Deacon Tom Anthony

 

 

 

 

Seventh Sunday of Easter

Lectionary: 60

Reading I

Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26

Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers
—there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons
in the one place —.
He said, “My brothers,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled
which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand
through the mouth of David, concerning Judas,
who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.
He was numbered among us
and was allotted a share in this ministry.

“For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
    May another take his office.

“Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men
who accompanied us the whole time
the Lord Jesus came and went among us,
beginning from the baptism of John
until the day on which he was taken up from us,
become with us a witness to his resurrection.”
So they proposed two, Judas called Barsabbas,
who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
Then they prayed,
“You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,
show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this apostolic ministry
from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.”
Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias,
and he was counted with the eleven apostles.

Responsorial Psalm

103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20

R. (19a) The Lord has set his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
    and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord has set his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
    so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he put our transgressions from us.
R. The Lord has set his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
    and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless the LORD, all you his angels,
    you mighty in strength, who do his bidding.
R. The Lord has set his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading II

1 Jn 4:11-16

Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,
and his love is brought to perfection in us.

This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us,
that he has given us of his Spirit.
Moreover, we have seen and testify
that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world.
Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God remains in him and he in God.
We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.

God is love, and whoever remains in love
remains in God and God in him.

Alleluia

Cf. Jn 14:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord.
I will come back to you, and your hearts will rejoice.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Jn 17:11b-19

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
“Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me,
so that they may be one just as we are one.
When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me,
and I guarded them, and none of them was lost
except the son of destruction,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
But now I am coming to you.
I speak this in the world
so that they may share my joy completely.
I gave them your word, and the world hated them,
because they do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world
but that you keep them from the evil one.
They do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
Consecrate them in the truth.  Your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
so I sent them into the world.
And I consecrate myself for them,
so that they also may be consecrated in truth.”

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

As Christians we are one through, by, and in Our Lord Savior Jesus Christ. We cannot forget that, as Christians, we are truly united in one faith. There cannot be any division among us. Those who cause division or controversy within our ranks are not doing the work of Jesus but instead are doing the works of Satan. Jesus Himself said that a house divided cannot stand and we should heed these words and relate them to our own conduct. Are we uniting or are we dividing? Are we causing strife or are we promoting peace? If what we say and do cause any type of angst then what we are doing is not in the name of God even though we may think so. Unity through Jesus Christ and the Holy Mother Church should be the goal of all of our thoughts and our works. That which does not unite is not from God. Jesus reiterates this in His prayer to the Father when He says,

 

“Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me,
so that they may be one just as we are one.”

 

Our focus should be constantly on Jesus Christ and the message He brings from the Father. Any deviation from this weakens the message and ultimately presents an opposition to the building up of the Kingdom of God here on this earth. Why would Jesus want to weaken the kingdom? Why would Jesus want to cause division within the Christian Community? God is love. Love is a uniting force and not one that divides amongst those who wish to enter into relationship with Jesus Christ. The only division that should be occurring is between the goats and the sheep. The sheep stay together and are stronger as a result. The goats wish to divide so that they may scatter the sheep and dilute the message put forth. Jesus was specific when He handed The Keys of the Kingdom to Peter and set aside The Apostle John for a specific purpose which would see him living longer than all of the other Apostles while establishing The Sacred Liturgy and providing guidance for the Early Church in unison with Peter. The words of Peter and John never divided but only solidified the unity of The Church. Through the instructions of the Apostles we should be focused on the same thing. United we can do everything. Divided and fighting amongst ourselves will bring us failure; a great victory for Satan.

 

 

 

The 20^th Century theologian Brennan Manning observed,

 

“The biggest threat to Christianity today are other Christians.”

 

What he is saying is that there are many Christians we are not listening to the teachings of Jesus Christ and are not conducting their lives according to His will. Furthermore, their conduct does not reflect what they profess. Jesus would refer to those individuals as hypocrites. We are all in danger of falling into this trap. It is within our nature to question and to judge. These things are exactly what Jesus does not want us to do. There is no one greater or less within the Christian Community. Many might be misguided but their intentions are still good. This needs empathy; the key is to heal these disagreements with love and not with condemnation. We all have the same desire and focus: Jesus Christ. If, through Jesus Christ, a relationship built on the foundation of love is the goal then there is no room for negative feelings or reactions. Jesus is above that and we should be above it by extension.

 

The Word of God is all that we need to guide us forward into a joyous life. Through prayer and meditation the meaning of these words will be revealed to us. It is through a shared experience, guided by The Holy Spirit, that everything will be revealed to us. No individual within our community can profess to possess some information or secret that makes them greater than another person. It is through the sharing of this information and the celebration thereof that we all grow through the revelations of Jesus Christ. The words of Him are meant to build up, guide, and heal; not to reduce or hurt. Jesus wants the redemption and salvation of all. His efforts are focused on the salvation of the entirety of His creation and our focus should be the same.

 

The world is a dangerous place and it should be treated that way. There are so many trials and tribulations which threaten us. As Jesus said,

 

“ I am sending you as sheep amongst the wolves.”

 

The wolves are the allures of the world and the temptations of Satan. The good news is that as long as we stay together and keep Jesus Christ close then everything will be okay. The Apostle John again brings forward the consistent message of love and remaining in Jesus. When something is repeated more than once, especially in Sacred Scripture, its importance is elevated. We cannot proclaim to be with Jesus if we do not love one another. We cannot profess to be with God if we are practicing something that is against what is being taught. Just as Jesus was preparing His disciples for their ministry we are also being prepared through the teaching in Sacred Scripture. We can either accept what is being taught or reject it to to own detriment. Rejecting it will expose us to sin, pain, and ultimately a separation from Jesus Christ. Accepting it will definitely make our lives better. There is no room for self-justification here.

 

As our relationship with God grows there will be a gradual separation from the material things of this earth. Jesus points out that following Him means that we are not of this world anymore. This should offer a great relief that we are now focused on what we should have been focused on all along: the eternal instead of the material which carries with it a definite expiration date. If we embrace purely the material and the physical then we will ultimately die with it. Meanwhile the spiritual will remain for eternity. Everything started with love and will continue with love.

We can never forget that Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. With His Resurrection He conquered death and cleared the pathway for us to eternal life. This is a journey we meant to take together and one that can bring all who follow the path to enlightenment and pure joy.

 

Deacon Tom