relief mission

Acts 12:24-13:5a; Psalm 67 O God, let all the nations praise you! John 12:44-50

In the beginning of today's reading we encounter the following:

"Barnabas and Saul completed their relief mission, they returned to Jerusalem..."

What relief mission?

While Barnabas and Saul were in Antioch, tending and building up the early church, a prophet Agabus (Acts 11:27ff) stood up and proclaimed there would be a world wide famine. Thus, the church in Antioch decided to gather funds and send it as a relief to their brothers in Judea.

Early on, the Church began to mobilize its forces to help others in need. The church refused to remain isolated and individualistic. It saw a need and stretched forth to help.

What Barnabas and Saul carry out it in the early church is similar to the modern day Catholic Relief Service.

Words from Pope Benedict:

"Life in its true sense is not something we have exclusively in or from ourselves: it is a relationship. And life in its totality is a relationship with him who is the source of life. If we are in relation with him who does not die, who is Life itself and love itself, then we are in life. Then we "live."...

Our relationship with God is established through communion with Jesus...The relationship with Jesus , however, is a relationship with the one who gave himself as a ransom for all. Being in communion with Jesus Christ draws us into his "being for all." It makes it our own way of being. He commits us to live for others, but only through communion with him does it become possible truly to be there for others, for the whole...Love of God is revealed in responsibility for others."

What is our relief mission? How do we offer relief to our brothers and sisters? Do we let this communion with Jesus become a true communion for all, being for others?

Only then do we "live."

In communion with Jesus, his way becomes our way.

In the words of St. Augustine as he quotes St. Paul, 'Christ died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who for their sake died. Thus a new life was born for the saint who described his daily life as the following:

"The turbulent have to be corrected, the faint hearted cheered-up, the weak supported; the Gospel's opponents refuted, its insidious enemies guarded against; the unlearned need to be taught, the indolent stirred up, the argumentative checked; the proud must be put in their place, the desperate set on their feet, those engaged in quarrels reconciled; the needy have to be helped, the oppressed liberated, the good to be encouraged, the bad to be tolerated; all must be loved."

What a real relief mission!

Antioch

Acts 11:19-26; Psalm 87 all you nations, praise the Lord; John 10:22-30

It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

Before we get to the name of Christians.

Notice in the Acts account that is was people from Cyprus and Cyrene (cypriots and Cyrenians) who began to spread the news of Jesus. These people remain anonymous. No where do we discover who they were, they remain nameless.

They were not making a name for themselves but rather making a name for Christ by their life. The importance was never shifted away from Jesus the Lord. The above nameless people were bearing the name of Christ to all, and thus the name of Christian became their nickname.

The name Christian was not meant initially to be a term of endearment. It was a contemptuous nickname. The people of Antioch were making fun of these Christ-folk.

Yet, by their lives and behavior, the followers of Jesus took this contemptuous nickname and made it a name of honor, respect and even admiration.

By the life they lived, the name of Christian was a name to be had.

word on fire

Acts 11:1-18; Psalm 42;43 Athirst is my soul for the living God; John 10:1-10

Several words of notice in the first reading:

"He related to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, saying, 'send someone to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter, who will speak words to you by which you and all your household will be saved.' As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them as it had upon us at the beginning, an dI remember the word of the Lord, how he had said, 'John baptized with water, but you will baptize with the Holy Spirit."

To piggy back on the blog of this past saturday. We encounter another example of Peter's primacy in the New Testament. Peter was sent to speak to the gentiles. He opens his mouth and the Holy Spirit comes down.

The angel's message needs to be heard again, "Send someone and summon Peter who will speak words to you by which you and all your household will be saved.'

In the catechism of the catholic Church 891 we read the following:

"The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful, who confirms his brethren in the faith, he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith of morals...the infallibility promised the Church is also present in the body of the bishops when, together with Peter's successor, they exercise supreme Magisterium, above all in Ecumenical council. When the Church through its supreme Magisterium proposes a doctrine "for belief as being divinely revealed, and as the teaching of Christ, the definitions "must be adhered to with the obedience of faith." This infallibility extends as far as the deposit of divine Revelation itself."

Peter exercises his role in the Acts of the Apostles. He invites us to allow his successor the Pope to do the same.

If only we were to heed the word of Peter's successor then perhaps the Holy Spirit would once again fill the world and set it a blaze. The word on fire comes forth from Peter's mouth.

Let it burn forth. let it burn forth.

anniversary of Pope Benedict's election

Today we celebrate the anniversary of the election of Pope Benedict to the chair of Peter. He is the 265th pope to serve in the footsteps of St. Peter, the vicar of Christ on earth.

The question arises: where does the primacy of Peter come from? Where does Peter get off in being the head of the Church, the first among equals, the servant of the servants of God?

A quick look at the gospels helps us understand the role of Peter and his successors.

In the gospels, Peter enjoys special position in the circle of the twelve. Together with James and John, sons of Zebedee, he constitutes a group of three that stand out among the twelve: they are at the transfiguration, they are near him in the agony of the garden, permitted to see the raising of Jairus' daughter (Mk 9:2; 14:33; 5:37).

Of the three Peter is the spokesman in the transfiguration scene, he is addressed by JEsus in the the garden of Olives. Peter is the one who attempts to walk on the water (Mt 14:28). Peter is given the keys to the kingdom (Mt 16:18). Peter ask how often he should pardon (Mt 18:21).

All of this underlies Peter's ranking in the list of disciples in the gospels as well as in Acts. In the four versions (Mt 10:2-4; Mk 3:16-19; Lk 6:14-16; Acts 1:13), which vary in many points of detail but all unamimously name Peter as the head. In Matthew's account, Peter is introduced as the "first", the root by which we get "primacy", the term used by the church to speak of the special mission given to Peter, the fisherman from Bethsaida.

