Detail of icon painting by Br. Robert Lentz, OFM

St. Philip Neri
Sunday, May 26^th is the feast day of St. Philip Neri (1515 – 1595), the founder of the “Congregation of the Oratory”. Priests of the Oratory staff two of our neighboring churches, Assumption and St. Boniface. St. Philip was known for his love of music – the “Oratorio” developed from his group. For his sense of humor, he has been called the “laughing saint”. Most endearingly, he is often pictured caring for his cat. We extend our best wishes to our neighbors on their feast.

 

The Sixth Sunday of Easter

Acts 15: 1-2, 22-29

May 26, 2019

Today’s reading from the “Acts of the Apostles” gives us the highlights of the Council of Jerusalem. This is one of the most important events in the Church’s history, not only for what was decided, but how and by whom. Although this will be merely an overview, it will nonetheless be somewhat longer than usual. I hope you are reading it on the beach or in London.

The situation begins with “some people” from Jerusalem arriving at Antioch and telling the disciples that: “Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice, you cannot be saved.” (Acts 15:1b). As we have seen these last few weeks examining Acts the Apostles Paul, Barnabas and indeed Peter have been led by the Spirit to accept Gentiles, those not born Jews, into the Church by Baptism not circumcision. St. Peter we may remember baptized the Roman Cornelius when the Spirit came upon him and gave them the gift of speaking in tongues.

⁴⁷ “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people, who have received the holy Spirit even as we have?” ⁴⁸ He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Acts 10:47–48

Peter, also earlier in Acts, says: “There is no salvation through anyone else,” for God has not given human beings “any other name under heaven … by which we are to be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

It is important not only that we see that if Paul and the leaders of Antioch accepted this, it would have strangled Christianity at its birth, but that they realized that they could not solve this themselves but had to go to Jerusalem to receive a decision from the Apostles and Elders.

Our reading then skips 20 verses to reach the conclusion of this story. To understand this, we must look however briefly at what occurred in them. Paul and Barnabas are greeted by the church where the apostles and presbyters (elders) presided over a debate between Paul and Barnabas, who realized that Christianity was a new religion and needed to establish its own customs, traditions and teaching, and the “Judaizers” who held that Gentiles must first become Jews – for men that meant circumcision.

After this, Peter speaks. He reminds those in attendance that

⁷ After much debate had taken place, Peter got up and said to them, “My brothers, you are well aware that from early days God made his choice among you that through my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. (Acts 15:7)

He reminds them as well that we believe that “… we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they.” Acts 15:11

For Peter, this is a clear and basic fact upon which there can be no compromise. This would be sinful and as such must always be fought. (Acts 10: 10).

¹² The whole assembly fell silent, and they listened while Paul and Barnabas described the signs and wonders God had worked among the Gentiles through them. (Acts 15:12)

Then James, the brother of the Lord and leader of the church in Jerusalem and a man deeply committed to this Jewish heritage spoke:

¹³ “My brothers, listen to me. ¹⁴ Symeon has described how God first concerned himself with acquiring from among the Gentiles a people for his name. Acts 15:13–14

He calls the gentiles “A people for his name”, reflecting the call of the Jews themselves.

² For you are a people sacred to the LORD, your God, who has chosen you from all the nations on the face of the earth to be a people peculiarly his own. (Deuteronomy 14:2)

James continues with a series of quotes from the Old Testament to show that when the Messiah came the doors would be open to all. (Acts 10:16-18)

It is then decided by the leaders that Baptism would be the only means of initiation into the church. It is here that we pick up the story.

 

They have made an official decision and now it must be officially communicated. As would have been expected in this world this would have been by a letter delivered by trustworthy people who could verbally witness to it. The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas, and Silas, leaders among the brothers. (Acts 15:22) .

It very strictly followed the form of a letter of command that would have been immediately understood and taken very seriously.

 

First, who is sending it is clearly stated: “The apostles and the presbyters, your brothers, (Acts 15:23A)

Second to whom it is being sent: “to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia of Gentile origin”: (Acts 15:23b)

Note it is being sent not from one person nor one group of people but the Apostles and the elders. Also, it is being sent not for correction but for instruction and edification, from brother to brother.

Third: it states the situation: “we have heard that some of our number (who went out) without any mandate from us have upset you with their teachings and disturbed your peace of mind” (Acts 15:24) Note also that they clarify that those who disturbed them were not officially sent and had no authority to speak. From the very beginning there was a structure to Christianity.

