Join With Me That We May Be One

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

By Beth DeCristofaro

Brothers and sisters: Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith … the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. (Romans 5: 1, 5)

Jesus said to his disciples: "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. … Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you."   (John 16:12, 15)

Piety

Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; to God who is, who was, and who is to come. (Gospel Acclamation for the Mass of the Day.)

Study

Throughout his ministry, Jesus takes time out to be in prayer with God, to call upon God, to witness before the crowds to God, to publicly thank God.  When he performs signs and wonders or when he is tired he brings himself before God and in this unity is divinity revealed to the awed crowds.  Oneness with God and oneness in the Spirit is what the disciples witnessed.  Jesus’ is not a solitary journey as we see when he gathers his friends around him and he intends that ours not be either. The divine animating flow will be visible in the church he established.

Richard Rohr states that “We could say, ‘In the beginning was the relationship’ or the original blueprint for everything else that exists. John’s word for that was Logos (John 1:1). In other words, the first blueprint for reality was relationality. It is all of one piece.  … Thus, we must read the whole Bible as a school of relationship. The word trinity, by the way, is never found in the Bible. In time, it became our way to explain how God gradually came to be seen as a communion of persons, a perfect giving and a perfect receiving, an inter-face, a mutual indwelling, or as Charles Williams beautifully called it, ‘co-inherence.’ The Bible is slowly making humanity capable of living inside of such lovely co-inherence.” ^[i]

Action

Jesus modeled the relationship of his oneness with God by healing, feeding, consoling, teaching people.  He did not retire into the inner sanctum of the temple, he met people where they lived and invited them into oneness with the Father then gifted all with the Spirit.  How do I meet others and manifest the presence of this divine relationship?  Pray for the Women now on Cursillo weekend that they, too, are experiencing the relationship of a close, personal and relational God.

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[i] https://cac.org/a-school-of-relationship-2016-03-03/

Accept the Kingdom Like a Child

Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Beloved: Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing a song of praise. Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the Church, and they should pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up.  If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.  James 5:13-15

“Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he embraced the children and blessed them, placing his hands on them.  Mark 10:14B-16.

Piety

Jesus, help me to embrace your Word like a child, totally dependent upon your love.  Holy Spirit, help me to pass on that love to the lost boys and girls of any age as they seek to strengthen their faith in God's Good News.  

Study

Children.  Childhood. We have a clear idea of what we mean by the term. Probably age 12 is the end of childhood. After age 12, you are a teenager. For other reasons, it might be age 18 or 21 if alcohol, driving, drugs or the military draft is concerned. However, chronological age is not all that defines the innocence of childhood.  

Think about the 276 girls in Nigeria kidnapped by Boko Haram. Only about. 50 have returned. One returned this week after escaping her slavery. However, her rape resulted in her bringing a child home with her.  A child raising a child. And they said it takes a village.

Think about the boy soldiers. Any army using soldiers under age 18 is operating against international norms.  However, opposition movements in many countries use child soldiers. Child soldier. Some words don't belong together. Help us keep them apart. 

Jesus was never concerned with identifying children by age alone. When he appeared at the end of John's Good News, he referred to the fishermen in the boat as Children even though they were grown men. Jesus uses the term to mean anyone who puts total dependence upon and obedience to a parent, teacher or mentor. Thus, children of God place total obedience on the Gospel. As Christians, it might be easier to do so as a child. As adults, we have so many other concerns. Jobs. Families. Community commitments. 

Our goal is to be as dependent upon the Gospel as a child would be. It is a formula laid out in the letter to James. Easier said than done. 

Action

What do you depend upon in life?  A paycheck?  A credit card?  A person?  A social service agency?  A government program?  

"What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng" is a 2006 novel written by Dave Eggers that is based upon the life of Valentino Achak Deng, a Sudanese child refugee who immigrated to the United States under the Lost Boys of Sudan program. Deng's story represents only one of the millions of child soldiers around the world. He is lucky in that he was able to come to the US and start anew, totally dependent upon an international refugee resettlement program.

