Fifth Sunday of Easter

Catechism Links [1]
 
CCC 2746-2751: Christ’s prayer at the Last Supper
CCC 661, 1025-1026, 2795: Christ opens for us the way to heaven
CCC 151, 1698, 2614, 2466: Believing in Jesus
CCC 1569-1571: The order of deacons
CCC 782, 803, 1141, 1174, 1269, 1322: “A chosen race, a royal priesthood”

“First Deacons Appointed” Detail
by Fra Angelico, c. 1339

 
Readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1: Acts 6:1-7
 
As the number of disciples continued to grow,
the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews
because their widows
were being neglected in the daily distribution.
So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said,
“It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table.
Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men,
filled with the Spirit and wisdom,
whom we shall appoint to this task,
whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer
and to the ministry of the word.”
The proposal was acceptable to the whole community,
so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit,
also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas,
and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
They presented these men to the apostles
who prayed and laid hands on them.
The word of God continued to spread,
and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly;
even a large group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
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Commentary on Acts 6:1-7
This account from Acts of the Apostles is considered to be the institution of the diaconate or the Order of Deacons. There is a clear delineation of roles. The apostles retain their pastoral role as shepherds of the faith (through “prayer and ministry of the word”), while assigning the service role (distribution of food and material to the needy) to Stephen and his six brother deacons. It is noteworthy to observe that Stephen and Philip especially began their own service of the word as well, but in an evangelical rather than liturgical way.
 
Understanding the roots of the imposition of hands is key to understanding the rationale for its use as an ordaining function. While this was a Hebrew tradition for designating a person for a task, it was later adopted by the Church as a mark of ordination and sacramental selection by God. ("From that time on the apostles, in fulfillment of Christ's will, imparted to the newly baptized by the laying on of hands the gift of the Spirit that completes the grace of baptism.” [5]).
 
CCC: Acts 6:6 2632; Acts 6:7 595, 1569
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19
 
R. (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Exult, you just, in the Lord;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the Lord on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Upright is the word of the Lord,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the Lord the earth is full.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
See, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19
 
Psalm 33 is a hymn of praise. In these strophes, we hear the note of thanksgiving for God’s salvation and complete faith in God’s mercy. The final strophe (v. 18-19) hearkens to a time of great tribulation where the Lord’s saving hand was clearly seen. (“The eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness.”) This song also can also be applied to the virtue of the seven deacons  (See Acts 6:1-7 and 1 Timothy 3:12-13 "Upright is the word of the Lord, and all his works are trustworthy”).
 
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Reading 2: 1 Peter 2:4-9
 
Beloved:
Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings
but chosen and precious in the sight of God,
and, like living stones,
let yourselves be built into a spiritual house
to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
For it says in Scripture:
Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion,
a cornerstone, chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in it shall not be put to shame.
Therefore, its value is for you who have faith, but for those without faith:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone, and
A stone that will make people stumble,
and a rock that will make them fall.
They stumble by disobeying the word, as is their destiny.
 
You are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people of his own,
so that you may announce the praises” of him
who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
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Commentary on 1 Pt 2:4-9
 
St. Peter begins this selection exhorting the Christian reader to build the spiritual house of God. He tells the Christian to be part of that house and strengthen it through prayer and sacrifice (the reference here seems to point to the Eucharistic sacrifice common in the homes of the persecuted Church).
 
The passage continues with the “building” analogy, the use of the foundation and cornerstone simile. ”Christ is the cornerstone (cf. Isaiah 28:16) that is the foundation of the spiritual edifice of the Christian community (1 Peter 2:5). To unbelievers, Christ is an obstacle and a stumbling block on which they are destined to fall (1 Peter 2:8); cf. Romans 11:11.” [6]
 
CCC: 1 Pt 2:1-10 2769; 1 Pt 2:4-5 1141, 1179; 1 Pt 2:4 552; 1 Pt 2:5 756, 901, 1268, 1330, 1546; 1 Pt 2:9 709, 782, 803, 1141, 1268, 1546
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Gospel: John 14:1-12
 
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going you know the way.”
Thomas said to him,
“Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you know me, then you will also know my Father.
From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said to him,
“Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time
and you still do not know me, Philip?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.
The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,
or else, believe because of the works themselves.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,
and will do greater ones than these,
because I am going to the Father.”
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Commentary on Jn 14:1-12
This dialogue with the disciples takes place at the Last Supper. Jesus has already responded to Peter and now Thomas chimes in with: “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” To which Jesus responds with a phrase known to all Christians: “I am the way and the truth and the life.” He ends with another phrase that has been used and twisted throughout the history of Christianity: “No one comes to the Father except through me.”
 
Also in this passage from St. John’s Gospel, part of the “Many Dwellings” discourse, we see the confusion in some of the disciples. St. Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father. This request allows Jesus to remind them that he and the Father are one, and that since they have seen Jesus, they have seen the Father.
 
