This is the reason, then, I have requested to see you and to speak with you, for it is on account of the hope of Israel that I wear these chains.”
With the end of the Easter Season we come to the end of the Acts of the Apostles. Saint Paul has arrived in Rome, the center of the empire. He is completing the mission Jesus gave to his disciples, to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth. When he arrived there, and even as Saint Luke finished the book, neither could imagine Rome might become the spiritual center of the Roman Catholic Church. They could not foresee the Vatican or the innumerable churches, basilicas, chapels and shrines that would fill the city with holy sites.
They probably had a presentiment of the persecutions Christians would suffer before the city would become theirs. There was no reason to suppose they would fare any better than Jesus had.
But trouble, ostracism, imprisonment and persecutions were not that important. Their mission was to announce the Gospel. House arrest may have felt inconvenient to the itinerant Paul at times but he used it to make himself more available to his allies and opponents. Anyone who wanted to quarrel with him about the hope of Israel or the mission of the messiah knew where to find him.
It was appropriate that the Gospel should arrive in Rome in the person of a prisoner. Who else could represent the Crucified?
Our Pope Francis has not forgotten the humility of Saint Paul as he began his ministry in Rome. He found a room more accessible than that of his predecessors. In the spirit of Pope Saint John XXIII, he wants to open the windows of the Church to allow free access to the Holy Spirit.
A few days ago, after initial introductions, an octogenarian Veteran looked hard at me and said, "What is happening to our Church?"
"We're entering a new millennium!" I said.
We have outlasted two millennia so far. The Gospel is still beautiful, clear, glorious and perfect. The cross of Jesus remains as holy, revered and powerful as ever. If some people cannot imagine how the Church will remain true to its mission and calling during these times of change, that's why we get old and die. Most of us outlive our imagination. If I knew the future at one time -- or thought I did -- I don't anymore.
Opponents declare the world has no further need of the Gospel, God or the Church. But the Holy Spirit continues to raise up from these very stones congregations who welcome the Good News.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.