What if you were yanked from your peaceful village of Arlington, Culpepper, Fairfax, or Middletown, USA? What if you were separated from your family and friends? How would you get through the uncertain days and nights? Upon what would you depend?

The Valentino Achak Deng Foundation is a nonprofit organization working in South Sudan to create community-driven development projects. According to its website, it was established by Valentino Deng and Dave Eggers after the publication of What is the What. The Foundation's first major project is the construction and operation of an 18-structure educational complex in Valentino's hometown of Marial Bai, South Sudan. Marial Bai Secondary School (MBSS) has increased access to excellent secondary education, trained teachers, created equal opportunities for girls, and promoted literacy for children and adults in the region. MBSS is the highest ranking South Sudanese secondary school that is free for students to attend, a true leader in the movement to educate the new nation of South Sudan.

Learn more and change a life by visiting it's web page http://vadfoundation.squarespace.com/.b

Be a Conduit of Mercy

Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

By Colleen O’Sullivan

Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another, that you may not be judged.  Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates.  Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers and sisters, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.  Indeed, we call blessed those who have persevered.  You have heard of the perseverance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, because “the Lord is compassionate and merciful.”  (James 5:9-11)

Merciful and gracious is the Lord, slow to anger and abounding in kindness.  (Psalm 103:8)

Piety

Remember that we all stand forever in need of mercy.

There is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who converts than over ninety-nine righteous persons.  Does God love sinners more than the righteous?  There are no righteous persons.  It’s rather that we feel God’s love more when we admit that we’re sinners.  None of us ever measure up.  But, as St. Paul so consolingly teaches, the whole point is that we don’t have to measure up.  That’s what mercy means.  It’s undeserved by definition.

Remember that, having received mercy, we must show mercy to others.

(Ron Rolheiser, OMI, from The Ten Commandments of Mercy, May 9, 2016)

Study

Last week we finished the Easter season and now we’re back in ordinary time.  In the last few months, we’ve been through the events of Holy Week, Easter Sunday, the Ascension and, last Sunday, Pentecost.  Now we have before us a stretch of time unbroken by such momentous occasions.

That’s what James’ original audience was facing, too - a long stretch of “ordinary” time.  The intended audience, Jewish Christians who had fled Jerusalem and its immediate surroundings in the face of persecution, was awaiting the return of Christ in glory, but the months and years were going by without that happening.

The writer, in a style more reminiscent of wisdom literature than similar to other New Testament letters, advises patience and perseverance.  Don’t be discouraged by the wait.  Don’t let the fear of persecution throw you off track.  The thing to do is to live what you’ve learned in Christ.

In particular, in today’s verses, we are reminded of the compassion and mercy of God.  When you have been the recipient of such grace, don’t turn around and complain about others and pick out all their faults.  Instead, share with them what God has bestowed upon you – understanding, forgiveness, and the chance to begin anew.

Action

It would be well worth your time to read the entire text of Ron Rolheiser’s The Ten Commandments of Mercy.   Then try remembering some of the times in your life that you have been on the receiving end of God’s compassion.  Finally, reflect on how you’ve treated others – family, neighbors, friends, co-workers, fellow Metro passengers, etc.  Do you think they would describe you as gracious, “slow to anger and abounding in kindness?”

Have Salt in Yourselves

Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

By Beth DeCristofaro

For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is a good thing, but if salt has become insipid, how can you season it again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.’ (Mark 9:49-50)

Piety

God of all good things.  Salt me with yourself, ever enlivening, quickening, purifying.  Preserve within me a desire for you always.  Never allow me to settle for the dull, lifeless or toxic choices in the world.  Jesus, be my peace and lead me in paths of peace-bringing to others.

Study

Ironic that sodium and chloride, two elements which are virtually poisonous to humans, when joined together make salt.  Not only is salt necessary for most life but for many of us, salt could be considered its own food group.  What would popcorn, ratatouille, burgers, sardines and even treats such as caramel be without salt?  Salt preserved food so that early explorers could sail far beyond the reach of easy provisions.  Salt was so vital to trade and economy that Gandhi used the iconic mining of salt to launch his rebellion against oppression.  In Scripture salt is recognized as a purifier and symbolized indissoluble covenants.

