Farewell Discourse

Both the reading from the Acts of the Apostles and the reading from the Gospel of St. John for today's liturgy are farewell discourses, a familiar feature of the Scripture. Many of the more prominent characters of both the Hebrew and the Christian Scriptures signal the fact that their lives are coming to a close by offering their last or their dying words.

In the case of St. Paul, he offers the community of Ephesus his parting words and benediction. As is often the case in these types of discourses, St. Paul seems to predict the future: I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock. And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away after them. (Acts 20:29-30) However, if we keep in mind that such discourses are usually written after these individuals have died, we realize that the sacred writer is simply recording the facts of what happened after their departure.

The same is true of the farewell discourse that appears in the final chapters of St. John's Gospel. Jesus is heard to pray for the community of his disciples. Such prayers would not have been offered out loud. Prayer of this type for the Jewish people would have been offered in silence. St. John portrays Jesus as praying for unity among his disciples knowing full well that the community out of which this Gospel rises is already fraught with dissension and a secessionist movement.

Another common feature of these narratives or discourses is that they usually include a blessing or benediction for those who are gathered to hear the farewell. Not only does this benediction signal the end of the characters life, it is regarded as a sign that these individuals will themselves go on to lives of great importance. This is certainly true of the benediction that Jesus bestows upon the apostles. These men will carry the Word of God to all of the then known world. Their efforts will give birth to a Church that still exists some 2,000 years later. Indeed, the Holy Spirit has fulfilled Jesus' words by protecting these men from "the world." Let us remember that these words, this blessing, is meant for us as well.

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator