Linger with the word, and feel the pain of the disciples

Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor.

A reflection on the daily readings, for Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter, by Father Perry.

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

While in Corinth, several things happened to Paul, making this second missionary journey even more interesting.

First, he had a vision in which God told him to preach even more because God had many friends there and they would protect Paul. So preach, he did! For the next year-and-a-half he preached and he preached and he preached, and he taught them all about God.

Gallio.

But then, the Jews rose up against him; but they took Paul to the tribunal before Gallio the proconsul, and they accused Paul of inducing people to worship God, “contrary to the law.”

Gallio seemed neither interested nor competent over religious matters, noting that, “if it were a matter of some crime or malicious fraud,” then he would have been competent and interested, and gotten involved.

Then the crowd beat up Sosthenes, the synagogue official. Why him? Doesn’t say; but perhaps to make a point because they lost the case, or because once again crowds are fickle and often explode into nonsense.

Sosthenes.

Paul remained for some time, then sailed away for Syria. Then, when he arrived at Cenchreae, he took a vow, or fulfilled his vow, and now he shaved his head.

And after the usual 30-day period of time was up, he was renewed for the thanks he had given to God as expressed in this vow and its fulfillment.

Here we are in the 16th chapter of John’s Gospel; Jesus continues to reveal to the disciples that he is going to have to go away and that they, indeed, will miss him and they will mourn.

Actually, his going away will be a double one: he would die on a cross, and they definitely would miss him and mourn for him.

But he would go away again to return to the Father and then send his Spirit to be their advocate and their guide.

And as we have listened to this foretelling of future events, we recognize that the disciples had simply no clue of what Jesus was talking about nor what they were going to have to endure.

All would later become clear

We — knowing the full Gospel story — are peering into that story, watching and listening to the disciples’ response to Jesus. They are confused.

But pausing in this story and hearing several times about the future events that, according to the story, are about to unfold, we get to linger with and feel the pain of the disciples.

And for what?

So that liturgically, spiritually, and prayerfully we will get the super-impact of the Pentecost-moment of the church’s birth.

Magnificent, indeed! Let us linger, indeed!