Today we see the people of God offering the hospitality rather than receiving it, first Abraham and then Martha. What lessons of discipleship can be learned from these readings? First and foremost we see how important openness is, for in each case those to whom the hospitality was offered were divine visitors in human form. We can never be sure under what guise God will come to us. It could be the person on the street who asks for directions, or the one who comes to our place of work to engage the service that we provide. It may be the friend who comes to dinner or the co-worker who acts in a way we did not expect. God comes into our lives in unexpected ways and we must have an open attitude of hospitality if we are to receive the blessings that might come with such visits. We know that we cannot lay aside the responsibilities of our lives in order to sit with Mary at the feet of Jesus. However, we cannot allow ourselves to be held captive by these responsibilities, regardless of how legitimate they may be. And so we continue to struggle; to carry the burdens that are ours for the sake of the people that we serve; to serve the people in our care realising that we will probably not be able to accomplish all of our tasks or at least as well as we would like. It is in this way that the reign of God struggles to be born.
The First Reading commands us to love, and gives us the means to do it. The law, or word, is not beyond our reach but is as close to us as our hearts. And the help and compassion of the Lord for the poor and needy can be seen by our service. It is through this that, hearts will revive (Psalm). The Second Reading makes clear that all is possible by Christ and his cross. He holds everything in being from the beginning and, even now, is drawing us together in deeper unity. Finally, the parable of the Good Samaritan (Gospel) gives us a concrete example of what this service, this command to love, this deeper unity without bias or prejudice, looks like. This week’s Readings give us renewed confidence, trust, and hope in the Good Samaritan who comes close to us in our need, that we might go out so that God’s desires for all people might be seen by our loving response.
We are called and sent to bring the deep peace of the kingdom of God into the world. The prophet Isaiah (First Reading) proclaims a joyful time of peace that flows like a river from the healing, comforting love of God, which is compared to the intimate, tender bond between a mother and a baby. The same spirit of contented happiness is reflected in today’s Psalm of jubilation, where the whole earth cries out with joy to the Lord. The members of the Early Church community in Galatia are encouraged to be at peace with one another through Christ, who makes us a new creation in him. Christ is the source of all peace and unity in the world (Second Reading). In the Gospel, Jesus sends seventy-two of his followers ahead of him. He is confident that they will have all they need for their mission through all they have learnt from following his way. He instructs them to bring his peace and healing into the communities that they visit. In a world that cries out more than ever for the peace of Christ, this is our calling today. Jesus stands among us and sends us before him, to declare his peace and to heal and encourage people in the knowledge that the Kingdom of God is very near.
The followers of Christ come from every race and culture, every generation and social class. However, it is not a common culture that draws them together, but a common faith. Peter and Paul represent the universality of the church and the red vestments worn today remind us of the price their commitment exacted of them. Both Peter and Paul are examples of how God takes those weak in faith and transforms them into champions of the gospel. Once transformed, each man threw himself wholeheartedly into the mission that was his. Their fate should not surprise us, for they were disciples of one who gave his last breath for the life of the world. Although the word martyr usually refers to one who dies for the faith, the Greek word (mártys) really means witness, one who gives testimony. Like Peter and Paul, the martyr is one whose life gives witness to the faith. However, when this witness is too much of a challenge, the witness’ life is placed in jeopardy. Peter and Paul call us all to this kind of testimony to faith.
This Feast reminds us that the body and blood of Christ were offered as a sacrifice for us, and every time we re-enact this sacrifice, we renew his sacrifice. The multiplication of the loaves and the fishes in the Gospel prefigures the messianic banquet of fulfilment. Its miraculous bounty assures us of the abundance of that future banquet. Its miracle of multiplication prefigures the miracle of Jesus as he changed the bread and wine into his own body and blood. Jesus handed himself over as food and drink on the very night that he was handed over by others. The banquet that he prepared was a celebration of the new covenant; it was a messianic banquet of thanksgiving. This feast invites us to enter through either the past, the present or the future, for each one will lead us to the mystery that we celebrate: the mystery of the sacrifice of Christ; the mystery of the sacred bread and wine of the future; the mystery of the messianic banquet of the present.
In the Gospel, Jesus consoles and encourages his disciples on the night of his arrest. He promises them that even in his absence they will still have an advocate, a teacher and guide; they will not be left orphaned. The understanding of God as Trinity can also help us understand our own life. The Trinity expresses the Christian faith that the essence of Divine life is a love that reaches out to another in desire to be in relationship. As this Gospel reveals, the Spirit is turned towards Jesus, the Son; all the Spirit expresses comes from the Risen Christ, just as all the Father has, is given over to the Son. Our own relationships and desires for love image the dynamic self-giving within the life of God. In celebrating the Trinity, may we also celebrate and give thanks for our participation in this life of loving desire. May the patterns of our own loving mirror the generous self-giving of our God.
The word Pentecost comes from the Greek for fiftieth day. Pentecost Sunday ends the season of Easter and comes as a Sabbath day after seven weeks of seven days. In Christian tradition, Pentecost is celebrated as the arrival of the Spirit, promised by Jesus, that animated the disciples to proclaim His Gospel to all nations. In John’s Gospel, the Spirit is called ‘The Advocate’ or ‘The Paraclete,’ and the role of the Spirit is to teach and remind the disciples of Jesus’ words. These are functions that happen within a community where people gather to share stories, to ask questions, to try to find meaning in the events of their lives. Jesus promises that when Christians gather for this purpose they will not be alone. Jesus promises that he, and the God he calls ‘Father’, will make their home with us, and the Spirit will be there to guide and enlighten us.
The Feast of the Ascension celebrates the exaltation of Jesus. We do this by considering the enthronement of Christ in the heavens and the new body of Christ on earth. Today we stand awestruck, watching Jesus ascend into the clouds of heaven, there to be enthroned at the right hand of God. Today is a day to be overwhelmed by the reality of the divinity of the one whom we have known in his humanity. Christ who ascended into heaven in his body carries on what he began on earth through his new body, the community of believers. He teaches through its apostles and evangelists. He ministers through its prophets and pastors. We have not been left alone; we have his power, the same power with which he performed marvels when he walked the earth. We have not been left alone; we have each other. Together we make up the new body of Christ.
The central theme of this week’s Gospel is unity. Jesus prays that all believers ‘may be one’, just as He and the Father are one. This unity is established in the very relationship between the Father and the Son. Jesus asks that all believers be united ‘in us’, sharing in the divine life and love that exists within the Godhead. Such unity serves a purpose: ‘so that the world may believe that it was you who sent me’. The visible unity and love among Christians serves as a powerful symbol to the world of Christ’s love for all. This echoes Jesus’ earlier teaching: ‘By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another’ (Jn 13:35) Unity and love among believers are not ends in themselves. They are signs to us of Christ love for us, inviting us to take up Jesus mission of love.
The new commandment that Jesus announces is more than tolerance or mutual respect. It requires self-sacrificing love. It is the law of the new heaven and the new earth that are established in the new Jerusalem. Standards are entirely different there. The greater ones serve; the meek possess the earth; happy are the poor; woe to those who laugh. This is clearly a city that comes down from heaven, not one made by human hands. It is a city that embraces all who come to it. God dwells in the midst of this city, in the heart of this people. God dwells with them and they dwell with God. Through this new love, this new heaven and new earth, this new depth of communion, the glory of God is manifested in a new way.