The Importance of Dialogue: The Sixth Sunday of Easter

                                             The Importance of Dialogue

The Sixth Sunday of Easter

May 22, 2022

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Acts 15:1-2, 22-29; Psalm 67; Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23; John 14:23-29

 

          The First Reading shows us that the troubles of the early church continue while the Holy Spirit continues to intervene. Somehow it is comforting to know that from the very beginning of its existence, being in the church was difficult, and the problems in the church are just as formidable today. In Acts, we see the conservative Jews insisting that the Gentiles get circumcised in order to be considered members of the faith. They insisted that Gentiles become Jews, but Paul and Barnabas objected and brought this question to the Apostles and Elders in what became the first church council, the Jerusalem Council. The Council deliberated and prayed together and they had an opportunity for dialogue, and these conversations changed everything within the faith. 

 

          The Gentiles, those who were seen as inferior and not worthy of any dignity, were suddenly admitted into the faith. Peter, the Apostles, and the Holy Spirit declared, “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit, and of us, not to place on you any undue burden.” It is one of the most profound statements of inclusion, tolerance, hospitality, and mercy in the history of the Church. The face of the church changed overnight. The church as it exists in the world has always had to reckon with how it changes to meet the needs of the faithful, and it has struggled mightily at times. Those who are open to dialogue are open to change; those who will not have discourse or listen are resistant to change. 

 

          We are in a state of change in today’s church and it is uncomfortable for us to figure out the path ahead. Some in the church yearn for days gone by as if they were better times, and many others do not even bother to come anymore because the church has lost its relevancy and does not speak to their needs or interests. Some do not come because they continue to encounter judgmental attitudes, rigorism, or clericalism, and they are made to feel as if they really do not matter, except for the collection. For many, the church has lost its ability to be a grounding influence, and yet, so many of them miss the Eucharist and being with people with whom they are very fond.  

 

          And yet, we look to the past as our way forward. It is best to look at the early Church and the people who knew the mind, heart, and attitudes of Jesus best. We can look with hope as we examine the First Jerusalem Council where the entire church came together as a deliberative body in prayer to solve its unique problems. And it did. And it created a seismic change, and the church survived and became stronger. Perhaps we ought not to fear change or to be afraid of another seismic change if we come together as a deliberative body in prayer. The synod, proposed by the Cardinals and Bishops, are asking the church to come together in dialogue, deliberation, and prayer, and for far too long the People in the pews have been made to be passive participants in church life, and we need your voices more than ever at present. 

 

          The Gospel tells us that the Advocate will come, the one who will strengthen us and to help us navigate complex conversations inside and outside the church. This is the same Advocate who spoke to the Christian community including Gentiles and said, “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit, and of us, not to place on you any undue burden.” Jesus also said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. My peace I leave you.” We can be assured that when we come together and learn to dialogue, we will have all the support we need to walk with one another with care, concern, and compassion, and to discover what it means to love one another. 

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

 

First Reading: 

Monday: (Acts 16) Paul and Barnabas set sail for Philippi, a leading city of Macedonia, and a Romany colony. Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, listens to their preaching and opens her heart to them. She is baptized and invites them to stay with her.   

 

Tuesday: (Acts 16) Paul is brought to the Areopagus in Athens and tells them of the Unknown God he and Barnabas worship. 

 

Wednesday: (Acts 17) At the Areopagus, Paul declares that this unknown God is the same one Christians worship and has brought about salvation, including the resurrection of the dead. This concept unsettles some who find it a difficult teaching to accept.

 

Thursday: (Acts 15) Paul travels to Corinth and meets the Jews, Aquila and Priscilla, who were forced to leave Rome because of Claudius’ dispersion edict. He learns the tent-making trade and preaches to Jews who reject him. He encounters Titus Justus and Crispus, a synagogue leader, who comes to believe. The entire congregation believes the news of Jesus Christ. 

 

Friday (Acts 18) While in Corinth, Paul receives a vision from the Lord urging him to go on speaking as no harm will come to him. Others are harmed, but Paul escapes injury. 

 

Saturday (Acts 18) Paul travels to Antioch in Syria. Priscilla and Aquila meet Apollos, a Jewish Christian, who is preaching the way of Jesus, but of the baptism by the Holy Spirit he is not informed. They take him aside and teach him the correct doctrine. He then vigorously refutes the Jews in public, establishing from the Scriptures that the Christ is Jesus.

