Intimacy with God

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

John 14:15-21

Jesus said to his disciples: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”

Introductory Prayer: Lord, as I begin this prayer I offer you my whole self: my thoughts, desires, decisions, actions, hopes, fears, weaknesses, failures and petty successes. I open my entire being to you, aware that you know everything already. I’m certain of your mercy and of the purifying power of your penetrating, loving gaze.

Petition: Lord, I want to believe in your personal and passionate love for me.

1. Intimacy with Jesus: When we gaze at the cross, we need to remind ourselves that he died there for each one of us, for “me”. He died to forgive my sins and to pour his divine life into my soul. He wants there to be no divisions between us, barriers caused by sin. He wants us to be united in all things. This is why he says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” He wants our wills to be united, for his will represents our true good. He asks for our obedience out of love, not fear. There is a tendency in today’s society to separate love from obedience. Love of God gets reduced to some kind of vague feeling of goodwill toward God and others. Love requires sacrifice. Love is self-donation. Ask Jesus for the grace to love as he has loved us.

2. Intimacy with the Holy Spirit: Jesus promised his disciples another advocate, one who would remain with them forever. The disciples were upset to hear Jesus speak of his death and departure. They were distraught to think of themselves alone in the world, with all their hopes and plans crashing down around them. Jesus didn’t want to leave them alone, nor does he want to leave us alone. He does not leave us orphans in the world; he sends us a helper, a gift of love. In the Holy Spirit we find a guide and friend, another person who abides within us. We are never alone. He is always with us, even when we feel abandoned by others.

3. Intimacy with the Father: “Whoever loves me, will be loved by my Father.” Now we turn to the Father, and we come to him through Jesus Christ. The Father’s plan from all eternity was to love us in his Son. He wants to love us with a fatherly love, to love us with the same love he has for his only-begotten son from all eternity. How much God loves us! He wants to draw us into his living and eternal relationship of love. In a thousand different ways he is calling us, inviting us, pulling us towards himself. Jesus reveals a Triune God, and he invites us to share in the communion of life and love that is the Holy Trinity.

Conversation with Christ: Jesus, help me to believe in you and your love. Imprint your love very deeply onto my heart. I want to remain in your love always. I want to remain in the love of the Father and the Holy Spirit, but I need your strength and grace. Help me to set aside anything that displeases you.

Resolution: I will make three spiritual communions with Jesus during the day.

Do We Cower or Preach?

Dr. Mark Giszczak

May 25, 2014
Sixth Sunday of Easter
First Reading: Acts 8:5-8, 14-17
http://usccb.org/bible/readings/052514.cfm

If one of your close friends was unjustly condemned and then stoned by a mob, would you feel like going on a mission trip to a nearby town? Philip the Deacon (or the Evangelist) surprises us by his audacity in the face of persecution. After St. Stephen’s martyrdom, rather than cowering, cowtowing, hiding or hightailing, he sets out to proclaim the Gospel boldly.

Historical Context

This Sunday’s first reading from Acts 8 immediately follows the death of Stephen at the hands of Saul’s mob. Persecution of such ferocity is designed to discourage whatever religious behavior it condemns, but Philip is undeterred. While he does not re-engage the Jerusalem Jews in an evangelistic dialogue, he goes to the “city of Samaria” to proclaim Jesus’ message. This city had been the ancient capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, and had become a city of some political importance in the Roman period, being renamed “Sebaste” by the emperor Augustus. The “city of Samaria” was the capital of the whole region also called Samaria—kind of like Oklahoma City being the capital of Oklahoma. The city is about 65 miles north of Jerusalem, so Philip might be headed there to avoid the knife-edge of persecution, but ends up attracting even more attention.

Fulfilling the Expanding Plan of Salvation

As the capital city, Samaria represents the whole region by the same name. What happens in the city, happens on behalf of the region. It also represents the Samaritan people, the remnants of the ten northern tribes who had been forced to intermarry with other nations. Philip’s decision to preach there is not random, but it is rooted in Jesus’ last words to the apostles recorded at the beginning of Acts: “…and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8 NAB). The ten tribes seemed to have been lost, but now Philip’s proclamation of the gospel in the Samaritan territory will make them the first to hear the gospel message besides the Jews. Philip’s preaching fulfills the words of Jesus, and the prophecies in the Old Testament which refer to bringing all the tribes back to the Lord in the land. The lost tribes have been found!

Preaching with Power

While great preaching might delight us, screeching demons coming out of people could scare us away from a powerful preacher. But such deliverances are signs of God’s power at work defeating the devil, not of the devil’s power. Not only does Philip preach convincingly, but he casts out demons and heals very sick people. These miraculous signs wake people up and cause them to pay careful attention to his message. Often such powerful signs have accompanied the preaching of the saints. The Lord grants these wonderful demonstrations of his power to confirm the message proclaimed. These signs and Philip’s preaching prompt a joyful response from the residents of Samaria. They are happy to encounter God and receive his message to them.

Evangelistic Teamwork

Now the Lectionary skips over Acts 9-13 which portrays Simon the Magician converting to Christianity under Philip’s preaching, only to try and buy the apostles power a few verses later and have the sin of “simony” (i.e., the buying of holy offices) named after him for all time. Philip’s mission is going so well that the apostles, Ss. Peter and John come to help him out. It is not entirely clear why, but Philip seems not to be able to fully initiate new people into the Christian faith. He needs an apostle to come with authority and pray for the Holy Spirit to fill these new Christians. If Philip comes with the message and power of Jesus, Peter and John come with the power of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps this is an early indication of the distinction in sacramental power between a deacon and a bishop, but the point is that we cannot evangelize solo. Preaching the gospel and inviting people to come to Christ involves incorporating them in a community, the living Body of Christ. We can’t do that all by ourselves, but need to work as a team to bring in the harvest of souls.

Often persecutors get what they want: bland, innocuous Christians. If a Christian speaks out boldly and then suffers for it, it is easy for the rest of us to capitulate and shrink away from bringing our faith to others. But Philip takes the opposite approach. It almost seems as if Stephen’s martyrdom inspired him to preach the faith bravely. When he does step out in faith, God shows up in power to supplement his message with miraculous special effects. We might not be able to go to the city of Samaria and preach to crowds of people rapt with attention, but we might find Philip’s example inspiring. If he could bounce back from so great a tragedy with such zeal and boldness, then just imagine what we could do.