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There arose no little dissension or debate. --Acts
The glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the Lamb. --Revelation
The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you. --John
The first reading presents us with the contentiousness that plagued the Church from within during apostolic times. Even the Resurrection of Jesus, witnessed by them, does not absolve them from struggling with each other around the human questions of who is "in" and who is "out" and what hoops the "outs" have to go through to get in. (Sounds like our country's immigration debate).
The other two readings remind us the path through our human dilemmas. Name them honestly, turn together to the experience of Jesus, and rely on the Holy Spirit to direct us.
What if I embraced the conflict of this time as an occasion of grace?
What if I relaxed with confidence in the power of God's Spirit to permeate the most ingrained places in me, in others, in our world?
What if I trusted love and grace at work in the all the day-to-day struggles?
--Rita Woehlcke, SSJ