May 3. Meditation. Lectionary # 285

Scripture: May 3, Lectionary # 285. Acts 14:5-18. Psalm 115:1-2.3-4.15-16.
John 14:21-16:

Ups and downs are part of the human condition; they come throughout all of
the stages of our life. These ups and downs are easily seen in our
spiritual journey in life. Even the saints, those heralded and the ones who
are with God without any "Saint" attached to their name. Even the great
ones like Barnabas and Paul are examples of these ups and downs; in the
first part of the reading they are undergoing a "downer." People were
threating them with abuse and even stoning. This all changes to a more
colorful scene in which they were considered to be "gods" and the people of
Lystra wanted to cover them with garlands of flowers and worship them as
Zeus and Hermes. (The scene is almost a page out of Homer who describes
such worship on the part of the Lyconians). Paul and Barnabas set them
straight by telling them, "We are only men, human like you." This latter
experience was more of an upper than a downer but it had its valleys of
unreality and superstition.

Psalm 115 is a perfect prayer for our two apostles who shout out to God,
"Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give glory." This Psalm was part of a
liturgical temple praise of God; it extols God as the benevolent Creator
who is to be glorified. Perhaps, the congregation is hoping that God will
manifest his divine glory to the humiliation of those who worship human
heroes or idols. It does however help us to pray along with Paul and
Barnabas!

Jesus continues his discourse on the commandment of love--that special
self-giving love that is unconditional. We learned of it as the second part
of John's Gospel opened and the author wrote: "...Jesus knew that his hour
had come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having
loved his own who were in the world he loved them (agapan) unto the
end." (John 13:1). Now as he continues to demonstrate by his actions what
that love means, we hear him saying, "He who obeys the commandments he has
from me is the one who loves me and the one who loves me will be loved by
the Father. I too will love that person and reveal myself to him. That is
what agape love is and what it means. Amen. Alleluia.