The hand of the Lord was with them May 1

The hand of the Lord was with them and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. Acts 11:19

The works I do in my Father's name testify to me. But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. John 10:25-28

Piety

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, only you can help us to hear your voice and understand your message. Make sure your words penetrate our consciousness so that we will recognize your calling and follow you. Amen.

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/050107.shtml

Today’s Gospel takes place during the Feast of Dedication. We know this holiday more popularly as Hanukkah (or Chanukah). The Feast is an eight-day festival of lights to celebrate the ancient victory of the Maccabees over the Syrians. The Feast of Dedication is popularly known as the “Festival of Lights.” This festival is associated with the miracle in which the lamps stayed lit for “eight” days while the Temple in Jerusalem was rededicated, although there was only enough oil to fuel the Temple's lamps for only “one” day.

During the Festival of Lights, the Menorah is lit by a servant candle. Although the “Shamash” is located above the other candles, it must bow low to light them. Jesus humbled himself, took on the form of a servant, and shared his glorious light with us.[1]

This story from the Hebrew Bible is connected with today’s Gospel by the Jewish people calling for the Lord to accomplish another miracle or sign in order for them to believe.

The hand of the Lord was with the Jews during the Feast of the Dedication (or renewing) by making the supply of oil last eight times longer than it should have. Now, they want Jesus to perform another sign, as if he were a magician. However, Jesus refuses their taunt. He had already shown the people enough miracles and signs elsewhere in John’s Gospel but the people did not believe these signs. Because of their disbelief, Jesus refused the taunt to “perform” again for the sake of this crown of unbelievers.

Instead, Jesus reminds them of His connection with the Father. “The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me. But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep.”

The reactions to these signs continue to separate those who were believers in Jesus from the rest of the Jews although it was not until much later in Antioch that the disciples were first called “Christians” according to St. Luke’s account in Acts.

Action

What are your hands busy doing these days? The Lord has His hands full and could use a little help. Maybe yours can write to someone who needs a friend.

Check out this program: http://www.mysoldier.com/. Rose Berger recommended this program in her latest installment on the God’s Politics blog.

The Manhattanville College “My Soldier” is a program that puts politics aside while letting U.S. troops know that people back home care. It was co-founded by Sgt. Juan Salas, a 23-year-old Manhattanville student who served 14 months in Iraq and is now back on campus. The letters Juan received meant so much to him that he wanted to generate thousands more for troops who are still deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. For more information, you can read here: http://www.mysoldier.com/about.htm

Rose also pointed out that there are starting to find web sides that foster connection with the Iraqi people. “Additionally, though it’s difficult to write to Iraqis, there are a couple of blogs that can foster connection. Check out Raed in the Middle and Baghdad Burning. Let us know of other people-to-people connections with Iraqis,” she writes.

By the way, Manhattanville urges people to wear red on Friday to remember a soldier. Mark that in your Outlook calendar for a Thursday night reminder when picking out clothes to wear on Friday.

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[1] http://members.tripod.com/lastdayscalendar/hannukah.htm