Reflection
The Easter Lectionary Welcomes Us
St. Ephrem (+373), called “The Lyre of the Holy Spirit” because of his beautiful writing, had an incredible ability for interpreting Scripture. With love and reverence for Sacred Scripture he writes, “Advice on the Study of Sacred Scripture”. Let me paraphrase,
The Word of God is a Tree of life…it is like that rock opened in the desert that gave forth a spiritual drink. The thirsty man rejoices when he drinks and is not downcast because he cannot empty the fountain. Let the fountain quench your thirst. If your thirst is quenched and the fountain is not exhausted, you can drink from it again whenever you are thirsty. Be grateful for what you have received and don’t grumble about the abundance left behind. What you have received is your share; what remains is your heritage. Do not have the presumption to try to take in one draft what cannot be taken in one draft and do not abandon out of laziness what can only be taken little by little.
The fountain of the Scriptures is bubbling with refreshment these days of Easter; in the Easter lectionary the abundance from its treasure chest is thrown open to us.
A friend, in the spirit of Ephrem, explores in his poem, ‘Occupation’, how we are servants of the well of Scripture and will be served by it,
Be a water boy, running back and forth from the well…again and again, from well to table, from table to well, from spring to altar, from altar to spring, confident that the source will never run dry, the presence of Jesus will never depart, that the need for yet more water among men in exile will never tire, till the Bridegroom comes for His Bride, and then, oh then, will we neither drink, nor thirst, nor even recall what water or dryness could ever have been, for then we will simply be one in perfect unity—perfect and individual indistinguishable drops of living water, that eternity ceaselessly pours onto, within, and into itself.
In Luke’s gospel we see Jesus as a Prophet. At the Transfiguration Moses and Elijah join him and speak of his departure, which was to take place in Jerusalem. As Luke’s gospel approaches its ending Jesus says to his disciples “I am sending upon you what my Father promised. Stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high”. We hear the final act of Jesus the prophet, he will pass on to them the gift of the Spirit. What has been said through the prophets is to be fulfilled. As Moses laid hands upon Joshua and he was filled with the spirit of wisdom, so the Spirit will come upon Jesus’ followers. And as Elijah gave a double portion of the Spirit to his disciple Elisha, so will the disciples go forth to work even greater signs and wonders in Jesus’ name and be witnesses to God.