Jesus tells his friends that we have been salted!  We have been graced with God’s presence, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  When times of prayer are dry, we have inner salt so that our dark nights deepen our need and life in the Lord. In times of trial, sadness or fear, God’s salt boosts courage and trust needed to struggle through.  When we watch an incredible sunset or meet the eyes of a loved one, we experience a nanoparticle of God’s own beauty present within. Like a salt lick, God’s being there, even when we feel God is faint or far away, renews our strength in what is of God so that we can avoid being an obstacle to faith or choosing sin.  Many poisons are disguised as good for us.  God’s presence helps us choose Life, not death.

Action

Have you felt dull, colorless or even puny in prayer and action?  Invite God to blow over your sense of featurelessness, stagnation or fear as God did in Creation.  God can bring form and new life from chaos and even poison.

If The Lord Wills It

Wednesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

“You have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow. You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears. Instead you should say, “If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that.”  James 4:13-14

Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us.”  Mark 9:39-40

Piety

The Servant Song by Jeanne Cotter & David Haas

Will you let me be your servant
Let me be as Christ to you
Pray that I might have the grace
To let me be your servant too

We are pilgrims on the journey
We are travelers on the road
We are here to help each other
Walk the mile and bear the load

I will hold the Christ-light for you
In the night time of your fear
I will hold my hand out to you
Speak the peace you long to hear.

Study

“If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that.”

There is a joke that goes something like this: 

Q:  “How do you make God laugh?”

A:  “Tell her your plans.”

The Cursillista comes to understand that there is no such thing as a coincidence in life.  Events happen for a reason.  When a new class of candidates are sitting in the introductory circle Thursday night for the Women’s 147^th Cursillo, everyone there is like a proverbial “turtle on a fencepost.”  They did not get there by themselves.  Everyone has a sponsor.  Maybe they also responded to what they read on the web site or in a brochure.  The sum total of their entire life was a build-up to starting the Cursillo experience. In addition to the twelve candidates scheduled to gather tomorrow night, there likely are others who considered going but conditions were not ripe.  It was not the right time for whatever reason.

The notes in the New American Bible explain that the phrase “If the Lord wills it” is often referred to as the “conditio Jacobaea,” the condition James says we should employ to qualify all our plans.

Our faith, however, is is not passive.  We are not sitting around waiting for things – like salvation -- to happen to us.  We are a people who make things happen in service to others.

We are here to be seed planters.  We are here to light up the world.  As the song goes, “We are here to love each other, walk the mile and share the load.”  However, expressions like “If the Lord wills it” might make it sound like we are passive Christians.

Action

To some, the confusion about the evangelical question abounds.  “Have you been saved?”  For Catholics, being saved is not some past, singular event.  Through God’s grace, salvation is an on-going process past, present and future. If you want to lead your evangelistic friend into a deeper understanding of the Bible’s teaching on salvation, you might answer the question as Jimmy Akin suggests on Catholic Answers.  “I have been saved, I am being saved, and I hope to be saved.”[i]  Our salvation is possible because of Christ’s historic sacrifice. However, we continue to work out our salvation — just as St. Paul did — knowing that it’s a choice we have to make every day with our faith and our action.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”  (Matthew 7:21)  Not only are we to call on the Lord in prayer, but also we must do what the Lord calls on us to do… (His will, not ours).

Faith does not end start and end with being saved.  It begins there and then is lived out for others in gratitude for the grace we have received, are receiving and will receive. Another expression comes to mind.  “Pray as if everything depends upon God.  Work as if everything depends upon you.”

Or as we say in the Cursillo Closing ceremony:

“Christ is counting on you!”

“And I am counting on Christ.”

