Provisions for the Journey to Jerusalem
Brief reflections on the week’s Scripture
readings,
The SIXTH
WEEK of EASTER,
2022.
Sunday, May 22:
Some who had come
down from Judea were instructing the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised
according to the Mosaic practice, you cannot be saved.”
(Acts 15:1-2, 22-29)
Let’s put ourselves in the sandals of the new Gentile Christians. Paul and
his compatriots have introduced them to a loving, saving God who welcomes
not just the “chosen” people but all humanity. These new converts are
neophytes,
youngsters in the practice of a monotheistic faith. Then some other guys
show up and tell them, “Well, yes you are welcome, but only if you meet
these particular and onerous requirements So the new converts think: “So,
you say I am welcome…but not as I am? I have to change to
really
be welcomed.” Talk about being confused! Add
that everyone’s
preaching that Christ will return soon, but it will take Paul and the others
probably 40 or days to traverse the hundreds of miles to Jerusalem and back
to get them a definitive answer. Who or what are they to believe? I pray the
gift of the Spirit they received gave them comfort and assurance in God’s
unconditional love, but I wonder how many of them just gave up and went back
to their former lives. How would you feel? What would you do?
Today’s Provision: The Spirit of Love loves
you as you are.
And we wonder why young people are leaving
organized religion in droves, the faith-filled ones relying on the Spirit of
love and acceptance rather than to endure the confusion, infighting, and
hypocrisy prevalent in institutional bureaucracies. This story in Acts
brings to mind the famous line from George Orwell’s
Animal Farm:
“All animals are
equal but some animals are more equal than others.”
What do you believe? Does God love everyone
but some people more than others? Is everyone welcome as they are?
Monday, May 23:
…“the hour is coming
when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God.”
(Jn 15:26-16:4)
I shudder at the thought of the millions of lives lost over the millennia
due to our divergent views of God. From the early Christian martyrs, through
the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the Shoah, to the horror of so-called
“religious”
violence today. It is nothing less than a grave sin if we think we have God
figured out. We don’t. We never will. As Christians, we claim our God is
Jesus. If so, Jesus’ messages of love, equality, tolerance, forgiveness, and
nonviolence should be the real worship we offer. Think about it.
Today’s Provision: Nonviolence and patience.
Gosh, this can be hard. I find myself growing
more intolerant of intolerant people, and no, the irony is not lost on me!
And it dumbfounds me that my view of Christ can be so different from others
who call themselves Christian. My anger and lack of patience can be
triggered quickly. That’s why praying for peace of spirit each morning and
when faced with situations that challenge me is essential to remain true to
the God I claim. Do you struggle with this too? Remember to pray for
lovingkindness and peace each day.
Tuesday, May 24:
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.
(Acts 16:22-34)
Here’s another reading to use for imaginative contemplation. Picture
yourself as one of the prisoners in jail with Paul and Silas. Why are you
locked up? Philippi is a Roman city, so maybe you’ve been hanging around
with these two Jewish rabble-rousers. Or maybe your crime is a minor
infraction of Roman law. Chances are, though, you’re pretty distraught but
these guys keep praying and singing joyfully to their God even though their
crime is way more serious than yours. You find their singing brings you a
sense of peace, more peace than you have ever felt. All of a sudden, the
ground shakes violently, flinging the prison doors open and you see your
opportunity to escape. What do you do now?
Today’s Provision: Stay with what brings you
God’s peace.
Have you ever experienced a difficult or
sorrowful situation that somehow brought you a palpable sense of God’s
presence and peace? It might have been confusing; it might have seemed more
logical to flee or fight or freeze, but instead you stayed right where you
were. Maybe it was with someone in crisis or in pain. Maybe it was you who
were in pain and yet you knew God was with you. Or perhaps, you have heard
in your heart a call from God that others see as dangerous or foolish. It’s
important that, if we have the chance, we discern that it is indeed God’s
presence and call, but often we don’t have the luxury of time. Have faith.
Trust that God will lead you to peace.
Wednesday, May 25:
“For as I walked
around looking carefully at your shrines, I even discovered an altar
inscribed, ‘To an unknown god.’
(Acts 17: 15, 22-18:1)
Hmmh…this makes me think…what altars “to an unknown god” do I have set up
around my life without even being aware of them? We can think about this
phrase in two ways: one, of course, are those idols I pay homage to every
day that have nothing to do with the real God: my ego, my wants (as opposed
to my needs) which lead to overindulgence and distraction, my need to be
right and in control….the list goes on. But there’s another, more subtle way
of thinking about this phrase: How well do I really know God? My God, Jesus
Christ?
