Reading 1
Acts 28:16-20, 30-31
When he entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself,
with the soldier who was guarding him.
Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews.
When they had gathered he said to them, “My brothers,
although I had done nothing against our people
or our ancestral customs,
I was handed over to the Romans as a prisoner from Jerusalem.
After trying my case the Romans wanted to release me,
because they found nothing against me deserving the death penalty.
But when the Jews objected, I was obliged to appeal to Caesar,
even though I had no accusation to make against my own nation.
This is the reason, then, I have requested to see you
and to speak with you, for it is on account of the hope of Israel
that I wear these chains.”
He remained for two full years in his lodgings.
He received all who came to him, and with complete assurance
and without hindrance he proclaimed the Kingdom of God
and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.
Gospel
Jn 21:20-25
Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved,
the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper
and had said, “Master, who is the one who will betray you?”
When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?”
Jesus said to him, “What if I want him to remain until I come?
What concern is it of yours?
You follow me.”
So the word spread among the brothers that that disciple would not die.
But Jesus had not told him that he would not die,
just “What if I want him to remain until I come?
What concern is it of yours?”
It is this disciple who testifies to these things
and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true.
There are also many other things that Jesus did,
but if these were to be described individually,
I do not think the whole world would contain the books
that would be written.
Meditation: John 21:20-25
Lord, what about him? (John 21:21)
Told that the love he has just declared for Jesus will lead to his martyrdom, Peter is stunned. Perhaps he feels responsible for the other disciples, or he fears that John may be too timid to speak up. “What about him?” he asks. Jesus says John’s fate is none of his business. Peter’s only task—like John’s—is to follow Jesus.
If both Peter and John are doing what Jesus calls them to do, their work will be complementary; each will help the other see his own task more clearly.
At one point or another, we are all tempted to ask, “What about him?” Sometimes we feel like someone is getting off too easy. Why isn’t he fasting, praying long hours, being ridiculed or corrected, being asked to serve—when so much is being demanded of me? Sometimes we feel like someone else is doing great, anointed things for God, while we’re being ignored and overlooked.
Whenever you feel this way, stop and ask yourself the one question that really matters: “Do I love Jesus?” Only then can you ask, “What does God want me to do?” If you spend quality time with Jesus and try to get to know him better, you won’t be as anxious about your specific vocation. The closer you get to Jesus, the clearer your calling will become—and the less worried you’ll be about the details—or about someone else’s experience.
Tomorrow is Pentecost, when the disciples were anointed with power to carry out the mission Jesus had entrusted to them. Spend some time today asking God what his call to you is. It may be using your imagination to get into the gospel stories and let Jesus speak to you through them. It may be dying to yourself in a particular way. It may be reaching out in love to a specific individual. It may even be carrying the gospel to the ends of the earth, as Paul did. It may be lingering prayerfully for a long time without really understanding why. Whatever it is, beg God to pour out his Spirit with the specific gifts you need to answer his call.
“Spirit of the living God, I want to grow closer to Jesus. Help me to put aside worrying and simply follow the One who loves me.”
No comments:
Post a Comment