Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter

“Madonna and Child with God the Father,
the Holy Spirit and Adoring Angels”
by Pieter Lisaert III, c. 1590s

 
Readings for Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Acts 16:22-34
 
The crowd in Philippi joined in the attack on Paul and Silas,
and the magistrates had them stripped
and ordered them to be beaten with rods.
After inflicting many blows on them,
they threw them into prison
and instructed the jailer to guard them securely.
When he received these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell
and secured their feet to a stake.
 
About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying
and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened,
there was suddenly such a severe earthquake
that the foundations of the jail shook;
all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose.
When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open,
he drew his sword and was about to kill himself,
thinking that the prisoners had escaped.
But Paul shouted out in a loud voice,
"Do no harm to yourself; we are all here."
He asked for a light and rushed in and,
trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas.
Then he brought them out and said,
"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus
and you and your household will be saved."
So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.
He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds;
then he and all his family were baptized at once.
He brought them up into his house and provided a meal
and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God.
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Commentary on Acts 16:22-34
 
This selection is another part of the first of the “we” sections in Acts. Here the events of Paul and Silas being beaten, jailed, and then released are given. Most scholars point to the anti-Jewish mentality of the crowd and the leadership (magistrates) at the beginning of this passage (v. 22).  Their harsh treatment and conditions of their confinement appear to be a reaction to the fear of St. Paul's reputed power (“and instructed the jailer to guard them securely. When he received these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and secured their feet to a stake").  The earthquake that followed apparently confirmed this worry and at least the jailer was so convinced that he converted instantly.
 
"This is the first time St Paul comes into conflict with Gentiles. As might be expected, the incident does not take the form of a riot, as happened in cities of Asia Minor (13:50; 14:5, 19), but of a civil suit before local magistrates. The people who bring the charge say nothing about their real reason  ̶  loss of profit. They accuse Paul of two things. Their first charge is disturbance of the peace. The second seems to be based on regulations forbidding Roman citizens to practice alien cults, especially where these conflict with Roman custom." [4]
 
The jailer and those present interpreted the earthquake and its effect on the jail cells as a sign from God. This gave weight to Paul’s evangelical approach that led to their release and the jailer’s conversion.
 
CCC: Acts 16:31-33 1226; Acts 16:31 1655; Acts 16:33 1252
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8
 
R. (7c) Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple,
and give thanks to your name.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Because of your kindness and your truth,
you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8
 
Psalm 138 is a psalm of thanksgiving. It contains the same sense as if it were a continuation of the prayer of Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25. It praises God for his saving works and expresses confidence in his saving help. It also supports the rescue of Paul and Silas (Acts 16:22ff) who prayed and whose prayers were answered by divine intervention. (“When I called, you answered me.”)
 
CCC: Ps 138 304; Ps 138:2 214
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Gospel: John 16:5-11
 
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Now I am going to the one who sent me,
and not one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'
But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.
But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.
For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes he will convict the world
in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:
sin, because they do not believe in me;
righteousness, because I am going to the Father
and you will no longer see me;
condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned."
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Commentary on Jn 16:5-11
 
"Jesus speaks about the Holy Spirit three times during the discourse of the Last Supper. The first time (John 14:15ff), He says that another Paraclete (advocate, consoler) will come, sent by the Father, to be with them forever; secondly, He says (John 14:26) that He Himself will send them, on behalf of the Father, the Spirit of truth who will teach them everything; and now He unfolds for them the complete plan of salvation and announces that the Holy Spirit will be sent once He ascends into Heaven." [5]
 
In this selection Jesus reemphasizes that he is returning to the Father and it is only when he does so that the Paraclete will be given to the disciples. Above the active support and guidance promised to be given by the Advocate earlier, we now hear of its role as judge. This movement from “guide” to “judge” demonstrates the completeness of this person of the Trinity.
 
CCC: Jn 16:11 385
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Reflection:
 
There are a number of paradoxes we face as living as Christians in a secular world.  We are to be of the world but separate from it; we are to love our enemies, and while we are to live in a world that is not bound by Christian values, we are told to “Stop judging, that you may not be judged” (Matthew 7:1).
 
Still, if we are to live in the world we must make judgments each day about what course of action to take in given situations. And even the most idealistic person finds that many of these judgments fall into what can only be called “a gray area” as opposed to black or white.  What are we to do?  How are we supposed to decide which course of action is best?
 
It was for precisely this reason that Jesus left us the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, as St. John says in the Gospel passage today.  The Advocate is an indwelling Spirit of holiness conferred in baptism and sealed in confirmation.  The Advocate provides us with access to God’s wisdom and it is through this access we are to chart our course for our lives in the world.
 
There is, of course, some difficulty for most of us surrounding the appropriate use of the Holy Spirit as counselor and guide.  It is like the stereotype applied to men driving to a destination to which they have never been and getting turned around.  According to the stereotypical assessment – they will not stop and ask for directions except as a last resort (ignoring, out of pride, the wisdom of their wives' advice to do so).  We tend to do the same thing in life.  We do not ask for (or perhaps more significantly, listen to) the help of the Holy Spirit when making our decisions.  It is, after all, difficult to tap into that source of wisdom, especially if it is not a regular practice and even more especially because it requires listening with our spirit.
 
Like most things of God, being guided by the Holy Spirit takes discipline and practice; two elements of human behavior we sometimes avoid because it means taking a more difficult path.  Today we are reminded that the gift of the Spirit has been given and we just need to learn to use it.  That guidance will be our right judgment in difficult situations and provide a course that will allow us to walk with our Lord in this life and ascend with him to the next.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “Madonna and Child with God the Father, the Holy Spirit and Adoring Angels” by Pieter Lisaert III, c. 1590s.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts,” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 823.
[5] Ibid p. 657.