BIBLE STUDY #92
THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY
June 3, 2012
READING 1
DEUTERONOMY 4:32-34, 39-40
Moses said to the people:
"Ask now of the days of old, before your time,
ever since God created man upon the earth;
ask from one end of the sky to the other:
Did anything so great ever happen before?
Was it ever heard of?
Did a people ever hear the voice of God
speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live?
Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself
from the midst of another nation,
by testings, by signs and wonders, by war,
with strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors,
all of which the LORD, your God,
did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
This is why you must now know,
and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God
in the heavens above and on earth below,
and that there is no other.
You must keep his statutes and commandments that I enjoin on you today,
that you and your children after you may prosper,
and that you may have long life on the land
which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever."
The Word of the Lord
READING 2
ROMANS 8:14-17
Brothers and sisters:
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you received a Spirit of adoption,
through whom we cry, "Abba, Father!"
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God,
and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,
if only we suffer with him
so that we may also be glorified with him.
The Word of the Lord
GOSPEL
MATTHEW 28:16-20
The eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them,
"All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."
The Gospel of the Lord
Reflection
This Sunday we celebrate the central mystery of our faith and of our Christian life: The mystery of the Trinity. The dogma of the Trinity is not in scripture, but was formulated at the councils of Nicaea in 325 A.D. and Constantinople in 381 A.D. While it is impossible to understand this mystery, the very essence of God, we do know what God has revealed to us about this mystery.
Every Sunday after the homily we recite the Nicene Creed, a basic statement about our faith which tells us about the Trinity.
Nicene Creed from Revised Roman Missal
I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and became man,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
I’ve reproduced the Nicene Creed for your reflection. We recite it often enough, but do we really listen to what we’re saying? Below is a short reflection on the Trinity so we know some of the basics. I refer you to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 232 to 267 for a more in depth treatment of this sacred mystery. Paragraph numbers below refer to paragraphs in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
We believe that there is only one God, not three, but that there are three persons in the Blessed Trinity; namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They do not ‘share’ divinity, but are whole and complete God’s in themselves. This is called being consubstantial, so the trinity can also be referred to as the consubstantial trinity (paragraph 253).
The divine persons are really distinct from each other. The Father, Son, and Spirit are not just different modes of being divine; each is separate from each other. (paragraph 254). But in the unity of the Trinity, the Father is wholly in the Son and wholly in the Holy Spirit; the Son is wholly in the Father and in the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit is wholly in the Father and wholly in the Son (paragraph 255).
We believe that Jesus was ‘begotten’ by God; God did not create Jesus, he always was, he is true God, and is also a creator since he was present at, and participated in, the creation of the universe.
The Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son and is also a giver of life (see Creed above) and is also worshipped as God. It was also this same Spirit that inspired the prophets.
I would like you to notice that God lives in community, that the very essence of God incorporates community. That tells us that, since we are made in the image and likeness of God, we too must be a part of a community. There is no such thing as a solitary Christian. Even Christian hermits are still part of a larger community. A solitary Christian is an oxymoron. Christianity by its very nature is communal. Those who say that they don’t need to go church because they can go in the woods and pray don’t understand what Christianity is about: and I find it is an excuse not to pray at all (who goes regularly into the woods to pray? I’ve never met anyone).
Whenever you are confronted with a group that claims to be Christian and you’ve never heard of them, the first test is whether they believe in the Trinity. Every Christian believes in this dogma. If they don’t, they’re not Christian.
There was a time in the not to distant past where some people wanted to change the sign of the cross to be “In the name of the Creator, and of the Redeemer, and of the Sanctifier” instead of “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” What we have to remember is that creator, redeemer, and sanctifier are not meant to limit each person of the Trinity’s power or role, but a way to understand something about each person of the Trinity. For example, the Son is much more than a redeemer; he is also a creator, since he was present at the creation of the world. In our feeble attempts to understand what God is trying to reveal to us, we should never put a limit on God. The Trinity is much greater than the sum of it’s’ parts.
God reveals a little about himself so that we may become more like him. The very essence of God is love, as we hear in 1John 4:8, “Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.” When we are baptized “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” we are brought into God’s love, we share in the divine life of love.
This is the most important part of understanding the Trinity: that God is love and we need to be loving people, also. The Father, Son and Spirit have an eternal exchange of love of boundless measure, and we participate in, as well as share, that love with each other as Christians. It’s nice to be able to understand and speak about all the various theologies about the Trinity, but if we don’t love, we’ve missed the point. The great commandment is to love God and each other, not to be able to plumb the depths of Trinitarian theology.
Loving is harder than reading theology, though, isn’t it. Love makes demands, sometimes great ones, on our time, talent, and even our resources. Theology describes; love acts, because love in its most basic and truest sense is an action, something that we do. If someone said they loved you, but never did loving things for you, would you believe they loved you? I doubt it.
Each of the readings today tells us of some aspects of God. In the first reading from Deuteronomy, Moses praises God for his greatness in creation, he expresses his gratitude to God for choosing his people to be God’s own people, and he tells his people that in gratitude for what God has done, that the people should follow God’s laws. Here is a loving God who creates, chooses, and sustains. God created us, we are chosen as his own through baptism, and we are sustained through his grace. In response to what God has done for us, we follow his commands.
In the second reading from Romans, St Paul tells us that we are more than slaves who fear God, but are sons and daughters adopted by God, so we call God “Abba, Father” which is a term of endearment. God wants to have an intimate relationship with us as our loving parent; not to be afraid of his wrath, but be enveloped by his love and kindness. The Spirit’s presence in our lives joins us to God so we are heirs with Christ to salvation.
