Date: Sunday, May 08, 2016
Jesus prays for us! At the Last Supper, Jesus prays for his disciples and for all who will come to believe in him through their preaching. That’s us. Jesus prays that we all may be one. It is not a unity that will be achieved through our hard effort but comes with the proclamation of the Word and celebration of the Sacraments. The unity we enjoy is the oneness of the Father and Son dwelling with us. It is the hallmark gift of the Holy Spirit. Unity can be threatened within the Church by our selfishness and sin. Externally, unity is threatened by hostility and persecution in the world. In our first reading, Acts of the Apostles, we hear of the martyrdom of Stephen. Stephen prays to God not to hold this offense against the men responsible. Early in the Church we observe a phenomenon: the death/blood of martyrs is the seed of faith. In our second reading, Book of Revelation, we see the vision and hear the voice of John who intends to comfort and strengthen churches going through persecution and suffering. The closing prayer of the faith communities in crisis is very ancient: “Come Lord Jesus!” It would seem every generation, including our own, utters this prayer. Cardinal Dolan of NYC visited refugee camps in Kurdistan to see and hear firsthand the plight of Christians fleeing Iraq. One woman, a mother, said she was taunted when her son was murdered by a terrorist who remarked: “She will forgive us. She is a Christian.” This mother told Cardinal Dolan that she is trying to forgive them. Christian communities in the Middle East go back to the time of the Apostles. Their existence is a living witness that takes us back to Christ. Cardinal Dolan asked the refugees: “What can we do for you?” Over and over again he heard: “Please remember us in prayer.” We can be in loving solidarity both in prayer and by supporting the charitable work of Catholic Relief Services. Cardinal Dolan assured them: “You know I don’t understand your language, we look different from you, we have come from a nation far, far away – and yet, I feel at home with you, because we are members of the household of the faith, and we are one.”