Weekly Catholic Bible Study

Oratory of Divine Love Reflection 673: Putting on Christ : A reflection on The Book of Acts and the Gospel of John (Acts 4: 8 – 12 & John 10: 11 - 18)

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[Acts 4]

8 Then Peter, filled with the holy Spirit, answered them, “Leaders of the people and elders: 9 If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved, 10 then all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed.

 

11 He is ‘the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”

 

[John 10]

11 I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

 

12 A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. 13 This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.

 

14 I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me,15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.

 

16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.

 

17 This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father.”

 

Peter was sitting in the courtyard when one of the serving girls came over to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” He denied it in front of everyone: “I do not know what you are talking about!” In a short time, he was confronted two more times and in all, he will deny knowing Jesus three times. Jesus had predicted this and Peter wept bitter tears.

 

In the first reading for this Mass, we meet an altogether different Peter. Before the leaders, the men of power, Peter is examined, confronted about a miracle in Jesus’ name. However, This time Peter is not intimidated in the least and he answers courageously and honestly. From a profoundly personal conviction, he proclaims, “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.” Later Peter surely reflected upon all this, marveled at his own courage, his belief and he knew absolutely that this was a grace of the Holy Spirit. He knew, as well, that in the company of Jesus, he had heard the Lord proclaim His own divine convictions.

 

In the Gospel the very first words of the Lord flow from the convictions of His heart, from His identity as the Son of the Father: “I am the Good Shepherd.” On other occasions He had said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life” - “I am the Bread come down from heaven” - “I can only do what I see the Father doing.” We heard Jesus proclaim, as Peter did, something about all these convictions. “This is why the Father loves Me because I lay down My life in order to take it up again.” With passion, He repeats, “No one takes it from Me but I lay it down on My own. I have power to lay it down and power to take it up again. This command I have received from My Father.”

 

In those words Jesus tells us that belief, conviction is meant to be lived, not just held in the mind, not just spoken but to be seen, manifested in how we live. And Peter who heard these challenging words of Jesus will do the same. He will lay down his life in proclaiming the good news, he will serve his people with his life and one day be crucified for his convictions. In a word, he will have truly “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” in word and in action.

 

We gather as men and women of serious convictions, of profound beliefs that form our lives, that we are celebrating in this Holy Eucharist. We will audibly profess our convictions, we will hear one another say, “I believe in God the Father Almighty - I believe in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord - I believe in the Holy Spirit - I believe in the Holy Catholic Church and we know these our beliefs are the gift of the Spirit of the Father and Son. This precious gift we hold in earthen vessels, in our humanity and the Lord Jesus tells us “Yes, you do hold them but they are only words, pious thoughts unless you live them.” And we pose a question, “How, Lord?”

 

The answer challenges us, confronts our excuses - by laying down your life in love that is truly service to others, by dying to all preoccupation with self, by reaching out to others in kindness, in generosity, in forgiveness. None of this is easy and one has to stretch, a deliberate act to extend self. Without the stretching, the extending of self our Catholic faith is little more than an artifact in a museum.

 

“The Gift (capital “G”) you have received, give as a gift!” The Gift of the Risen Lord Himself we will hold in our hand or receive on our tongue. That act declares our own personal commitment to lay down our lives. It is our “Yes” - a silent yes and we will be held to it!

 

Fr. John Denburger, OCSO

 

 

Prayer: “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God made man, that he suffered and died for my sins and rose from the dead in glory, and that it is only in him through the Holy Spirit that eternal life is given to us. I believe in all that your holy Church believes.”

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Quote from a Saint: “The fruits of charity are joy, peace, and mercy; charity demands beneficence and fraternal correction; it is benevolence; it fosters reciprocity and remains disinterested and generous; it is friendship and communion: Love is itself the fulfillment of all our works. There is the goal; that is why we run: we run toward it, and once we reach it, in it we shall find rest." –St. Augustine

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Questions for reflection:

1. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you did not want it to be known that you were a Christian? If so, what were the circumstances and what would you do differently now?

2. Has there been a time when you were called to defend the faith or found yourself clarifying a Church teaching without time to prepare? How did it go?

3. Put yourself in the place of the disciples when Jesus said: “This is why the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life in order to take it up again.” With passion, He repeats, “No one takes it from Me but I lay it down on My own. I have power to lay it down and power to take it up again. This command I have received from My Father.” How would you react if you were in their place?

4. If it came down to it, would you be willing to lay down your life for the love of others or to proclaim the truth of the faith?

5. Do you try to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” in word and in action? What does that look like?

6. Do you live your beliefs and convictions? Do others know that you are a Christian by how you live?

7. Is your Catholic faith something that you live or is it “an artifact in a museum”? What is the difference? How can you make your faith more a part of your life?

8. What do you feel when you receive the gift of our Lord in the Eucharist? Do you consider it a declaration of your willingness to lay down your life?

--Benjamin & Kristen Rinaldo, CfP