God is the one who creates, chooses, sustains, loves, and inspires. In the Gospel, God is the one who sends us on a mission. What God gives to us, we must share with others. We are the instruments by which others are brought to know and to love the Lord. We must evangelize by our words and example so that people will want to be baptized in the name of the trinity, and then teach them what it means to be a disciple we can’t do this by our own power, but Jesus promises to be with us to guide, nurture, and direct us to spread the Good News.
Fr. Phil
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
BIBLE STUDY #91
PENTECOST SUNDAY
May 27, 2012
READING 1
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 2:1-11
When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,
they were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky
a noise like a strong driving wind,
and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in different tongues,
as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,
"Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?
Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,
inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,
as well as travelers from Rome,
both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,
yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues
of the mighty acts of God."
The Word of the Lord
READING 2
1 CORINTHIANS 12:3B-7, 12-13
Brothers and sisters:
No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God
who produces all of them in everyone.
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for some benefit.
As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
The Word of the Lord
GOSPEL
JOHN 20:19-23
On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, "Peace be with you."
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained."
The Gospel of the Lord
Reflection
There are different readings for the Vigil of Pentecost, and different options for the readings for the Mass on Pentecost Sunday. I am using the first options for the Mass of Pentecost Sunday.
Today’s Gospel was included in the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday of Easter (John 29:19-31). Following is the part of my reflection from that date relevant to today’s Gospel.
This Gospel comes immediately after Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene on Easter morning, and it seems to indicate that Jesus appeared to the disciples on Easter evening (his reference to “that day” refers to Easter Sunday).
The doors were locked “for fear of the Jews”. If the authorities were able to have Jesus crucified, it would be possible for them to be treated as such. They are not yet the fearless disciples of Jesus until Pentecost.
Jesus didn’t knock on the door to be let in, nor did he bust the door open. He appeared to them through the locked doors. He has a resurrected body and is no longer bound by space and time as we are. He can appear where ever he desires.
He appears to the disciples; presumably there are 10 of them. Thomas is not there, and Judas hung himself.
Jesus gives them his peace, referring to John 14:27, part of the Last Supper Discourse, where Jesus promises to send the Advocate (the Holy Spirit). This peace, or “shalom” is a gift of salvation, and connotes the bounty of the messianic blessing. He is giving the kind of peace that only comes through faith in him. This peace also reflects rejoicing, as seen in John 16:22.
Jesus then sends his disciples (and us) on a mission: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you." Jesus was the obedient Son who perfectly obeyed the Father’s will for him. He sends all of us out on a mission to bring the good news of salvation to others. We also see this type of sending in Matthew 28:19, Luke 24:47, and Mark 16:15.
But they can’t do it on their own. They need his help. He breathes the Holy Spirit on them, which reminds us of Genesis, when God breathed life into Adam. Just as Adam’s life came from God, so now the new spiritual life breathed into the Apostles comes from God. This is John’s version of Pentecost.
The Apostles are sent out to preach forgiveness: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." The Council of Trent defined that this power to forgive sins is exercised in the sacrament of confession. Forgiveness is one of the biggest themes in scripture, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus conquered sin and death. He paid the penalty for our sins and wants all of us to feel that forgiveness. What is the one thing that can keep us from eternal life (or life in abundance now)? Sins that are not forgiven from people who are not repentant. There are a lot of themes in scripture, but this one seems like it should be near the top of the list in importance, and is why the apostles are sent to preach forgiveness.
Being forgiven by God, whether from an act of contrition, or sacramentally through confession, is a wonderful way to grow spiritually. Sins that are not forgiven will eventually block the avenues of God’s grace. If God feels distant, it may be time to seek forgiveness. The sacrament of reconciliation gives us an opportunity to focus on the things we did wrong, be forgiven, and receive the grace to do better and grow as a disciple.
The Apostles are given the power to retain sins by Jesus, but I don’t know of any time that Jesus or the apostles ever refused to forgive someone. My experience is that those who are unrepentant do not seek forgiveness. Any one who comes to confession is seeking God’s forgiveness, and if they are not sure if something is a sin, they will ask.
One of the saddest things is when people refuse to believe that they sin and therefore need forgiveness. Unrepentant people are passing up an opportunity to live in God’s grace, peace, meaning, and happiness.
I do think that clergy need to preach on this topic without belaboring the point. It’s an important part of the message of Jesus. But we need to preach on it by stating that God loves us and wants us to participate in Jesus sacrifice on the cross and be forgiven, not so we won’t be punished, but that we can live in the peace of Christ.
The first reading from Acts of the Apostles details the Pentecost scene we are familiar with: the wind, the tongues of fire, the Holy Spirit, the speaking in tongues.
The wind should remind us of the breath of God, how God breathed life into Adam and he became alive (Genesis 2:7) and how Jesus breathed on the apostles in today’s gospel and they became alive with the Holy Spirit.
The tongues of fire remind us of the time Moses was on Mt. Sinai (see Exodus 19:18) and the presence of God appearing in fire which initiated the covenant on Sinai. The Holy Spirit coming as tongues of fire reminds us that God, in the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, comes to prepare the apostles to preach the new covenant sealed by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ our Savior.
Speaking in tongues is ecstatic prayer in praise of God which is interpreted as speaking in different languages that signifies the universal mission of the church to all the people of the world.
