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Daily Scripture

+ 7th Week of Easter

“Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

Readings: Acts 20:17-27 Psalm 68:10-11, 20-21 John 17:1-11

I am in the world no longer, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. [John 17:11]

Shakespeare ‘penned’ the phrase quoted above. I didn’t understand it as a student of Shakespeare in high school but I began to understand it when I waved goodbye to my family as I sailed off to Italy on September 21, 1963 for a three-year stretch in Rome. In fact, it has multiple meanings and applications that I appreciate now more than ever before.

There is another phrase that perhaps gives credence to my thoughts so poorly expressed and it’s this: “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Ah, that’s it. At times we need to separate from ‘the source’ in order to appreciate how important it is to stay connected.

The farewell speech of St. Paul in Acts and the farewell ‘prayer’ of Jesus in John’s gospel were more likely composed by the authors of these texts along the lines of the farewell speeches of great leaders of their times in order to attract the attention of Jesus’ followers.

The departure of Jesus and later that of Paul created ‘fallow’ time in the hearts of the neophyte believers that was absolutely necessary if they were to grasp the significance of Jesus’ message and the teachings of St. Paul.

We are once again in ‘fallow’ time as we prepare for Pentecost. It’s a time of discernment during which we are invited to ponder the words and deeds of Jesus so that in his absence, we may come to know his presence in the Spirit that remains within us and around us.

As we ponder, it is important to reflect on the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and reverence of the Lord. And the fruits of the Holy Spirit are qualities that are characteristic of a community living in Christ: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty self-control and chastity.

There is much to ponder as we wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

Daily Scripture

Tuesday May 8, 2007

+ 5th Week of Easter

“Peace is my farewell to you; peace is my gift to you!” [Jesus]

Readings: Acts 14:19-28 Psalm 145:10-13, 21 John 14:27-31

“They appointed presbyters for them in each Church and, with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord in whom they had put their faith.” [Acts 14:23]

“Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.” [Psalm 145:12]

“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled.’” [John 14:27]

It’s a nice combination of texts. Dare I suggest a ‘cozy combination?’ I think that would be okay for today. In essence, Jesus preached a ‘kingdom’ in which peace would prevail. No, he was not promoting peace at any price but peace at a great price and certainly not the kind of peace that the world gives. This is not merely the cessation of war or conflict but a genuine state of ‘active’ peace in which data and dialogue prevail over power and mutual understanding take precedence over competition. It’s a tough sell, for sure but this disposition is no less applicable to the Church than it is to the state and to the family. The peace process in any circumstances is not supposed to be a tug of war in which the powerful prevail over the powerless.

Although priests and bishops as we known them in the Church today are rooted in apostolic appointment of presbyters in the early Church, they are not exactly the same. The word ‘presbyter’ is translated better as ‘elder’ or even presider. Some claim that women were among them. At any rate, it was their responsibility to oversee a local gathering and preside at the Eucharist. They were, I suppose, gatekeepers in the same way that Jesus described himself as the ‘gatekeeper.’ I reckon they were pacesetters and tone-setters and were selected on their ability to be peacemakers and peacekeepers.

I’m sure it was not quite as serene as this commentary would suggest. However, it was surely not in the mind of Christ that presbyters be anything but ‘shepherds’ rather than corporate executives, civil or church attorneys.

The Church described in Acts was a movement—a community ‘on the move,’ animators of the Gospel, tone-setters in a world in which Caesar’s power was dominant and pharisaic legalistic hair splitting the norm for daily living.

I think as a Church, we still have a lot of homework don’t you?