Unlike those who unofficially went to them the Apostles and elders it clearly states that Barnabas and Paul are beloved and dedicated to the gentile mission.

Fourth: they give them instruction on what is expected of them after Baptism. These are among the requirements stated in Leviticus for all those who live in Israel: Jew and gentile alike

First: to abstain from the blood of meat sacrificed to pagan gods. This would be difficult to determine as most meat was obtained through temples, but they were concerned that people would revert to pagan worship if they used it. Paul also had difficulty with this 1 Corinthians 10:20.

Second and Third: from blood from meats of strangled animals, Strangled animals still had blood in it. It was thought that blood was the sign and means of life and therefore belonged to God. ^{4 “}Only flesh with its lifeblood still in it you shall not eat.” (Genesis 9:4)

Fourth: unlawful marriage. This most definitely includes incestuous relationships, but it may also mean adultery. Paul himself had difficulty with people interpreting his preaching of freedom from the law as a license to do basically anything.

These rules were established only partly for theological reasons. There is a good deal of common sense and cultural sensitivity here as well. The early Christians needed to live a common life, to associate and most of all to share table fellowship together. They could not do this if they were nauseated by the sight of blood, suspicious if the meat was offered to idols or that someone was dating his sister.

Peter was clear that there would be no compromise on the basic issue but understood that much compromise would be needed for people of different cultures to eat and pray together.

This is one of the few incidents in the New Testaments for which we have another perspective. St. Paul gives his view of what occurred in the second chapter of the letter to the Galatians. Paul is very much special pleading, but we do see the outlines of the process and the conclusion. It was the unified leadership of the church that made the decision. We would not yet call them bishops, but they were people who had been commissioned by the Spirit to lead the church. Paul does not leave very happy from this encounter, but he is obedient to the wishes of the Apostles and elders.

We are all the beneficiaries of God’s decision to create a Church that is based on the connection to God through Jesus and the community of the Baptized. Looking at history, we must acknowledge that there have been many changes over the years. The center of the Church has moved from Jerusalem to Rome and it is no longer a purely or predominately Mediterranean organization, but indeed worldwide. The adaptations to each time and place were successful enough for the Church to last two millennium, but so specific to times and places that the structures had to change over time and will change again. As Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa in the great Sicilian novel The Leopard (Il gattopardo)said, “For things to remain the same, everything must change”

Things will need to change in our time in ways we will perhaps find strange and unexpected. For example, what could “Elders” mean now in the decision making of the Church? It is in this way that the same Spirit that has molded and guided the Church since Pentecost can do so for us today.

 

Photo: Svenwerk, “Spinning Top” – Staircase at Vatican Museums, Rome.
Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 2.0  https://flic.kr/p/PzaJtw 

RESTROOMS AND GENERATIONS OF FAITH

Several weeks ago, we included in our weekly email drawings of the three proposed restrooms for our church. One will replace the existing unit off the Sacristy and the others will be in the former Baptistry. As you saw, they will be spacious, modern and fulfill all codes and regulations. To answer one question we received, several members of the team have or have had young children. Therefore, not only are there changing tables, but with the restrooms in the old Baptistry you can change an infant and watch a toddler at the same time.

Since then we have been given an expense projection. If everything goes wrong, it will cost about $200,000. Our plan is to pay for it from the redeemed pledges of Generations of Faith.

Those who were members of the Parish at the time will remember that this was a major fund-raising effort in our Diocese. The money collected was divided: 50% for capital improvements in the Parish, 40% for the care of retired and infirmed priests and 10% for developing youth ministry.

Members of the Parish pledged $539,128. We have so far collected $344,621. The parish share of this is $160,939 as of March 31. At this rate of return we will collect $437,778 of which the parish will receive $235,564. Please note, however, that if everything was collected, the parish would receive $336,914.

We will also include the $3,600.00 we received by going over goal with the annual appeal.

The papers are being completed and filed for this work and the items have been ordered. We hope for completion in early Autumn, about the same time as the exterior of the church. If you are not current with redeeming your pledge, please do so as soon as you can. If you are current, please think about sending in your next installment early. We are not asking for anyone to give anything more than he or she has pledged. It would be wonderful if we could pay this off exclusively from these funds.

 

FIRST READING

Fifth Sunday of Easter

May 19, 2019

Acts: 14:21-27

 

The section we read today from the Acts of the Apostles connects the completion of the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas, which we examined last week, with the important Council of Jerusalem, which we will explore next week. In the hands of a lesser author this could be an exercise in place setting, but Luke uses it able reveal important aspects of our faith. For me, this week was especially pertinent. Spoiler alert: Baby boomers, pay attention.