Pentecost is also seen as the fulfillment of the prophecy in the book of Joel chapter3. The word “ruah” is used here (and in many parts of the Old Testament), which is God’s power, or spirit, given to certain people. Ruah can also mean breath or wind. Joel anticipates the renewing breath of God given on Pentecost in Acts.
Pentecost is also the fulfillment of the promise made by Jesus in Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The second reading from 1 Corinthians reminds us that while we all receive the same spirit, we are empowered by this spirit to perform different types of service. We are all parts of one body, but we all have different gifts and talents to be used in the building up of the body of Christ.
Pentecost is considered as the beginning, or birthday, of the church. What do the readings tell us about what it means to be church? While there are many ways to define the church and its mission, I offer five different aspects of being church that I see in the readings. 1) The readings tell us that it is God’s church, formed by the giving of the Spirit. It is not our church: we are not in charge. We do not do what we want, but let the Spirit lead and guide us. 2) We are a missionary church, charged to bring the Good News to all the nations. 3) We are to preach that Jesus died for our sins; he died so that we may live. 4) No one can do everything. We all have our own gifts and talents used to build up the kingdom. In other words, it’s not only the church of the clergy, but of all people. We each have different roles, but no one is better because of their role. 5) Being a member of the church should give us the kind of peace only given by faith in the risen Christ.
Fr. Phil
PENTECOST SUNDAY
May 27, 2012
READING 1
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 2:1-11
When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,
they were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky
a noise like a strong driving wind,
and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in different tongues,
as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,
"Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?
Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,
inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,
as well as travelers from Rome,
both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,
yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues
of the mighty acts of God."
The Word of the Lord
READING 2
1 CORINTHIANS 12:3B-7, 12-13
Brothers and sisters:
No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God
who produces all of them in everyone.
To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for some benefit.
As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
The Word of the Lord
GOSPEL
JOHN 20:19-23
On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, "Peace be with you."
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained."
The Gospel of the Lord
Reflection
There are different readings for the Vigil of Pentecost, and different options for the readings for the Mass on Pentecost Sunday. I am using the first options for the Mass of Pentecost Sunday.
Today’s Gospel was included in the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday of Easter (John 29:19-31). Following is the part of my reflection from that date relevant to today’s Gospel.
This Gospel comes immediately after Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene on Easter morning, and it seems to indicate that Jesus appeared to the disciples on Easter evening (his reference to “that day” refers to Easter Sunday).
The doors were locked “for fear of the Jews”. If the authorities were able to have Jesus crucified, it would be possible for them to be treated as such. They are not yet the fearless disciples of Jesus until Pentecost.
Jesus didn’t knock on the door to be let in, nor did he bust the door open. He appeared to them through the locked doors. He has a resurrected body and is no longer bound by space and time as we are. He can appear where ever he desires.
He appears to the disciples; presumably there are 10 of them. Thomas is not there, and Judas hung himself.
Jesus gives them his peace, referring to John 14:27, part of the Last Supper Discourse, where Jesus promises to send the Advocate (the Holy Spirit). This peace, or “shalom” is a gift of salvation, and connotes the bounty of the messianic blessing. He is giving the kind of peace that only comes through faith in him. This peace also reflects rejoicing, as seen in John 16:22.
Jesus then sends his disciples (and us) on a mission: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you." Jesus was the obedient Son who perfectly obeyed the Father’s will for him. He sends all of us out on a mission to bring the good news of salvation to others. We also see this type of sending in Matthew 28:19, Luke 24:47, and Mark 16:15.
But they can’t do it on their own. They need his help. He breathes the Holy Spirit on them, which reminds us of Genesis, when God breathed life into Adam. Just as Adam’s life came from God, so now the new spiritual life breathed into the Apostles comes from God. This is John’s version of Pentecost.
The Apostles are sent out to preach forgiveness: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." The Council of Trent defined that this power to forgive sins is exercised in the sacrament of confession. Forgiveness is one of the biggest themes in scripture, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus conquered sin and death. He paid the penalty for our sins and wants all of us to feel that forgiveness. What is the one thing that can keep us from eternal life (or life in abundance now)? Sins that are not forgiven from people who are not repentant. There are a lot of themes in scripture, but this one seems like it should be near the top of the list in importance, and is why the apostles are sent to preach forgiveness.
Being forgiven by God, whether from an act of contrition, or sacramentally through confession, is a wonderful way to grow spiritually. Sins that are not forgiven will eventually block the avenues of God’s grace. If God feels distant, it may be time to seek forgiveness. The sacrament of reconciliation gives us an opportunity to focus on the things we did wrong, be forgiven, and receive the grace to do better and grow as a disciple.
The Apostles are given the power to retain sins by Jesus, but I don’t know of any time that Jesus or the apostles ever refused to forgive someone. My experience is that those who are unrepentant do not seek forgiveness. Any one who comes to confession is seeking God’s forgiveness, and if they are not sure if something is a sin, they will ask.
One of the saddest things is when people refuse to believe that they sin and therefore need forgiveness. Unrepentant people are passing up an opportunity to live in God’s grace, peace, meaning, and happiness.
I do think that clergy need to preach on this topic without belaboring the point. It’s an important part of the message of Jesus. But we need to preach on it by stating that God loves us and wants us to participate in Jesus sacrifice on the cross and be forgiven, not so we won’t be punished, but that we can live in the peace of Christ.
The first reading from Acts of the Apostles details the Pentecost scene we are familiar with: the wind, the tongues of fire, the Holy Spirit, the speaking in tongues.
The wind should remind us of the breath of God, how God breathed life into Adam and he became alive (Genesis 2:7) and how Jesus breathed on the apostles in today’s gospel and they became alive with the Holy Spirit.
