20 May 2010, Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter

Reading 1
Acts 22:30; 23:6-11

Wishing to determine the truth

about why Paul was being accused by the Jews,

the commander freed him

and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene.

Then he brought Paul down and made him stand before them.



Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees,

so he called out before the Sanhedrin,

“My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees;

I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.”

When he said this,

a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees,

and the group became divided.

For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection

or angels or spirits,

while the Pharisees acknowledge all three.

A great uproar occurred,

and some scribes belonging to the Pharisee party

stood up and sharply argued,

“We find nothing wrong with this man.

Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”

The dispute was so serious that the commander,

afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them,

ordered his troops to go down and rescue Paul from their midst

and take him into the compound.

The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage.

For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem,

so you must also bear witness in Rome.”

Gospel
Jn 17:20-26

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:

“I pray not only for these,

but also for those who will believe in me through their word,

so that they may all be one,

as you, Father, are in me and I in you,

that they also may be in us,

that the world may believe that you sent me.

And I have given them the glory you gave me,

so that they may be one, as we are one,

I in them and you in me,

that they may be brought to perfection as one,

that the world may know that you sent me,

and that you loved them even as you loved me.

Father, they are your gift to me.

I wish that where I am they also may be with me,

that they may see my glory that you gave me,

because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,

but I know you, and they know that you sent me.

I made known to them your name and I will make it known,

that the love with which you loved me

may be in them and I in them.”


Meditation: Acts 22:30; 23:6-11

A dispute broke out. (Acts 23:7)


What a dispute it was! With one remark, Paul distracted the Jewish leaders who were interrogating him by plunging them into a theological debate. He knew what would happen when he said he was being tried for believing in the resurrection: The Pharisees, who also held this belief, would rise to his defense; the Sadducees, who rejected it, would cry, “Heresy!”

Sure enough, like a spark igniting a heap of dry leaves, the situation roared into a blazing fire, moving quickly from a “dispute” to a “great uproar” to something like mob violence. In the end, the Roman commander who had escorted Paul to his hearing had to whisk him back to jail for his own protection (Acts 23:10).

Were those religious leaders wrong to be passionate about their beliefs and traditions? To their credit, they weren’t lukewarm! One reason they reacted so strongly is that they valued their faith. But when tempers are running high, how quickly religious zeal can turn into intolerance and overwhelm reason.

Have you ever been part of a conversation where people expressed conflicting views on issues like abortion, immigration, or same-sex unions? How did you do? How do you react when a celebrity makes an outrageous statement, like “God is dead”?

Of course, we don’t resort to physical violence! But what about the way we use our tongues? Do our words bring clarity and healing, or are they “sword thrusts” for cutting people down (Proverbs 12:18)? And even if we never say a word, do we harbor demeaning and hateful thoughts about them in our hearts?

It’s true that Jesus calls us to understand, proclaim, and defend the truth. But we aren’t obeying him if in the process we violate his great command to love our enemies. As the Catechism says, quoting Pope Paul VI, each of us is called “to treat with love, prudence, and patience those who are in error or ignorance with regard to the faith” (CCC, 2104). In the end, the way we love our adversaries may be a more convincing testimony than any words we speak.

“Lord Jesus, you know my heart. You hear my every word. Keep me in your peace, Lord, and in all my thoughts, words, and interactions with other people, let your love be my guide.”