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[i] http://www.catholic.com/blog/jimmy-akin/%E2%80%9Chave-you-been-saved%E2%80%9D

Submit Yourselves to God

Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time

By Melanie Rigney

So submit yourselves to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you of two minds. Begin to lament, to mourn, to weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you. (James 4:7-10)

Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you. (Psalm 55:23a)

Bernhard Plockhorst [Public domain], 

via Wikimedia Commons

They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?”  But they remained silent. For they had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.” (Mark 9:33-37)

Piety

Lord, help me to offer myself to you unvarnished—free of pride, intellect, and curiosity. Show me how to be a child again.

Study

The devil’s interesting—and dangerous. He whispers all sorts of things in our ears and tries to worm his way into our souls. He knows us almost as well as the Lord. He works at our weakest points. He agrees with us that we’re really not good enough, not pretty enough not smart enough. Or he agrees with us that we are the kindest, most beautiful, most intelligent being on the planet. It doesn’t matter to him. It’s all about how he can draw us in.

On the other hand, if we reject him, the devil loses interest. He moves on to someone who’s easier to infect. Oh, sure, he keeps an eye on us, just in case opportunity presents itself. But the more we resist, the easier life becomes for us… and the less he concerns himself with us.

And that is one of the key differences between the devil and God. God always loves us, whether we submit or not, whether we question His wisdom or not. Yes, there is a day of reckoning ahead. But where the devil gets bored with our good behavior, the Lord never gives up on us, even when we are at our worst. He delights in waiting for the moment or moments when we realize we’ve made this life far harder than it has to be. He delights when we throw our cares on Him. He delights when we come to him as trusting children.

Action

Attempt not to intellectualize your relationship with the Lord, just for today.

Take My Hand

Monday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace. James 3:17-18

“Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!” Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out. He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, “He is dead!” But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up.  Matthew 9:25-27

Piety

When my way growth drear
Precious Lord, linger near
When my light is almost gone
Hear my cry, hear my call
Hold my hand lest I fall
Take my hand, precious Lord
Lead me on.

Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I am tired, I'm weak, I am worn
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand, precious Lord
Lead me home.

"Precious Lord, Take My Hand," is a gospel song written by the Rev. Thomas A. Dorsey (1899–1993).  Published in more than 40 languages, it was the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s favorite song.  He often invited gospel singer Mahalia Jackson to sing it at civil rights rallies to inspire crowds; at his request, she sang it at his funeral in April 1968.  Then, Aretha Franklin sang it at Mahalia Jackson's funeral in 1972.

Study

Ordinary time, indeed!  Sweet ordinary time, Welcome back.  Put our journey back in order.

So much is happening in today’s Good News.  Jesus is coming down off the mountain from the Transfiguration.  Jesus appears differently – in some ways maybe like the difference that will happen after the Resurrection.  Peter, James, and John have special, inside knowledge now of who Jesus is and what it means to be WITH Jesus.  Such an experience adds to the strength of their faith even though Peter will still deny his friendship with Jesus soon.  They also have been admonished not to share what just happened, not even with the rest of the Apostles.

Into the arguing crowd they enter and when Jesus is tested he poses the question that only Jesus can answer:  He said to them in reply, “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.” 

The answer to the petition presented by the boy’s father is faith – faith that brings us together with Jesus.  This, too, is the difference outlined in the first reading between spiritual wisdom and earthly wisdom.  The qualities of the wise man endowed from above are detailed (Jas 3:17–18; cf. Gal 5:22–23), in contrast to the qualities of earthbound wisdom (Jas 3:14–16; cf. 2 Cor 12:20).

When we have the spiritual wisdom endowed from above, anything is possible.  Not only the foreshadowing of Resurrection but even an actual resurrection of the boy who appears dead after the spirit leaves his body.  Yet, being with Jesus, allows him to be raised up by Jesus from apparent death.  Being with Jesus removes every day from being anything but ordinary and common. 

Action

Children were the symbol Jesus used for the anawim, the poor in spirit, the lowly in the Christian community.  Jesus wanted us to focus on service, especially to the poor and lowly.

