Scripture Reflection and Prayer : Journeying together: April 2021

Friday, 30 April 2021

JESUS THE FULFILLMENT OF OUR YEARNING TO SEE GOD

20210501 JESUS THE FULFILLMENT OF OUR YEARNING TO SEE GOD

01 May, 2021, Saturday, 4th Week of Easter

First reading

Acts 13:44-52 ©

Since you have rejected the word of God, we must turn to the pagans

The next sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the word of God. When they saw the crowds, the Jews, prompted by jealousy, used blasphemies and contradicted everything Paul said. Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly. ‘We had to proclaim the word of God to you first, but since you have rejected it, since you do not think yourselves worthy of eternal life, we must turn to the pagans. For this is what the Lord commanded us to do when he said:

I have made you a light for the nations,

so that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth.’

It made the pagans very happy to hear this and they thanked the Lord for his message; all who were destined for eternal life became believers. Thus the word of the Lord spread through the whole countryside.

But the Jews worked upon some of the devout women of the upper classes and the leading men of the city and persuaded them to turn against Paul and Barnabas and expel them from their territory. So they shook the dust from their feet in defiance and went off to Iconium; but the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 97(98):1-4 ©

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Alleluia!

Sing a new song to the Lord

for he has worked wonders.

His right hand and his holy arm

have brought salvation.

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Alleluia!

The Lord has made known his salvation;

has shown his justice to the nations.

He has remembered his truth and love

for the house of Israel.

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Alleluia!

All the ends of the earth have seen

the salvation of our God.

Shout to the Lord, all the earth,

ring out your joy.

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation

Rm6:9

Alleluia, alleluia!

Christ, having been raised from the dead, will never die again.

Death has no power over him any more.

Alleluia!

Or:

Jn8:31-32

Alleluia, alleluia!

If you make my word your home

you will indeed be my disciples,

and you will learn the truth, says the Lord.

Alleluia!

Gospel

John 14:7-14 ©

To have seen me is to have seen the father

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘If you know me, you know my Father too.

From this moment you know him and have seen him.’

Philip said, ‘Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied.’

‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip,’ said Jesus to him, ‘and you still do not know me?

‘To have seen me is to have seen the Father,

so how can you say, “Let us see the Father”?

Do you not believe

that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?

The words I say to you I do not speak as from myself:

it is the Father, living in me, who is doing this work.

You must believe me when I say

that I am in the Father and the Father is in me;

believe it on the evidence of this work, if for no other reason.

I tell you most solemnly,

whoever believes in me

will perform the same works as I do myself,

he will perform even greater works,

because I am going to the Father.

Whatever you ask for in my name I will do,

so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

If you ask for anything in my name,

I will do it.’

JESUS THE FULFILLMENT OF OUR YEARNING TO SEE GOD

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Acts 13:44-52; Ps 98:1-4; Jn 14:7-14 ]

In a world of secularism where God is removed from public life, it does not mean that man has lost the desire to see God. On the contrary, more so than ever, we long to see God because we all know that we are more than material creatures. We have a spirit that is manifested in our thirst for things beyond physical needs. We yearn for love, for joy, for meaning and purpose. But even then, to find love in our friends, joy in the pleasures of life, arts and music, meaning and purpose in serving humanity, leave us hungering for more. We desire ultimate joy, love and purpose.

This is what Philip was asking our Lord. “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” He wanted to see God just as Moses asked to see God. Moses said, “Show me your glory, I pray.” (Ex 33:18) But God said, “you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.” (Ex 33:20) Instead the Lord said to Moses, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The Lord’ and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” And the Lord continued, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.” (Ex 33:19,21)

Precisely, the face of God, His goodness, compassion and mercy are now made present in the person of Jesus. Jesus said to Philip, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?” Jesus is the personal presence of the Father. We cannot see God who is pure spirit except through the humanity of our Lord. When a person says he has “seen” God, it cannot mean a pure direct vision of God, rather it is mediated through some tangible signs such as the experience of light, goodness, love, joy, mercy and peace. Our encounter with God necessarily comes through the means of His Word and His works mercy, wonders and healing in our lives. This is why Jesus said, “The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves.”