The tongues of fire remind us of the time Moses was on Mt. Sinai (see Exodus 19:18) and the presence of God appearing in fire which initiated the covenant on Sinai. The Holy Spirit coming as tongues of fire reminds us that God, in the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, comes to prepare the apostles to preach the new covenant sealed by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ our Savior.
Speaking in tongues is ecstatic prayer in praise of God which is interpreted as speaking in different languages that signifies the universal mission of the church to all the people of the world.
Pentecost is also seen as the fulfillment of the prophecy in the book of Joel chapter3. The word “ruah” is used here (and in many parts of the Old Testament), which is God’s power, or spirit, given to certain people. Ruah can also mean breath or wind. Joel anticipates the renewing breath of God given on Pentecost in Acts.
Pentecost is also the fulfillment of the promise made by Jesus in Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The second reading from 1 Corinthians reminds us that while we all receive the same spirit, we are empowered by this spirit to perform different types of service. We are all parts of one body, but we all have different gifts and talents to be used in the building up of the body of Christ.
Pentecost is considered as the beginning, or birthday, of the church. What do the readings tell us about what it means to be church? While there are many ways to define the church and its mission, I offer five different aspects of being church that I see in the readings. 1) The readings tell us that it is God’s church, formed by the giving of the Spirit. It is not our church: we are not in charge. We do not do what we want, but let the Spirit lead and guide us. 2) We are a missionary church, charged to bring the Good News to all the nations. 3) We are to preach that Jesus died for our sins; he died so that we may live. 4) No one can do everything. We all have our own gifts and talents used to build up the kingdom. In other words, it’s not only the church of the clergy, but of all people. We each have different roles, but no one is better because of their role. 5) Being a member of the church should give us the kind of peace only given by faith in the risen Christ.
Fr. Phil
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
BIBLE STUDY # 90
SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
May 20, 2012
READING 1
ACTS 1:15-17, 20A, 20C-26
Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers
--there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons
in the one place --.
He said, "My brothers,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled
which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand
through the mouth of David, concerning Judas,
who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.
He was numbered among us
and was allotted a share in this ministry.
"For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
May another take his office.
"Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men
who accompanied us the whole time
the Lord Jesus came and went among us,
beginning from the baptism of John
until the day on which he was taken up from us,
become with us a witness to his resurrection."
So they proposed two, Judas called Barsabbas,
who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
Then they prayed,
"You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,
show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this apostolic ministry
from which Judas turned away to go to his own place."
Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias,
and he was counted with the eleven apostles.
The Word of the Lord
READING 2
1JOHN 4:11-16
Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,
and his love is brought to perfection in us.
This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us,
that he has given us of his Spirit.
Moreover, we have seen and testify
that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world.
Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God remains in him and he in God.
We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.
God is love, and whoever remains in love
remains in God and God in him.
The Word of the Lord
GOSPEL
JOHN 17:11B-19
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
"Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me,
so that they may be one just as we are one.
When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me,
and I guarded them, and none of them was lost
except the son of destruction,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
But now I am coming to you.
I speak this in the world
so that they may share my joy completely.
I gave them your word, and the world hated them,
because they do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world
but that you keep them from the evil one.
They do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
so I sent them into the world.
And I consecrate myself for them,
so that they also may be consecrated in truth."
The Gospel of the Lord
Reflection
Today’s reading is part of what is commonly known as Jesus’ high priestly prayer that he prays right before he is arrested. This prayer is an intercession with his Father for the present and the future of the disciples.
There are three reasons why Jesus prays for them:
1. The disciples belong to the Father and therefore they also belong to the Son; they are the Father’s gift to the Son and are precious to him;
2. the disciples are glorified in Jesus because they share in his life and love and they acknowledge Jesus for who he is;
3. He is concerned for them since he is leaving them behind.
Jesus wants one special gift for his disciples, one thing he prays for, and that is a life of intimacy and communion with himself and with the Father. The first expression of this is when Jesus prays, “Keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one.” Keep them in your name refers to the Father is so far as he communicates himself (his life and love) to the Son. The disciples are to be one with the Father just as Jesus is one with the Father. God gives them life through their faith in Jesus, through the word they have received.
Jesus also prays that we are to be kept safe from ‘the world,’ that is from sin and unbelief and also from the evil one. He doesn’t ask that we be taken out of the world, just to be protected and to be in communion with the Father.
Jesus addresses God as ‘holy,’ an Old Testament description of God. Being holy is not just one aspect of God, it is God’s very essence, and it’s that which makes him God, it is his uncreated life, his love, and his power. He is holy because he is infinitely above sin above all that is weak and evil. He manifests this holiness to his disciples by sharing his life and love with us through Jesus, and we can become holy. This is how God sanctifies us. Jesus is the “Holy One of God” who shares fully in the Father’s life and love and reveals that life and love to us.
So far, Jesus’ disciples have been able to maintain their relationship with the Father through Jesus, except Judas, the son of destruction, who has been lost because he fell under the influence of Satan and through his betrayal has severed his life saving relationship with Jesus.
Far from being saddened by the immanent departure of Jesus, the disciples should feel the joy that is given them through their relationship with the Father through Jesus and the promise of eternal life.
Jesus prays that we are “consecrated in the truth”. The truth is the self revelation of the Father in the person of Jesus. We hear the word of God, are sanctified by our relationship to the Father through the Son that protects us from sin and unbelief and this is what makes us holy. This holiness is what makes us able to continue the mission and ministry of Jesus.