Maybe we will not be asked to raise a child from the dead, but we are asked to serve the children who need help the most. 

A few years ago, the organization formerly known as the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging adopted a new name and logo.  CFCA is now known as Unbound.  The new name and logo are an expression of its work to help people break through the bonds of poverty.

“We work with families as they strive to achieve self-sufficiency and build strong communities,” President and CEO Scott Wasserman said. “We walk side by side with people who dream of freeing themselves from poverty.

Unbound is an innovator in the way aid is distributed, bringing groups of mothers together as part of the process and empowering them to create strong community connections. More than 93 percent of all the money the organization spends goes to program support.

In addition to sponsorship of children and the elderly, Unbound provides scholarships, disaster assistance, micro-loans and more through donations to special funds.  Consider supporting the work of Unbound to raise up children from the depths and death of poverty.  

“Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up.”  The same spirit that helped Christ raise this boy from the demon and raised Christ from the dead dwells in us.  We can drive out the demon of poverty through prayer and action.

WITH-NESS (Part II)

Pentecost Sunday Mass during the Day

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.  Acts 2:3-4

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.  John 20:19-21

Piety

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. Romans 8:14-17

Study

While the disciples were with the community, the Holy Spirit of the Lord descended upon them. They were no longer scattered around Palestine individually.   They were together in the upper room when they heard, saw and felt decent of the Holy Spirit. 

Ours is a communal faith that extracts a cost and the cost is our individuality.  We can practice solitary prayer. However, the highest form of prayer – the Mass – is meant for community.  We cannot act without solidarity – solidarity with our community, solidarity with the poor, and solidarity with the Lord.

Consider every mystery of our shared faith.  Not a single one happens in isolation.  Christianity may be a comfort if we are stranded on a desert island or locked away in a prison.  Yet it is not fully practiced in such isolation. Even in prison, our brothers and sisters bring the Lord inside through Kairos.

• The Incarnation would not have happened if Mary and Joseph did not get the message after an encounter WITH an angel. 
• Once aware of her Immaculate Conception, Mary set out to visit and spend time WITH her cousin Elizabeth – a cousin who was amazed the mother of the Lord would spend time WITH her!  Even the unborn tumbled for joy in unison.
• Although the crib was in a cave, the Christmas story is a shared story of not just the Holy Family but also of the angels, shepherds, and magi who came to be WITH them – just like Emmanuel – God be with us.
• The new parents presented their son in the temple WITH Simeon and Anna.
• Some years later, the son stayed behind preaching in his father’s house WITH the teachers in the temple while the parents went looking for him.
• Jesus was WITH his cousin John when his baptism propelled him on the path to Calvary.
• A small boy shared his loaves and fishes WITH the community so that Jesus could bless and multiply them in a precursor to the Eucharistic banquet.  This was a Table of Plenty, not a table of one little boy.  
• Preaching with thousands on the side of a mountain, Jesus delivered the Beatitudes of how everyone is blessed WITH gifts.
• Jesus was WITH Peter, James and John when the Transfiguration happened and Moses appeared WITH Elijah.  With the Father and the spirit, the Trinity appeared with each other.
• Eucharist was the ultimate sacrifice of the individual shared and repeated WITH the community.

Continue reflecting on the Sorrowful Mysteries and the Glorious Mysteries and find one – anyone – which is done in isolation.  Even if you might say praying in the Garden, Jesus was WITH his disciples who could not stay awake with him.  Try another one? 

Action

Christianity joins us together with the Lord (Father, Son, and Spirit) and with each other.  The Spirit bears WITH-ness in the final act of our initiation as confirmed members of the community.

This sense of “with-ness” – or partnership or relationship with Jesus -- is not the end of the story.  The end of the story is what we write with our action.  The symbolic Pentecostal flames are here to light our path on the way to peace not to keep us warm and comfortable in the Upper Room. 

"That is why I will send to you what God promised. Remain in the city until you are clothed with power from above. Then you are to be my witnesses beginning from Jerusalem, going to Galilee, even to the ends of the Earth, you are to be my witnesses."

