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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

Monday July 10, 2006

+ 14th Week in Ordinary Time – Feast of St Benedict

There is one Shepherd but we are still shepherds to one another.

Readings: Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13 Psalm 115:3-10 Matthew 9:32-38

”_Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.’” _.” [Matt 9:37-38]

This text is quoted often when calling attention to the need for more vocations to the priesthood and religious life and rightly so. However, Church structure and the organization of ministries in their primitive stage of evolution and development. Therefore, Matthew would not be assigning to Jesus words the meaning that we in the 21st century would assign to them.

There is no doubt that Jesus was viewed as the ‘true’ shepherd as opposed to the exploitive kings and princes and the ‘Ceasars’ of this world. However, his ‘kingdom’ was not of this world and though we are to render to ‘Caesar” the things that belong to Caesar, we do belong first and foremost to the dominion of God.

“The Twelve” (Apostles) were sent as shepherds but they demonstrated very early that they were also collaborators with the flock. Presbyters (elders) among the community were ‘elected’ by the faithful. Some of them were later ‘elected’ as episcopoi (overseers) of larger communities but this did not take place until after the gospels were written down.

The point of all this is that we all participate in the shepherding mission of Jesus and in his common priesthood in virtue of our baptism. It is not my Church or your Church, but ‘our’ Church. In that sense, we shepherd one another.

It was Benedict’s charism to give witness to the beauty of Christ’s mission in the community of his brothers, demonstrating how believers could live in a communion of harmony and genuine love through their commitment to daily prayer and work.

We are called to do the same through our own particular vocation—married or single, religious or lay.