But how is God present in Jesus? This is the question that Thomas asked Jesus earlier on to show them the way to the Father. Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (Jn 14:6f) This statement of our Lord can be misconceived as Jesus being the Way to the Father, as if He is just a conduit or a means to the end. What Jesus was saying is that He is not just the Way, but also the Truth and the Life. God is Truth and Life. In other words, Jesus is more than just a channel to God, someone we can dispose of once we reach God. Rather, in Jesus, we see God. He is the means and the end as well. To know Jesus means to know the Father.

In other words, as the Lord said to Philip who still could not understand, He is One with the Father. The unity between Jesus and the Father is an ontological unity, that is an essential unity of nature. It is more than just a moral or ethical unity of mind and will. As sons and daughters in the Son, we are called to share in the moral unity with God, that is, to align ourselves with His will and mind. However, the unity of essence, which is His divinity, is unique to Jesus alone with His Father.

This is the same message that Paul proclaimed to the Jews and the proselytes in Antioch. He went through the history of Israel, beginning with their sojourn in Egypt and then liberated by Moses and finally the establishment of the Davidic Kingdom. Jesus was the fulfillment of the promises made to King David foretold by the prophets with John the Baptist preparing the way for Him. After being put to death, instead of seeing corruption, He was raised by the Father. It was important for Paul to underscore that Jesus was the continuation and the fulfillment of salvation history. In this way, both the Jews and the converts to Judaism would be better placed to appreciate how having faith in Jesus is not a betrayal of their beliefs in Judaism but the flowering of God’s promises.

However, faith is required to come to this realization. There are still many who cannot accept that Jesus could be the Messiah, much less the Son of God. This is understandable because without faith and revelation, we cannot arrive at this belief. Even the apostles took time to come to the full realization of what Jesus was teaching about Himself to His disciples. They could not grasp how Jesus could be one in essence with God without compromising their faith in the One God. Indeed, the full Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity took almost 300 hundred years for the Church at the Council of Nicea in 321 A.D. to define exactly our faith in the One God who is Father, Son and Spirit. So, we should not be surprised that the Jews could not accept Jesus.

But what is important is whether we are docile to the Word of God. What is it that prevents us from finding faith in Jesus as the Revealer of God and the Revealed? If it is prompted, as the first reading tells, us by jealousy, then we are to be faulted. “When they saw the crowds, the Jews, prompted by jealousy, used blasphemies and contradicted everything Paul said.” When they could not prevent the crowd from listening and finding faith in Jesus, they “worked upon some of the devout women of the upper classes and the leading men of the city and persuaded them to turn against Paul and Barnabas and expel them from their territory.” When we reject God’s word because of fear, jealousy, insecurity and prejudice, then we are listed among the Gentiles who reject God. This explains why the apostles, like pious Jews did when they wanted to disassociate themselves from others, shook “the dust from their feet in defiance and went off to Iconium.”

In contrast, the pagans, like the apostles in the gospel and the Gentile proselytes to Judaism, were keen to listen and docile to the Word of God. As a consequence, “they thanked the Lord for his message; all who were destined for eternal life became believers.” Many were converted also because they came to realize that they did not have to follow the Jewish customs and culture to be included among the People of God. All that was needed was to believe in Jesus and follow Him by living a life of integrity, charity and mercy to see God.

Today, we are called be like the apostles, to proclaim Jesus to the world. As Paul said, “For this is what the Lord commanded us to do when he said: I have made you a light for the nations, so that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth.” We must proclaim Jesus as Paul did, explicitly as the Saviour of humanity. We cannot compromise on this proclamation, otherwise the gospel would be reduced merely to a social gospel that is directed at uplifting the material and physical needs of humanity. We must remember that we are here also to save souls and to give them eternal life. This was what Paul said to the Jews, “We had to proclaim the word of God to you first, but since you have rejected it, since you do not think yourselves worthy of eternal life, we must turn to the pagans.” Of course, our proclamation of the Lord as Saviour and the gift of eternal life must correspond with what Jesus did, by producing the works of the Father in works of mercy and compassion. But let it be clear that we are not just doing social and humanitarian works, providing material needs to our fellowmen. Rather, we are expressing God’s love for them so that they can look beyond the material gifts they receive to faith in Jesus so that they can find fullness of life. Just as Jesus is the sacrament of the Father, we are called to be the Sacrament of Jesus by our words and works.

