Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for May 16, 2021

First Reading: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

The Seventh Sunday after Easter marks a pause in time, a moment when the world is about to turn.

Altarpiece of Saints Thomas and Matthias (1510-1520), altarpiece by Bernard van Orley (c.1492-1542). Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. (Click image to enlarge.)

In the verses just before this first reading, we hear that Jesus was taken into heaven, lifted up into a cloud. In the verses that follow, which we’ll hear next Sunday, the Holy Spirit comes down upon the people on the first Pentecost with a rush of wind and tongues of fire. This event will inspire them to take the Gospel out to the world. But now there is business to be taken care of: Judas, the traitor, must be replaced. First the disciples discern two worthy candidates: Barsabbas and Matthias. Then, asking God to guide them, they cast lots; and Matthias joins the Twelve.

Psalm: Psalm 1

The book of Psalms opens with a promise of happiness for those who walk in the way of God. The Psalter runs an emotional gamut from praise to fear to anger, to sadness, to thanksgiving; but the joy of following God resonates throughout. Psalm 1 begins the genre that celebrates delight in God’s law, another recurring theme. Take care, however, not to weigh down this word with modern English context. The original sense of the Hebrew word “Torah” is not ‘law” but “teaching,” God showing us how to live in love of God and neighbor.

Second Reading: 1 John 5:9-13

We now conclude our six-week tour through the first Letter of John, a document thought to have been written in the spirit of John’s Gospel by later members of the John community. Its consistent, uplifting theme continues in Sunday’s reading from its final chapter. The author assures us that we gain eternal life through God’s love given us in Jesus. We give testimony to the world through our faith in this amazing gift.

Gospel: John 17:6-19

In the Gospel four weeks ago, John wrote about Jesus declaring himself the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. In this Sunday’s Gospel, as we approach the end of Jesus’ extended farewell conversation with his disciples at the Last Supper, those themes return. Having protected and guarded the apostles – losing only Judas from the flock – Jesus now asks God to protect them. Jesus sends his apostles out into the world, as God had sent Jesus out into the world.