Living with Darkness

 "I am going away and I will come back to you." Jn 14:27

Knowing or grasping God completely is impossible, but we must keep trying, and the scriptures offer us any number of images of God all of which can help at different times in our lives. The book of Deuteronomy reminds us to praise and exalt God at all times, and to remember that God is a healer, someone who is anxious to be with us and make us whole. No matter how broken our life might feel, God's compassion and kindness will triumph over the darkness if only we let God be God.

Today's Gospel reminds us that Jesus told his disciples that he was going away but that they should not be overly troubled because he also promised to return.  How important it is for us to remember Jesus' promise to be with us always even when it feels like he is nowhere to be found. And it is equally important to be steady in faith especially when friends or family are struggling to believe

Today, try to say nothing to those who are angry or disappointed in God.

What about our faith helps you most when you are living through dark times?

Lifting Others Burdens

    "If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first." Jn 15:18

Hate is a strong word which most of avoid. It never seems like a word or an emotion that builds life within or among us. All of us have read of people who so hated themselves because of some serious fault that they took their own lives, and while we know this makes no sense, we understand it. More important, we hear of families and nations who hate one another, and avoid contact with those they hate at all costs. Even thinking about the hated one brings deep distress.

Jesus was hated by the leaders of his own society because he challenged their interpretations of the law and their haughtiness towards the poor. Imagine what it was like for the leaders when he looked at them and insisted: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!"  Enraged and threatened, the Pharisees plotted to kill him because he told the truth. The gospel is intended "to bring glad tidings to the poor... to proclaim liberty to captives...and to let the oppressed go free," (Lk 4:18) not to "lay heavy burdens" on their shoulders while doing nothing to help them. (Mt. 23:4)

Today,  ask yourself whether you are laying "heavy burdens" on others without being willing to help.

Who has been an inspiration to you because of their efforts on behalf of the poor?

Unnecessary Burdens

   "It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities." Acts 15:27

How comforting it is to learn than the Holy Spirit does not want to burden us with anything beyond the necessities of the Gospel. Of course, there have been and will be thousands of discussions about what the necessities are at any given time in history. These days, for instance, it should be clear to any person committed to the Gospel that one of the necessities is making sure during the time of wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Yemen and so many other places that every person in need food, housing and especially of medical help, no matter where they live in the world, have access to it. Of course this is a problem and a burden for those of us living in the developed world but we can't ignore it

Unless we work towards a world that values every person as a child of God, precious and important, we cannot say we are living the Gospel. The Good News is this. God sent Jesus to alert everyone to the knowledge and truth of God's unconditional love for all God's children. Those already blessed with faith have two simple obligations. They must proclaim this truth with their lives of witness and service, and they must help create a world where every person is valued as a child of living God. Without these commitments, there is no reason for people who have never heard the word to listen or respond by seeking Baptism.

Today, sit quietly and ask yourself how well the Good News is being heard through your witness.

Who helped you understand the fullness of God's message and love?

Pray for Healing

 "Why, then, are you now putting God to the test by placing on the shoulders of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? (Acts 15:10)

The early church struggled with serious differences of opinion about how to welcome new converts to Christianity from the gentile world, and we can only imagine the conversations between leaders like Peter, Paul and James, the Elder. Some believed that every convert had first to commit themselves completely to the law of Moses. Others, like St Paul, in the fifteenth chapter of the book of Acts writes, "Why, then, are you now putting God to the test by placing on the shoulders of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? (Acts 15:10)

In our day, we continue to struggle with how best to look at and treat other religious traditions. Pope John Paul II, no doubt because he personally experienced the horrors of the holocaust against Jews, worked hard and long to help Catholics address their antisemitism. Pope Francis is following in John Paul's footsteps. In his address to the newly created Cardinals, Francis strongly encouraged them to work for peace and to against discrimination imposed on minorities and other people who are "excluded" by attitudes of superiority and condescension.

The work of healing unnecessary divisions between and among Christians and other religions continues to be hugely important in a world so divided by sectarian and religious violence. With St James we must remember that the prayer of the righteous is very powerful.

Today, pray for the strength to seek healing with anyone against whom you have sinned.

What do you think are the best means to heal the unnecessary divisions among religions?

Resolving Disputes

   "'Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice, you cannot be saved.' Because there arose no little dissension and debate by Paul and Barnabas with them, it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others should go up to Jerusalem to the Apostles and presbyters about this question." Acts 15 1-2

Disputes in families and church communities are natural and necessary, but often painful. The early church struggled with how new converts might be faithful to the first Covenant and also be baptized into the new Covenant in Jesus Christ. Converts from Pharisaic Judaism were especially troubled with how gentile converts would fulfill the Torah with regard to circumcision and the dietary laws, leading Paul and Barnabas to bring this struggle to the elders in the hope that some compromise that would satisfy everyone might be reached.

Healthy compromise is hard to come by, but always worth the struggle. One has only to look at the diversity in the Catholic church in the United States to understand this. Folks at the extreme margins of left and right have a difficult time being heard even though they have important things to say. We are, after all, a church of tradition. We respect and honor what has gone before us, but we are also a church that must find ways to announce the Good News to a new generation of believers. Unless we can find ways to incorporate the essentials of our catholic tradition into contemporary life, we will lose our identity and dreams. Reliance on the Holy Spirit alive in the church helped the first Christians. It can do the same for us.

Today, listen quietly and from your heart to someone with whom you disagree.

How do you resolve disputes in your family and parish?

Accepting Our Fears

   "Jesus said to his disciples: 'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.'" Jn 14:27

The cost of discipleship for Jesus' followers was high. Almost all of his apostles would lose their lives through martyrdom, and many others turned away from Jesus because of their fear.  Jesus acknowledges and addresses the fear in his followers and promises them they will have his peace as a companion, but we should not be naïve about this.

The peace of Jesus is the ground upon which we build our faith, but it is often tested, and does not guarantee that we will be free of a fear that can paralyze us. Jesus will experience his own fear during the terrible night of his scourging and on the cross, but gives his life to his Father freely and powerfully. When we stay close to him, he assures us we will have the same strength to face our fears as he had during his agony.

Today, be with your fears and do not turn away from the trials of faith.

What about faith has helped you live with your fears and anxieties?

Our Advocate, the Holy Spirit

 “I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name -- he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” Jn 14:26

If you have ever been to a courthouse for a trial then you know the setting for St. John’s gospel. John suggests that not only Jesus, but the entire church is on trial, and that both Jesus and the church have an Advocate, a spokesperson who will testify on their behalf. This Advocate is the Holy Spirit. In the ancient world, if you were accused of a crime, it was important to haven an important figure in town speak on your behalf, someone to insist that you were more than your faults. The Holy Spirit is the one John designates as our spokesperson.

Not infrequently, when our spirits are low, we forget all those who care about and love us. Overwhelmed by our own guilt or weakness, we slip into a kind of darkness that blankets every thing we do and are. Though we know that life is not all darkness, we have periods of time when it seems that way, usually because of the accumulation of burdens. It is at times like this that we have to remember that we are not alone, the Spirit of God is with us, will guide us and support us.

Today, ask the Advocate to intercede for someone you know who cannot pray for themselves.

Has your faith called you to be an Advocate for others?