Thursday, 29 April 2021

CONSOLING THE ANXIOUS AND THE HOPELESS

20200430 CONSOLING THE ANXIOUS AND THE HOPELESS

30 April, 2021, Friday, 4th Week of Easter

First reading

Acts 13:26-33 ©

God has fulfilled his promise by raising Jesus from the dead

Paul stood up in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia, held up a hand for silence and began to speak:

‘My brothers, sons of Abraham’s race, and all you who fear God, this message of salvation is meant for you. What the people of Jerusalem and their rulers did, though they did not realise it, was in fact to fulfil the prophecies read on every sabbath. Though they found nothing to justify his death, they condemned him and asked Pilate to have him executed. When they had carried out everything that scripture foretells about him they took him down from the tree and buried him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had accompanied him from Galilee to Jerusalem: and it is these same companions of his who are now his witnesses before our people.

‘We have come here to tell you the Good News. It was to our ancestors that God made the promise but it is to us, their children, that he has fulfilled it, by raising Jesus from the dead. As scripture says in the second psalm: You are my son: today I have become your father.’

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 2:6-11 ©

You are my Son. It is I who have begotten you this day.

Alleluia!

‘It is I who have set up my king

on Zion, my holy mountain.’

I will announce the decree of the Lord:

The Lord said to me: ‘You are my Son.

It is I who have begotten you this day.

You are my Son. It is I who have begotten you this day.

Alleluia!

‘Ask and I shall bequeath you the nations,

put the ends of the earth in your possession.

With a rod of iron you will break them,

shatter them like a potter’s jar.’

You are my Son. It is I who have begotten you this day.

Alleluia!

Now, O kings, understand,

take warning, rulers of the earth;

serve the Lord with awe

and trembling, pay him your homage.

You are my Son. It is I who have begotten you this day.

Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation

Col3:1

Alleluia, alleluia!

Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ,

you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is,

sitting at God’s right hand.

Alleluia!

Or:

Jn14:6

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;

No one can come to the Father except through me.

Alleluia!

Gospel

John 14:1-6 ©

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘Do not let your hearts be troubled.

Trust in God still, and trust in me.

There are many rooms in my Father’s house;

if there were not, I should have told you.

I am going now to prepare a place for you,

and after I have gone and prepared you a place,

I shall return to take you with me;

so that where I am

you may be too.

You know the way to the place where I am going.’

Thomas said, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus said:

‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.

No one can come to the Father except through me.’

CONSOLING THE ANXIOUS AND THE HOPELESS

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Acts 13:26-33; Ps 2:6-11; Jn 14:1-6 ]

In today’s gospel, Jesus said to the disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” We can certainly empathize with the disciples. Just earlier on, Jesus told His disciples that one of them would betray Him and even Peter would deny Him. Who would not be troubled if we know that we would be the one to betray our master or someone we love? It was unthinkable. But the sadness of the disciples came from the very fact that they knew Jesus was departing from them. They had been with Him for three years, journeying, living with Him and learning from Him. Their attachment had strengthened day by day over the years. What would they do without Jesus? What about their hopes and dreams?

Indeed, this is how we would feel as well when someone we love is leaving us. The closer we are to this person, the greater the distress. We cannot imagine how our life could continue without this person who has been supporting us all the while and in whom we find our hope, support and joy. For that reason, many of us are unable to overcome our grief when our loved one is taken away from us. All departures are painful. But at least we can find consolation if our loved one is going to a better place. Even though it is painful to let go of the one we love, knowing that the person is going to a better place and a better life, and not be lost, or gone forever, or going to be abandoned or suffer, will give us consolation, and our love for that person will transcend our own emotional needs for him or her. Only then can we let go.

