Wednesday of the 7th Week of Easter
Acts 20:28-38 | Psalm 67:29-30, 33-36 | John 17:11-19
As human beings, we tend to form long-lasting attachments to our mentors. I can still remember many of my primary school teachers (some of whom, alas, I’ll never see again1), as well as several friends along my decades-old journey through life who’d taught me how to recover from heartbreak, from poor health, from my mistakes, and especially from my successes (a sic transit gloria mundi reminder, or a smack upside the head, depending on the mood of said friend).
As a mentor myself, the last thing I want to hear is “how will we manage without you?” That would be a terrible failure on my part, to have micromanaged my mentees into immobility instead of independence. Clearly, St. Paul had no such issues with the Ephesian church elders; just “one fond embrace before we say goodbye, until we meet again“.
His exhortation before his departure is a particularly appropriate meditation during this Jubilee Year of Mercy:
‘I have never asked anyone for money or clothes; you know for yourselves that the work I did earned enough to meet my needs and those of my companions. I did this to show you that this is how we must exert ourselves to support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, who himself said, “There is more happiness in giving than in receiving”.’ (Acts 20:33-35)
Lord Jesus, You showed us the Way of Mercy, by offering Your life for the sins of all mankind, asking nothing in return but that we come to glorify the Father with all our heart, soul and strength. Inspire us to stretch out our hand to those in need of comfort in distress, of relief from hunger, of protection from the wicked, of separation from the Father. Give us the courage to follow your Way of Mercy without fear, without reservation, without expectation of earthly or heavenly reward, with only the desire to see the Father’s glory reflected in the relief of our suffering brothers and sisters. Amen.