Last week we saw Paul and Barnabas arrive at Iconium. They spoke in the synagogue and were well received and “a great number of both Jews and Greeks came to believe” (Acts 14:1) This enraged the synagogue leaders who “poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against the brothers”. (Acts 14:2) The Apostles, however, were not driven away and “they stayed for a considerable period, speaking out boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the word about his grace by granting signs and wonders to occur through their hands.” (Acts 14:3) . The death threats became so great, however, that they went to the Lystra. They were successful, but eventually some of their previous enemies from Antioch and Iconium worked on the crowds, who stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. (Acts 14:19).

This is where we take up the story today. First, note that Paul is receiving the same treatment from others that he demonstrated himself. He followed the disciples of Jesus to persecute them. Now others have done the same with him. The people – Jews and Gentles – in the cities who hear the Gospel are immediately drawn to it but those with vested interests in keeping the old order in the old way are threatened and seek to destroy it. Paul has been replaced.

Now look at what Paul and Barnabas do:

²¹ After they had proclaimed the good news to that city and made a considerable number of disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch. Acts 14:21

Without the interference of outside agitators. they make a considerable number of disciples but then return to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. They were persecuted -indeed almost killed – in these places, yet they return. This is not mere bravado but a pastoral necessity. These were new Christians and they needed to be strengthened. This is common Christian practice. Jesus tells Peter before Peter betrays him

³¹ “Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat,

³² but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22:31–32

 

This occurred many times in Acts as well, most intriguingly with Barnabas himself. He was sent by the church in Jerusalem to see what was occurring in Antioch.

²³ When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion (Acts 13:23)

After this, Barnabas realized that he was not the best equipped to lead this mission and went to Tarsis to bring Saul to help him in this task.

This exhortation was not however optimistic with pleasant nosegays.

²² They strengthened the spirits of the disciples and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22)

This is common Christian teaching: Jesus tells the disciples on the Road to Emmaus

Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory? (Luke 24)

And he tells Ananias about Paul:

¹⁶ I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name (Acts 9:16)

Although suffering for the good of the community may be found in the Old Testament, especially in the “suffering servant” songs in Isaiah that we have looked at many times, it was – if not quite an aberration – something which they thought would be eliminated with the Messiah. We all need to be reminded that this is not the case. As we have seen, Saul the tormentor of the Church was immediately replaced. It shall ever be, and we must be aware of the consequences of our baptisms.

The strengthening of the disciples was not only by exhortation, but by institutionalization.

²³ They appointed presbyters for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord in whom they had put their faith. Acts 14:23 (NAB)

Presbyter means elder, and it combines many roles that we would see as separate today from the person who presides at the Eucharist to the chief Catechist. There are two points of interest here.

First that there is a structure. The Acts of the Apostles has been called the Gospel of the Holy Spirit. For Luke, nothing will prosper that is not directed and sustained by the Spirit. This includes the institutional structures that will maintain the proper functioning of the community.

Thus, there is “Prayer and Fasting’ to choose the right person. This has a wonderful pedigree:

¹² Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. ¹³ And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles (Luke 6:12)

And also, in the earlier chapter of Acts

Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” ³ Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. Acts 13:3

The church is an earthly institution, and will either be a successful one or will fail like any other. She is also the body of Christ, and if she is to fulfill her responsibility to be the presence of Jesus in the world her leaders must be chosen by the Spirit, not merely emerge.

This is very personal and pertinent to me. This week I preached at my 50^th High School graduation reunion from Cathedral Prep Seminary. We all entered 54 years ago to discern if we had a religious vocation. We assumed that this meant Priesthood. Most discovered that they did not have a call to the ordained ministry. Yet looking over the lives of my classmates, many had truly religious vocations. They built up their parishes, became involved in many ministries and were true presences of Jesus. Many of you have done the same in too many ways to count.

Yet I would like to speak with one group in particular: Baby Boomers. We who were born between 1946 and 1964. I think we have a particular insight into this week’s reading and indeed our world. We lived through the Vietnam War and Watergate, we saw most of the institutions around us fail and may have abandoned them. Yet we now know that we cannot live without them and may find some of them threatened. We know what to accept and what to reject. Younger people have not experienced this and do not. We have a great opportunity for ministry, for – although I hate to admit it – we are the elders of the community: civil and religious. Let us prove ourselves worthy of our wrinkles and creaking bones, but most of all the trust that Jesus places in us.