|
|
|
7th Sunday of Easter John 17:11b-19 |
||
| Background: Today's selection from the longer High Priestly Prayer at the Last Supper addresses Jesus' concern for his disciple's future after his ascension. He asks his Father to see that they will be one just as he and the Father are one, knowing that his oneness with his Father led many to hate him. So they, too, will need the Father's protection once Jesus is no longer with them. This selection reflects the author's reflection on the temptations and persecutions facing the members of his community and the belief that neither Jesus nor the Father will abandon them. |
read the padre |
|
 |
Story: Today is Mothers' Day in the United States. This is a day when all of us (women, men, children, adults, married, single, parents and children) are united by the common experience of being a child, an experience we share with the Lord whose mother we honor in a special way during the month of May. For this reason it seems appropriate to integrate this experience into our reflections on the Scriptures. A Native American Grandmother Spider tale reminds us of Pope John Paul I's words: "God is Father, but, especially, Mother." A long time ago when all the Spirits lived in the sky and all the creatures lived below on the earth, the creatures were secure because they felt protected by the sky above them. However, one day they noticed that the sky was moving away from them and they became very frightened. How could they continue to exist if the Spirits were to abandon them? So after many days of worrying, the creatures gathered around the campfire and wondered what they might do. Bear came forward and said, "I am the strongest of all creatures. I will grab the sky and hold it in place and then we will be safe." But even with Bear holding on with all his strength, the sky was still able to continue its slow movement away from earth. Next Coyote stepped forward. "I am the best trickster," he said. "I can trick anything. I will trick the sky into staying with us." But all of Coyote's tricks did not succeed in keeping sky where it belonged above the earth. Finally, those around the campfire heard a meek little voice say, "I will try to keep sky joined to us." Everyone laughed when they saw Grandmother Spider crawl out of the tall grass. How could a lowly spider and especially a woman spider hope to do what had been impossible for Bear and Coyote? But Grandmother Spider paid no attention to their jeers. She just began spinning away until she had a long string which she then aimed at the sky. Twice, she failed to reach the sky. However on the third try when she was almost completely exhausted from spinning with all her might, her string reached the sky and she climbed up, rested for a short time and then began spinning again. All day she spun her web, going down and then back up between sky and earth. Finally, at the end of the day, sky and earth were firmly connected. Thanks to Grandmother Spider, the creatures never again had to worry about the Spirits abandoning them. Mary G. Durkin |
|