That was what Jesus did after warning His disciples that He would be going away. Firstly, He consoled them by assuring them of a definite future. He said, “there are many rooms in my Father’s house; if there were not, I should have told you. I am going now to prepare a place for you.” Indeed, His going away would only be temporary. He was going ahead of them for their own good. He was not leaving them. On the contrary, “after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you with me; so that where I am you may be too.” This is such a consoling assurance to know that their separation from the Lord would only be for a while. More importantly, He had gone to prepare a place for them. If we hold such thoughts as well, especially when our loved ones have gone away or even returned to their heavenly home, then we do not have to feel so devastated, knowing that they have gone back to their true home in heaven. We can feel consoled.

Secondly, He assured them that He would still be with them in a new way. What is this place which the Lord was taking them which we call “heaven”? Heaven is to be in the company of our Lord. It is to share in His life and love. This is what the Lord meant when He said, “there are many rooms in my Father’s house.” This room is the heart of the Father. He welcomes all of us and embraces us all as His children. If we are receptive to His love, we too will share His joy and company. To be in heaven simply means that we live in the Lord and for the Lord. This is what St Paul wrote, “If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.” (Rom 14:8)

Thirdly, He assured them of His continued presence before the Second Coming. When Jesus says that He would return, it means primarily that He would return on the last day, which would be His Second Coming at the end of time. When He comes, He will bring us all to His Father’s house. But in the meantime, He will come again in the Holy Spirit. “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” (Jn 14:18f) In His resurrection, He continues to be present with His disciples, especially through the sacraments. The Holy Spirit will help us to feel the presence of Christ when we read the Word of God and when we receive the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.” (Jn 14:23f)

Finally, not only did the Lord console them about the future and His ongoing presence in their midst, but He also showed them the way. He told the disciples, “You know the way to the place where I am going. I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” This scripture verse is often interpreted to mean that those who do not know Jesus would be condemned to hell. In today’s climate of religious pluralism, it would be seen as rather exclusive. Yet, the truth remains that for Christians, Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s plan for salvation. St Paul in the first reading had sought to explain how Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to the Patriarch. Consequently, as St Peter declared earlier on to the Sanhedrin, “let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is ‘the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:10-12)

To say that Jesus is the Way to the Father does not exclude those who do not know Him. The bible is clear that Jesus as the Son of the Father reveals to us who the Father is. St John wrote, “No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.” (Jn 1:18) For those who do not know Jesus through no fault of their own, they still can travel by the path of their conscience. (Lumen Gentium, 16) In following their conscience, they indirectly follow the Truth, which is found in Christ. Yet, because they are searching for God, their search might not always be right. Just like the religious leaders during the time of Jesus, they were ignorant of who the Lord was. “What the people of Jerusalem and their rulers did, though they did not realise it, was in fact to fulfil the prophecies read on every sabbath. Though they found nothing to justify his death, they condemned him and asked Pilate to have him executed.” However, “God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had accompanied him from Galilee to Jerusalem: and it is these same companions of his who are now his witnesses before our people.” Faith in Jesus as the Son of God and unique Savior rests on His resurrection.

This explains why Vatican II speaks of other religions as having the rays of truth. Christian Faith believes in divine revelation. Only Jesus who is the Son of the Father can reveal the Heart of His Father to us. “She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims, and ever must proclaim Christ ‘the way, the truth, and the life’ (John 14:6), in whom men may find the fullness of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things to Himself.” (Nostra Aetate, 2)

In the final analysis, faith is required for us to overcome our fear of death and separation from our loved ones or any form of anxiety in this life. This is why the Lord urges us, “Trust in God still, and trust in me.” Only faith in Jesus and His promises to us can give us confidence in our journey. This is the same blessing and good news that Paul assured the Jews. “We have come here to tell you the Good News. It was to our ancestors that God made the promise but it is to us, their children, that he has fulfilled it, by raising Jesus from the dead.” We too who are His children will find confidence, hope and strength to overcome all our problems and challenges because we know that God is with us in Jesus.

