Word to the Wise
Thursday, May 12, 2022 - 4th Week of Easter - Thurs
[Acts 13:13-25 and John 13:16-20]"From now on I am telling you before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe that I AM. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me." [John]
When I was a "student brother" (Dominican term for seminarian), the writings of a media philosopher, Marshall McLuhan, were popular. His expression, "The medium is the message" is one that has stayed with me. The very way we use to preach the gospel must be as much a part of the preaching as the message we want to convey!
The gospel scriptures will continue to come from the Gospel According to John until Pentecost! Today we jump from the image of the corral, the shepherd, the sheep and the voice of the shepherd to the beginning of the Last Supper when Jesus washes the feet of the disciples. Jesus tells the disciples that his gesture is meant to say something about who he IS. And they are, in turn, to do the same for others so that the others may "receive" the One who has sent the disciple. The medium must be the message. The "it" that will happen is when Jesus is crucified and risen ('lifted up" - cf. Jn 3:14-15).
The evangelist John is traditionally known as "the theologian" because his portrait of Jesus shows the considerable reflection that has taken place before the gospel was composed (90-110 AD). From now until Pentecost, that reflection will be the gospel message in the lectionary. What does Jesus mean when he says, "I AM!" Stay tuned! AMEN