The Word Among Us: A Catholic Devotional based on the Daily Mass Reading & Meditation for Friday, 8 May 2015

The Word Among Us: A Catholic Devotional based on the Daily Mass Reading & Meditation for Friday, 8 May 2015

Meditation: Acts 15:22 Then the emissaries and the elders, together with the whole Messianic community, decided to select men from among themselves to send to Antioch with Sha’ul and Bar-Nabba. They sent Y’hudah, called Bar-Sabba, and Sila, both leading men among the brothers, 23 with the following letter:

From: The emissaries and the elders, your brothers

To: The brothers from among the Gentiles throughout Antioch, Syria and Cilicia

Greetings!

24 We have heard that some people went out from among us without our authorization, and that they have upset you with their talk, unsettling your minds. 25 So we have decided unanimously to select men and send them to you with our dear friends Bar-Nabba and Sha’ul, 26 who have dedicated their lives to upholding the name of our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah. 27 So we have sent Y’hudah and Sila, and they will confirm in person what we are writing.

28 For it seemed good to the Ruach HaKodesh and to us not to lay any heavier burden on you than the following requirements: 29 to abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from fornication. If you keep yourselves from these, you will be doing the right thing.

Shalom!

30 The messengers were sent off and went to Antioch, where they gathered the group together and delivered the letter. 31 After reading it, the people were delighted by its encouragement.

5th Week of Easter
Some … have upset you … and disturbed your peace of mind. (Acts 15:24)
It’s a common frustration. You buy something on eBay or from an online retailer or at the local hardware store. But when you begin to use the item, you discover that it’s defective—nicked, outdated, or missing a crucial bolt. The product can’t do the job you thought it could do.
In a way, this is why the new Christians of Antioch were upset. However, their disappointment centered not on a product but on the gospel! These Gentiles had joyfully believed the good news announced by Paul, but after him came other preachers who claimed that he had given them a deficient message. It wasn’t enough to believe in Jesus, they said: “Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice, you cannot be saved”
(Acts 13:48; 15:1). The Church’s leaders in Jerusalem ruled otherwise, and today’s reading quotes the letter in which they communicated their decision. Essentially, it was: No, you don’t need to observe the Mosaic law. Faith in Christ is what’s essential.
Christians no longer feel that they need to follow the Mosaic law. We believe that we are saved by the grace of a loving Father who wants to give us good gifts. At least, that’s what we believe. But when our daily crosses get a bit too heavy, when we’re tempted, drained, confused, or at a loss, we can begin to think that the gospel is deficient or defective in some way.
Jesus didn’t come to guarantee us health, wealth, and prosperity. He came to promise us one thing: “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). He is with us to guide us, to comfort us, and to encourage us. He has given us his Spirit so that we can stand tall, even when all around us seems to be falling apart. He gives us the same promise he gave to St. Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness”(2 Corinthians 12:9).
So if you’re feeling overwhelmed today, step back, consider the big picture, and put your faith in Jesus. For you, as for those early Christians, it’s the path to peace of mind.
“Jesus, I see so many needs—mine, my family’s, those of the Church and the world. Help me to look up, trust you to provide, and receive the peace and assurance you want to give me.” Amen!
Psalm 57:8 (7) My heart is steadfast, God, steadfast.

I will sing and make music.

9 (8) Awake, my glory! Awake, lyre and lute!

I will awaken the dawn.

10 (9) I will thank you, Adonai, among the peoples;

I will make music to you among the nations.

12 (11) Be exalted, God, above heaven!

May your glory be over all the earth!

John 15:12 “This is my command: that you keep on loving each other just as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than a person who lays down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends, if you do what I command you. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a slave doesn’t know what his master is about; but I have called you friends, because everything I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, I chose you; and I have commissioned you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last; so that whatever you ask from the Father in my name he may give you. 17 This is what I command you: keep loving each other!
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