Readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Acts 6:1-7
This account from Acts is considered to be the institution of the diaconate or the Order of Deacons. There is a clear delineation of roles. The Apostles retain their pastoral role as shepherds of the faith (through “prayer and ministry of the word.”) while assigning the service role (distribution of food and material to the needy) to Stephen and his six brother deacons. It is noteworthy to observe that Stephen and Philip especially began their own service of the word as well.
Understanding the roots of the imposition of hands is key to understanding the rationale for its use in the ordained function. While this was a Hebrew tradition for designating a person for a task, it was later adopted by the Church as a mark of ordination and sacramental selection by God (see also the sacrament of Confirmation).
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
This song of thanksgiving links nicely to the virtue of the seven deacons above (“Upright is the word of the Lord, and all his works are trustworthy”)
Reading II 1 Peter 2:4-9
St. Peter begins this selection exhorting the Christian reader to build the spiritual house of God, being part of that house and strengthening it through prayer and sacrifice (the reference here seems to point to the Eucharistic sacrifice common in the homes of the persecuted Church).
The passage continues with the “building” analogy, the use of the foundation and cornerstone simile. The NAB footnote on this passage provides good cross references to the use of these terms:” Christ is the cornerstone (cf Isaiah 28:16) that is the foundation of the spiritual edifice of the Christian community (1 Peter 2:5). To unbelievers, Christ is an obstacle and a stumbling block on which they are destined to fall (1 Peter 2:8); cf Romans 11:11.”
Gospel John 14:1-12
This dialogue with the disciples is taking place at the Last Supper. Jesus has already responded to Peter and now Thomas chimes in with; “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” To which Jesus responds with a phrase known to all Christians “I am the way and the truth and the life.” He ends with another phrase that has been used and twisted throughout the history of Christianity; “No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Also in this passage from St. John’s Gospel, part of the “Many Dwellings” discourse, we get a rare glimpse of the confusion in some of the disciples. St. Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father. This request is a platform for Jesus to once again remind them that He (Jesus) and the Father are one that they have seen him and they have seen the Father.
He concludes this passage with a clear statement about the power of faith in Him (Jesus), saying that whatever is asked for in his name will be granted. Note especially that Jesus says these prayers (requests) will be granted for the glory of the Father.
Reflection:
There is a joke going around that relates nicely to the overall theme of scripture today:
It seems there was a man driving through town during rush hour. Right behind him, tail-gating, was a woman. Driving very aggressively she followed him through a couple intersections and finally he came to a traffic light that turned yellow as he approached. Although he could have accelerated through the intersection he chose to stop for the light.
Immediately the lady behind started laying on her horn, screaming curses out the window, and gesturing with her hands in a manner unbecoming a lady. As the tirade continued, a police officer who had been behind her walked up to the car and asked her to step out. There he promptly handcuffed her, called to have the car towed and took her to the police station for booking. After she had spent about two hours in the holding cell following that procedure, the arresting officer came to the cell and said “Sorry for the delay ma’am, you may go now.”
The woman was infuriated and demanded that the officer explain why she was stopped, booked and detained like a criminal. The officer replied; “Well ma’am, when I pulled up behind your car and saw the bumper sticker that said “What would Jesus Do”, the chrome fish symbol with the word Jesus inside, and the vanity plate that read RU SAVED, and then I saw you in that car screaming obscenities and making those gestures to the driver in front of you, I naturally assumed that the car must have been stolen.”
In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles we see the Church appointing its first deacons to insure that the mercy and fidelity of Christ are carried to all the members of the believing community. They were selected, we are told, because they were “filled with the Spirit and wisdom.” One might ask, “Well, how did the Apostles know they were “filled with the Spirit and wisdom”? Did they go around asking the members of the faith community; “Excuse me, are you filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom?” Of course not, they selected these men because they had been observed by others to act in ways which told the community that they had those traits.
In the second reading, St. Peter tells the community; “…like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house”. The quote goes on with “…to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” This spiritual building that St. Peter calls for is an interior faith that manifests itself in an external way. It is only by the external actions of individuals that the community, depending upon the united actions of its entire membership, is built into the spiritual home that is the Church.
Finally, ultimately, in St. John’s Gospel the Lord himself says “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.” What can this mean but to tell us that we, who call him Savior and Lord, who proclaim him the Son of God, raised gloriously from the dead for our salvation, must act in the same way he did. We are to love as he did, universally and without reservation.