Pope Brings Home Refugee Families From
Greek Island (www.voanews.com)

Thank about how perfectly Pope Francis reflects this sense of “with-ness” with his action.  Just a few weeks ago, in the midst of the busy Easter season, he went to the Greek island of Lesbos to support the war refugees.  An NCR column by Bishop Thomas Gumbleton describes what happened next:  “[Pope Francis] brings 12 families back to Rome. He's showing us that you must take in those who are in need of a home, who are in need of food and care, who need a way of life. And he arranged with a parish community in Rome, the community of Sant'Egidio to take care of these families, to find them jobs, to find them places to live.”[i]

Pope Francis sits next to Imam Tidiani Moussa Naibi during a
Nov. 30 meeting with the Muslim community
at the Koudoukou mosque in Bangui, Central
African Republic. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Yet that is not all.  Pope Francis also set out for the Central African Republic.  While there, Bishop Gumbleton writes: “He traveled to [a] mosque in this war-torn country to visit with an imam, to try to work out a way to reconcile, to end the violence between Christians and Muslims, through dialogue, through conversation, through trying to reach out to one another.”[ii] 

Pope Francis shows that our faith must move from the Seminary to the Sanctuary and then from the Sanctuary to the Streets. 

Where is your initiation taking/sending you?  What is it calling you to do?

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[i] http://ncronline.org/blogs/peace-pulpit/you-are-be-my-witnesses

[ii] Ibid. 

I Have Called You Friends

Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle

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.  Acts 1:24-26

“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.”  John 15:15B-17

Piety

What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh what peace we often forfeit,
Oh what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.

("What a Friend We Have in Jesus" is a Christian hymn originally written by Joseph M. Scriven as a poem in 1855 to comfort his mother who was living in Ireland while he was in Canada.) 

Study

How symmetrical is this?  The Easter season begins with the rupture in the Apostles – Judas becomes the betrayer, “the guide for those who arrested Jesus.”  However, our God is about having a right and proper relationship with us.  Ultimately, Judas had to be replaced to make the family whole again.  

As the NAB reminds us in the notes, the need to replace Judas was probably dictated by the symbolism of the number twelve, recalling the twelve tribes of Israel. This symbolism also indicates that for Luke, the Christian church is a reconstituted Israel.

It is you who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer a kingdom on you, just as my Father has conferred one on me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom; and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Luke 22:28-30)

Thus, on this penultimate day of the 50 days of Easter -- the eve of the Pentecostal descent of the Holy Spirit – the spirit of the Lord is upon Matthias as the lot fell to him to replace Judas. 

The corps of the Apostles needed another…another friend to round out their merry band.  Perhaps that friendship is the ultimate stamp of the New Testament spirituality.  Jesus just wants another friend.  If there was any major distinction between the God of the Hebrew Bible and the God of the New Testament, it is this phrase – friendship.  In the Hebrew Bible, we encounter Yahweh, a form of the Hebrew name given to God. The name came to be regarded by Jews as too sacred to be spoken.  However, God wanted to be closer to us – the God we know in Micah 6:8. “You have been told, O mortal, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.”  However, the Jews did not even want to utter his name.

Jesus, on the other hand, was so close, wanting to be with us not apart from us, that he is known and named a friend. In the seven weeks of the Easter season, we complete our Advent journey from the Emmanuel-Ship (God is with us) to the Friend Ship. We can ask, “Precious Lord, take my hand,” and know that our prayer will be answered by a friend. 

Action

What became of Barsabbas/Justus?  Would it not have been justice to replace Judas with “just us?” 

What if your name was on the ballot?  How would you have reacted to the nomination?  To a victory? Or to being rejected? 

In being chosen, we get voted onto the boat that is known as the Friend Ship of Jesus.  Enjoy the voyage!

