The Spirit’s Unity
The Seventh Sunday of Easter
May 29, 2022
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Acts 7:55-60; Psalm 97; Revelation 22:12-20; John 17:20-26
The stoning of Stephen indicates a turning point in the faith of the early church. His death was momentous because he was the first martyr and the early disciples rallied around the witness of these valiant men and women who stood up to their own townsfolk to declare their belief that Jesus was raised from the dead. Stephen’s feast is celebrated December 26th, the day after Christmas, because our faith is not just a feel-good event; our witness to the truth of Jesus is serious and, at times, life-threatening. Stephen’s death sets a young man, Saul, a Jew dedicated to preserving the rigors of the faith, into action to wipe out the scourge of the Christians who were causing great upheaval within the religious community.
Saul was a Jewish zealot, an extremist, who was given charge by the religious authorities to arrest, throw in prison, and even put a Christian to death because they were changing the nature of the Jewish faith. Saul was vehement in his persecution of the People of the Way to preserve the faith that has been handed onto him. He was a protector of Orthodox Judaism against heretics and those who relativized the faith. However, we know the rest of the story. The Holy Spirit intervened and changed the course of Saul’s life, and that of the church. The arch-conservative Saul has a conversion of heart of mind and becomes the progressive Paul who admits Gentiles into the faith, dispenses with dietary laws, and see all Jewish law is fulfilled in the person of Jesus. The Holy Spirit handed onto Paul the attitudes of Christ, who then handed them onto a new collection of believers, and they handed it onto us. After his conversion, Paul worked for the unity of the people because he wanted every Jew and Gentile to accept God’s invitation of friendship with God.
In the Gospel, Jesus appeals for unity of the believers, especially during times of inevitable persecution. The church in its Eucharistic prayers and collects pray for the unity of the faithful as well. Unity is one of the church’s biggest values, and it seems to be elusive today. For five centuries, Catholics defined themselves by not being Protestants, who were adversaries, and Vatican II changed all that. Ecumenical works are routinely done today though much more discovery and dialogue has to happen. Sadly, Catholics often find themselves at odds with each other because of political beliefs, thoughts on contraception or care for pregnant women, or because of liturgical preferences. Various factions with the church assert that they respectively hold the truth and that the other side is misguided. We have to do better. In fact, Jesus appeals for us to do better. Faith is not about winning one’s own perspective, but discerning what the Holy Spirit is telling us about God’s heart.
We need more encounters so that we can honor and respect what the other person is saying. No one could have changed Saul’s mind; only the Holy Spirit could do that. Since we are not likely to change anyone’s mind so easily, we might as well just encounter the other person, find the richness and beauty in one’s experiences, and find common ground. We have much to celebrate by coming to know one another, and we can leave the hard work up to the Spirit, who is much more powerful than we realize.
Scripture for Daily Mass
First Reading:
Monday: (Acts 19) Paul went through the interior of Greece and down to Ephesus to introduce the believers to the Holy Spirit. The community was baptized into the Body of Christ.
Tuesday: (Acts 20) The presbyters at Ephesus summoned Paul, who told them that he was going to an uncertain fate in Jerusalem. Paul recounts the ways he served the Lord with humility, tears, and trials, but imprisonment and hardships await him.
Wednesday: (Acts 20) Paul prays for the whole flock and he prays for them because he knows adversaries will take advantage of Paul’s absence. When Paul finished speaking, the people wept loudly and threw their arms around him and kissed him.
Thursday: (Acts 22) Paul is brought to trial. The Pharisees and Sadducees are sharply divided; armed forces rescue Paul from their midst. The Lord tells Paul he must go to Rome and be faithful there the same way he was faithful in Jerusalem.
Friday (Acts 25) King Agrippa hears Paul’s case and determines that Paul is to be tried in Jerusalem, but Paul, as a Roman citizen, appeals for the Emperor’s decision.
Saturday (Acts 28) When Paul entered Rome, he was allowed to live by himself. He called together the leaders of the Jews to let them know the charges brought against them. He told them his story. He remained for two years in his lodgings and received all who came to him without hindrance as he proclaimed the Kingdom of God.
Gospel:
Monday: (John 16) The disciples realize Jesus is returning to the Father and that he is strengthening them for the time when he will not longer be physically with them.
Tuesday: (John 17) Jesus raises his eyes to heaven and realizes it is time to glorify the Father through his death so he may give eternal life to all that we given to him. He revealed God’s name to them and now it is time to see the glory of God revealed.
Wednesday (John 17) Jesus prays for the safety of those given to him. He wants them to be safe as they testify to God’s steadfastness in a harsh world. He prays for unity, “so that they may be one just as we, Father, are one.”
Thursday (John 17) Jesus consecrates them to the truth and wards off the Evil One. He also prays for those given to him through the testimony of others. The love Jesus and the Father share is available to future disciples.
Friday (John 21) After the Farewell Discourse ends, Jesus appears at the seashore with Simon Peter who professes his three-fold love of Jesus. Jesus forgives him and asks him to care for his people even though the authorities of this world will eventually have their day with him.
Saturday (John 21) Peter turns to Jesus and asks about the Beloved Disciple. Jesus retorts, “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours?” This disciple is the one who wrote the testimony about Jesus and can attest to its truth.
Saints of the Week
May 31: Visitation of the Virgin Mary commemorates the visit of Mary in her early pregnancy to Mary, who is reported to be her elder cousin. Luke writes about the shared rejoicing of the two women - Mary's conception by the Holy Spirit and Elizabeth's surprising pregnancy in her advanced years. Elizabeth calls Mary blessed and Mary sings her song of praise to God, the Magnificat.
June 1: Justin, martyr (100-165), was a Samaritan philosopher who converted to Christianity and explained doctrine through philosophical treatises. His debating opponent reported him to the Roman authorities who tried him and when he refused to sacrifice to the gods, was condemned to death.
June 2: Marcellinus and Peter, martyrs (d. 304) died in Rome during the Diocletian persecution. Peter was an exorcist who ministered under the well-regarded priest, Marcellinus. Stories are told that in jail they converted their jailer and his family. These men are remembered in Eucharistic prayer I.
June 3: Charles Lwanga and 22 companion martyrs from Uganda (18660-1886) felt the wrath of King Mwanga after Lwanga and the White Fathers (Missionaries of Africa) censured him for his cruelty and immorality. The King determined to rid his kingdom of Christians. He persecuted over 100 Christians, but upon their death new converts joined the church.
This Week in Jesuit History
· May 29,1991. Pope John Paul II announces that Paulo Dezza, SJ is to become a Cardinal, as well as Jan Korec, in Slovakia.
· May 30, 1849. Vincent Gioberti's book Il Gesuita Moderno was put on the Index. Gioberti had applied to be admitted into the Society, and on being refused became its bitter enemy and calumniator.
· May 31, 1900. The new novitiate of the Buffalo Mission, St Stanislaus, in South Brooklyn, Ohio, near Cleveland, is blessed.
· June 1, 1527. Ignatius was thrown into prison after having been accused of having advised two noblewomen to undertake a pilgrimage, on foot, to Compostella.
· June 2, 1566. The Professed House was opened in Toledo. It became well known for the fervor of its residents and the wonderful effects of their labors.
· June 3, 1559. A residence at Frascati, outside of Rome, was purchased for the fathers and brothers of the Roman College.
· June 4, 1667. The death in Rome of Cardinal Sforza Pallavicini, a man of great knowledge and humility. While he was Prefect of Studies of the Roman College he wrote his great work, The History of the Council of Trent.
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