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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

Saturday January 29, 2005

+ 3rd Week in Ordinary Time

Stop rocking the boat!

Readings: Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19 Mark 4:35-41

“They woke him and said, ‘Master, are you not concerned that we are going to drown?’ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Be calm!’ and the wind diminished and the sea was calm again.” [Mark 38a-39]

We were sailing for Europe on the Leonardo da Vinci, heading for Rome for graduate studies via ‘the southern route.’ On the third day, the captain alerted us to a hurricane looming on the horizon. Heavy ropes were installed and special containers for those caught short with seasickness were placed from stem to stern. Within hours we pitched and rolled in the mid Atlantic. I can still recall looking across the third deck lounge into the large portholes right into the depth of the sea. During the night, I rolled from side to side in my bed from the sheer force of the storm.

I don’t know whether it was my youthful confidence in the strength of the ship and the courage of its crew or deep faith in the presence of God that made me feel so calm, but I didn’t experience the slightest doubt that we would weather the storm. My colleague and I were two of seven in the dinning room at the peak of the storm! We didn’t miss a meal and didn’t lose a meal either!

Life is full of storms the most challenging of which are not at sea. They are the storms that strike at the table at home or in the workplace. They are the storms that happen when we rock the boat for social justice and social change.

Faith helps us to maintain balance. Our relationship with Christ enables us to keep our perspective. There is nothing that can happen in life that God and we can’t handle together. “For I am certain that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor powers, neither height nor depth nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God that comes to us in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” [Rom 8:38-39]