolerance.

Friday, April 28, 2017

Friday of the Second Week of Easter

(Acts 5:34-42; John 6:1-15)

It goes without saying that Pharisees are not gospel favorites.  Many picked on Jesus because they could not recognize that his healing on the Sabbath marked the dawning of a new age.  But the New Testament does recall some Pharisees who helped Christ.  Nicodemus in the Gospel of John comes first by night to learn from him and then in daylight to bury him.  Paul calls himself a Pharisee.  In today’s reading form the Acts of the Apostles a leading Pharisee defends the apostles in front of the Jewish Sanhedrin.

Of course, Gamaliel does not accept Jesus.  He only states that as a matter of policy religious tolerance is more judicious than persecution.  His reasoning is memorialized in the saying: “…if (Christianity) comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.”  Such religious tolerance was mandated by Vatican II but with a different logic.  The Council taught that the human conscience is inviolable.  No state or person has a right to interfere with how an individual worships God.

During Easter time the first reading at mass from Acts guides our recall of the early Church.  Every day we learn more of Christianity’s spread from Jerusalem throughout the world.  From the readings we should realize that the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit.  She has no reason to fear other faith traditions.  Indeed, there is need to dialogue with them concerning the experience of God.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Friday of the Second Week of Easter (Acts 5:34-42; John 6:1-15)
 A Jewish immigrant doctor in San Antonio took care of many Mexican, African, and white Americans before World War II.  Doc Stein was everyone’s friend and healer.  If someone worried about money to pay him back, he would tell him or her: “You should worry to pay me?  You think maybe I want to become a millionaire?  Pay me when you can.”  And he treated the soul as well as the body by admonishing his patients: “Just think only about getting well, and believe in Gott and pray for health.”
 We might think of Gamaliel in the reading from Acts today as a Doc Stein kind of person.  His unshakeable faith in God allows him to tolerate a budding competitor to his beloved Judaism without fluster.  “…if it (Christianity) comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them,” he tells his fellow Jews.  As St. Paul’s teacher, Gamaliel perhaps imparted the acumen for Scripture and the love for God that made his star pupil the most efficacious of Christian apostles.
 Gamaliel and Doc Stein together remind us that religious toleration may not go far enough.  We are wise to learn what other religions teach and how they are practiced.  As a result of these efforts we are likely to better fulfill Jesus’ command to love our neighbors.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Friday of the Second Week of Easter

(Acts 5:34-42; John 6:1-15)

A writer from San Antonio recalls an old Jewish doctor who took care of many Mexican, African, and white Americans in her barrio before World War II. Doc Stein was everyone’s friend and everyone’s healer. If someone worried about paying him back, he would say, “You should worry to pay me? You think maybe I want to become a millionaire? Pay me when you can.” He treated the soul as well as the body. “Just think only about getting well, and believe in ‘Gott’ and pray for health,” he would admonish his patients.

We might think of Gamaliel in the reading from Acts today as a Doc Stein kind of person. His unshakeable faith in God allows him to tolerate a budding competitor to his beloved Judaism without fluster. “…if it (Christianity) comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them,” he tells his fellow Jews. Perhaps as St. Paul’s teacher Gamaliel imparted the acumen and love for God that made his pupil the most efficacious of Christian apostles.

Gamaliel and Doc Stein together remind us that religious toleration may not go far enough. We are wise to learn what other religions teach and how they are practiced. As results of these efforts we are likely to sharpen our understanding of Catholic doctrine and to entertain deeper insights into prayer and virtuous living.

Homilette for Friday, April 24, 2009

Friday of the Second Week of Easter

(Acts 5:34-42; John 6:1-15)

It is safe to say that Pharisees are not gospel favorites. Many pick on Jesus because they cannot not recognize that his healing on the Sabbath mark the dawning of a new age. But the New Testament does describe some Pharisees as friendly to Christ and to the movement he institutes. One example is Nicodemus in the Gospel of John who comes first by night to learn from Jesus and then in daylight to bury him. Another, from the first reading today, is the celebrated teacher Gamaliel who defends the apostles in front of the Jewish Sanhedrin.

Of course, Gamaliel does not accept Christianity. He only states that as a matter of policy religious tolerance is more prudent than persecution. His reasoning is summarized in the memorable lines: “But if (Christianity) comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” Vatican II similarly declares religious tolerance essential but uses a different logic. The Council teaches that the human conscience is inviolable so that no individual or society may dictate how another is to worship God.

During Easter-time we are especially called to review the experience of the early Church. Every day at Mass we read from the Acts of the Apostles. We see how the Church starts as a small community in Jerusalem and spreads throughout the western world. Guided by the Holy Spirit, she does not threaten legitimate governments. Rather her teachings, formed by the same Spirit, provide nations with a font of wisdom to develop a strong and loyal populace.

Homilette for April 4, 2008

Homilettes for weekdays between March 27 and April 4 follow below. May the fifty deays of Eastertime fill you with joy. Please write me if you have any comments regarding these homilettes. cm

Friday of the Second Week of Easter

(Acts 5:34-42)

It is safe to say that Pharisees are not gospel favorites. Many picked on Jesus because they could not recognize that his healing on the Sabbath marked the dawning of a new age. But the New Testament does recall some Pharisees who helped Christ. Nicodemus in the Gospel of John comes first by night to learn from him and then in daylight to bury him. In the reading form the Acts of the Apostles today the leading Pharisee Gamaliel defends the apostles in front of the Jewish Sanhedrin.

Of course, Gamaliel does not accept Christianity. He only states that as a matter of policy religious tolerance is more judicious than persecution. His reasoning is summarized in the memorable lines: “But if (Christianity) comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” Religious tolerance was mandated by Vatican II with a different logic. The Council taught that the human conscience is inviolable. No state or person has a right to interfere with how an individual worships God.

During Easter-time the Church asks us to recall the experience of the early Church. Every day at Mass this year we read from the Acts of the Apostles. We see how the Church starts as a small community in Jerusalem that spreads throughout the western world. She has little reason to fear other faith traditions. Rather, she has the commission to dialogue with them concerning the experience of reconciliation to God.