Wednesday, 28 April 2021

GOD IS FAITHFUL TO HIS PROMISES

20210429 GOD IS FAITHFUL TO HIS PROMISES

29 April, 2021, Thursday, 4th Week of Easter

First reading

God has raised up one of David's descendants, Jesus, as Saviour

Paul and his friends went by sea from Paphos to Perga in Pamphylia where John left them to go back to Jerusalem. The others carried on from Perga till they reached Antioch in Pisidia. Here they went to synagogue on the sabbath and took their seats. After the lessons from the Law and the Prophets had been read, the presidents of the synagogue sent them a message: ‘Brothers, if you would like to address some words of encouragement to the congregation, please do so.’ Paul stood up, held up a hand for silence and began to speak:

‘Men of Israel, and fearers of God, listen! The God of our nation Israel chose our ancestors, and made our people great when they were living as foreigners in Egypt; then by divine power he led them out, and for about forty years took care of them in the wilderness. When he had destroyed seven nations in Canaan, he put them in possession of their land for about four hundred and fifty years. After this he gave them judges, down to the prophet Samuel. Then they demanded a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin. After forty years, he deposed him and made David their king, of whom he approved in these words, “I have selected David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will carry out my whole purpose.” To keep his promise, God has raised up for Israel one of David’s descendants, Jesus, as Saviour, whose coming was heralded by John when he proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the whole people of Israel. Before John ended his career he said, “I am not the one you imagine me to be; that one is coming after me and I am not fit to undo his sandal.”’

Responsorial Psalm

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

Alleluia!

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord;

through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth.

Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever,

that your truth is firmly established as the heavens.

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

Alleluia!

I have found David my servant

and with my holy oil anointed him.

My hand shall always be with him

and my arm shall make him strong.

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

Alleluia!

My truth and my love shall be with him;

by my name his might shall be exalted.

He will say to me: ‘You are my father,

my God, the rock who saves me.’

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Rv1:5

Alleluia, alleluia!

You, O Christ, are the faithful witness,

the First-born from the dead,

you have loved us and have washed away our sins with your blood.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Whoever welcomes the one I send welcomes me

After he had washed the feet of his disciples, Jesus said to them:

‘I tell you most solemnly,

no servant is greater than his master,

no messenger is greater than the man who sent him.

‘Now that you know this, happiness will be yours if you behave accordingly. I am not speaking about all of you: I know the ones I have chosen; but what scripture says must be fulfilled: Someone who shares my table rebels against me.

‘I tell you this now, before it happens,

so that when it does happen

you may believe that I am He.

I tell you most solemnly,

whoever welcomes the one I send welcomes me,

and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.’

GOD IS FAITHFUL TO HIS PROMISES

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Acts 13:13-25; Ps 89:2-3,21,22,25,27; Jn 13:16-20 ]

We are bewildered at the developments in the world. In this age of information technology, digital communication, artificial intelligence, individualism and secularism, we are apprehensive about the rapid changes taking place in the world, not just in science and technology, but the changing cultures, values and lifestyles of our people. The traditional understanding of marriage and family is under challenge on all fronts by the promotion of abortion, divorce, promiscuous relationships and same-sex union. Freedom is abused because the individual preference promoted by relativism is exaggerated at the expense of the community. Most of all, the world is concerned about protecting the planet, which is of course the Church’s concern as well. However, the Church is even more concerned about the ecology of the human person, family and community. In truth, who is threatening the ecology of the planet? It is a humanity that is inward-looking, selfish, individualistic and concerned about their needs rather than that of the rest of the community and that of creation.

Yet, these negative developments in the world are not new. History always has its lights and shadows. We are living in a fallen world and we are part of this fallen world. In each one of us, there is so much potential for good and evil. This is because our first parents had eaten the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Gn 2:17; 3:3-5) Right from the start, humanity has always wanted full autonomy from God, which is what secularism is all about. “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate.” (Gn 3:6)

On the other hand, man is created in the image of God. “In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Gn 1:27) He is also created in God’s likeness so that he can share God’s “dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” (Gn 1:26) This explains the power and intelligence of humanity to transform the world, using science and technology to make this world a paradise, not just physically and materially but a humanity that promotes love, compassion, service, unity and peace. Indeed, the possibilities for humanity are beyond our imagination, whether to use his intelligence and power for good or evil, for building up the earth or destroying it, for love or for selfishness.