Knowing he is leaving to go back to the Father, he sends us out to continue his mission and ministry, to preach the Good News. We are sanctified, that is, fully armed and fully prepared to be his witnesses in the world. Jesus is sanctified (consecrated) through his life, death and resurrection and he fully belongs to the Father. This obedience is the source and model for us, since we are sanctified in the Father through Jesus and we too fully belong to the Father.
In the first reading from Acts, Peter and the other disciples decide that they need to replace Judas, who betrayed Jesus. The symbolism is that church constitutes the new Israel, the 12 apostles represent the 12 tribes of Israel. The apostles had a specific ministry, and someone needs to replace Judas to carry on that apostolic ministry. It does seem frivolous that they cast lots, but they trusted and loved God so much that they felt sure that God would be made known to them his will regardless of the way they chose to select this new apostle. They had 2 men who were both qualified, and God let it be known that Matthias was to be the new apostle.
In the second reading from the first letter of John, we are told that God loves us, and we must love one another. We are to remain in God’s love. The way we do this is to acknowledge the Son sent by God as the savior and as the Son of God and we will remain in God’s love. In other words, loving God requires that we express our faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Jesus is the ultimate expression of how we are to love: by giving everything for God and for others.
Fr. Phil
SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
May 20, 2012
READING 1
ACTS 1:15-17, 20A, 20C-26
Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers
--there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons
in the one place --.
He said, "My brothers,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled
which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand
through the mouth of David, concerning Judas,
who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.
He was numbered among us
and was allotted a share in this ministry.
"For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
May another take his office.
"Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men
who accompanied us the whole time
the Lord Jesus came and went among us,
beginning from the baptism of John
until the day on which he was taken up from us,
become with us a witness to his resurrection."
So they proposed two, Judas called Barsabbas,
who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
Then they prayed,
"You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,
show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this apostolic ministry
from which Judas turned away to go to his own place."
Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias,
and he was counted with the eleven apostles.
The Word of the Lord
READING 2
1JOHN 4:11-16
Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,
and his love is brought to perfection in us.
This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us,
that he has given us of his Spirit.
Moreover, we have seen and testify
that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world.
Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God remains in him and he in God.
We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.
God is love, and whoever remains in love
remains in God and God in him.
The Word of the Lord
GOSPEL
JOHN 17:11B-19
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
"Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me,
so that they may be one just as we are one.
When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me,
and I guarded them, and none of them was lost
except the son of destruction,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
But now I am coming to you.
I speak this in the world
so that they may share my joy completely.
I gave them your word, and the world hated them,
because they do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world
but that you keep them from the evil one.
They do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
so I sent them into the world.
And I consecrate myself for them,
so that they also may be consecrated in truth."
The Gospel of the Lord
Reflection
Today’s reading is part of what is commonly known as Jesus’ high priestly prayer that he prays right before he is arrested. This prayer is an intercession with his Father for the present and the future of the disciples.
There are three reasons why Jesus prays for them:
1. The disciples belong to the Father and therefore they also belong to the Son; they are the Father’s gift to the Son and are precious to him;
2. the disciples are glorified in Jesus because they share in his life and love and they acknowledge Jesus for who he is;
3. He is concerned for them since he is leaving them behind.
Jesus wants one special gift for his disciples, one thing he prays for, and that is a life of intimacy and communion with himself and with the Father. The first expression of this is when Jesus prays, “Keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one.” Keep them in your name refers to the Father is so far as he communicates himself (his life and love) to the Son. The disciples are to be one with the Father just as Jesus is one with the Father. God gives them life through their faith in Jesus, through the word they have received.
Jesus also prays that we are to be kept safe from ‘the world,’ that is from sin and unbelief and also from the evil one. He doesn’t ask that we be taken out of the world, just to be protected and to be in communion with the Father.
Jesus addresses God as ‘holy,’ an Old Testament description of God. Being holy is not just one aspect of God, it is God’s very essence, and it’s that which makes him God, it is his uncreated life, his love, and his power. He is holy because he is infinitely above sin above all that is weak and evil. He manifests this holiness to his disciples by sharing his life and love with us through Jesus, and we can become holy. This is how God sanctifies us. Jesus is the “Holy One of God” who shares fully in the Father’s life and love and reveals that life and love to us.
So far, Jesus’ disciples have been able to maintain their relationship with the Father through Jesus, except Judas, the son of destruction, who has been lost because he fell under the influence of Satan and through his betrayal has severed his life saving relationship with Jesus.
Far from being saddened by the immanent departure of Jesus, the disciples should feel the joy that is given them through their relationship with the Father through Jesus and the promise of eternal life.
Jesus prays that we are “consecrated in the truth”. The truth is the self revelation of the Father in the person of Jesus. We hear the word of God, are sanctified by our relationship to the Father through the Son that protects us from sin and unbelief and this is what makes us holy. This holiness is what makes us able to continue the mission and ministry of Jesus.
Knowing he is leaving to go back to the Father, he sends us out to continue his mission and ministry, to preach the Good News. We are sanctified, that is, fully armed and fully prepared to be his witnesses in the world. Jesus is sanctified (consecrated) through his life, death and resurrection and he fully belongs to the Father. This obedience is the source and model for us, since we are sanctified in the Father through Jesus and we too fully belong to the Father.
In the first reading from Acts, Peter and the other disciples decide that they need to replace Judas, who betrayed Jesus. The symbolism is that church constitutes the new Israel, the 12 apostles represent the 12 tribes of Israel. The apostles had a specific ministry, and someone needs to replace Judas to carry on that apostolic ministry. It does seem frivolous that they cast lots, but they trusted and loved God so much that they felt sure that God would be made known to them his will regardless of the way they chose to select this new apostle. They had 2 men who were both qualified, and God let it be known that Matthias was to be the new apostle.
