Monday, May 6, 2024

Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter

(Acts 16:11-15; John 15:26-16:4a)

For a generation after Jesus’ death and resurrection, his followers worshipped along with Jews in local synagogues and the Jerusalem Temple.  Like their fellow worshippers, they were immune to Roman law that had everyone worship the Roman gods.  Then Judaism experienced a crisis.  The Roman army responded to a Jewish rebellion by destroying the Temple.  The rabbis had to reform Judaism giving greater emphasis to studying the Law.  They also disassociated themselves from those who claimed Jesus as the Messiah.

Left unprotected from the Roman law to worship their gods, Christians were persecuted by both Jews and Romans.  Needing help, they found it in Jesus’ promise in today’s gospel to send an Advocate who would demonstrate to the world that Jesus was truly God’s Son.  Christians came to understood that they need not fear desolation.  Christ’s Spirit, the Advocate, was with them to withstand the persecution.

The Holy Spirit remains with us today. We must take courage in this fact and turn to him with our needs.  Where we are being persecuted, we need to speak up with the truth.  Where there is doubt about procedure such as how to justly recognize women in the church, we should turn to the Spirit with confidence.  We need not fret that Jesus is not among us.  He has sent his Spirit in his place.

Monday, May 27, 2019

Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter

(Acts 16:11-15; John 15:26-16:4a)

The Catholic Church bases its health care ethics on the human person’s innate dignity from conception until natural death.  It exhorts medical professionals to honor this dignity by refusing to take part in abortion, assisted suicide and other contradictory procedures.  In doing so, the Church has been criticized.  Doctors who refuse to render death-dealing services have also been threatened with censure.  Jesus warns of such developments in today’s gospel.

He is telling his disciples to expect persecution because they follow his teaching.  He has specifically in mind the harassment of Christians for seeing himself as the Son of God.  But with the coming of the Spirit to complete his teaching, Jesus would include other doctrines. 

Much of Catholic health care ethics is derived from natural law and not from explicitly gospel sources.  Nevertheless, Catholics will have to abide by it even if it means not practicing medicine because of state persecution.  However, we pray that society comes to recognize the truth of natural law morality.  We pray as well that it honors the freedom of citizens to practice their respective religious beliefs.

Monday, May 2, 2016

Memorial of Saint Athanasius, bishop and doctor of the Church

(Acts 16:1-11; John 15:26-16:4a)

The four gospels may be called different answers to the question, “Who is Jesus?”  Put simply, Matthew sees Jesus as the definitive teacher; Mark, as the suffering Messiah; Luke, as the gracious prophet; and John, as the kingly Son of God.  It took the genius of St. Athanasius to explain how Jesus might fulfill all of these roles only if he is truly God.  Challenged by a popular idea that Jesus was created by God, and therefore subordinate to the Father, Athanasius corrected the error.  He taught that the Son, born of the Father before time began, shares His divine nature.

In today’s gospel passage Jesus tells his disciples that he will send the Advocate to testify to the Son.  This is the Holy Spirit who moved Athanasius to elucidate how the Father and the Son could be both one and distinct.  Along with the same Spirit the two have existed for all eternity before the creation of time.

The sharing of the divine nature puzzles most of us.  But that fact is not so important.  We have only to accept how Jesus’ natural divinity has made it possible for us to be adopted into God’s family.  Holding on to this belief, we strive to live the love characteristic of God.

Monday, May 11, 2015

Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter

(Acts 16:11-15; John 15:26-16:4a)

Videos of extremist Muslims massacring Christians authenticate Jesus’ prophecy in today’s gospel.  Men and women thinking that they are doing God’s will are killing his disciples.  As there is cause for outrage, there is also need for reflection on what is taking place.

First of all, not all, not even a sizeable minority of Muslims agree with such persecution.  There are certainly fundamentalist interpretations of the Koran which deny basic rights of peoples of other faith traditions.  But murder is not tolerated, much less condoned by the vast majority of Muslim people.  Still, in many nations with Muslim majorities there is need for recognizing the full range of human rights to non-Muslims just as Muslims thrive with these freedoms in most countries.

It should also be noted that Jesus does not even hint of retaliation for the abuses he visualizes.  Throughout the gospel he promotes a spirit of love among his people.  True, in the Gospel According to John Jesus emphasizes love within the community, but surely this disposition of goodwill affects our outlook toward others.  Indeed, by our readiness to forgive wrongs, we testify to the knowledge of God which Jesus sees lacking among religious persecutors.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter

(Acts 16:11-15; John 15:26-16:4a)

Since its recent turnover of government, Egypt has been added to the list of “countries of particular concern” published by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Other nations with the doleful distinction include Burma, China, Iran and Iraq. Most of these rights-violating countries are either Muslim or Communist led, but Christian nations have often shown intolerance. In the gospel today Jesus foresees his followers being persecuted. No doubt he would have wept if he saw religious intolerance carried out in his name.

Jesus goes on to promise his disciples the “Spirit of truth” so that, among other testimony, they may bear witness to his patience with people who hold different viewpoints. As he deplores the persecution of those who proclaim him as Lord, he does not intend that belief in him be forced upon anyone.

Today the United States remembers its war dead. Although our country has often mixed good and questionable motives for engaging in war, we say with grateful pride that our soldiers have typically given their lives for the cause of freedom. Here it should be emphasized that the practice of one’s religion without harassment constitutes the most basic freedom.