SO THAT THEY MAY ALL BE ONE!

Deacon Timothy Tilghman

Seventh Sunday of Easter

"Holy Father, I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you" (Jn. 17:20-26)

The day’s Scriptures begin with St. Stephen’s vision, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56), as he maintained focus on being one with the Creator as he was being stoned to death.  Stephen was aware of Jesus’ prayer, maybe second only to the Our Father.  In today’s Gospel we hear Jesus’ prayer for us: “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me” (John 17:19-20).  This is Jesus’ prayer, not just for Catholic Christians, but for every human being created in His image and likeness.  Wow!  I invite you to reflect on the day’s Scriptures and think about people who have gone before you, marked with the sign of faith, who gave of themselves as Stephen did, in order to strengthen your relationship with the Creator.

Somebody has to embody Stephen’s focus and witness to actions that bring Jesus’ prayer to life.  About that person, we might say what John said in the second reading: “Behold, I am coming soon. I bring with me the recompense I will give to each according to his deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Rev 22:12-13).  Not so long ago, and in a neighborhood that I knew, I had a brother who would often say to me: “I am the Alpha, and you are the Omega.”  My brother, Robert, who was the eldest of the thirteen, would often say those words to me, the baby of the bunch.  Robert was like Stephen in that he never appeared to lose focus on how to live the Scriptures, even when threatened. Robert was first and focused, teaching the twelve that followed him how to bring the Gospel to life.

Robert was first in the family of Cyprian and Cecilia Tilghman, the one who walked into a segregated St. Paul’s Academy in 1948, as the tip of the spear in Cardinal O’Boyle’s campaign to integrate all things Catholic in the new Archdiocese of Washington.  Folks spat on him daily as he showed up for school in NW Washington, DC. Frequently fearful, but always focused, Robert graduated at the top of the class of 1952, enrolling in Catholic University of America (CUA) immediately after high school.  As an adolescent, Robert was a “front door” guy.  When he rode DC Transit with his sibling contemporaries, they sat on the bench seat immediately behind the driver in the 1940s.  As the drug store delivery boy, he walked in the front door of the “whites only” residential building, saying, “I have business here, so I can’t go to the back door.”  Drafted into the US Army while enrolled at CUA, he refused to drink from dirty water fountains or use substandard bathrooms while serving his military obligation at Ft Benning, GA.  After an honorable discharge from the Army, he returned home and continued to instruct his siblings on how to overcome fear and focus on living their faith.  He carried his focus into a career of teaching in Baltimore City Public Schools.

Why Robert and these Scriptures on this Sunday?  Robert was one who lived in His image and likeness and made these words from the Gospel real: “. . .so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us.”  My grandchildren focus according to Robert’s (Uncle Bob’s) Rules of Order, the same rules of focus and faith shared with thousands of Baltimore City Public School students during his teaching career.  And so it was when he encountered kids in the neighborhood, too. I invite you to bring the day’s Scriptures to life.  Remember, the Robert or Uncle Bob in your life. Live your faith as he or she did, and watch the kingdom come to life in your neighborhood.

Author: Deacon Timothy Tilghman, the Deacon in the Neighborhood, St. Teresa of Avila Church, Washington, DC.

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