Fourth Sunday of Easter
“The Father and I are one.” Jn. 10:30
When Catholics my age were young, nearly everything we learned about our faith was accomplished through catechisms, specifically Baltimore Catechisms. These learning tools were geared to the age of the student and intended to describe the Catholic faith in ways we could more easily understand.
These catechisms were primarily presented in a question/answer format that students were then asked to memorize. Catechisms were hugely successful learning tools in many ways, but in retrospect they had at least one glaring flaw: they referred to the Bible, but all too often did not include the words, the text, the language of the Bible.
I still remember my first college religion class. It revolved entirely around the reading and study of the Bible. What an eye-opener! I was stunned by the freshness, the depth, and the power of such rich material.
It was like hearing from the Original Voice instead of about it.
Then came another new experience: a Pope – Pope John XXIII – encouraging us to read the Bible, study it, pray from it. Following that came a Council of the Church doing the same. Pope John even told us the reason for this fresh start was not because the Gospel had changed, but because “we have begun to understand it better.”
Since the 1960’s, a major revival has occurred within our Church. As a consequence, the Bible, particularly the Gospels, has been emphasized in a way matched only by the early Christians.
The difference that particular change in focus has made in our approach to spirituality, meditation, prayer, the Mass, and to action in the world, is incalculable.
Take today’s Gospel reading for instance.
The scene is tense, fraught with an air of threat and conflict. The issue is Jesus’ claim that “the Father and I are one.”
Jesus boldly asserts that he and God are totally united and that all those who “hear” Jesus and “follow” Jesus are united with God as well!
To the people of the synagogue, such a statement is utter blasphemy. They were so incensed that they wanted to stone Jesus to death.
What this passage from the Gospel emphasizes is that we need to comprehend as completely as possible the two characteristics Jesus considers essential, even indispensable, for those who call themselves members of his flock:
“My sheep hear my voice … and they follow me.”
Hear. Follow.
First, we must “hear” Jesus.
What better way to hear Jesus than by reading and absorbing His teachings in the Gospels; in the letters of Paul; in the marvelous Exodus tales of rescue from enslavement; in the preaching of the Prophets about how mercy, not sacrifice is most pleasing to God; and in the promise contained in the hope for One who will come to liberate us from suffering and death?
And then, after truly hearing all this, we must take up the most difficult task of all:
Follow.
Not just worship. Not just praise. But the hard work of doing, of following.
Here’s how one scholar sums up what “following” Jesus means: “to believe what Jesus believed, to love what Jesus loved, to defend the dignity of the human person as Jesus defended it; to be with the powerless and vulnerable as Jesus was; to be free to do good as Jesus did; to trust the Father as Jesus trusted Him, and to face life and death with the great message of Easter: Hope! Victory!”
When we listen deeply through hearing and meditating on God’s Word, then, perhaps only then, we will be motivated and strengthened to follow.
The reward? Not only Jesus, but we, too, will be able to say:
“The Father and I are one.”
Alleluia!
Ted Wolgamot, Psy.D.
11809194.1
5/7/19
NOTES:
- In our efforts to become “one with the Father,” as Jesus invites us to do in today’s gospel, we are strongly encouraged by the Church to deepen our prayer lives, especially through “contemplation” or “meditation.”
Several years ago, I attended a week-long workshop led by Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM. On that occasion, he taught a particular form of contemplation/meditation that I found to be very useful.
It’s called the “Yahweh Prayer.”
Here it is in full quote by Fr. Rohr:
“A rabbi taught this prayer to me many years ago. The Jews did not speak God’s name, but breathed it with an open mouth and throat: inhale – Yah; exhale – weh.
By our very breathing we are speaking the name of God and participating in God’s breath.
This is our first and last word as we enter and leave the world.
To use this form of prayer, breathe the syllable with open mouth and lips, relaxed tongue:
Inhale – Yah
Exhale – weh
During this period of meditation, perhaps twenty minutes, use this breath as a touchstone. Begin by connecting with your intention: your desire to be present to God, one with God. Breathe naturally, slowly, and deeply, inhaling and exhaling Yah-weh. Let your focus on the syllable soften and fall away into silence. If a thought, emotion, or distraction arises, observe but don’t latch on to it. Simply return to breathing Yah-weh.”
(More information on this form of meditation/contemplation can be found in Rohr’s book, The Naked Now.
