An Instrument of Salvation May 5

Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter

For so the Lord has commanded us, I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth. Acts 13:47

The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. John 6:14

Piety

Jesus, you have shown us the way. You walked it first so we may recognize where to tread. Jesus, you have taught us the way with every word you have spoken that have been handed down. Jesus, you have shared the secret connection so that we know we can help you through our actions to serve the least among us…those in need, those in prison, those ill, and others. Yet, with all these lessons, sometimes we have not learned our lessons well. Help us to open our hearts, our minds and our hands to the work you have left on earth for us to do. Amen.

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/050507.shtml

Jesus continues to teach with all his heart, soul and passion in this last discourse that he has with his disciples. If only he spoke this eloquently the next day as he stood silently like a lamb before Herod and Pilate.

Part of me wonders, “How could the disciples not understand? After all, they witnessed the signs Jesus performed. They heard him preach. They walked with him, talked with him and questioned him for three years. Now, in his finest hour, they have one last chance to learn.

However, the other part of me realizes that these were not students of theology. There was not a single rabbi among the disciples. These were ordinary men (fishermen, tax collectors, etc.) living ordinary lives in ordinary time. Jesus devoted so much love, and time, and teaching to them because what Jesus was teaching was truly revolutionary! The learned had the biggest trouble. Nicodemus and the other Pharisees. They engaged him in discussions in the middle of the night so their peers would not see them. When they were in public, the Pharisees egged Jesus into debate…always trying to catch him in some kind of heresy. While some (like Nicodemus and Joseph of Aramithea) slowly started to come around, most of the rest still wanted to stone the Lord and quiet his teachings. After all, isn’t that what the learned would do today if someone said He was the Son of God and walked in our midst?

Jesus was teaching this rag-tag bunch of everyday citizens some of the most out-of-this-world concepts in history. He put every ounce of his humanity and divinity into the effort. Did they have trouble? Sure they did. But they loved their teacher, master and rabbi. No matter how hard this teaching was to understand, Philip symbolized how hard each of them wanted to do whatever was necessary to understand.

AS I continue to try to understand this, I envision two paths. There is one path, a way that show how we are historically connected to Jesus and our Hebrew ancestors – the fathers of our faith. To simplify that path, think of it this way…

It starts with Adam…then Abraham…then Jesus…then your ancestors…then you.

Then there is another path as well that Jesus reveals…that is the path to God. God is here…at the top of the line. To get to God, we have to go through Jesus. It’s the only way. So we start out on the bottom and work our way up to perfection through the help of Jesus.

God

Jesus

You

So, the answer is…

…just put the two pieces (horizontal and vertical) together.

Action

May is Older Americans Month. As the scriptures cause us to reflect on our connections to the ancestors in the church, why not call or visit someone who is in a nursing home or is homebound in their golden years.