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Sunday, May 20, 2012

Seventh Sunday of Easter

…THAT THEY MAY BE ONE JUST AS YOU AND I ARE ONE

John 17:11-19; (Good News Translation)

¹¹ And now I am coming to you; I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world. Holy Father! Keep them safe by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one just as you and I are one. ¹² While I was with them, I kept them safe by the power of your name, the name you gave me. I protected them, and not one of them was lost, except the man who was bound to be lost—so that the scripture might come true. ¹³ And now I am coming to you, and I say these things in the world so that they might have my joy in their hearts in all its fullness. ¹⁴ I gave them your message, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. ¹⁵ I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but I do ask you to keep them safe from the Evil One. ¹⁶ Just as I do not belong to the world, they do not belong to the world. ¹⁷ Dedicate them to yourself by means of the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ I sent them into the world, just as you sent me into the world. ¹⁹ And for their sake I dedicate myself to you, in order that they, too, may be truly dedicated to you.

Other Readings: Acts 1:15-17, 20-26; Psalm 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20; 1 John 4:11-16;

Lectio

These ten days between the Ascension and Pentecost are some kind of “no man’s land” or, more precisely, a time for the disciples to feel what life without Christ might be like. In John’s Gospel, they seem to have returned to their daily routines. Jesus has gone back to the Father, so let us do something practical: “I am going fishing” says Peter. And fishing they go (John 21:1-3). Matthew and Mark finish their Gospels with Jesus sending the disciples to preach the Kingdom of God, and promising to be with them always… And that’s all! Only Luke reveals something a bit more religious or ecclesiastic: the disciples seem to be aware of the continuity that they must keep as a group. They spend their time in the temple (24:50-53) and try to organize their roles as witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection. As Judas is dead, someone must be chosen and join the circle of the Twelve (Acts 1:12-26). But, besides that, Luke does not add anything until Pentecost, the real beginning of the church (Acts 2). In that uncertain, provisional situation, today’s liturgy provides us with some hints about the traits the incipient Church must have to arrive at the full and mature Body of Christ it is called to become. And, more importantly, it presents two essential features to define and identify the real Church of Christ: love and unity will be the touchstones to assess if a Christian community is faithful to the Gospel and offers a consistent, credible witness to Christ. In a word, if they are “the Church” with a capital C. Both the Gospel and the reading from 1 John, written by the same author, develop those two traits. The starting point is to recognize and accept reality. Jesus does not want to set the disciples, his friends, in an “insulating bubble,” away from the world. He was sent into the world to bring salvation to humankind, and it is in the world that the disciples should bear witness. They were no select clique, no élite of the saved and set apart, but believers with their feet on the ground. Jesus knows quite well that they will be persecuted and hated because of him. No disciple is greater than his master. That is why he prays to the Father to protect and keep them in the truth, and to make them be one. Their unity will be a sign of the union existing between Jesus and the Father, and a witness to the love from God to them and to the world. It is this “love from God to the world” that becomes both a sign and a criterion to know that, not only are they the true Church, but that they are saved. They have not been called and sent to promote and defend a new doctrine or a new set of religious principles (even if in the long run, they will become a new religious body). What they announce is as simple as this: “Gods loves you, understands your sins, your distress, and wants you to be happy. That is why he sent his Son to give his life for all and show you that it is love, not the commandments of the Law, that will transform you into God’s children and heirs to salvation.” The Spirit which lives in them is the one who leads the community to live in love. And that, in turn, becomes a link in the process of salvation. In fact, no one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, we may discover God, give a credible witness to God himself in the midst of the world, and be sure of sharing in salvation. Should any of these links be broken by sin (lack of love is, in the end, the only true sin), Jesus himself “will plead with the Father in our behalf” (1 John 2:1-6).

Meditatio

To whichever Christian denomination you may belong, turn your eyes to your parish, congregation or community, and ask yourself a very simple question: can newcomers identify you as a group that not only shares the same faith in Christ and has the same hope in eternal life, but which truly lives the love of him who gave his life for all? The division of the Church constitutes a counter testimony to the Gospel and to the salvation we must offer to the world. For over one hundred years, Christians involved in the ecumenical movement have been working to restore a broken Christianity. Many prejudices, hostilities and indifference have been overcome. But Christian unity remains a utopian hope with a long path ahead. What is your attitude towards Christians from other denominations? Do you still foster any kind of resentment towards the members of other denominations? To what extent are you cooperating in the search for unity?

Oratio

Pray for those who live in a state of uncertainty as to the reality of salvation, who feel unsure about the faith they have received, that the Spirit may grant them a full knowledge of Christ. Pray for those who cannot believe because they cannot find in our Christian communities the credible witness of brotherly love. Pray, of course, for yourself, that the love of God may shine through your attitude towards others, especially those who suffer and feel disheartened or weary in their life of faith.

Contemplatio

Read Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-37. Contrast that “sugary” description of the first Christian community with the facts related in Acts 6:1-4, and in 1 Corinthians 1:10-17; 11:17-22 and in James 2:1-11. The reality of divisions in the Church has a long history. Do not think it is something that started with the great Eastern and Western Schisms. Do not be pessimistic. Accept the divisions you may find in your own community and see in which ways you can work for unity. It is precisely at that limited, local level, that we can be witnesses and builders of reconciliation.

Reflections written by Rev. Fr. Mariano Perrón Director of Inter-Religious Affairs, Archdiocese of Madrid, Spain