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We Are All His Chosen Ones

30/4/2024

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, May 5, 2024:
Sixth Sunday of Easter

Acts
10.25-26, 34-35, 44-48

On Peter’s arrival, Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian cohort, met him, and falling at his feet, worshipped him. But Peter made him get up, saying, “Stand up; I am only a man.”

Then Peter began to speak, “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”

While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God.

Then Peter said, “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Recently, I have been reflecting a lot on my own selfishness. I have been given the greatest gift ever, “that of being chosen as a daughter of God,“ and what do I do? Most often I keep it sealed up privately in my heart, taking it out in the morning and perhaps again in the evening when I spend time with Him. I feel loved, protected, blessed and, if I’m being honest, special. I feel chosen. And yet I tend to hoard that feeling, despite knowing that it will only grow if shared, often struggling to share it in spaces that don’t feel welcoming or safe. I fit the definition of a “frozen chosen” one.

The dictionary defines chosen as “having been selected as the best or most appropriate.” In reflecting on being chosen in that context, I have met my own pride, fear, and selfishness. Consciously or not, I often behave as though I believe that I have been chosen because I am better or more appropriate than others I meet. Of course, I would never describe it that way publicly. Instead, I use language like “she hasn’t encountered Jesus yet,” not embracing the truth that He is calling me to make the introduction.

There is solace and hope in knowing that I share this trait with Peter. He believed that a Gentile could not be a chosen one and was proven wrong. We learn earlier in Acts that Peter was given a vision from God that showed him that “truly God shows no partiality,” and while he was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. The other chosen ones travelling with Peter were astounded by this and, one person at a time, the world began to understand that we are all chosen if we love God and do what is right and acceptable to Him.

The lesson here for me is seeing that Peter acted. He didn’t freeze. He spoke. But before speaking, he went to a rooftop to pray. He opened himself up to be a vessel for the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit flowed, choosing those who were open to the Word. What a beautiful and simple way to build the Kingdom of God! Pray, speak, let the Holy Spirit act, and join the other chosen on the journey, knowing that we are all the best and most appropriate in the eyes of God.

Let us pray: Father God, thank You for choosing me. Thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit, Who allows us to see each other as You do and brings peace, love, and belonging. I surrender my selfishness and will to You, knowing that in doing that, there is room for You to act through me, bringing others into Your loving embrace and relieving me from the burden of deciding who is chosen. Open my eyes to see and love those You are putting on my path, my ears to hear what You would have me say, and their hearts to receive You. Amen.

Sandy Graves

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Connected to the Vine

26/4/2024

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A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, April 28th, 2024:
Fifth Sunday of Easter

John
15.1-8

Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you.

“Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in them bears much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.

“Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

I remember standing on my tippy toes in my best shoes. It was my First Communion day. I peeked over the countertop to see the cake my mom had made and decorated especially for this day. There were vines and beautiful lettering that read, “I am the Vine and You are the Branches.” A couple of years ago that memory came back to me with a jolt because I realized that was also the Gospel passage at my perpetual vows about twenty years later. It’s beautiful how certain scripture passages seem to chase you, eh?

What did the Lord have for me in that passage as a child, on one of the most important days of my life? What does He have for you, now?

I am the vine, and you are the branches. The image is one that speaks of life sources. The branches that are attached to the vine can bear fruit, while those that are not attached cannot bear fruit. The image of them being cut off and thrown away reminds me of Saint Paul’s admonition, “The wages of sin is death.” We avoid sin because we want to be connected to the life source, the True Vine!

Imagine yourself being a branch – okay, I admit we may need to “spruce up” our imaginations a bit for this! But imagine, if you will, that you are a branch connected to the Vine. The Vine provides all your nourishment. It keeps you growing and connected with the rest of the plant. It allows you to burst forth with life and to bloom with luscious fruits.

Now, no one wants to be pruned. It’s sharp and pokey and invasive. Maybe there are parts that the Vinegrower thinks should be cut off, but we don’t quite see why yet. Great gardeners always prune a little more than I initially think they should. They make things look bare at first, exposed, and lonely. But the Lord is the Gardener Extraordinaire! Remember the very first place He chose to place Adam and Eve. Remember for whom Mary Magdalen mistook Him on the morning of the Resurrection.

In the grand scheme of things, I have learned, in my time as a branch, that the more we trust him, the more we flourish. This Vinegrower knows what to prune and what to keep. And the alternative – to tear myself away from this Vine – would be to choose death for myself. This branch cannot live without the Vine.

Lord, make me a good branch. Let me abide in you, and Your Word in me, that I may bear much fruit and be Your disciple. Amen!

