22/05/2011 - 5th Sunday in Easter Season - Year A
1Reading Act 6,1-7 Psalm 32 2Reading 1Pt 2,4-9 Gospel Jn 14,1-12
The Acts of the Apostles speak of the first difficulties that had risen at the
heart of the christian community in Jerusalem. Community life is not easy neither
for us as it was for them. Even though we know that we are all brothers and sisters
in the same faith and in the same love for Jesus, the language and the formation
of the past still mark in a heavy way the internal relationships in a community.
It was easy for the same apostles, or their first co-workers, even without understanding,
to show preferences in the helping out the widows with their needs. Those coming
from the greek world were aware and protested. It is beautiful to see how the Twelve
accepted their claim and admited their mistake and sought out a solution. This is
how, providentially, ministries in the Church started to be formed and distinguished.
The apostles understood that they had the responsability of prayer and that of proclaming
the Gospel, which they could not put aside or substitute. They were charged by Jesus
himself on different occassions, finally, when he was lifted up to heaven! Ministry
to the poor could be commissioned to others. They comunicated the proposal tot he
whole group, and so was born the diaconate. The seven chosen men were in prayer
of the community and received the laying on of hands of the apostles. Thus the Church
started to be an organized group, or better, as Peter says it, a spiritual house.
This beautiful image gives us the meaning of faithfulness and order: a construction
is formed of several realities put together become one and remain faithfully in
their proper place. The foundations remain always hidden, not seen, those that form
the walls are seen and don't change their place, while the door and the windows
would not change places and do not envy each other. And so every piece depends on
another piece and serve as a platform for other pieces. "As living stones,
you too are build into a spiritual house". And Jesus would say to his apostles:
"In my Father's house there are many mansions". These are not theater
seats, but places of ministry, different ways of loving and of self giving. The
Church, which is, in fact, the house of the Father that Jesus went to prepare, is
a feast or a dance of all the capacities and possibilities of loving. Every form
of love finds place there!
The dialogue of the apostles with Jesus continues with a request of Philip, which
the Lord answered with the phrase that has become precious for every Christian.
"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life". Jesus speaks of himself and reveals
to us with these words that he is valuable and vital for each and every one.
He is the Way, the way to get to the Father! No other indeed leads us to know and
love a God who has taken the responsibility for our lives. No religion in the world
leads us to know and enjoy being loved in spite of our littleness and poverty.
He is the truth that opens our eyes to the hidden intentions of the Father. The
truth is the knowledge of him who is hidden from our eyes, and therefore the knowledge
of his love that is hidden in every event that occurs and that happens to us! The
truth is not what it seems to me, what I like, as many now claim, but the truth
is what he sees and knows God, our Creator and Father! The Truth then is Jesus,
the Son who came to show us the depth of God's love.
And Jesus is the life. Life is not just breathe and digest, life is to be present
at the heart and mind of God, life is being in the heart of that Father to which
all the world and the universe and everything above that contains all the possible
forms of love.
Life is Jesus who became little to love the little ones and the poor, sinners and
enemies. Jesus is my life. Without him I would have been disguised as a digestive
tube into the vanity of some nice clothes. Jesus is my life, he is the life of man.
Who carries him in his heart lives, those who do not have Jesus in the heart does
not live, but yearns and struggles to continue and to continue one needs to distract
from himself.
Jesus is in the Father, and we, united with Jesus, we too share in the life of the
Father, that is the greatness and depth of his love! Jesus, nobody but Jesus!
The Church, made up of living persons because they carry Jesus in their heart, is
the place where love continues to grow and give shape and meaning to every believer.
All in it become servants, deacons of one another, living stones in one building!