By Reverend Katherine Elsner
I can’t imagine how alone, fearful and insecure the disciples of Jesus must have felt when they finally figured out that they had been called by Jesus to go forward with his teachings.
Looking back, they remembered that Peter denied Jesus, that none of them had been at the foot of the cross when he died, that none of them had helped to bury Jesus, that they were hiding in a room when the women came to tell them that Jesus was alive, and that Thomas even doubted the testimony of the disciples who had seen Jesus in the upper room.
Jesus had been their teacher, their mentor, and surely their friend. Now there was a big question for them to face: Was Jesus going to keep his promise to send someone to help them? an Advocate? the Spirit of Truth?
In today’s gospel from John we heard the words of Jesus’ promise to them: “I will not leave you alone. I will come to you. You will not be abandoned.” These sound like really comforting words. However…. what would happen when the disciples started putting these promises to the real test outside of their upper room?
I imagine all of us have been through some similar process in our lives, when we made a decision that we felt was really right for us, but then, perhaps we had second thoughts when we moved forward to carry out the decision. I looked back through my own life this week and recalled several major decisions that were especially momentous times for me. I remember how afraid I was when I began to move forward. As my own fears rumbled around in my memory, I tried to imagine what fears and challenges faced the disciples after Jesus left them. And what took place in the upper room as they discussed the possibilities, as they argued about what to do or what not to do, as they gave in to thoughts of fear, or perhaps even despair? How could they go on without Jesus? Would they too be captured and killed like Jesus if they preached what he had preached? Would Jesus really send someone to be with them, to be on their side, to be their support?
Of course, we know now in hindsight, that what Jesus promised did come true. The Holy Spirit came to the disciples to be with them, which we will celebrate on May 23rd. In the meantime, we will hear more about the coming of the Spirit in these next weeks leading up to the feast of Pentecost.
So, one lesson we could learn from the readings today is about the word “commands” “If you love me and obey the commands I give you, I will ask the One who sent me to give you the Spirit of truth, to be with you always.”
I want to point out that in many translations the word “commandments” is used in this sentence instead of the translation that I used, with the word “commands”. “If you love me and obey the commands I give you”.
The word “commandments” is often used in the Hebrew scriptures, e.g. in Bob’s siddur, his prayer book for Temple Israel. But commandments does not mean the Ten Commandments. We have often heard about lately, where places in the US are requiring the ten commandments to be posted in classrooms. In Jewish tradition, every time the word “commandments” is used, it means all of the directives or commands that are recorded in the Jewish scriptures. And there were many commands (actually 613), not just “The TEN”. I question how effective it will be to see the Ten Commandments in the classroom: “do this, don’t do that”. I thought back to my childhood. I remember learning about the ten commandments. But I don’t recall my parents ever referencing the ten commandments as the reason for me to correct my behavior.
I don’t believe we can find passages where Jesus urged his followers to live by the ten commandments. What I know we can find, are words in scripture that could be much more effective guidelines that would be helpful for students and for all people to hang in classrooms or even in dining rooms. These are found in Matthew 22, when Jesus was asked:
“Which is the greatest commandment of the Law?” In reply Jesus did not mention the ten commandments.
What Jesus did point out is this:
“Love your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets rely on these two commandments.”
I also noticed what Jesus did not promise the disciples. He never said life would be easy, or successful, or free from pain or free from suffering. In order to love as Jesus loved, we need a large amount of courage as well as a great deal of love, commitment and perseverance.
It took courage for Jesus to speak out about the culture of his time because it put him at odds with the Roman Empire. If Jesus was living in our day, what would he speak about that could put him at odds with our government? *the economy *charging tariffs *treatment of immigrants *handling of the war with Iran *abandoning the war of Russia against Ukraine *the proliferation of guns *and many other topics.
Looking close to home, I believe Jesus would approve of how Holy Family speaks out by our actions, by the decisions we make to serve others. Holy Family listens to the Spirit, and continues to take action in many ways as a church. Additionally, there are activities that I don’t know. That is, I don’t know about all of the good works that you do out of the goodness of your heart on your own: e.g. assisting your family or friends, giving donations, donating time at HF as well as at a variety of other organizations, taking part in public demonstrations such as those at the IL state capitol, and much more that you have done over the years. I believe we are like the early church as we listen to scriptures from back in the day, and then apply them to our lives two thousand years later. We struggle like people who lived in the oppression of the Roman Empire. However, we continue to keep Jesus’ greatest commands alive: Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself.
As I mentioned at the beginning of mass: As the Easter season continues, we focus on preparing for Pentecost. Jesus said the Advocate, the Spirit, would guide us. So let’s ask ourselves: Do we welcome God’s Spirit? How can we continue to stay tuned to the Spirit’s voice? Let’s pray today for minds and hearts open to God’s work in our lives.
Amen, Holy Family!