The Right Hand of Fellowship

 In Galatians 2:9, St. Paul tells that he had gone to Jerusalem to explain his ministry to the Gentiles to the "pillars of the church, Peter, James, and John:"  ...they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews.

Originally, the gesture of extending "the right hand" to someone indicated a demonstration that one held no weapon in the hand and that the other person was being greeted as a friend, not an enemy.  In the early church, "the right hand of fellowship" expressed acceptance, agreement, and trust --- a welcome into an established group, a way to enter a partnership in the Gospel.  In the very first church, the believers "devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" (Acts 2:42).  They considered their relationships with one another an important part of their daily lives.

Strong friendships and fellowship are an essential part of a healthy and growing Church. In the final reference to fellowship in the New Testament, (1 John 1:7),  we read, "If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."

Recently, I have been thinking about the words of the Resurrected Jesus to Mary Magdalene: Go to my brothers and tell them, "I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God" (John 20:17).  It seems to me that these are among the sweetest words Jesus spoke in the Bible.  The words themselves seem to me to be Jesus extending "the right hand of fellowship" --- that is, of acceptance, agreement, and trust --- to His friends.  At the Last Supper, he had said to them: "I no longer call you servants, but friends, because servants do not know what their master is doing."  And now, it seems that after the Resurrection, a new kind of fellowship is established.

Jesus spoke often of "my father" during his ministry on earth.  He did always what the Father wanted and the words He spoke were not His own, but belonged to the One who had sent Him.  And now, it seems that the apostles were included in the same ministry, the same partnership in the Gospel. Now, He refers to "my Father and your Father, my God and your God."  Our fellowship with the Risen Christ has given to all of us fellowship with the Father Himself and with one another.  We are accepted; we are loved; we are trusted, and we are being purified from all sin, that our fellowship may continue beyond this life and into the next!

When God Speaks

 The religion of the ancient Hebrews (and thus of the Hebrew Bible) was based upon the belief that God can and does speak to man. ...  The belief that God speaks to man is fundamental; we cannot accept some of the Hebrew beliefs as valid for modern man and abandon the basis upon which they are proposed, for this leaves them precisely baseless, unfounded (The Two-Edged Sword, McKenzie).

As moderns, we tend to be sceptical about God speaking to us.  We may not doubt that he speaks to the great saints ("Francis, rebuild My Church!" for example), but most of us are extremely doubtful that He can or will speak to us.  And yet, Jesus is very emphatic at the Last Supper about the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives: But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you (Jn. 14).

    When he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you (Jn. 16).

Many of us have had the experience of "hearing" an inner voice directing us, and yet we have shut it down, thinking that we were speaking to ourselves, out of our own minds and desires.  How do we know when we are talking to ourselves or when the Holy Spirit is directing us? While most of the time the whisperings of the Holy Spirit are subtle, there are times when He is very direct.  Let me give you a recent example:

My sister is retired but still drives a school bus on a regular basis to pick up extra cash.  Once or twice a year, she and her husband will travel to the coast and spend 2 or 3 nights in a casino, where they both enjoy playing poker with her school bus money. (It's the only money they use for that purpose.)  If one or both of them win a poker game or two, they will add that money to the casino fund and save it for the next trip.  

On one of the bus trips -- a field trip where the drivers had to wait for the children to return -- another bus driver, a woman also, was telling my sister that one of her checks had bounced at the bank, and now she was faced with not only paying that bill, but also interest and added fees from the bank.  She did not know what she was going to do. My sister immediately told the woman to follow her home after they finished their route that day, and she would give her 500 dollars to take to the bank and cover her costs.  She took the cash from her casino fund.  

The other woman was extremely grateful and promised to repay her 50 dollars every two weeks, with each paycheck.  After a couple of payments, however, the woman moved and her bus route was changed, so that the two no longer met on a regular basis.  Eventually, my sister began to think to herself, "She's never going to pay me back; I'll never see that money again!"  And of course, once we begin to gnaw on a mental bone like that, it continues to haunt us.  But then one day, in the midst of her grousing about the money, a strong voice spoke in and to her:  "It was never your money to begin with; let it go!"  And that voice brought such peace that my sister was able to release all of her negative thoughts and worries about the money.  She realized how much of that money she had actually won, as well as earned. She indeed was able to "let it go." 

Now how do we know God was speaking in this case?  As John McKenzie points out in his book, there is always a sense of the "Other" in these cases.  When we are consumed by fear, worry, and anxiety, and there is "voice" that cuts across the direction of our own thoughts, bringing peace and even love, it's a pretty clear indication that we cannot be talking to ourselves.  And once we have experienced the Voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to us, we begin to believe and to be a little more sensitive and less doubtful that God does want to be part of our lives.

The Best Easter Ever!

As we entered the Easter Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Saturday/Sunday) this year, there was an extra measure of prayer and intensity for most of us.  An American airman had been shot down in the mountainous region of Iran during the Iranian War.  The pilot of the plane had been rescued by American forces, but the second in command had not yet been found  ---- and the world was holding its breath.

It was a question of who would locate the American first.  Iran had placed a bounty on his head, and it seemed that every Iranian citizen in the area was out to claim the reward, hunting him down with sticks, guns, and whatever weapons they had at hand.  Ameica, meanwhile, was trying to locate him with all the tools at their disposal-- encoded signals, helicopters, etc.  One search plane had already been shot down by the Iranians, but that pilot had also been rescued.  

Those of us who remember previous wars remembered the brutality of nations like Iran who captured American soldiers.  We recalled the televised beheadings, the parading of broken and tortured men before cameras while citizens cheered.  As the mother of a helicopter pilot who has been through survival training, I was especially focused on the parents of this young airman.  I could almost experience their anguish and fear for his safety.  I could imagine in my flesh and bones what their prayers for his safety must have been like.

Every service I attended -- Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil --- I felt as if I were praying with the whole world for this man's rescue by American forces.  During the night, I would wake up praying for him and for his parents.  And I knew I was not alone in my prayers.  

Then, Easter Morning, I arose at 4 am, wondering if there was any news.  Fortunately, my husband, who had also been praying at night, was already awake with the exultant announcement:  The airman is safe; he has been found !    Immediately, I thought of the Father's cry in the Parable of the Prodigal Son:  We must rejoice; the son who was lost has been found!    I could imagine the joy and relief and thanksgiving of the parents as I sort of collapsed with joy myself.  

Alleluia!  Alleluia!  He is risen from the dead!  Ring the bells; announce the Good News!  We have all been saved from death and sorrow!  Alleluia!  The timing of the loss and resurrection brought a whole new and real dimension to Easter this year!