The father of orphans and the defender of widows is God in his holy dwelling. God gives a home to the forsaken; he leads forth prisoners to prosperity. (Ps 68:6-7)
When Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 19:6)
I have conquered the world (John 16:33)
Piety
Today I sing to you, O God. I sing my wonder. You defend those most in need of defense. I sing my hope. You give a home to one and all who have none. I sing thanks for your gift of peace. I sing your peace: may it settle in my heart. I sing your peace to the world. Amen
Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/052107.shtml
The truth is, we are often “alone”. Humanly speaking we can find ourselves geographically removed from friends. We might be emotionally isolated from our loved ones. We can find ourselves cut off from our society because we disagree with its policies and actions.
Jesus experienced this: Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived when each of you will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone. (John 16: 32) And earlier in this reading he warned that the apostles would also be “alone,” ostracized and in anguish.
But his answer, again, turns this inherent human condition on its head: But I am not alone, because the Father is with me. … I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world. (John 16:32, 33)
Darfur, Iraq, Palestine and Israel, East Timur, South Bronx, Camden, Colombia, Petworth, Prince George’s County, Virginia Tech…violence against the innocent. Addictions, hypocrisy, greed, lust, fear, anger, disrespect…disrupt our families and disorder our choices and actions. How can Jesus have conquered the world? We might say we doubt or that we believe. But do we act as if we do? Do we act as if we believe and rely upon the promise given the apostles as Jesus ascended: Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day … And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; (John 24:46, 49)
Henri Nouwen wrote that the Church is the people of God. The Latin word for “church,” “ecclesia,” comes from the Greek “ek,” which means “out,” and “kaleo,” which means “to call.” The Church is the people of God called out of slavery to freedom, sin to salvation, despair to hope, darkness to light, an existence centered on death to an existence focused on life.
“When we think of Church we have to think of a body of people, traveling together. We have to envision women, men, and children of all ages, races, and societies supporting one another on their long and often tiresome journeys to their final home,” according to Nouwen. “We each have our own unique call, in our families, in our work, in our world. We have to keep asking God to help us see clearly what our call is and to give us the strength to live out that call with trust. Then we will discover that our faithfulness to a small task is the most healing response to the illnesses of our time.”
Action
What is your call? Who are you helping out of slavery? Are you advocating for someone’s freedom? Are you supporting someone’s spiritual journey? Are you comforting someone in despair? Are you bringing light into a dark, depressed or ailing life or living your life focused not on death and the transience of this world (howbeit a beautiful work of God) but on the small tasks of living life in God and helping to heal our times? Do you believe in and give the gift of Jesus’ peace?
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