Sr. Angela Burnham

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Abiding With Childlike Faith

25/4/2024

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A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, April 28th, 2024:
Fifth Sunday of Easter

1 John
3.18-24

Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and God knows everything.

Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.

And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever obeys his commandments abides in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

As I sit to write this reflection, I’m nearing the end of a Sacramental Preparation journey with 11 young children. It has been the joy of my current faith life to journey with these young ones, as they learn and try to understand ideas and concepts found in our rich and vibrant Catholic faith.

Indeed, it is so refreshing to see my young friends preparing for their First Reconciliation and to see them making an effort to “obey His commandments and do what pleases Him.” Journeying with them has been a refresher course for me, as far as my faith goes. God’s forgiving nature is a simple truth that my young friends have grasped in an instant, even though it takes me time to understand this merciful attribute of God.

Undeniably, I see glimpses of Jesus in the questions asked by these young kids. It reminds me of the young Jesus in the temple, who did not hesitate to question teachers of the law.

Our Second Reading this week, taken from the First Letter of Saint John highlights two features of God:

God is greater than our hearts.
God knows everything.

God is greater than our hearts. He is greater than how we feel about Him. He is able to penetrate our stony hearts and make them soft as cotton. He is able to overcome the fears that stop us from reaching out to him. He loves us even more than we are able to understand. He looks on us like little children and loves us more than any adoring parent would.

God knows everything. He knows the end from the beginning. He knows our past, our present, and our future. He knows the deepest secrets of our hearts, ones that we may be unaware of. He knows our circumstances and our hurts. He knows our dreams and our desires. He alone knows what is good for us. And more often than not, choosing to let Him lead us does not come naturally to us because, like stubborn children, we very often think we know better than He does.

Consequently, like children, we struggle to see the purpose in things being done. We have doubts, and we have questions. But then again, God wants us to abide in Him with childlike faith – faith that knows that God is in control, faith that trusts that He will always show us the way; we have only to ask. We have only to “obey his commandments and do what pleases him.”

Lord Jesus, bless me with childlike faith. Let the joy of discovery burn bright in my faith life. Help me always to come to you when I’m in doubt. Jesus, I trust in you. Amen.

Rebecca Dmello

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Eclipsed, But Not Forgotten

24/4/2024

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A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, April 28th, 2024:
Fifth Sunday of Easter

Psalm 22

R. Lord, from you comes my praise in the great congregation.

My vows I will pay before those who fear him. The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord. May your hearts live forever.

R. Lord, from you comes my praise in the great congregation.

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust.

R. Lord, from you comes my praise in the great congregation.

I shall live for him. Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord, and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet un-born, saying that he has done it.

R. Lord, from you comes my praise in the great congregation.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

I’m writing this at the end of a much anticipated day on which we witnessed, to a greater or lesser degree, the wonder of the solar eclipse. We sat out on the front porch in Halifax to witness this event and watched as the neighbourhood took on an eerie feel. It certainly wasn’t darkness but more of a strangeness of the light outside that you couldn’t put your finger on. For about ten minutes the atmosphere was neither good nor bad but simply out of kilter.

The word “eclipse” has its origins in the Greek ekleipsis, meaning “an eclipse; an abandonment, a failing, forsaking.” The whole of Psalm 22 is an epic journey that begins with the psalmist expressing this very thing: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” The lamentation and anguish of the early verses transitions to the ardent praise of this Sunday's Psalm. It proclaims God's enduring sovereignty over all things and our response of trust in Him to unify all peoples, families, those living, those who have died and those yet to be born.

This is such a hopeful psalm! The darkness of the first several verses almost abruptly shifts to the victory of Christ on the cross: “he has done it.” I love the finality of that line – this is Christ's ultimate victory, and we get to share in it. What a profound privilege to live for Him, to share the reason for our hope, and to share in the exultant praise of our Saviour among the great congregation of the faithful. Alleluia!

Patty Viscount

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We Are All His Chosen Ones

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, May 5, 2024:Sixth Sunday of Easter

Connected to the Vine

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, April 28th, 2024:Fifth Sunday of Easter

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Abiding With Childlike Faith

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, April 28th, 2024:Fifth Sunday of Easter

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Eclipsed, But Not Forgotten

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, April 28th, 2024:Fifth Sunday of Easter

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Archives

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, May 5, 2024:
Sixth Sunday of Easter

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, April 28th, 2024:
Fifth Sunday of Easter

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, April 28th, 2024:
Fifth Sunday of Easter

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, April 28th, 2024:
Fifth Sunday of Easter