Today, five weeks following our Easter of Joy, we are reminded again what it means to have faith in the Risen Lord, Jesus. We are called to act in His Name to reveal the love of God the Father to all we meet so there will be no confusion about who we are and what we stand for. Challenging times lay ahead for us.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture selected for today is “Christ Crowned with Thorns” by Fra Bartolomeo, c. 1508
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Acts 6:1-7
This account from Acts is considered to be the institution of the diaconate or the Order of Deacons. There is a clear delineation of roles. The Apostles retain their pastoral role as shepherds of the faith (through “prayer and ministry of the word.”) while assigning the service role (distribution of food and material to the needy) to Stephen and his six brother deacons. It is noteworthy to observe that Stephen and Philip especially began their own service of the word as well.
Understanding the roots of the imposition of hands is key to understanding the rationale for its use in the ordained function. While this was a Hebrew tradition for designating a person for a task, it was later adopted by the Church as a mark of ordination and sacramental selection by God (see also the sacrament of Confirmation).
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
This song of thanksgiving links nicely to the virtue of the seven deacons above (“Upright is the word of the Lord, and all his works are trustworthy”)
Reading II 1 Peter 2:4-9
St. Peter begins this selection exhorting the Christian reader to build the spiritual house of God, being part of that house and strengthening it through prayer and sacrifice (the reference here seems to point to the Eucharistic sacrifice common in the homes of the persecuted Church).
The passage continues with the “building” analogy, the use of the foundation and cornerstone simile. The NAB footnote on this passage provides good cross references to the use of these terms:” Christ is the cornerstone (cf Isaiah 28:16) that is the foundation of the spiritual edifice of the Christian community (1 Peter 2:5). To unbelievers, Christ is an obstacle and a stumbling block on which they are destined to fall (1 Peter 2:8); cf Romans 11:11.”
Gospel John 14:1-12
This dialogue with the disciples is taking place at the Last Supper. Jesus has already responded to Peter and now Thomas chimes in with; “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” To which Jesus responds with a phrase known to all Christians “I am the way and the truth and the life.” He ends with another phrase that has been used and twisted throughout the history of Christianity; “No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Also in this passage from St. John’s Gospel, part of the “Many Dwellings” discourse, we get a rare glimpse of the confusion in some of the disciples. St. Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father. This request is a platform for Jesus to once again remind them that He (Jesus) and the Father are one that they have seen him and they have seen the Father.
He concludes this passage with a clear statement about the power of faith in Him (Jesus), saying that whatever is asked for in his name will be granted. Note especially that Jesus says these prayers (requests) will be granted for the glory of the Father.
Reflection:
There is a joke going around that relates nicely to the overall theme of scripture today:
It seems there was a man driving through town during rush hour. Right behind him, tail-gating, was a woman. Driving very aggressively she followed him through a couple intersections and finally he came to a traffic light that turned yellow as he approached. Although he could have accelerated through the intersection he chose to stop for the light.
Immediately the lady behind started laying on her horn, screaming curses out the window, and gesturing with her hands in a manner unbecoming a lady. As the tirade continued, a police officer who had been behind her walked up to the car and asked her to step out. There he promptly handcuffed her, called to have the car towed and took her to the police station for booking. After she had spent about two hours in the holding cell following that procedure, the arresting officer came to the cell and said “Sorry for the delay ma’am, you may go now.”
The woman was infuriated and demanded that the officer explain why she was stopped, booked and detained like a criminal. The officer replied; “Well ma’am, when I pulled up behind your car and saw the bumper sticker that said “What would Jesus Do”, the chrome fish symbol with the word Jesus inside, and the vanity plate that read RU SAVED, and then I saw you in that car screaming obscenities and making those gestures to the driver in front of you, I naturally assumed that the car must have been stolen.”
In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles we see the Church appointing its first deacons to insure that the mercy and fidelity of Christ are carried to all the members of the believing community. They were selected, we are told, because they were “filled with the Spirit and wisdom.” One might ask, “Well, how did the Apostles know they were “filled with the Spirit and wisdom”? Did they go around asking the members of the faith community; “Excuse me, are you filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom?” Of course not, they selected these men because they had been observed by others to act in ways which told the community that they had those traits.
In the second reading, St. Peter tells the community; “…like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house”. The quote goes on with “…to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” This spiritual building that St. Peter calls for is an interior faith that manifests itself in an external way. It is only by the external actions of individuals that the community, depending upon the united actions of its entire membership, is built into the spiritual home that is the Church.
Finally, ultimately, in St. John’s Gospel the Lord himself says “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.” What can this mean but to tell us that we, who call him Savior and Lord, who proclaim him the Son of God, raised gloriously from the dead for our salvation, must act in the same way he did. We are to love as he did, universally and without reservation.
Today, five weeks following our Easter of Joy, we are reminded again what it means to have faith in the Risen Lord, Jesus. We are called to act in His Name to reveal the love of God the Father to all we meet so there will be no confusion about who we are and what we stand for. Challenging times lay ahead for us.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture selected for today is “Christ Crowned with Thorns” by Fra Bartolomeo, c. 1508
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