Thursday, May 12, 2022

 Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter

(Acts 13:13-25; John 13:16)

A seminarian admitted that he had difficulty with his community chore.  He was assigned to clean toilets.  “Anything but that,” he pleaded.  However, for good reason seminarians should perform such duties.  In doing so, they imitate Jesus whom they purport to follow.

In today’s gospel Jesus has just washed his disciples’ feet. His action came close to scandalizing them.  Then he told them to wash each other’s feet.  One can imagine the disgust that the disciples feel now.  But, Jesus intimates, just as he came not to be served but to serve so must his disciples.  “’No slave,’” he says, “’is greater than his master.’”

We should not think that we must give every kind of assistance to others.  To optimize our time we will do the necessary work for which we are best qualified.  Even that work, however, must be carried out with humility.  As St. Augustine says, “…if humility does not precede and accompany and follow every good work we do, …pride will wrest from our hand any good deed we do while we are in the very act of taking pleasure in it.”

 

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

 Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

(Acts 12:24-13:5a; John 12:44-50)

If the gospel were a drama, today’s passage would end an act.  Jesus is completing his public ministry.  He has given the people many signs that he is the Son of God who has come to save the world.  Some have accepted him, but many have chosen not to follow him. 

It is not easy to follow Jesus.  For Jews it means departing from the age-old customs of sacrifices and endless prayers.  In place of these traditions, they are told to love one another from the heart. Following Jesus is not necessarily easier today.  There are many Christian churches, and many good people worship within them.  Yet preoccupation with personal desires and maintenance of personal enmities hinder allegiance to Jesus. 

We will successfully follow Jesus when we do three things.  We must avoid what is evil.  Jesus never leads us in that direction.  Likewise, we must take on a service to others.  As Jesus says during the Last Supper, “You ought wash one another’s feet.” Finally, we must seek God’s continual enlightenment with prayer.  God, the source of wisdom and strength, is waiting to help us.

Tuesday, May 10, 2022

 

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

(Acts 11:19-26; John 10:22-30)

The railroad in a small town long ago announced that it needed to fill a position.  Soon a roomful of applicants entered the office anxiously hoping for an interview.  After a while without anyone being called, a tapping noise was heard in the background.  One person rose from his chair and walked to the receptionist desk.  Then a sign was posted that the position was filled.  The people in the room became angry not to be given an opportunity to display their skills.  But the railroad officer told them that the tapping noise they heard was Morse code inviting anyone who understood the message to claim the job.  Today’s gospel tells a similar story.

Jesus explains to his listeners that only those people given him by the Father will recognize that he is the Messiah.  Others may see his marvelous deeds but will not come to him because they cannot recognize his voice.  Its subtlety is not tonal but conceptual.  His followers realize that Jesus is not a Messiah who will free the nation of Roman domination.  He is the one who will liberate them from tyranny of sin.

If we hear Jesus’ voice, we will understand that he comes not to make Catholic morality public law.  Rather he intends to give us access to eternal life.  Yes, for the common good we press for the prohibition of abortion and the abolition of capital punishment.  However, we should not be discouraged if our efforts are not always rewarded.  We know that being faithful to Jesus, he will give us the fulness of life as promised.

Monday, May 9, 2022

 Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter

(Acts 11:1-18; John 10:1-10)

Both readings today treat access issues.  In the first Peter through a vision recognizes that non-Jews have access to life in the Spirit.  The gospel claims that only Jesus, the gatekeeper, allows access to his flock.  If he does not approve of a person, that one cannot be his disciple.

The Church has taught that access to eternal life is a function of Baptism.  Today there is no difficulty in seeing how a non-Jew could be baptized.  However, the primitive Church struggled with the possibility as seen in the reading.  A more contemporary dilemma is the possibility of non-Christians gaining access to Jesus’ heavenly flock without Baptism.  Vatican II teaches that the Holy Spirit is not bound to Baptism.  According to the Council, the Spirit has touched all who seek the truth and do God’s will as best they can.

Hopefully, we are not saddened by the prospect of some achieving eternal life without abiding all the Church’s moral teachings.  An honest account of reality will see the Church’s moral teachings as enabling and not restricting us.  The teachings should move us to call more people to Baptism out of love.

Sunday, May 8, 2022

 THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

(Acts 13:14.43-52; Revelation 7:9.14-17, John 10:27-30)

No doubt most people have had this experience. When we were children, sometimes we couldn't sleep. It could have been a nightmare or possibly a stomachache that woke us up. Rising from our bed, we went to our parents' bedroom. Our mother hugged us and invited us to spend the night with her and our father. With this experience buried in our memories, we honor our mothers today, Mother's Day. This experience also helps us understand the words of Jesus in the gospel.

Jesus says that his sheep listen to his voice. That is, they not only hear his voice but wait for it. As the sick consult a doctor, the disciples approach Jesus regularly and attentively. Jesus shows them the way to lasting happiness. Today there is so much noise in our environment that it is difficult to discern the voice of Jesus. If we listen to the radio, the songs tell of carnal desire. The Internet is filled with advertisements as if we were first and foremost buyers of things. Even when we come across religious matters, they can be nothing more than frauds. For years “prosperity gospel” preachers have talked about how Jesus wants all believers to become rich like the king of Arabia. Is that true? If it is, then why do we honor Mother Teresa and Francis of Assisi as saints?

When parents come with their child to be baptized, the priest asks them, “What do you ask of the Church for your child?” They answer, "Baptism" because, as good mothers and fathers, they want their children to have eternal life as their destiny. In the gospel Jesus says that he gives his disciples “eternal life”. What is he talking about? Not much should be said about this phenomenon. It is beyond the reach of our experience. In the second reading the seer John describes eternal life in several different terms. He says that those who have eternal life are from all nations and races, serve God, and do not suffer. But it is not entirely they who serve. He adds that Jesus shepherds them, and God wipes away all their tears. It seems that eternal life is the state where love prevails. Those who have it help and support each other so that peace reigns in their hearts.

We certainly want to possess eternal life. However, sometimes we wonder if we can reach it. We see ourselves succumbing to anger or, worse, to the desires of the flesh. Yes, it is a continual struggle to maintain Jesus' victory over sin. But Jesus assures again in the gospel that no one can snatch us out of his hands. Like frightened children in their parents' bed, Jesus will protect us. We just have to stay close to him. We do it when we attend to his voice resounding in the sacraments.

In the first reading Paul and Barnabas get up from being persecuted. They shake the dust off their feet and move on. They don't curse their luck or give up their mission. They know that they have put into practice what Jesus has asked of them. He who has overcome death is going to give them eternal life as well. It is a cause for joy, not worry and much less disgust. Eternal life is also our destiny when we follow him. We don't have to worry about radio noise or internet scams. Let us only listen to his voice and obey it always.