Prayer has been a key component of faith for thousands of years. While prayer can be uniquely personal, today’s readings provide some essential and expansive insights about it from both Judaism and early Christianity. Abraham and Jesus both extol the importance of persistence, and Jesus teaches us that prayer at its best is communal. We pray as one body of God’s people. Most profoundly, we dare to pray at all because God is loving and just.
God’s presence is at the heart of our faith and our life as Christians, and today’s readings describe others’ responses to this presence. Openness to unexpected people or events and a willingness to believe are required for us to be changed by our experience. We might listen, wonder, serve, celebrate or share this with others. What really matters is believing that God will enter our lives — and that we will never be the same.
Figuring out how to live in faith can sometimes create a confusion of copious rules, regulations, practices and prohibitions. The reality, however, is a rather simple “heart and soul” thing. Loving and responding to God cannot happen apart from loving one’s neighbor with deep compassion. Today’s Gospel reminds us that the neighbor might not be the one we would choose to love. The good Samaritan story is a cautionary tale that catches our attention for good reason.
Journeys dominate today’s readings — from the return of the exiled to a destroyed Jerusalem, to the disciples set out to preach the Gospel to the world. Both will be fraught with peril, hardship, and pain. Even Paul’s missionary work is centered on Christ’s crucifixion. We, too, are called to be people moving into the world to live the Gospel. Like our ancestors, we rely on love, peace, and mercy to sustain us.
Bread and wine were an ancient component of Israel’s ritual history. Jesus infused their sharing with new meaning that has sustained the Church to this day. When we regularly participate in the Eucharist, we can become immune to its unifying power for the whole world. This annual feast reminds us that Holy Mass is our central liturgical act as Christians. Unity is deeply needed more than ever, and the source of that unity is literally in ourselves when we receive the Body and the Blood of Christ
We acknowledge the mystery of the Trinity every time we make the sign of the cross. Today, let us consider what this mystery means to us as believers in a complex world, with our many tasks, duties, struggles and relationships. Let us pray to our Creator Father, the Redeemer Son and Brother, and the Holy Spirit.
The early Christian community knew that Jesus and the life-giving Spirit were with them. That conviction sustained and empowered them to deal with unimaginable challenges. We are given the same presence, peace, and forgiveness when we come together, and we are called today to pass that on to others. What signs of this presence do we experience? How do we express it to others?
Our post-Easter stories conclude today with powerful readings about hope, inclusivity, and unity. Despite the travails of the early Church and what must have been a mixture of awe, commitment, confusion, and fear among Jesus’ followers, the message is forward-looking and hopeful. As we review the past centuries and survey the world today, let us embrace fully the vision that so obviously motivated them.
The early church struggled with a common problem: who was in and who was not. The requirements were related to the cultural and religious practices of Jewish converts. Similar questions plague us to this day regarding who belongs in our country, our neighborhoods, our schools, and even our church. The answers are easily found in Jesus’ call to keep His word of love and peace. You would think we would have figured it out by now, but tribalism runs deep.
We live in a caustic environment, where kindness, love, or renewal are often mocked as soft or unrealistic. It can be legitimately discouraging. But the word from the beginning was that it would not be easy, and the pathway would be through pain. Nothing is achieved without imagination, and today’s readings provide a vision for those of us willing to continue the quest for something new. Like the early Christians, we can help to create a renewed earth.
Fear of the other is pervasive today, but it’s not new. The early Christians confronted it in preaching the Gospel and often paid a heavy price for their message. As hard as it may be to accept, God’s love is not limited to us and those with whom we feel comfortable. We, too, are called to reach out beyond borders and barriers of our own making. Why is this so hard for us to grasp, even now? Good Shepherd Sunday and Mother's Day and the month of May dedicated to our Blessed Mother gives us comforting reassurance. Even when we experience fear, the Good Shepherd and the Blessed Mother seek us out, care for us and intercede for us.
As in any new counter-movement, early Christians made their case regarding Christ’s identity and redemptive work under perilous conditions and the possibility of persecution. Their faith and commitment were expressed at enormous risk. This is still true for Christians in some places and situations, but not for most of us. Today’s readings challenge us who are not personally endangered: How compelling is our personal faith commitment?
Copyright © 2019 Eastern Diocese Of the Polish National Catholic Church - All Rights Reserved.