Memorial of Saint John Baptist de la Salle, priest
(Monday of the Third Week of Easter)
Alternate Readings and Reflection on St. John Baptist de la Salle
Readings for Monday of the Third Week of Easter[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Acts 6:8-15
The first deacon, St. Stephen, through his zeal has angered the Jewish community in Jerusalem (as if the Apostles were not enough) by placing Jesus above Moses in his teaching. The St. Luke draws a parallel in this section with the fate of Jesus in the hands of the Sanhedrin.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Continuing the theme of being opposed for the sake of God, our psalm response praises those who are steadfast in the face of such opposition. Psalm 119 is an individual lament asking for God’s support in times of difficulty.
Gospel John 6:22-29
This dialogue with the people begins St. John’s great discourse on the bread of life. In this selection Jesus begins by telling the crowd, which had just been witness to the feeding of the multitude with the barley loaves, that they should focus on spiritual food rather than filling their stomachs. His reference here is that through their belief in him as the Son of God, they are doing God’s will.
Reflection:
“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.” We launch ourselves into a fierce debate about what it means to “believe in the one he sent.” Defined in the dictionary, the word “believe” means;
Believe: to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so: Only if one believes in something can one act purposefully.[3]
The word itself is often used interchangeably with “faith.” That is, to believe in the Son of God is to have faith. Faith and belief, as is pointed out in Spe Salvi, the Papal Encyclical recently published by Pope Benedict XVI, can also be referred to as “hope.” So that simple statement “…believe in the one he sent” means to have faith in Christ and to have hope in his purpose.
It strikes us that this “belief” proposed by the Lord could be easily interpreted as a passive statement. If someone asks us if we “believe” in God, our instant answer is “Of course.” Yet if that question were asked of us in the middle of an action that demonstrated a failure to follow God’s Law (therefore a sinful act) would we be lying to ourselves when we said “Of course.”?
In truth, we would not be lying. All of us, since Jesus was born of Mary, have sinned. Even the Apostles, Jesus closest friends and most ardent students fell pray to sin and we know they believed in Jesus as the Son of God. The difference between our belief and that of the saints is their depth of commitment to that belief. It is only through our commitment to our belief in Jesus, the Son of God, that we can “act with purpose”, as the definition above states.
If we do as the Lord asks and believe in him, all our actions will identify us as his followers. There is a distinctive quality about an ardent believer. The peace of Christ, the joy of Christ, and the love of Christ cannot be hidden. This is the strength of belief we are all seeking and working hard to achieve. And while we may point at faith and say – faith is a Gift from God freely given and each of us are given different portions. Belief can be strengthened and faith can be built up.
That is our prayer today – for a strengthen faith and an unshakable belief in the one sent by God into the world so that all who believe in him might never die, but have life.
Pax
Please Pray for Esther.
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is “Disputation of St. Stephen” by Vittore Carpaccio, 1514
[3] American Psychological Association (APA): believe. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved April 07, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/believe
(Monday of the Third Week of Easter)
Alternate Readings and Reflection on St. John Baptist de la Salle
Readings for Monday of the Third Week of Easter[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Acts 6:8-15
The first deacon, St. Stephen, through his zeal has angered the Jewish community in Jerusalem (as if the Apostles were not enough) by placing Jesus above Moses in his teaching. The St. Luke draws a parallel in this section with the fate of Jesus in the hands of the Sanhedrin.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Continuing the theme of being opposed for the sake of God, our psalm response praises those who are steadfast in the face of such opposition. Psalm 119 is an individual lament asking for God’s support in times of difficulty.
Gospel John 6:22-29
This dialogue with the people begins St. John’s great discourse on the bread of life. In this selection Jesus begins by telling the crowd, which had just been witness to the feeding of the multitude with the barley loaves, that they should focus on spiritual food rather than filling their stomachs. His reference here is that through their belief in him as the Son of God, they are doing God’s will.
Reflection:
“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.” We launch ourselves into a fierce debate about what it means to “believe in the one he sent.” Defined in the dictionary, the word “believe” means;
Believe: to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so: Only if one believes in something can one act purposefully.[3]
The word itself is often used interchangeably with “faith.” That is, to believe in the Son of God is to have faith. Faith and belief, as is pointed out in Spe Salvi, the Papal Encyclical recently published by Pope Benedict XVI, can also be referred to as “hope.” So that simple statement “…believe in the one he sent” means to have faith in Christ and to have hope in his purpose.
It strikes us that this “belief” proposed by the Lord could be easily interpreted as a passive statement. If someone asks us if we “believe” in God, our instant answer is “Of course.” Yet if that question were asked of us in the middle of an action that demonstrated a failure to follow God’s Law (therefore a sinful act) would we be lying to ourselves when we said “Of course.”?
In truth, we would not be lying. All of us, since Jesus was born of Mary, have sinned. Even the Apostles, Jesus closest friends and most ardent students fell pray to sin and we know they believed in Jesus as the Son of God. The difference between our belief and that of the saints is their depth of commitment to that belief. It is only through our commitment to our belief in Jesus, the Son of God, that we can “act with purpose”, as the definition above states.
If we do as the Lord asks and believe in him, all our actions will identify us as his followers. There is a distinctive quality about an ardent believer. The peace of Christ, the joy of Christ, and the love of Christ cannot be hidden. This is the strength of belief we are all seeking and working hard to achieve. And while we may point at faith and say – faith is a Gift from God freely given and each of us are given different portions. Belief can be strengthened and faith can be built up.
That is our prayer today – for a strengthen faith and an unshakable belief in the one sent by God into the world so that all who believe in him might never die, but have life.
Pax
Please Pray for Esther.
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is “Disputation of St. Stephen” by Vittore Carpaccio, 1514
[3] American Psychological Association (APA): believe. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved April 07, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/believe
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