Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter(Click here for readings)
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying, "I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me."
Emphasizing Unity. It's hard to ignore Christ's intense prayer for unity; that is, unity within themselves, among the disciples and with Him. Over and over again He repeats Himself. At first He prays for them, "...that they may all be one, as you Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us." Then He prays for each one of them, "I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one." Finally He pray for "...the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them."
The Lord's petitions for us are intense and personal, exactly what we would expect from an intimate, holy and loving relationship.
As you all know, the Catechism of the Catholic Church is divided into three parts: What Catholics believe (CREED); How Catholics pray (CULT); How Catholics live (CODE). All three are essential ingredients to being a faithful Catholic Christian. All three touch upon the heart, the mind, and the hands and feet of the Apostle.
In life, it's not enough to only know what is right and wrong (CREED); you have to form the will to go along with the truth (CODE). And since we are all sinners and know that nothing good ever comes easy, then we need to pray for God's grace (CULT).
Creed, Cult and Code are important for good Catholic living. Jesus knew this. That's why He instructed His disciples, spent a lot of time with them (off campus), and sent them on their way.
St. Paul understood this. One evening, the Lord stood by him and said, "Take courage. For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome."
Paul understood what this meant. It meant his brutal death (decapitation) was eminent.
Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope. This is today's Responsorial Psalm (cf. Ps 16:1). Is this some kind of joke? Really? How can we be talking about God keeping us safe if He is allowing His best friends to be killed? So what in the world is going on? Talk about another contradiction in Scripture, right? WRONG! Think.
For God, the only thing that is of any importance to Him is that we remain united to Him in heart, mind and, yes, body. Remain in me, as I also remain in you...Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you...
Wherever God is, there I want to be. If that means nailed to a Cross, then let it be. If it means hell, then let it be. Wherever He is, I want to be. United: Heart. Mind. Body. United: Creed. Cult. Code. United: The Lord and I.
"Keep me safe, O God" can only mean one thing: Never separate me from you.
Excellent meditation. It's all summed up for me in Peter's response to Jesus, "To whom shall we go? You have the words of Eternal Life." Never let us be separated from Him.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure why but this meditation made me think of the transcendence of Christ evidenced in the words of the Easter Vigil liturgy as the priest prepares the Paschal Candle:
Christ yesterday and today
the Beginning and the End
the Alpha
and the Omega
All time belongs to him
and all the ages
To him be glory and power
through every age and for ever. Amen
Union with Christ is obviously the central point in these readings, but I think there's something to be said for unity in the Church. If all of us clung to Christ, to the point of death, should we not be more of a united community than we are? Does the failure to maintain a united front, even within the Catholic Church alone, expose a lack of faith?
ReplyDeleteI ask because you speak of three components to Catholic life: Creed, Cult, and Code. All these points are debated and rarely resolved. People just seem to come to their own conclusions and separate from one another and sometimes from the Church itself. If children should come to different conclusions from their parents, parents now permit it and let them find another path because all are okay. As long as they love Christ somehow, it's okay.
Unity seems to imply absolutes. The absolute is Christ: we should live like Christ; pray like Christ; and believe what Christ believed. This means we should know Christ as well as possible, which then means we should find the best authority on Christ, the Church. Therefore, unity begins with authority. If Catholics falter in coming together, they may do well to humble themselves and learn to enjoy authority, not always fight it. Those who represent and guide the Church should embrace their authority humbly, holding steady on big issues and serving those in need.
Union with Christ is obviously the central point in these readings, but I think there's something to be said for unity in the Church. If all of us clung to Christ, to the point of death, should we not be more of a united community than we are? Does the failure to maintain a united front, even within the Catholic Church alone, expose a lack of faith?
ReplyDeleteI ask because you speak of three components to Catholic life: Creed, Cult, and Code. All these points are debated and rarely resolved. People just seem to come to their own conclusions and separate from one another and sometimes from the Church itself. If children should come to different conclusions from their parents, parents now permit it and let them find another path because all are okay. As long as they love Christ somehow, it's okay.
Unity seems to imply absolutes. The absolute is Christ: we should live like Christ; pray like Christ; and believe what Christ believed. This means we should know Christ as well as possible, which then means we should find the best authority on Christ, the Church. Therefore, unity begins with authority. If Catholics falter in coming together, they may do well to humble themselves and learn to enjoy authority, not always fight it. Those who represent and guide the Church should embrace their authority humbly, holding steady on big issues and serving those in need.