In the second reading from the first letter of John, we are told that God loves us, and we must love one another. We are to remain in God’s love. The way we do this is to acknowledge the Son sent by God as the savior and as the Son of God and we will remain in God’s love. In other words, loving God requires that we express our faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Jesus is the ultimate expression of how we are to love: by giving everything for God and for others.
Fr. Phil
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
BIBLE STUDY #89
SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
May 13, 2012
Acts of the apostles 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48
When Peter entered, Cornelius met him
and, falling at his feet, paid him homage.
Peter, however, raised him up, saying,
"Get up. I myself am also a human being."
Then Peter proceeded to speak and said,
"In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.
Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly
is acceptable to him."
While Peter was still speaking these things,
the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word.
The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter
were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit
should have been poured out on the Gentiles also,
for they could hear them speaking in tongues and glorifying God.
Then Peter responded,
"Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people,
who have received the Holy Spirit even as we have?"
He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
and, falling at his feet, paid him homage.
Peter, however, raised him up, saying,
"Get up. I myself am also a human being."
Then Peter proceeded to speak and said,
"In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.
Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly
is acceptable to him."
While Peter was still speaking these things,
the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word.
The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter
were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit
should have been poured out on the Gentiles also,
for they could hear them speaking in tongues and glorifying God.
Then Peter responded,
"Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people,
who have received the Holy Spirit even as we have?"
He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
The Word of the Lord
1 John 4:7-10
Beloved, let us love one another,
because love is of God;
everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.
In this way the love of God was revealed to us:
God sent his only Son into the world
so that we might have life through him.
In this is love:
not that we have loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.
because love is of God;
everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.
In this way the love of God was revealed to us:
God sent his only Son into the world
so that we might have life through him.
In this is love:
not that we have loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.
The Word of the Lord
Gospel
John 15:9-17
Jesus said to his disciples:
"As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love."
"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you
and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one's life for one's friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another."
"As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love."
"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you
and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one's life for one's friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another."
Reflection
Today’s Gospel is the second half of the Vine and the Branches we heard last week and is part of a farewell discourse that takes place at the Last Supper, which is modeled after similar discourses in Greek literature and in the Old Testament. Jesus is about to die and to rise, and he tells his followers about the privileges and responsibilities of being part of the vine, that is, of being a disciple.
The Father is the example, par excellence, of one who loves and gives. The Father is the source of love which is a divine gift that is expressed in the Son. This love is a communication of life that the Father gives to the Son. Therefore, the Father is love because he is the one who initiates love through perfect self communication of his life.
The Son shares the Father’s love for him and his love for the Father with us. Jesus is the vine by which God’s love is transmitted to us. The Son and the Father are bonded together in an unbreakable bond of love. When we remain in Jesus love, we are bonded to the Father through the Son. The more we remain in that love, the stronger that bond becomes until it is so strong that no person or no thing can ever separate us from God’s love. Regardless of what happens in our lives, our love for the Father and Son is so strong that we always feel that love and that bond will always be there.
A great example of this is the love that a married couple has for each other after many years of marriage. An elderly couple in my first assignment after ordination had this kind of love. Every Lent he would say to me, “Father I’m giving up my wife for Lent. You’re supposed to give up what you love the most, aren’t you?” His wife would give him the ‘raspberries’ when he said that, although you could see that she loved him the same way. He also said that he wished that he would die before his wife because he didn’t want to live without her. That’s what all love should be like: life doesn’t make sense without the beloved, whether it’s a spouse or God.
How do we develop this bond with God? We do this by keeping his commandments. Not the ones we like, not the ones that are easy for us, but all of them. When we do this, we are following in Jesus foot steps; he was the obedient Son who perfectly, and in all ways, followed his Father’s commandments. He remains in his Fathers love through obedience, and we participate in the love of God when we follow God’s commandments.
This is the source of the belief that love is an action. God showed us his love through action; the action of sending his Son to suffer, die, and rise, so that we may live. The greatest act of love is to give everything we have, including our life, for those we love.
Loving in this way is what gives us joy. This joy is not just a feeling of happiness, but a deep and abiding joy that comes from knowing how much God loves us and has done for us. God blesses us with joy when we keep his commandments because he made us to abide in him, which is the way to true peace, happiness, and meaning. When we love like Christ loves, we feel the joy we were made to enjoy.
We have been chosen by God and given a mission: to love one another. We do this every time we act like Christ for another. Whenever we are caring, forgiving, sacrificing, being humble, or in anyway we act like Christ, we love like Christ loved. We share that love with others, like Peter does in the first reading, so that as many as possible can feel God’s love. God wants all people to feel his love, and he is depending on all of us to be the instruments by which his love is spread everywhere.
I would like to offer a tribute to all mothers and to all those women who act like mothers to us for their kindness, generosity, and love to us. Someone sent me the following story a few years ago. It exemplifies everything I have been trying to say but in a more modern way. Thanks to all those mothers who love greatly so that we may greatly live.
Invisible Mother
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?
Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'
I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte
In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.
I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'
As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
Great Job, MOM! Share this with all the Invisible Moms you know...I just did. The Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.
It's the things we achieve through God that gives us our joys in life.
Fr. Phil
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
BIBLE STUDY #88
FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
May 6, 2012
READING 1
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 9:26-31
When Saul arrived in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples,
but they were all afraid of him.
not believing that he was a disciple.
Then Barnabas took charge of him and brought him to the apostles,
and he reported to them how he had seen the Lord,
and that he had spoken to him,
and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.
He moved about freely with them in Jerusalem,
and spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord.
He also spoke and debated with the Hellenists,
but they tried to kill him.
And when the brothers learned of this,
they took him down to Caesarea
and sent him on his way to Tarsus.
The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace.
It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord,
and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit it grew in numbers.
The Word of the Lord
READING 2
1 JOHN 3:18-24
Children, let us love not in word or speech
but in deed and truth.
Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth
and reassure our hearts before him
in whatever our hearts condemn,
for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything.
Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us,
we have confidence in God
and receive from him whatever we ask,
because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
And his commandment is this:
we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
and love one another just as he commanded us.
Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them,
and the way we know that he remains in us
is from the Spirit he gave us.
The Word of the Lord
GOSPEL
JOHN 15:1-8
Jesus said to his disciples:
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you.
Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own
unless it remains on the vine,
so neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
will be thrown out like a branch and wither;
people will gather them and throw them into a fire
and they will be burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."
The Gospel of the Lord
Reflection
When Jesus calls himself the vine, he is borrowing from the Old Testament. The vine (or vineyard) was an Old Testament symbol for Israel. Isaiah 5:1-7 describes God’s covenant love for his people like a vinedresser who tends his vineyard with loving care; see also Hosea 10:1, Jeremiah 2:21, Ezekiel 15, and Psalm 80:9-16.
Jesus is the true vine because he replaces all imperfect connections to God, even the vine of Israel. After the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD when it seemed that the vine of Israel was no more, the remnants of Israel met in Jamnia to preserve Judaism, and they called themselves ‘the vineyard’ and rejected all those who believed in the vine of Jesus. This is part of the reason why followers of Jesus
broke off from Judaism and began their own religion.
Jesus is the vine; he is our connection to the Father. When we “remain in Him” then we participate in his loving relationship with the Father; we are blessed with God’s love and grow in our relationship with him. This image is a way of describing our bond with the Father. God is the vinedresser, Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches who bear fruit, described as love. The source of this love is the Father, it is disclosed in Jesus, we share in this love, and we also share this love with the community.
The gospel talks about 2 kinds of pruning: complete and partial pruning. In the first sense, it is our refusal to bear fruit (our rejection of Jesus and his message) that causes us to be pruned from the vine. This is not God rejecting us, but us rejecting God. We are then completely separate from the vine. We can no longer bear fruit because we are not connected to the vine. A branch cut from the vine will wither and die. When are cut off from Jesus, we will also wither and die.
The second instance is a pruning that makes us better branches. Through God’s love and forgiveness we can overcome our faults, failings and sins and become better disciples; God’s love and forgiveness ‘prunes’ away sin and error so we can be better witnesses and bear more fruit. Whenever we sacrifice for our faith, we grow in that faith. Suffering ‘prunes’ us and makes us grow stronger.
A branch that is cut off from the vine that withers and dies cannot be grafted back onto the vine and live. However, when we are pruned from the vine because of our desire not to bear fruit, we can always be grafted back onto the vine through forgiveness. There is always the possibility of turning our lives around and becoming part of the community again. Those who refuse to remain in Jesus will eventually be gathered and thrown into a fire, a symbol of eternal damnation.
Bearing fruit, or love, is not just a feeling, but an action. Love in its truest form is our relationship with God and our relationship with each other. When we love, we take time in prayer and sacraments to bolster and improve our faith; and we spend time serving other people, to be Christ for them. We are to see Christ in others and be Christ for others. Love is who we are and what we do.
The one sentence in this gospel that intrigues me is, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.” Does this mean that I can get whatever I ask for? Can I ask God for a new car and expect it to be parked outside my house when I finish praying? When we first decide to be disciples, our prayer is usually centered on ourselves and our needs (or perceived needs, anyway). As we grow in faith, we come to understand that we should forget what we want and seek what God wants. Then we are in harmony with God’s wishes. We want what God wants, so our prayers are answered.
In the first reading from Acts of the Apostles, we have a portion of Paul’s initial experience as a Christian and an apostolic preacher. When he first began preaching Christ, he was considered an apostate by the Jews. On top of that, he was not believed by the Christian community of Jerusalem who were all afraid of him; in fact, the Hellenists, who were Palestinian Jews who spoke Greek and
who were part of the Christian community actually tried to kill him. It was only through the intercession of Barnabas that Paul was accepted by the community. Barnabas brought him to the apostles and Paul related his conversion experience. He was sent back to his native Tarsus for a time.
What we see here is the apostles maintaining control over the community. It wasn’t enough that Paul had this experience of Christ; this experience had to be interpreted and approved by the church to preserve the purity of its mission.
A good example of this is a man who thinks he has a vocation to the priesthood. He is tested and scrutinized by the seminary and the diocese to determine the validity of that vocation. Just because someone thinks they have a vocation doesn’t mean they do. Some make it, some don’t. On the other hand, if someone really has a vocation and is being called by God, they will eventually be ordained. If it’s of God, it will happen. If not, it won’t.
In the second reading, we are called children of God, a profound title of endearment and not a comment on our maturity. Being people of faith and love means we will abide in God no matter what our feelings may tell us. Our obedience to God means we have confidence in prayer and trust in God’s judgment. Our obedience includes our belief in Christ and our love for one another.