Forgiven

Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter

By Colleen O’Sullivan

For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.  (Psalm 103:11-12)

After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them, he said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”  Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”  Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”  He then said to Simon Peter a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”  Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”  He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”  He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”  Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”  Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”  (John 21:15-17)

Piety

Lord, grant me the gift of remorse when I betray you in sin and the gift of deep gratitude when you show me the very mercy and forgiveness you extended to Peter.   

Study

This Gospel reading is one of my favorite Scripture passages.  There’s so much in it.  First, we have Jesus looking for the lost.  Peter is full of remorse and shame at how he has treated his friend.  Jesus comes looking for Peter to offer him forgiveness and to restore their friendship.  Jesus never stopped loving Peter, but that is hard for Peter to accept in the face of his acts of betrayal.  It’s difficult for all of us to truly believe that Jesus’ love for us is unconditional, that he doesn’t stop loving us when we stray, that he looks for us to offer us forgiveness.

Peter means well.  He’s eager to please, but throughout the gospels we see various instances where he just doesn’t seem to get what Jesus is about.  A suffering Messiah is inconceivable to Peter.  He doesn’t want anything to happen to his friend.  A servant Messiah who washes the feet of his disciples is unimaginable to Peter.  It should be the other way around.  That he would deny knowing Jesus not once but three times was incomprehensible to him in advance.  He loves Jesus.  Yet he does exactly what Jesus predicts at the Last Supper.  But who among us is going to point a finger at Peter?  We call ourselves Christians, but learning what it means to be a disciple is the work of a lifetime.  Being a servant to others, carrying our crosses is no easier to do now than it was in Jesus’ day, except that Jesus walks beside us every step of the way.

I love the symmetry of these verses with what came before.  A charcoal fire in the courtyard where Peter three times denied knowing Jesus is balanced by a charcoal fire on the beach, where Jesus asks Peter three times whether Peter loves him.  I guess Peter hasn’t entirely given up his cluelessness, because the first two times, Jesus uses the word “agape,” the purest, most selfless form of love.  Peter answers him using the word “phileo,” a love that implies more the sort of affection we might have for a sibling or a close friend.  I guess Jesus decides to accept that as the best Peter has to offer at the moment, because during the third question and response, they both use “phileo.”  I am glad Jesus accepts the best we have to offer, because there are many times when I fail to love with an agape type of love.

Jesus doesn’t hold Peter’s betrayal against him, because he says to his friend, if you really love me, then I am entrusting my entire flock to you.  If you truly love me, I am asking you to feed my sheep.  If we are the friends I think we are, then please take care of my flock.  Watch over them.  Keep them together.  Keep them in my name.

Action

What a story of hope for all of us!  As difficult as it is to believe at times, Jesus doesn’t hold our sins against us, either.  Once we are forgiven, as the psalmist says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us.”

Take a few minutes to listen to Forgiven Forever sung by Mark Harris.  As you hear the words, reflect on the many times God has bestowed on you the grace of forgiveness of sin.

You Love Them As You Love Me

Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter

By Beth DeCristofaro

The dispute was so serious that the commander, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, ordered his troops to go down and rescue Paul from their midst and take him into the compound. The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage. For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.” (Acts 23:10-11)

And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me.  Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am, they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world. (John 17:22-24)

Piety

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mmm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Oh, I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends

Do you need anybody?
I just need someone to love
Could it be anybody?
I want somebody to love

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends

Beatles, “With A Little Help From My Friends”, MetroLyrics

Study

It is a very perilous journey, God tells Paul.  Jesus prays aloud and in previous passages the disciples hear Him foretelling their future which will be fraught with obstacles and pain.  But eternity is real and Jesus tells his friends that they are loved by the Creator from before creation itself.  And their discipleship means unity with God itself.

Breathtaking.

Cursillo is a community of friends who give us a little help.  And our best friend is Jesus Himself.  Does that not make you feel a little high?  And He wants to love us.  He wants His Father to enfold us with the same love which stood with Him through the passion and lifted him from the tomb.  Hildegard of Bingen understood:  “God hugs you.  You are encircled by the arms of the mystery of God.  You shine so finely it surpasses understanding.[i]“

Action

What am I doing to bring forward that divine union of love into the struggling lives of His children and the hurting world?  Give a little help, share a hug, with another of His friends.  Shine.

