A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 5, n. 24)
6th Sunday of Easter, Year C – May 13, 2007
“It is the Decision of the Holy Spirit …”
BIBLE READINGS
Acts 15:1-2, 22-29 // Rev 21:10-14, 22-23 // Jn 14:23-29
N.B. Series 5 of BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy of Year C from the perspective of the First Reading. For another set of reflections on the Sunday liturgy of Year C, please go to the PDDM Web Archives: WWW.PDDM.US and open Series 2.
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS
We are at the threshold of the feast of Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, which celebrates the Risen Lord’s glorious enthronement, and the feast of Pentecost, which celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the missionary Church. The Holy Spirit is the Risen Lord’s new and intimate presence to his beloved community of apostles and disciples. The physical presence of the historical Jesus of Nazareth is no more. It has been replaced by something far more wonderful - by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the spirit of love that unites us intimately to Jesus and his heavenly Father. The Holy Spirit is the power that enables us to live the life of Christ. He is the divine person who propels and energizes the Church to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
This Sunday’s Gospel passage from the Farewell Discourse of Jesus (Jn 14:23-29) contains the parting words of Jesus to his disciples, assuring them of the divine Paraclete. A “paraclete” is one who cheers, encourages, persuades, exhorts, stirs up, urges forward and calls on to greater courage and newness. Harold Buetow narrates how the wife of the great American author, Nathaniel Hawthorne played the part of a “paraclete”.
When the heartbroken Nathaniel Hawthorne went home to tell his wife that he was a failure and had been fired from his job in the customhouse, she surprised him with an exclamation of joy. “Now,” she said triumphantly, “you can write a book!” “Yes,” replied Nathaniel, “and what shall we live on while I’m writing it?” To his amazement, she opened a drawer and pulled out a substantial amount of money. “Where on earth did you get that?” he exclaimed. “I’ve always known you were a man of genius,” she told him. “I knew that someday you would write a masterpiece. So every week, out of the housekeeping money you gave me, I saved a little. So here is enough to last us for a whole year!” From her confidence and encouragement came one of the greatest novels of United States literature, The Scarlet Letter.
The divine Paraclete, sent by the Father in the name of Jesus, not only encourages and gives strength to the disciples. He also teaches them about everything and reminds them of all that Jesus had done and taught. Indeed, the Holy Spirit is the memory of the Church. The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 3, explain: “There are countless instances in the Gospels and the apostolic writings where the Spirit brought to mind a scriptural text or one of Jesus’ sayings. In their light, the meaning of Jesus’ deeds, the events of his life, his other sayings, what happens in the Church and what it determines to do appears in full light. Thus the Holy Spirit is even today the memory of the Church, not that it always repeats what was said and learned before, but because it teaches us to act in conformity with Scripture and the Lord’s teaching in our own time. The Spirit is the heart and soul of the Church’s living tradition. It pushes it forward, giving it the courage and audacity needed to confront new situations, to seek and find bold solutions, drawing on its memory of the living Word.”
The role of the Holy Spirit in the Church of the Risen Lord is evident in today’s First Reading (Acts 15:1-2, 22-29). The passage reports on the burning issue presented to the Council of Jerusalem by the Church in Antioch whether a non-Jew who becomes a believer in Christ should be compelled to undergo circumcision in order to be saved. The Benedictine scholar, Adrian Nocent comments: “Radical decisions have to be made, yet a certain flexibility must also be preserved. The scene is the famous Council of Jerusalem, the first example of a Church Council. Leaders are chosen from the Jerusalem community, and they set out for Antioch with Paul and Barnabas to announce the decisions reached by the Council … The conciliar decision has been made with the help of the Holy Spirit. It is this second point that establishes a connection between this reading and the Gospel of the day. The Spirit whom Jesus has sent teaches everything, and bestows perspicacity of judgment on those who exercise authority in the Church. Circumcision will not be required of Gentile converts. The only prohibitions are not to eat meat sacrificed to idols, or blood, or the meat of strangled animals, and to abstain from illicit sexual unions. At first sight this reading seems to have little connection with the overall theme of this Sunday in all three cycles. But it does in fact have a connection, for it is dealing with the formation and growth of the Church. It provides us with a typical example of the difficulties that the establishment of the Church entailed, and of how the Spirit of Christ helped the disciples reach a sound decision in a matter that was agitating a local church.”
Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Council of Jerusalem - the Church’s first Ecumenical Council – made a radical and significant decision to officially break ties with Judaism. Thus the Christian assembly arrived at a newer way of defining itself centered on the faith in Jesus, without compelling the Gentile converts to become Jews in order to attain salvation, knowing by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that the ultimate and final word of God is not the Torah, but Jesus Christ. Salvation is brought about, not with the observance of Jewish law, but through faith in Jesus Christ. Under the impulse of the Holy Spirit and the freedom that he brings, the Gospel of the Risen Lord spread to the ends of the earth.
Harold Buetow concludes: “The Church is an assembly guided by the Holy Spirit to teach Christ’s truth authentically. The truth does not change. There is no new Gospel. But Christ’s Gospel can be applied to new situations. The Gospel develops, but does not depart from its original deposit of faith. There is nothing in the oak tree which was not first in the acorn; yet the oak has certainly grown and developed. The Church has always confronted new problems. This should not cause consternation. The Church will continue to solve life’s problems as she has always done: by relying on the Holy Spirit.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
A. How does the following promise of Jesus affect us: “The Paraclete, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name will instruct you in everything, and remind you of all that I told you” (Jn 14:26)? Do we believe that the Risen Lord continues to be with us in a far more wonderful way than physical presence through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?
B. How is the Holy Spirit at work in the early Christian community? What lessons do we glean from the decision of the Council of Jerusalem regarding the controversy whether Gentile Christians needed to be circumcised to attain salvation?
C. Do we call on the Holy Spirit, the divine Paraclete and our most gracious advocate, and trust in him? How receptive are we to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit? Do we allow ourselves to be illumined by him and led to the light of truth about God and Jesus? Do we surrender our mind, heart and will to the decision of the Holy Spirit? Do we endeavor to bring about the unity of the Church through our humble obedience to the workings of the Spirit of Jesus?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD
(Adapted from Commission Francophone Cistercienne, Tropaires des dimanches, Le Livre d’Heures d’EnCalcat, Dourgne: 1980, 42 // Days of the Lord, vol. 3, Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1993, p. 201-202)
Leader: Now I am going away. I am going to the Father. He will send you the Creator Spirit. To you I will return. The Spirit of wisdom rouses your hearts: Rise up! People of Easter! Rise up! Take courage!
Assembly: Rise up! People of Easter! Rise up! Take courage!
Leader: In vain does the sun shine if the Spirit does not illuminate the town! In vain do the masons labor if the Spirit does not build the house! In vain are words chanted if the Spirit does not dwell in memory!
Assembly: Rise up! People of Easter! Rise up! Take courage!
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities.” (Acts 15:29)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION
A. ACTION PLAN: Pray that the memory of the Easter mystery may be more fully alive and present to the Christian community of today through the workings of the Holy Spirit. Endeavor to help manage conflicts and resolve divisive controversies by calling on the light and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Bring the light and love of the holy Paraclete upon issues and situations that need healing and reconciliation. Every day of your life, learn to make decisions in the light of the inspiration of the divine Advocate..
B. ACTION PLAN: To help us to be more receptive to the workings of the Holy Spirit, make an effort to spend an hour in Eucharistic Adoration. Visit the PDDM WEB site (www.pddm.us) for the EUCHARISTIC ADORATION THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR (Vol. 3, n. 24): A Weekly Pastoral Tool.
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
60 Sunset Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
Website: WWW.PDDM.US