He concludes this passage with a clear statement about the power of faith in himself saying that whatever is asked for in his name will be granted. Note especially that Jesus says these prayers (requests) will be granted for the glory of the Father.
 
CCC: Jn 14:1 151; Jn 14:2-3 2795; Jn 14:2 661; Jn 14:3 1025; Jn 14:6 74, 459, 1698, 2466, 2614; Jn 14:9-10 470; Jn 14:9 516
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Reflection:
 
In 1986, a few years after I was ordained for St. Thomas by the late Bishop Povish, I was asked to do a talk on Mary by the Altar Rosary Society.  At that time, the parish offices were housed across the street in what is now Saint Catherine House.  I needed to get keys for the space I was going to use and as I was leaving the house our pastor, Fr. Lundsford (now monsignor) call me to him at the door of rectory across the street. 
 
Being a zealous and spry (I was just 38 at the time.) young deacon, I rushed down the stairs intending to go diagonally across the street to meet father.  What I had not realized was that someone had decided to re-plant grass on the right of way and had strung a rope on the far side of the sidewalk along Elizabeth Street between me and the road. When I saw it I had a choice to make.  I was moving to quickly to stop so I could try to jump over it, duck under it, or run through it.  I ducked under. 
 
This action put me off balance, my body ahead of my feet and, rather than fall in the dirt (I was wearing a suit.) I decided to run my feet under me.  But, when I got onto the pavement it became clear that I was too overbalanced to do that so, remembering my days as a college gymnast, I decided to tuck and roll, minimizing the damage to my suit.
 
I had not taken into account the 15 years that had passed since my gymnastic career had ended and found upon sitting up in the middle of Elizabeth Street that I had broken my collar bone.  I missed my talk with the ladies of the Altar Rosary Society and almost scared Fr. Lundsford to death.
 
You may wonder why I told this story today.  No, it is not because I was thinking of the many dwellings Jesus mentions in the Gospel.  And it was not to astound you that the old deacon you now see was once an athlete.  I suppose you could think that I should have built a house of living stone as St. Peter suggested in the epistle and that’s not it either. And I was not trying for martyrdom following St. Stephen, the first deacon mentioned in the reading from Acts of the Apostles.
 
The big and rather disappointing lesson I learned that day was my body could no longer do what my mind remembered doing those 15 years ago.  I had not practiced, and my remembered skill was gone, just when I needed it.  And it occurred to me as I listened to the disciples, uncharacteristically not understanding what Jesus was telling them in the Gospel discourse (in St. John’s Gospel the disciples usually understand instantly the important lessons Jesus teaches), that if we do not continue to build our faith through practice that when it comes time to follow the Lord, we not be able to do so.  Our faith, while a gift from God, must be exercised.
 
The path each of us has accepted, and we say this because you are here, worshiping our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is a difficult one.  Jesus knew this clearly when he gave his “many dwellings” discourse.  He knew that once he was gone, once he had accepted his great passion and returned to the Father, these friends of his would carry on his great work of salvation.  They would spread the word that he had been spreading and like him, they would encounter fear, greed, and hatred.  They would be put to the test and would follow him.  Indeed, all but one of their number would be put to death and the one who survived would do so on a remote island.
 
One of their number reminds us of how important it is to build our inner spiritual strength so we can continue to follow the way Christ leads.  St. Peter tells the early Christians to “build spiritual bodies using the very rock of our salvation, the rock the builders rejected, the stumbling stone for the scribes and Pharisees, the Messiah that did not fit their image as a savior.  It is that spiritual rock that must be our armor against the world that has not fallen in love with Jesus but resents almost everything he stands for.
 
How do we build this armor, develop a faith that can withstand the kind of rejection that society will certainly heap upon us if we dare to be visible disciples of the Lord in our places of business, at school, or just in public?  We must learn who Jesus is and do our best to be like him. 
 
Jesus was formed in Scripture.  We must form ourselves with the Bible.
 
Jesus constantly talked to his Heavenly Father in prayer.  We must be a people of prayer.
 
Jesus loved all those with whom he had contact.  We must be a people who love, not hate.
 
Jesus reminded called everyone to follow his way, the way to the Father.  That must be our invitation to others as well.
 
This is very difficult, and it is not popular, less so today than even 40 years ago.  But it is what we are called to be and if we don’t exercise our faith through prayer, scripture, and the sacraments that give us grace and strengthen us, we will, one day, find that we have lost those muscles and cannot make that final climb.  As much as we hate to exercise, this is an area we cannot ignore.  Great words today from those who have gone before us in faith.
 
Pax

In other years on May 3rd: Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles

[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture is “First Deacons Appointed” Detail by Fra Angelico, c. 1339.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio
[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] CCC 1288.
[6] NAB footnote on 1 Peter 2:4-8.