Fr. Phil
FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
May 6, 2012
READING 1
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 9:26-31
When Saul arrived in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples,
but they were all afraid of him.
not believing that he was a disciple.
Then Barnabas took charge of him and brought him to the apostles,
and he reported to them how he had seen the Lord,
and that he had spoken to him,
and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.
He moved about freely with them in Jerusalem,
and spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord.
He also spoke and debated with the Hellenists,
but they tried to kill him.
And when the brothers learned of this,
they took him down to Caesarea
and sent him on his way to Tarsus.
The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace.
It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord,
and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit it grew in numbers.
The Word of the Lord
READING 2
1 JOHN 3:18-24
Children, let us love not in word or speech
but in deed and truth.
Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth
and reassure our hearts before him
in whatever our hearts condemn,
for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything.
Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us,
we have confidence in God
and receive from him whatever we ask,
because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
And his commandment is this:
we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
and love one another just as he commanded us.
Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them,
and the way we know that he remains in us
is from the Spirit he gave us.
The Word of the Lord
GOSPEL
JOHN 15:1-8
Jesus said to his disciples:
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you.
Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own
unless it remains on the vine,
so neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
will be thrown out like a branch and wither;
people will gather them and throw them into a fire
and they will be burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."
The Gospel of the Lord
Reflection
When Jesus calls himself the vine, he is borrowing from the Old Testament. The vine (or vineyard) was an Old Testament symbol for Israel. Isaiah 5:1-7 describes God’s covenant love for his people like a vinedresser who tends his vineyard with loving care; see also Hosea 10:1, Jeremiah 2:21, Ezekiel 15, and Psalm 80:9-16.
Jesus is the true vine because he replaces all imperfect connections to God, even the vine of Israel. After the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD when it seemed that the vine of Israel was no more, the remnants of Israel met in Jamnia to preserve Judaism, and they called themselves ‘the vineyard’ and rejected all those who believed in the vine of Jesus. This is part of the reason why followers of Jesus
broke off from Judaism and began their own religion.
Jesus is the vine; he is our connection to the Father. When we “remain in Him” then we participate in his loving relationship with the Father; we are blessed with God’s love and grow in our relationship with him. This image is a way of describing our bond with the Father. God is the vinedresser, Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches who bear fruit, described as love. The source of this love is the Father, it is disclosed in Jesus, we share in this love, and we also share this love with the community.
The gospel talks about 2 kinds of pruning: complete and partial pruning. In the first sense, it is our refusal to bear fruit (our rejection of Jesus and his message) that causes us to be pruned from the vine. This is not God rejecting us, but us rejecting God. We are then completely separate from the vine. We can no longer bear fruit because we are not connected to the vine. A branch cut from the vine will wither and die. When are cut off from Jesus, we will also wither and die.
The second instance is a pruning that makes us better branches. Through God’s love and forgiveness we can overcome our faults, failings and sins and become better disciples; God’s love and forgiveness ‘prunes’ away sin and error so we can be better witnesses and bear more fruit. Whenever we sacrifice for our faith, we grow in that faith. Suffering ‘prunes’ us and makes us grow stronger.
A branch that is cut off from the vine that withers and dies cannot be grafted back onto the vine and live. However, when we are pruned from the vine because of our desire not to bear fruit, we can always be grafted back onto the vine through forgiveness. There is always the possibility of turning our lives around and becoming part of the community again. Those who refuse to remain in Jesus will eventually be gathered and thrown into a fire, a symbol of eternal damnation.
Bearing fruit, or love, is not just a feeling, but an action. Love in its truest form is our relationship with God and our relationship with each other. When we love, we take time in prayer and sacraments to bolster and improve our faith; and we spend time serving other people, to be Christ for them. We are to see Christ in others and be Christ for others. Love is who we are and what we do.
The one sentence in this gospel that intrigues me is, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.” Does this mean that I can get whatever I ask for? Can I ask God for a new car and expect it to be parked outside my house when I finish praying? When we first decide to be disciples, our prayer is usually centered on ourselves and our needs (or perceived needs, anyway). As we grow in faith, we come to understand that we should forget what we want and seek what God wants. Then we are in harmony with God’s wishes. We want what God wants, so our prayers are answered.
In the first reading from Acts of the Apostles, we have a portion of Paul’s initial experience as a Christian and an apostolic preacher. When he first began preaching Christ, he was considered an apostate by the Jews. On top of that, he was not believed by the Christian community of Jerusalem who were all afraid of him; in fact, the Hellenists, who were Palestinian Jews who spoke Greek and
who were part of the Christian community actually tried to kill him. It was only through the intercession of Barnabas that Paul was accepted by the community. Barnabas brought him to the apostles and Paul related his conversion experience. He was sent back to his native Tarsus for a time.
What we see here is the apostles maintaining control over the community. It wasn’t enough that Paul had this experience of Christ; this experience had to be interpreted and approved by the church to preserve the purity of its mission.
A good example of this is a man who thinks he has a vocation to the priesthood. He is tested and scrutinized by the seminary and the diocese to determine the validity of that vocation. Just because someone thinks they have a vocation doesn’t mean they do. Some make it, some don’t. On the other hand, if someone really has a vocation and is being called by God, they will eventually be ordained. If it’s of God, it will happen. If not, it won’t.
In the second reading, we are called children of God, a profound title of endearment and not a comment on our maturity. Being people of faith and love means we will abide in God no matter what our feelings may tell us. Our obedience to God means we have confidence in prayer and trust in God’s judgment. Our obedience includes our belief in Christ and our love for one another.
Fr. Phil
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