15 May, 2019. Wednesday, 4th Week of Easter
Wednesday of Week 4 of Easter
1st Reading: Acts 12:24-13:5
The growing church sends Barnabas and Saul on mission
The word of God continued to advance and gain adherents. Then after completing their mission Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem and brought with them John, whose other name was Mark.
Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the ruler, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia; and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John also to assist them.
Responsorial: Psalm 66: 2-3, 5-6, 8
Response: O God, let all the nations praise you!
O God, be gracious and bless us
and let your face shed its light upon us.
So will your ways be known upon earth
and all nations learn your saving help. (R./)
Let the nations be glad
and exult for you rule the world with justice.
With fairness you rule the peoples,
you guide the nations on earth. (R./)
Let the peoples prise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
May God still give us his blessing
till the ends of the earth revere him. (R./)
Gospel: John 12:44-50
Whoever believes in Jesus is trusting in the One who sent him
Jesus said aloud: “Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness. I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me.”
His Mission Goes On
Today’s Gospel offers a glimpse of the intimacy between Jesus and his heavenly Father. “I have not spoken on my own; no, the Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to speak.” Jesus’ personality was formed by his attentiveness to the Father, knowing himself sent by the Father, and making this the focus of his life.
Likewise the Acts describes the bond between the members of the church among themselves and with God. In the church at Antioch, the community gathers for liturgy while fasting from food and drink. This would remind them that their strength comes from God, not from themselves. Fasting also induces a bond of compassion, a willingness to suffer together, a sense of being one with all the world’s poor and oppressed. As such, they are thoroughly open to God for guidance and for strength. That was when the Holy Spirit inspired a prophecy: “Set apart Barnabas and Saul.” The language reminds us of great prophets, like Jeremiah, called and set apart from his mother’s womb, or the Suffering Servant of Isaiah, called from birth to be a light to the nations (Jer 1:5; Is 49:6).
Through the mission of Barnabas and Paul a broader church was established. The bond of Jesus’ disciples is to spread across the Roman empire, during this first missionary journey to the island of Cyprus. The Holy Spirit did not give precise, detailed instructions, only a call to proceed forward on the journey. At first they proclaim the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. Yet, all the while God’s main purpose was to attract more and more gentiles so that Christianity can bring the message of Moses, the prophets and Jesus to all the world.
Just as Jesus and the Father share life intimately and as the disciples at Antioch were united among themselves through the Holy Spirit, so the church needs to reach outward into the world to unite people as one family in Christ. At the heart of this expanding family was the word of life. It is this outreach toward others in love that keeps us from over-controlling the word of God. As we share this word with others, it always brings something new, fresh and demanding, just as whenever a new life comes into a family. Faith and mission are intimately linked, in continuity with the mission of Jesus from the Father. The impulse comes from the Father, and sends us on a missionary journey of kindness and love to others.
Sent by the Father
Often in John’s gospel, Jesus speaks of the God who sent him. God sent his Son among us out of love for the world. This sending involves a real giving, for John speaks of God as giving his Son. In the first reading, the church of Antioch sent out its two most gifted speakers to parts of the Roman Empire where Christ had not yet been preached.
The sending of Barnabas and Paul on mission involved generosity on the part of the Antioch Christians, who were sacrificing two prized members for the sake of others. In centuries past, the Irish church has sent and given some of its most gifted members to proclaim the gospel far from our shors. That is the nature of our Church and the nature of our call as Christians. We give away what is most precious to us so that others can share our resources. Each local church, each parish, is called not just to serve itself, but to serve other local churches whether next door or far away. We need to be generous with each other as God has been with us.