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[i] http://www.monasteriesoftheheart.org/hildegard-bingen-0

Served

Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter

“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. I have never wanted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You know well that these very hands have served my needs and my companions. In every way, I have shown you that by hard work of that sort we must help the weak, and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:32-35

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.  John 17:15-18

Piety

The Easter words of Emmaus ring out even louder as the days of Easter season wind to a flaming, ordinary close.  Stay with us.  Stay with me.  Not only do the disciples want to hold onto their Rabbouni, but the Master-Teacher also wants to remain in union with them.  Before this prayer, Jesus presented them with the gift of union, the sacrament of a union in the Eucharist.  At the end of this prayer, Jesus goes out and is arrested. The physical union will be near impossible.  What is left is what remains offered to us – spiritual union.

Study

The passage in John 17 is commonly referred to as The Prayer of Jesus.  We also might call the passage in Acts the Prayer of Paul for in both passages, a message is delivered to give hope, inspiration and strength to the disciples before the Teacher/Servant Leader departs. The notes from the New American Bible give context to John 17. 

The climax of the last discourse(s). Since the sixteenth century, this chapter has been called the “high priestly prayer” of Jesus. He speaks as intercessor, with words addressed directly to the Father and not to the disciples, who supposedly only overhear. Yet the prayer is one of petition, for immediate (Jn 17:6–19) and future (Jn 17:20–21) disciples. Many phrases reminiscent of the Lord’s Prayer occur. Although still in the world (Jn 17:13), Jesus looks on his earthly ministry as a thing of the past (Jn 17:4, 12). Whereas Jesus has up to this time stated that the disciples could follow him (Jn 13:33, 36), now he wishes them to be with him in union with the Father (Jn 17:12–14).[i]

Resurrection permitted the physical union to last another 50 days.  After Ascension, only a spiritual union is possible through completion of all degrees of Initiation.  Once cleansed through baptism and reconciliation, we unite daily and weekly with Jesus and the community in prayer and sacramentally through Eucharist and confirmation. 

Action

Jesus wants us to stop hanging onto his physical self but hang onto his actual words and put them into action in the world.  We do that the same way Saint Paul did – serving the needs of our companions and helping the people who are weakest.

Maybe we have monasteries and convents and Catholic Worker Houses to be examples of this new type of power and authority in the world.  The Prayer of Jesus sets aside his leadership from the leadership of the world.  The prayer of Paul is also rooted in service, not kingship. We are consecrated in a new truth that rejects power and its trappings so that we are not trapped by wealth or authority.  As Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB writes:

Like Christ, this leader does not lead with brute force. This leader understands the leavening process. This leader, called appropriately abbot or abbess or prioress, is a spiritual parent, a catalyst for the spiritual and psychological growth of the individual monastic, not a border guard or a warden. This leader is not a parent who terrorizes a child into submission; this leader believes in the best and gives people the opportunities to make the mistakes that lead to growth.

The prioress and abbot provide an environment that confronts the monastic with the presence of God that shows them the Way. After that, it is up to the monastic to let the practices of the community and the rhythm of the prayer life work their way until the piercing good of God rises in them like yeast in bread.[ii]

She reminds us to “[e]liminate whatever you would be tempted to idolize, no matter how worthy the object. The role of the spiritual leader, in other words, is not to make martinets out of people; it is to lead them to spiritual adulthood where they themselves make the kind of choices that give life depth and quality.” 

Jesus cannot stay with us if we crowd him out with material goods, a quest for corporate power, or jealousy.  What choices does The Prayer of Jesus lead you to reconsider? What higher power speaks to you? Can we be more Thomas Moore and less Thomas Dewey…more Thomas Merton and less Thomas Jefferson?

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[i] http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/17:11#51017001-1

[ii] http://www.eriebenedictines.org/daily-rule, Chapter 2, The Qualities of an Abbot or Prioress