June 8, 2011
Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
By Colleen O'Sullivan
At Miletus, Paul spoke to the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus: “Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, in which you tend the Church of God that he acquired with his own Blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock. And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away after them. So be vigilant and remember that for three years, night and day, I unceasingly admonished each of you with tears. And now I commend you to God and to that gracious word of his that can build you up and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated… When he had finished speaking he knelt down and prayed with them all. They were all weeping loudly as they threw their arms around Paul and kissed him, for they were deeply distressed that he had said that they would never see his face again.” (Acts 20:28-32, 36-38a)
“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.” (John 17:11b-15)
Piety
In your deepest hour of darkness
I will give you wealth untold.
When the silence stills your spirit,
will my riches fill your soul.
(Verse 4, “Holy Darkness,” by Dan Schutte)
Study
Some people thrive on change and are energized by it; I, on the other hand, despise it. I like things to stay the same. I don’t like farewells or goodbyes. I have trouble envisioning futures filled with new possibilities. Yet changes and goodbyes are part and parcel of our lives.
In today’s first reading, Paul is on his way to Jerusalem, when he decides to stop in Miletus and meet with the leaders from the church in Ephesus. This is goodbye. In his heart, he doesn’t believe he’ll ever see them again. Hardships and imprisonment are what he’s expecting to encounter in the holy city. He’s concerned for his friends and for the young church in Ephesus, because he loves them and has spent three years with them. Paul warns them that the future is fraught with danger to the church both from without and from within. Their weeping is evidence that this is a difficult leave-taking for all.
Jesus, too, in today’s Gospel reading, is saying farewell. He truly loves his ragtag group of disciples, however thick-headed or unfaithful they may sometimes be. He has given God’s word to the disciples and now the world will despise them, because they’ve turned their backs on the priorities and values of the world. Jesus has guarded them over the three years of their time together, but now he is going to his Father. How difficult it is to say goodbye to these cherished friends.
The word of hope in both of today’s readings is found in the prayers for those being left behind. Paul commends the Ephesians to God and to “that gracious word of his that can build you up.” Jesus prays to his Father to keep the disciples “in your name… so that they may be one just as we are one... (K)eep them safe from the Evil One.”
Action
Over the course of a lifetime, we will say farewell many times and in many situations, sometimes with great sorrow. I find it comforting to read Jesus’ farewell discourses to his disciples in John 14-17. Our Lord knows from experience how difficult it can be to say goodbye, to let go and move on. He doesn’t leave us on our own, but sends his Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us. If you are struggling with saying goodbye to someone or something, as you are praying today, share that and open your heart to the healing touch of God’s loving Spirit.
