Pentecost, 2009
Acts 1:1-11
Responsorial: Psalm 104: 1, 29-30, 31, 34
1 Cor 12: 2-7
Jn 20:19-23
The church has three major holy days, Christmas, Easter and Pentecost. But you may not realized that Pentecost is the most important. Pentecost is the birthday of the Catholic Church. Pentecost is the oldest of our holy days having been celebrated as a Christian holiday 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection. Catholics began celebrating Easter in the 4th century and celebration Christmas in the fifth century. Pentecost is a Greek word meaning fiftieth. For over 2000 years Pentecost has been celebrated by Catholics on this very Sunday, the Sunday after the 7th Sunday after Easter.
Pentecost took the place of an ancient Jewish festival called the Festival of Weeks. It was celebrated 50 days after Passover. It celebrated God giving the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, to Moses on Mount Sinai. It was also one of three pilgrimage feasts which required adult males to go to Jerusalem.
So Jerusalem was crowded on the day of Pentecost. Our first reading gives us list of at least people speaking 14 different languages assembled together in the synagogue, all of them speaking a different language. However, something unusual happens on this first Pentecost. There was a sound like a wind, and above the heads of the people there appeared tongues like fire. Jewish people had heard of this often. Ancient Jews linked God and the wind. The unseen wind’s feather like touch and its storm like power spoke to the Jews of God’s own unseen gentleness as well as power. Ancient Jews also linked God and fire. God appeared in the burning bush to Moses. And God came down in fire on Mount Sinai where Moses got the ten commandments. God appeared to these people as breath and as fire. They all understood the words of God in their own language.
We all know how important the ability to breath is to life. Right now, until I mentioned it, probably none of you noticed you were breathing. We don't give enough thought to what it means to be able to breathe. We just do it. But if our ability to breathe is compromised, we will most likely panic.
Asthma and emphysema sufferers, and those with other respiratory or heart problems, live with this panic. They know what is happening to them, and fortunately their crises can be relieved with oxygen, at least for a while. We know when our oxygen supply is cut of because of immediate physical consequences, but can we always read the symptoms of what it means to be cut off from the Church or from God?
Pentecost gives us these two things: breath and fire. But it also gives us the Holy Spirit which we believe is the third person of the Blessed Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Luke tells us that Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, ''Receive the Holy Spirit.'' “Spirit'' breathing out. Respiration means to breath in and out. For years the Church referred to the Holy Spirit as the Holy Ghost. In English, spirit and ghost can mean the same thing, but the spirit that we call the Holy Spirit is not that kind of spirit. This is why, in the 1960s, the Church had us begin saying Holy Spirit instead of Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit takes its name from breathing out. We might say that the Holy Spirit is the very breath of God.
This past week I stopped by the hospital and found at one the entrances some masks which were to be used to prevent the spreading of the swine flu. Doctors will tell you that colds are spread by touching someone who has a cold, but the flu is spread by breathing out on someone. Breathing on someone else as part of a blessing was common for the Mediterranean Middle East. Because the breath came from inside of a person, to breathe on someone was thought to pass on something of what is inside of one person to another. For those of Jesus' day, they believed that part of the essence of the person was being passed on. To create life, God breathed into the nostrils of the man. This breath of God gives us life. The Divine is within us.
On Pentecost the followers of Jesus received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was in the sound of the wind. Many of us here today have received the same Holy Spirit when we were confirmed. Unlike Baptism, we do not think much of our Confirmation. Yet it is the sacrament which was given by the early church along with Baptism. Confirmation confirms our faith in Jesus and our religion. We become adult believers. We are no longer children following others, but now persons following our conscience and our religion.
After Jesus ascended to heaven, we did not remain alone. Jesus provided for us the Holy Spirit which can guide us each day to a good life. But we need to pray to the Holy Spirit for the help that we might need. The Holy Spirit is the voice of God within us. It is his breathe and fire. As a young person I was raised on a farm. Spring time for farmers is a time for preparing the fields for planting. Among the preparation is removing stones that seem to come up out of the ground every winter. I remember the story of a farmer who had a large rock located in the center of his corn field. It was troublesome plowing around it each year. Worse yet, he sometimes forgot it and damaged his plow on it. He wanted to dig it out. But he kept putting it off. Finally, he acted. To his surprise, it was totally on the surface and easily removed. He thought to himself, Why did it take me so long to dig it up?
Each one of us has at least one rock in our life that causes us pain, anxiety, tensions. What keeps you from digging it up? During the next minutes of this Mass, and during this week, let each of us try to discover how the Holy Spirit can help us locate it, and give it up. If necessary let the Holy Spirit help you through those around you: wife or husband, a mother or father, family members, friend , teacher, counsellor. If the Spirit has worked in your life this way, express your appreciation to one of these people for improving your faith.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Homily for the Week of May 24, 2009
Pentecost, 2009
Acts 1:1-11
Responsorial: Psalm 104: 1, 29-30, 31, 34
1 Cor 12: 2-7
Jn 20:19-23
The church has three major holy days, Christmas, Easter and Pentecost. But you may not realized that Pentecost is the most important. Pentecost is the birthday of the Catholic Church. Pentecost is the oldest of our holy days having been celebrated as a Christian holiday 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection. Catholics began celebrating Easter in the 4th century and celebration Christmas in the fifth century. Pentecost is a Greek word meaning fiftieth. For over 2000 years Pentecost has been celebrated by Catholics on this very Sunday, the Sunday after the 7th Sunday after Easter.
