The Acts of the Apostles presents a Church that is beginning to spread. The Church was now in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. The spreading occurred partially because of the persecution in Jerusalem. The apostle James had been killed as had the deacon, Stephen. It was Tertullian who said that the blood of the martyrs is seed. The dandelions that are growing in my neighborhood remind me of what Tertullian said. You kill one Christian and four or five more pop up. Just have one front yard with dandelions and you better believe that they are coming your way. That’s how it was with the early Church. The believers were at peace, but it wasn’t because the persecution had ceased. They were being built up by the Lord through the Holy Spirit.
Peter went out to see what was happening in those regions to which the Church had spread. Luke says that “he went down to the holy ones living in Lydda.” “The holy ones” could have been translated “the saints.” Today we use the word “saint” for someone the Church has beatified and canonized. I call them the capital S saints. But all Christians are called to be saints in the here and now. We are striving, by the help of the Holy Spirit, to become more like Jesus. That is the life of a saint.
Luke tells us about two people that Peter healed. The second one was Tabitha who had died. There is a statement in the text that is easy to miss. After she died, it says that they washed her. Years ago, I learned from my Pakistani neighbors how important it is for the deceased body to be washed. We lived in Sacramento at the time. A young Muslim student was mistakenly identified and killed. His body was to be sent back to his family in Pakistan. My Pakistani neighbors, knowing that I was a minister, came and asked me if the funeral home would wash the body. That was their biggest concern. So, I called the funeral home and asked them about it, and they assured me that they washed the body. I was able to reassure my neighbors. Although the washing of Tabitha’s body is not the point of the text, it shows a level of detail in Luke’s account that should also reassure us that he knew what he was talking about.
The Gospel reading comes at the end of Jesus’ teaching about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. Many of his disciples are shocked by this. The saying is too hard, and they cannot accept it. They return to their former way of life and stop following Jesus. Jesus could have run after them and said, “Hey, it’s only a metaphor. Where are you going?” He didn’t do that. Why? Because they totally understood what he was saying. If our acceptance of Jesus’ words is based upon everything we have as flesh and blood, we will walk away from him, too. It is not the flesh that gives life; it is the Spirit of the living God.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
George Butterfield
I served as the Legal Reference Librarian at the Creighton University Law School Library from August, 2007, until August of 2017. I also taught Legal Research to first year law students and Advanced Legal Research to second and third year law students. In August of 2017 I took the position of Director of Evangelization and Catechesis for the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edmond, Oklahoma, and served in that capacity until Covid hit and the church staff was cut in half. Recently I took a position with the St. Gerald Catholic Church in Omaha, Nebraska, and my wife and I moved back to the Omaha suburb of Papillion.
My wife, Deb, and I have been married since 1970. She grew up in Oklahoma City and I migrated south from southwestern Pennsylvania. God has blessed us with three children, four living grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. I spent the first thirty years of our marriage as a minister so our family moved a lot. We have lived in several states, including Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, and California.
I enjoy walking, reading, listening to audio books, playing with my Pekingnese, Max, my Maltese-Schnauzer, Blaise, and seeing my grandkids grow up. I am a Catholic deacon, having been ordained by Archbishop George Lucas on May 5, 2012.
There is nothing to compare with reflecting on scripture. I feel privileged to participate in these daily reflections. Although we don’t know whether or not St. Francis ever said it, one idea associated with him is that we preach the gospel always and, when necessary, use words. May these reflections be gospel words, good news, of our gracious Lord Jesus Christ.