The same substance is seen when Mk 1:36 and Lk 9:32 introduce the disciples with the formula "Peter and those with him."

It is Jesus who changes Simon Peter's name to "Cephas" or "rock". Simon is the first to confess Jesus as the Christ and the first witness of the Resurrection, becomes the "rock" that stands against the impure tide of unbelief and its destruction of man.

"Jesus replied, Blest are you Simon son of John! No mere man has revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. I for my part declare to you, you are Rock, and on this rock I will build my church, and the jaws of death(gates of hell) shall not prevail against it. I will entrust to you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you declare bound on earth shall be bound in heaven; whatever you declare loosed on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:17-19

May we pray for the Pope, allow the Pope to teach and guide us in the way of Christ.

conversion

Acts 9:1-20; Psalm 117 Go out to all the world and tell the Good News; John 6:52-59

Today we read the conversion story of St. Paul tied together with the Bread of Life discourse of John 6.

Wouldn't it be great if conversion were as simple as units of measurements?

As we read the conversion story of St. Paul there are few things that stand out.

1)Paul was "breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord. He was not a friendly as they might say in the military. He was an enemy, a vicious zealous one at that. He knew what he wanted and how to go about getting it done. No Christian was going to be left standing in his wake, for he wanted to drag them all "back to Jerusalem in chains.'

2)The conversion took place with God's initiative. God acts from without to bring about a conversion,a change from within. It was a light that struck him. God always comes in brightness, in light.

3)The conversion was not immediate. It took a few days. It was not an isolated event. Paul was invited to go to be with the disciples. The individual conversion is always a communal reality. One is converted not for his own sake and not simply on his own but always in communion with those who believe.

4)Ananias, a disciple wasn't thrilled about helping Saul. He was ready to write him saul off as an enemy and be done with him. He questioned God but heeded God as well. Often we will write people off, yet we must remember the strength of God is greater than our own.

5)The conversion of Saul also brought about a deeper conversion for Ananias. He was led into a deeper insight into the ways of God through the experience with Saul.

How often have we resisted the possibility of grace working in the lives of those we consider not worthy of it? How often have we recognized scoundrels in our society and question the authenticity of their conversion? How often have we thought to ourselves, how dare God?

Yet when in doubt of the ability of God to work in the lives of others, all we have to do is look in the mirror and be awe of how God chooses to work in us. If we can have a conversion then anyone can have a conversion, let us not forget.

When we think about Saul and we look to the Eucharist there is a statement of reality awaiting: If Jesus can awaken Saul to a new life, if he can awaken us to new life, can he not make the Eucharist the bread of life for all.

what do we choose

John 6:44-51

A word from St. Augustine

"There is not one who does not love something, but the question is, what to love. The psalms do not tell us not to love, but to choose the object of our love. But how can we choose unless we are first chosen? We cannot love unless someone has loved us first. Listen to the Apostle John:We love him, because he first loved us. The source of man's love for God can only be found in the fact that God loved him first. He has given himself as the object of our love, and he has also given us its source. What this source is we may learn from the apostle Paul who tells us: the love of God has been poured into our hearts. This love is not something we generate ourselves; it comes to us through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

At the mass we invoke that same Holy Spirit to come upon the gifts we bring, the bread and the wine. There by the power of God's spirit the bread and wine by the words of consecration are transformed and the object and source of love is made present, Christ himself.

The words of St. John are fulfilled again: He first loved us. Love desires to be close to the object of its love. Love always wants to close the gap, shorten the distance, to be as close as possible.

In the Eucharist, Jesus comes not just near to us, but he comes to be within us.

The same Christ that cured the sick, made the lepers whole; the same Christ that taught on the mountain and walked on the water; the same Christ who bore the cross and was crucified; the same Christ that has wounds in his hands and feet and side; the same Christ that was taken from the cross and laid in the tomb; the same Christ that is risen and fully alive and ascended into heaven; the same Christ now comes from the altar and is laid to rest in the palm of our hands, begging to enter our heart.

The same Christ who showed us the Father's love, comes to show us again each time we gather to remember and make present his sacrifice, his victory, his presence among us. Each time we say "Amen" to the words "The body of Christ" that new and vibrant love comes personally to make his dwelling within us.

"There is not one who does not love something, but the question is, what to love."

In the Eucharist, the bread of life, God chooses us again. What do we choose?

bread of life

John 6:35-40

"I am the bread of Life."

A word on the Eucharist from Pope Benedict

"Jesus died praying, and in the abyss of death he upheld the first commandment and held on to the presence of God. Out of such death springs this sacrament, the Eucharist...

The Eucharist is the sacrament of those who have let themselves be reconciled by God, who have become members of his family and put themselves into his hands...

Jesus in dying shows himself to be the one who brings us all into the Father. He institutes a communion of God and man; he opens the door that we could not open for ourselves...

The Lord gives himself to us in bodily form. That is why we must respond to him bodily...our religion, our prayer, demands bodily expression. Because the Lord, the Risen One, gives himself in the body, we have to respond in soul and body. All the spiritual possibilities of our body are necessarily included in celebrating the Eucharist: singing, speaking, keeping silence, sitting, standing, kneeling, marching."

The bread of life is the door to new life. Every time we say "Amen", Jesus brings us to the Father and we share the communion he shares for all eternity. As we stretch out our hands and receive, we enter into that communion of the Father and the Son that opens the door to new life. In the palm of our hands, not only do we hold communion, we enter into communion and thus we are no longer lost but found within that meeting place in the Blessed Trinity.