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (John 15) Jesus tells his friends that the Advocate will come and testify to him. Meanwhile, they will be expelled from the synagogues and harmed – even unto death.  

 

Tuesday: (John 16) The Advocate, the Spirit of truth, will guide his friends to all truth. Jesus confuses them by saying, “a little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me.”

 

Wednesday (John 16) The Spirit of truth will guide you and will declare to you the things that are coming. The Spirit will glorify. Everything the Father has is mine. 

 

Thursday (John 15) Remaining close to Jesus will allow us to share complete joy with one another. 

 

Friday (John 16) As they debate, he tells them their mourning will become joy – just like a woman who is groaning in labor pains. 

 

Saturday (John 16) As Jesus tells them again that he is part of the Father, he instructs them to ask for anything in his name and God will grant it because Jesus is leaving the world and is going back to the Father. The Father loves them because they have loved him. The Father will reward them for their generosity.

 

Saints of the Week

 

May 22: Rita of Cascia, religious (1381-1457), always wanted to become a nun but her family married her off to an abusive man. He was murdered 18 years later. Rita urged forgiveness when her two sons wanted to avenge their father's murder. They soon died too. Rita wanted to enter a convent, but he marital status kept her out. Eventually, the Augustinians in Cascia admitted her. She became a mystic and counselor to lay visitors.

 

May 24: Our Lady of the Way or in Italian, Madonna della Strada, is a painting enshrined at the Church of the Gesu in Rome, the mother church of the Society of Jesus. The Madonna Della Strada is the patroness of the Society of Jesus. In 1568, Cardinal Farnese erected the Gesu in place of the former church of Santa Maria della Strada.  

 

May 25: Bede the Venerable, priest and doctor, (673-735), is the only English doctor of the church. As a child, he was sent to a Benedictine monastery where he studied theology and was ordained. He wrote thorough commentaries on scripture and history as well as poetry and biographies. His famous work is the "Ecclesiastical History of the English People," the source for much of Anglo-Saxon history. 

 

May 25: Gregory VII, pope (1020-1085), was a Tuscan who was sent to a monastery to study under John Gratian, who became Gregory VI. He served the next few popes as chaplain, treasurer, chancellor and counselor before he became Gregory VII. He introduced strong reforms over civil authorities that caused much consternation. Eventually, the Romans turned against him when the Normans sacked Rome.

 

May 25: Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi (1566-1607), a Florentine, chose to become a Carmelite nun instead of getting married. Her biography, written by her confessor, gives accounts of intense bouts of desolation and joy. She is reputed to have gifts of prophecy and healing.

 

May 26: Philip Neri, priest (1515-1595), is known as the "Apostle of Rome." A Florentine who was educated by the Dominicans, he re-evangelized Roe by establishing confraternities of laymen to minister to pilgrims and the sick in hospitals. He founded the Oratorians when he gathered a sufficient following because of his spiritual wisdom. 

 

May 27: Augustine of Canterbury, bishop (d. 604) was sent to England with 40 monks from St. Andrew's monastery to evangelize the pagans. They were well-received. Augustine was made bishop, established a hierarchy, and changed many pagans feasts to religious ones. Wales did not accept the mission; Scotland took St. Andrew's cross as their national symbol. Augustine began a Benedictine monastery at Canterbury and was Canterbury's first archbishop.

 

This Week in Jesuit History

 

• May 22, 1965. Pedro Arrupe was elected the 28th general of the Society of Jesus. 
• May 23, 1873. The death of Peter de Smet, a famous missionary among Native Americans of the great plains and mountains of the United States. He served as a mediator and negotiator of several treaties. 
• May 24, 1834. Don Pedro IV expelled the Society from Brazil. 
• May 25, 1569. At Rome Pope St Pius V installed the Society in the College of Penitentiaries. Priests of various nationalities who were resident in Rome were required to act as confessors in St Peter's. 
• May 26, 1673. Ching Wei‑San (Emmanuel de Sigueira) dies, the first Chinese Jesuit priest. 
• May 27, 1555. The Viceroy of India sent an embassy to Claudius, Emperor of Ethiopia, hoping to win him and his subjects over to Catholic unity. Nothing came of this venture, but Fr. Goncalvo de Silveira, who would become the Society's first martyr on the Africa soil, remained in the country. 
• May 28, 1962. The death of Bernard Hubbard famous Alaskan missionary. He was the author of the book Mush, You Malemutes! and wrote a number of articles on the Alaska mission.