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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

Wednesday May 14, 2008

+ Feast of St Mathias

Before there were dogmsa and doctrines, there is love.

Readings: Acts 1:15-17, 20-26 Psalm 113:1-8 John 15:9-17

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 15:16-17]

Luke seems intent on restoring the number of the apostles to ‘twelve.’ More than likely it was his mind that the early gathering of disciples was a new Israel and ‘The Twelve’ a continuation of the twelve tribes of Israel. This seems consistent with his conviction that God would guide their choice by lot. Notice, it was the gathering of the faithful that cast lots—the Holy Spirit working through the ‘people in the pew’ as it were.

Christianity was a ‘movement’ within Judaism, a movement of the Spirit with love as its energy and driving force. There were no dogmas or doctrines per se. There were no priests either. Jesus was the one priest. The Apostles and disciples were evangelists rather than rulers. Jesus was their master teacher and model. Jesus was an itinerant preacher.

Bishop Serratelli has just published a beautiful document on evangelism that I would suggest is revolutionary in its potential for what could happen in the diocesan church and especially in the parish were just a fraction of it taken to heart. It was either Mohandas Gandhi or Winston Churchill or perhaps both who stated that it is not that Christianity has been tried and found wanting but that it has never been tried. He / they were implying of course that divine love is never found wanting when it is put into practice. And incidentally, because we are not perfect, love means having to confess we are sorry more times than we would like to acknowledge.

Before there were dogmas and doctrines, there is love.