Thursday, May 3, 2018

Feast of Saints Philip and James, apostles

(I Corinthians 15:1-8; John 14:6-14)

Saul, the first king of Israel, was recognized for his good looks.  He is introduced in the Bible in this way: “There was no Israelite handsomer than Saul; he stood head and shoulders above the people” (I Sam 9:2b).  One commentator says that his demeanor was what most recommended him to be king.  In contrast, nothing is said in Scripture of how Jesus looked.  Nothing.  Yet he tells Philip in today’s gospel that anyone who sees him, sees God the Father.

Philip is asking for a theophany.  He wants an experience of God like Moses had at the burning bush.  He expects to see something that would be called “awesome” today.  Jesus corrects his largely mistaken notion that the experience of God is always earth-shaking.  When he identifies seeing the Father with seeing himself, he has his self-sacrificing love in mind.  Jesus preaches, teaches, and most of all lives this love.  That is what his Father, as well, is all about.

Philip is no slower learner than we are.  We too often look for a revelation of God in fantastic ways.  The truth is that God reveals Himself to us daily.  He appears every time someone goes out of her way to help another.  When we perform such acts, we become His angels.

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter 

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

Today the Church celebrates St. Athanasius.  A fourth century bishop, he made a brilliant insight to overcame a theological crisis.  The burning question at the time was Christ’s divinity.  Was he “really God” or just “like God?” A priest named Arius with his many followers took the latter position.  They believed the preponderance of evidence in Scripture favored a weak Christology.  Athanasius reasoned to the contrary.  He taught that accepting Christ as truly God corresponded to the deepest New Testament intuition.  The crisis was resolved at the Council of Nicea in accord with Athanasius’ insight. Christ, the council taught, has the same divine nature as the Father and the Spirit. Today’s first reading tells of a similar crossroads in Church history.

Could only Jews who professed Jesus be saved?  Or did Jesus’ death and resurrection save non-Jews as well? The question was theoretical in the earliest days of the Church when all believers were also Jews.  As non-Jews heard about Jesus, however, it turned into a crisis.  Did they have to submit to circumcision to be considered part of Jesus’ vine?  Requiring it would have severely dampened missionary efforts.  In the passage the issue is brought to the apostles and presbyters of Jerusalem for resolution.  They will decide that faith in Christ satisfies as the basis of salvation.

We should note how the Church has from the beginning deliberated issues in council.  Not even Scripture has answers to all theological and moral questions.  Rather successful outcomes require dialogue and trust in the Spirit’s presence to Church leaders.

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

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

Although St. Joseph the Worker is an optional memorial, it is one of those feast days that most Catholics remember.  It is fitting, therefore, to apply the readings for the Easter season to work.  Fortunately, it can be done today without stretching the meaning of at least the first reading.

The passage from Acts describes the glory and the hardship of the work of the apostles.  Paul and Barnabas have successfully evangelized apparently thousands of people.  When they return to Antioch, they duly celebrate their accomplishment.  The job has not been easy, however.  Today’s reading also depicts Paul being stoned and left for dead.

All work has similar benefits and costs.  Even in pitching hay a worker develops some skill.  Honest work also brings the satisfaction of contributing to the common good.  On the other hand, work contains elements that challenge physically, mentally, and emotionally.  As the apostles did at the start of their mission, we want to commend our work to God.  And as they no doubt include in their celebration, we need to thank God for work accomplished.

Monday, April 30, 2018

Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter

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

Fernando de Loazes was archbishop of Valencia during the sixteenth century.  His humanist background saw heavy-handed inquisitorial attempts to convert Muslims as futile.  In fact, he succeeded in evangelization by convincing non-believers of the gospel’s efficacy.  St. Paul had the same experience fifteen hundred years before.  In today’s first reading Paul struggles with cultural differences as he preaches in Lystra.

When Paul cures the paralytic, he no doubt expects to gain the attention of the people.  After all, the crowds in Jerusalem listened to Peter after he made a similar cure.  So Paul prepares himself to preach about Jesus.  But Jews can differentiate between God and His prophets with healing power.  Greeks, on the other hand, assume that the healer is a god.  Paul and Barnabas then are proclaimed “Zeus” and “Hermes” of mythological fame.  Because the people speak the lingua franca, the apostles are unaware of what is happening.  Only when the people bring animal offerings do they catch on.  Paul then tries to reason with the people, but his argument is in vain.  As when he preaches natural theology in Athens, the people are not affected.   He learns by experience the lesson of today’s gospel.  People need to be convinced of God’s love through the love of those who work in His name.

We too can evangelize by showing God’s love to others.  We do this when we listen to another’s pain and respond with a word of understanding.  Love evangelizes more powerfully than either logic or force.

Friday, April 27, 2018

Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter

(Acts 13:26-33; John 14:1-6)

During the first years of the Church, Christians considered themselves members of “the Way.”  They were not the first group to do so.  Essenes, living in the desert, also identified themselves by that name.  Of course, “way” here does not designate a road as friends living on Willow Way. Rather, “the Way” indicates a form of living, a “way of life.”  Jesus’ disciple in today’s gospel confuses these two senses of “way.”

Jesus is trying to console his companions as he prepares to leave them.  He gives them the reason for his departure - to prepare a place for them in the family home.  He adds that he will return to take them to his Father’s eternal home.  Finally, he says that they know “the way” to go until his return.  At this point Philip, who at the beginning of the gospel was eager to follow Jesus, demurs.  He claims ignorance of “the way” as if following Jesus were a matter of walking up an avenue.

We know “the way” of Jesus.  It is conforming ourselves to his mode of love.  Where that word has been terribly distorted these days, we strive to restore its original meaning.  We seek the well-being of one another without worrying about the cost to ourselves.  This is the way that Jesus has shown us.