This is the context by which we should understand the speech of Paul to the Jews in Pisidia at the synagogue. He gave them a summary of the history of salvation. In this history, we see how the grace of God was at work in the history of Israel. God chose Israel and made her great in Egypt. He then delivered them out of Egypt and looked after them for forty years in the desert. Then He helped them to destroy their enemies in Canaan and put them in possession of the Promised Land. Gradually, He gave them leaders, firstly, judges, then prophets and then a King with Saul as the first and then David. Eventually, it would be Christ who would fulfill the promise made to David that his dynasty would last forever. Until this juncture of his speech, Paul was highlighting the lights of God’s grace in the history of Israel. The second part of his speech, he would speak of the shadows of Israel.

As he was addressing the Jews for the first time, it was necessary for Paul to show the link between the history of salvation of the Jews with that of Christ. This is because Jesus is in continuity with the history of salvation. He was presented as the climax of the history of God’s promise to the people of Israel as foretold by the prophets and proclaimed by John the Baptist as the forerunner of the Messiah.

This speech of Paul addressed to the Jews is similar to that of the speech given by Peter in his first sermon at Pentecost, and Stephen before the Sanhedrin. However, in the case of Peter, he illustrated how Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecies of Joel and the psalms. (Acts 2:14-36) In the case of Stephen, he began with the patriarchs and focused on Moses instead, ending with King David. (Acts 7:1-50) Regardless, they all focused on the grace of God at work in the history of Israel. God was with them all the way as He prepared for the coming of His Son to fulfill His promise made to King David.

Indeed, God has been faithful to Israel. God’s grace was at work in the history of Israel, leaving aside the infidelities and disgrace which were still not highlighted but implied. This is why the responsorial psalm chosen as our response to the Word of God declares, “I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord; through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth. Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever, that your truth is firmly established as the heavens. I have found David my servant and with my holy oil anointed him. My hand shall always be with him and my arm shall make him strong.” God is faithful to us regardless of the situation we are in. He does not withdraw His love from us.

The fidelity of God is again brought out by Luke when he mentioned in passing that in Pamphylia “John left them to go back to Jerusalem.” We are not told of the reasons why John Mark left them half way through the mission. Scholars speculate that it could be because he was not happy that Paul had taken the leadership from Barnabas, or he could be homesick and desired to return home as the journey was very difficult because of the rough terrain. We know however that Paul and Barnabas had a strong disagreement with each other and so they parted company, with Barnabas taking Mark with him; and Paul taking Silas. Eventually they were reconciled. Again, at that point of time, we might see it as a setback in the mission of proclaiming Christ to the Gentiles. But God had His reasons and He knows how to turn negative events into something positive. Paul and Barnabas trusted the Lord’s plan and agreed to disagree instead of squabbling with each other and cause greater tension in the mission.

In the gospel too, we see the extent of Jesus’ love for His disciples and His fidelity to them even though He knew that they would abandon Him and one of them would betray Him. After washing the feet of His disciples, He said to them, “Now that you know this, happiness will be yours if you behave accordingly. I am not speaking about all of you: I know the ones I have chosen; but what scripture says must be fulfilled: Someone who shares my table rebels against me.” He was calm and was not agitated, knowing that they would betray Him, especially Judas who would even go to the extent of selling Him to the religious leaders for a few silver coins. Yet Jesus, without retaliation and anger, was resigned to the divine plan of God. He said, “I tell you this now, before it happens, so that when it does happen you may believe that I am He. I tell you most solemnly, whoever welcomes the one I send welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.”

Once again, we are reminded by our Lord that we would have to share His confidence in His Father’s plan. He told His disciples, “I tell you most solemnly, no servant is greater than his master, no messenger is greater than the man who sent him.” We too must continue to persevere. Sometimes, we see that what is happening in the world or in our lives is beyond our control. Instead of feeling nervous and anxious, we should surrender our anxieties to the Lord. Even when all things fail, even when the planet is under threat, even when our families and marriages are going to the dogs, even when the culture of death is promoted, let us remember that God is in charge of this world. He is faithful to His promises. God’s grace will prevail at the end. Of course, humanity and the Church would have to pay a heavy price if we do not listen to the Word of God. If we are stubborn, proud and arrogant, we will have to go through a period of disgrace, exile, abandonment, reduced to nothingness like the remnants of Israel during their exile, before we can rise again. Until then, let us do our best and all we can to proclaim and live the gospel in our lives. The rest, we leave into the hands of God.