2015/05/17 — 7th Sunday of Easter

As  I noted earlier, in many places, the feast of the Ascension is transferred from Thursday to today. Where it is celebrated traditionally on Thursday, this Sunday is the Seventh Sunday of Easter. This post looks at the readings for the Seventh Sunday.

The first reading — Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26 — tells of the selection of Matthias to replace Judas as one of the twelve apostles. (The pericope is edited to eliminate the reference to the death of Judas and the "Field of Blood.")

We see that there were disciples who were with Jesus from the very beginning of his ministry in addition to the twelve apostles. We also see that the apostles understood that they could replace vacancies in their number. At the time, the expectation seems to have been that Jesus would return within the lifetime of most of them. There was also no thought at that point that they might need to increase them. Nevertheless, this is an example of the beginning of "apostolic succession:" the role of the apostles in the Christian community is not limited to the original twelve. It must continue to be filled until the Lord returns. (We see a further development with Paul. He was made an apostle directly by Jesus, even though he hadn't been with Jesus throughout his ministry. In turn, he appointed people to oversee communities he founded, when he had moved on in his missionary activity. These overseers were called επισκοποι, "episkopoi" in Greek, which became "episcopi" in Latin, in turn "vescovi" in Italian,  "évêques" in French, "obispos" in Spanish, "Bischöfe" in German, and "bishops" in English. In other words, we use the same word as Paul did, and the office bishops hold is the descendant of what Paul and the other apostles gave us.)


The second reading continues the passage from First John which was begun on the Sixth Sunday. Today, it's 1 John 4:11-16. Remaining (or "abiding," as some translations put it) in love and remaining in God are the same thing because God is love. We are not talking here of romantic love, since it also says that God remains in one who acknowledges that Jesus is Son of God, and the believer remains in God. In other words faith and love are somehow inextricable. Those who love God acknowledge Jesus and love one another, and this is the work of the Spirit God gives us. Yet the love is not an impersonal abstraction. It manifests itself in our treatment of others. And it seems to me that the affection of romantic love and that of intimate friendship are surely forms of love. When they become unselfish, they are one way the spiritual love can be present in our lives.


The gospel reading — John 17:11b-19 — like those of the past two Sundays, are from Jesus' words at the Last Supper. Here he is praying for his disciples, that they may remain united and "that they may be consecrated in truth." This unity (in love) and perseverance in truth are the work of the Holy Spirit — the same Spirit who made the lot fall on Matthias so that the apostles could proclaim the truth about Jesus. It brings joy.


For us today the challenge is essentially the same as it was for the Church of the 1st Century: to remain united in love and truth as we witness to Jesus as the Son of God.