Today’s Provision: Get to know God.
Are you comfortable with Jesus? If you’re
not, why would you want to spend time with him? We don’t tend to spend much
time with those who make us uncomfortable unless we are forced to. Why
are we uncomfortable? Some portrayals of God can be pretty scary and if we
were fed those images as children, it can be hard to put them aside. Are you
uncomfortable being with God because you are afraid of not living up to
God’s expectations? These are all very good questions to bring to honest
conversation with Jesus. Tell him what is troubling you and ask him what he
expects of you. (Spoiler alert: Check out Micah 6:8: “Do what is right, love
mercy and justice and walk humbly WITH me”…as my friend.)
Thursday, May 26:
“What does this
mean...‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and
you will see me...’ What is this ‘little while’ of which he speaks? We do
not know what he means.”
(Jn 16:16-20)
I feel for Jesus’ disciples. Just read John’s Last Supper Discourses
(chapters 14-16). So much to take in. Scholars say these discourses were
likely not spoken all at once but instead compiled from John’s writings,
then put together as one summation. But still…it’s a lot! And he often spoke
in confusing and frustrating ways like in the passage today. I give the
disciples credit. They were tenacious. They didn’t give up. One thing they
had going for them though: Jesus words, “a little while,” were pretty
accurate. While it might not have seemed that way to them at the time, three
days wasn’t too long a time to wait to see him again! What about for us?
Today’s Provision: Patience.
Anyone who has or works with young kids knows
that your definition of “a little while” is NOT the same as the kids! (Fair
warning to parents of toddlers — the definitions will be reversed in about
10 years!) God does not always answer our questions or prayers in the
timeframe we might want, and not always with the answer we hope to hear.
God’s timing can be very different than ours. But like the early disciples,
let’s be tenacious and have hope and faith in God’s plan, even if it takes
“a little while” longer for us to see the results.
Friday, May 27:
“God is king of all
the earth. All you peoples, clap your hands, shout to God with cries of
gladness, For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome, is the great king over
all the earth. He brings people under us; nations under our feet.”
(Ps 47) There are some psalms I
struggle with…this is one of them!
“All you peoples clap
your hands! God is awesome, the great king over all the earth!”
And from the Hebrew translation,
“He crushes peoples
beneath us and beneath our feet!”
YAY! Unfortunately, there are those who take
such tribal, violent words of Scripture literally. Some modern commentators
say this refers to God’s desire to bring all the earth’s creatures to an
understanding of God’s Kingdom. And God’s Kingdom is not one of
violence or coercion: quite the contrary as we discussed Sunday and Monday.
If you read further in the psalm (from tomorrow’s verses), we proclaim,
“The princes of the
peoples are gathered with the people of the God of Abraham.”
All are brought together; all will be as one
to praise the Creator that loves each one of us just as we are. I’d say that
pretty awesome!
Today’s Provision: Shout to God with cries of
gladness!
No shouting about anything else! Let us do
today all we can do to bring all peoples together, despite the efforts of
some “princes” to keep us apart. Advocate for people and laws to bring about
the Kingdom of God!
Saturday, May 28:
Apollos…was an
authority on the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord
and, with ardent spirit, spoke and taught accurately about Jesus, although
he knew only the baptism of John…when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they
took him aside and explained to him the Way of God more accurately.
(Acts 18:23-28)
I like the whole dynamic we hear in this passage. Paul has left Ephesus to
check on all the other communities. This Scripture scholar named Apollos
shows up and begins preaching about Jesus but he doesn’t have the most
up-to-date info. The local Christian community is really happy to have him
there and they don’t jump to correct him when he speaks in the synagogue.
Instead, simple tentmakers — one a woman, no less — take him aside to
complete his education. And he – a scripture scholar – is more than willing
to listen and learn. That’s just great! Nobody gets indignant, nobody thinks
they are either too lowly to teach or to lofty to learn. They work together,
scholar and trades people, men and women, Jews and Gentiles, by the grace of
the Spirit to further the Kingdom
Today’s Provision: Work together.
I’m happy to see the changes Pope Francis is
making to the Curia of the
Catholic Church, bringing more diversity of thought, gender, and experience
to leadership positions. So much needs to change, even in those
denominations where women and lay leaders have more of a say in how things
are done. God created diversity in thought and experience for a reason.
Everyone deserves an equal place and voice at the table.
We hope you
enjoy "Come and See!"
and we welcome your input. Please contact
Elaine Ireland
at
ehireland@loyola.edu
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© 2021, Elaine H. Ireland.
