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Daily Scripture

+ 7th Week of Easter

Much ado about nothing or, is there something to it?

Readings: Acts 19:1-8 Psalm 68:2-7 John 16:29-33

Paul traveled through the interior of the country and down to Ephesus where he found some disciples. He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They answered him, “We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” [Acts 19:1-3]

Depending on one’s sacramental theology and pastoral practice, this text has been variously interpreted. For example, those who work with the RCIA (catecheumenate) hold that the sacrament of Confirmation should be administered with Baptism as it was in the early Church. It is one of the sacraments of initiation—Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. The Eastern Rite of the Roman Catholic Church has retained the tradition of administering all three at Baptism. Yes, the infant receives a small piece of the Eucharist bread. And so in the Eastern Rite, there is no formal celebration of First Holy Communion at the age of reason or Confirmation by the bishop at whatever age the local diocese has determined the age of maturity appropriate for Confirmation. All three sacraments are administered shortly after birth.

Others feel that the celebration of First Communion and Confirmation at a later age ensures the participation of youngsters in parish religious education programs – at least until Confirmation. In this case, many Catholics view Confirmation as the completion of or graduation from religious studies.

In recent years I have become convinced that the RCIA folks and the Eastern Rite Catholics have it right. All three sacraments of initiation should be administered together. First Holy Communion and Confirmation have become more social than spiritual. I do not mean to suggest that there is no connection or that there should be no celebration after sacramental ceremonies but for many, the accent is on the wrong syllable.

The path from Baptism to Christian maturity is life-long and the benchmarks for progress are not easily measured by grouping children by age or grade level for a period of preparation that is largely academic.

This is not to suggest that religious education is optional. Faith development is unique to each person within the context first of family and then of parish. Religious education / formation is intended to provide insight into faith development at an age-appropriate level.

Catholicism has become ‘child-centered’ the result of which, we have an adult population whose religious and spiritual development stopped at Confirmation.

The celebration of Eucharist is the primary setting for faith formation. Religious education is a necessary component but detached from Eucharist, it remain just another subject to master.

Of course this all assumes that the parish celebration of the Eucharist is truly inclusive and meaningful rather than just an empty ritual. The parish at worship should be a rendition of a community of faith that strives to live its faith ‘in the town square’ as I mentioned in Sunday’s homily.

Notwithstanding my commitment to religious dialogue, I do believe that effective dialogue is based on the assumption that although both parties are knowledgeable about the topic. Though they may have different perspectives, they are not based on ignorance of the subject.

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time 'C'

Saturday January 16, 2010

What better time than now?

Despite the arrangement of Isaiah’s prophecy using marriage as a metaphor for Yahweh’s ‘engagement’ to Israel in the first reading, John’s story about the miraculous change of water into wine is not really about a wedding feast or about married life. It’s not about magic either. Jesus was not a magician. It is the first of seven of John’s ‘signs’ or miracle stories that he uses to flesh out the identity of Jesus as the living ‘word’ of God and Messiah.

Miracles stories about miracle workers were common in those times. We westerners need to be cautious about slipping into an excessive literalism that distorts the meaning of the message. The gospel writers took their cue from their Old Testament ancestors who also wrote dramatic stories about heroes whom they deemed to be ‘sons of God,’ messianic figures sent to interrupt the world order or to initiate a new order under God’s dominion. The evangelists and other New Testament authors view these messianic figures as prototypes and the ancient oracles as divine prophecies that were brought to fulfillment in Christ. That’s why they use similar inspired myths and metaphors in their narratives about Jesus.

Remember, the Bible is not documentary history or a journalistic account. It is faith history. Its underlying truths are clothed in sacred myths and metaphors and yes, mysteries that challenge the capacity of the human mind to completely understand. A myth is not a fable but an attempt to explain the inexplicable. Theologians seek understanding of the mysterious God and often get bogged down in details. Poets and artists pursue a relationship with the God they have already discovered at the core of their being. I reckon poets and artist know God more intimately than theologians.

John was more a mystic than a theologian. His literary style is very different from the synoptic gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke. Their accounts begin with the historical Jesus. John begins his gospel with the Jesus as the eternal word. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God, and the word was God. [Prologue of St. John]

This story at Cana is not recorded in the other gospels. This miracle is his way of introducing a new age and a new era. The miracle was not so much about the transformation of water as it was about the transformation of our lives in Christ. John baptized with water of repentance. The water for the ancient rite of purification becomes the wine of new life in Christ. John the evangelist wants to tell us not just that Jesus turned water into wine on one occasion but that whenever he comes into our lives and into our room, he brings a new quality, which is like turning water into wine.

When humanity yearned for an experience of God with skin, Jesus appeared on the scene. Jesus is the image of God, the one who epitomizes everything that we can become. It is our destiny to live in God.

This God-life within us can penetrate and permeate our lives as it did the life of Jesus and lead to a new vision and a new beginning. Living in the consciousness of God’s life can only move us to a greater consciousness of God’s presence in all humanity, indeed, in all creation.

As I watched the devastation effects of the recent earthquake in I asked with many how could God allow such destruction? We can easily become sidetracked with futile debates from the left and from the right; from Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh to Richard Dawkins and still not come up with an adequate explanation why bad things happen to good people, speaking of which, Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen To Good People has published a recent book entitled, Conquering Fear – Living Boldly in an Uncertain World. In Chapter Three, “God Was Not in the Hurricane” is particularly germane to recent natural catastrophes. Earthquakes are acts of nature not of God but the outpouring of hearts and hands-on aid from the United States and from every corner of the globe is truly an act of God. There have been miraculous rescues but the greatest miracle could be the beginning of a new nation.

So we look to the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians for examples of how the living Word of God in Christ is fleshed out in the hearts and hands of people who live in God and through the power of the Holy Spirit leave the comfort of their homes and hearth to bring help to the helpless and hope to the hopeless.

Can we dare dream of what impact the gifts of the Spirit can have on the world order? On the world of politics, on the world economy? On the Church? To deny it is to deny the very ground of our being. Therefore, as God partners with us, we will partner with one another in Christ; as God stretches for us, we will stretch for one another with the help of the Spirit; as God struggles with us, we will struggle with one another without losing our grip or giving into despair; as God dies for us in Christ, we will die for one another in faithfulness to life and love.

Today is the first day of the rest of our lives. God is still changing water into wine through many hands in many lands and there will be plenty of wine for everyone.