OXYGEN

16 May – Seventh Sunday of Easter; 44th World Communication Sunday

The Spirit And The Bride

The Church is wedded to Christ in the love of the Spirit and looks forward to the final fulfilment of that love in the glory of heaven

- The Sunday Missal
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Acts of the Apostles 7:55-60

Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right hand. ‘I can see heaven thrown open’ he said ‘and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’ At this all the members of the council shouted out and stopped their ears with their hands; then they all rushed at him, sent him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses put down their clothes at the feet of a young man called Saul. As they were stoning him, Stephen said in invocation, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he knelt down and said aloud, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them’; and with these words he fell asleep.
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Revelations 22:12-14.16-17.20

I, John, heard a voice speaking to me: ‘Very soon now, I shall be with you again, bringing the reward to be given to every man according to what he deserves. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Happy are those who will have washed their robes clean, so that they will have the right to feed on the tree of life and can come through the gates into the city.’

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to make these revelations to you for the sake of the churches. I am of David’s line, the root of David and the bright star of the morning.

The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ Let everyone who listens answer, ‘Come.’ Then let all who are thirsty come: all who want it may have the water of life, and have it free.

The one who guarantees these revelations repeats his promise: I shall indeed be with you soon. Amen; come, Lord Jesus.
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John 17:20-26

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:

‘Holy Father,
I pray not only for these,
but for those also
who through their words will believe in me.
May they all be one.
Father, may they be one in us,
as you are in me and I am in you,
so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.
I have given them the glory you gave to me,
that they may be one as we are one.
With me in them and you in me,
may they be so completely one
that the world will realise that it was you who sent me
and that I have loved them as much as you loved me.
Father, I want those you have given me
to be with me where I am,
so that they may always see the glory you have given me
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Father, Righteous One,
the world has not known you,
but I have known you,
and these have known that you have sent me.
I have made your name known to them
and will continue to make it known,
so that the love with which you loved me may be in them,
and so that I may be in them.’
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May they all be one.

A few years ago, I had an intellectual argument about the ‘catholic church’. Does this term refer to only those in the Catholic Church, or does it consist of all Christians? These past few months have been a time for me to reflect on what it means to believe in the “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church”. As I renewed my baptismal vows during Mass on Easter, I considered deeply what this meant and whether I truly believed it.

When we talk about the ‘catholic church’, we are usually referring to the universal (which is what ‘catholic’ means) church. But when we talk about the Catholic Church (with capital ‘C’s), we don’t always have that in mind.

The Catholic Church is an institution that exists in the world, with its charities and organisations, and its members which comprise priests, religious, and laity. The Catholic Church, we often seem to say, is a community of Christians who worship God in a certain way, and believe a certain set of doctrines. If a particular Christian does not attest to a certain doctrine, or chooses to worship God in a way that isn’t recognised by the Catholic Church, we either say the person is a ‘bad Catholic’ or not even a Catholic.

In other words, by our actions and words, we often give the impression that the Catholic Church isn’t the ‘catholic church’.

Today’s Gospel reading tells us that Jesus prayed to His heavenly Father, that all who come to believe in the words of the Apostles may be so completely one as He is with the Father. Do we see that unity among Christians, or even just among Catholics, today?

In the first reading, Stephen dies for the church, becoming its first martyr. He dies because he spoke the truth that people didn’t want to hear. With his dying breath, Stephen asked the Lord to pardon those who murdered him. He did so out of love as commanded by Jesus: to love one another as He has loved us.

So what is the ‘catholic church’ then? Is it limited to only the Catholic Church, or does the ‘catholic church’ extends beyond the limits of the Catholic Church?

We can find the answer in today’s second reading. See what Jesus says in the Book of the Apocalypse. It tells us that the Spirit and the Bride welcome all who listens, all who are thirsty and want the water of life. Let us spend some time reflecting on what this means for us as Christians.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Daniel Tay)
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Prayer: Lord Jesus, we pray that all who listen, and all who are thirsty for the water of life, may be united in our shared desire for You.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.

Upcoming Readings:
Mon, 17 May – Acts of the Apostles 19:1-8; John 16:29-33
Tue, 18 May – Acts of the Apostles 20:17-27; John 17:1-11; Memorial for St John I, Pope & Martyr
Wed, 19 May – Acts of the Apostles 20:28-38; John 17:11-19
Thu, 20 May – Acts of the Apostles 22:30-23:6-11; John 17:20-26; Memorial for St Bernardine of Siena, Priest
Fri, 21 May – Acts of the Apostles 25:13-21; John 21:15-19; Memorial for Ss Christopher Magallanes, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs
Sat, 22 May – Acts of the Apostles 28:16-20.30-31; John 21:20-25; Memorial for St Rica of Cascia, Religious
Sat, 22 May – Genesis 11:1-9 or Exodus 19:3-8.16-20 or Ezekiel 37:1-14 or Joel 3:1-5; Romans 8:22-27; John 7:37-39; Vigil Mass of Pentecost
Sun, 23 May – Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11; Romans 8:8-17; John 14:15-16.23-26; Pentecost Sunday