Pentecost took the place of an ancient Jewish festival called the Festival of Weeks. It was celebrated 50 days after Passover. It celebrated God giving the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, to Moses on Mount Sinai. It was also one of three pilgrimage feasts which required adult males to go to Jerusalem.
So Jerusalem was crowded on the day of Pentecost. Our first reading gives us list of at least people speaking 14 different languages assembled together in the synagogue, all of them speaking a different language. However, something unusual happens on this first Pentecost. There was a sound like a wind, and above the heads of the people there appeared tongues like fire. Jewish people had heard of this often. Ancient Jews linked God and the wind. The unseen wind’s feather like touch and its storm like power spoke to the Jews of God’s own unseen gentleness as well as power. Ancient Jews also linked God and fire. God appeared in the burning bush to Moses. And God came down in fire on Mount Sinai where Moses got the ten commandments. God appeared to these people as breath and as fire. They all understood the words of God in their own language.
We all know how important the ability to breath is to life. Right now, until I mentioned it, probably none of you noticed you were breathing. We don't give enough thought to what it means to be able to breathe. We just do it. But if our ability to breathe is compromised, we will most likely panic.
Asthma and emphysema sufferers, and those with other respiratory or heart problems, live with this panic. They know what is happening to them, and fortunately their crises can be relieved with oxygen, at least for a while. We know when our oxygen supply is cut of because of immediate physical consequences, but can we always read the symptoms of what it means to be cut off from the Church or from God?
Pentecost gives us these two things: breath and fire. But it also gives us the Holy Spirit which we believe is the third person of the Blessed Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Luke tells us that Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, ''Receive the Holy Spirit.'' “Spirit'' breathing out. Respiration means to breath in and out. For years the Church referred to the Holy Spirit as the Holy Ghost. In English, spirit and ghost can mean the same thing, but the spirit that we call the Holy Spirit is not that kind of spirit. This is why, in the 1960s, the Church had us begin saying Holy Spirit instead of Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit takes its name from breathing out. We might say that the Holy Spirit is the very breath of God.
This past week I stopped by the hospital and found at one the entrances some masks which were to be used to prevent the spreading of the swine flu. Doctors will tell you that colds are spread by touching someone who has a cold, but the flu is spread by breathing out on someone. Breathing on someone else as part of a blessing was common for the Mediterranean Middle East. Because the breath came from inside of a person, to breathe on someone was thought to pass on something of what is inside of one person to another. For those of Jesus' day, they believed that part of the essence of the person was being passed on. To create life, God breathed into the nostrils of the man. This breath of God gives us life. The Divine is within us.
On Pentecost the followers of Jesus received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was in the sound of the wind. Many of us here today have received the same Holy Spirit when we were confirmed. Unlike Baptism, we do not think much of our Confirmation. Yet it is the sacrament which was given by the early church along with Baptism. Confirmation confirms our faith in Jesus and our religion. We become adult believers. We are no longer children following others, but now persons following our conscience and our religion.
After Jesus ascended to heaven, we did not remain alone. Jesus provided for us the Holy Spirit which can guide us each day to a good life. But we need to pray to the Holy Spirit for the help that we might need. The Holy Spirit is the voice of God within us. It is his breathe and fire. As a young person I was raised on a farm. Spring time for farmers is a time for preparing the fields for planting. Among the preparation is removing stones that seem to come up out of the ground every winter. I remember the story of a farmer who had a large rock located in the center of his corn field. It was troublesome plowing around it each year. Worse yet, he sometimes forgot it and damaged his plow on it. He wanted to dig it out. But he kept putting it off. Finally, he acted. To his surprise, it was totally on the surface and easily removed. He thought to himself, Why did it take me so long to dig it up?
Each one of us has at least one rock in our life that causes us pain, anxiety, tensions. What keeps you from digging it up? During the next minutes of this Mass, and during this week, let each of us try to discover how the Holy Spirit can help us locate it, and give it up. If necessary let the Holy Spirit help you through those around you: wife or husband, a mother or father, family members, friend , teacher, counsellor. If the Spirit has worked in your life this way, express your appreciation to one of these people for improving your faith.
Acts 1:1-11
Responsorial: Psalm 104: 1, 29-30, 31, 34
1 Cor 12: 2-7
Jn 20:19-23
The church has three major holy days, Christmas, Easter and Pentecost. But you may not realized that Pentecost is the most important. Pentecost is the birthday of the Catholic Church. Pentecost is the oldest of our holy days having been celebrated as a Christian holiday 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection. Catholics began celebrating Easter in the 4th century and celebration Christmas in the fifth century. Pentecost is a Greek word meaning fiftieth. For over 2000 years Pentecost has been celebrated by Catholics on this very Sunday, the Sunday after the 7th Sunday after Easter.
Pentecost took the place of an ancient Jewish festival called the Festival of Weeks. It was celebrated 50 days after Passover. It celebrated God giving the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, to Moses on Mount Sinai. It was also one of three pilgrimage feasts which required adult males to go to Jerusalem.
So Jerusalem was crowded on the day of Pentecost. Our first reading gives us list of at least people speaking 14 different languages assembled together in the synagogue, all of them speaking a different language. However, something unusual happens on this first Pentecost. There was a sound like a wind, and above the heads of the people there appeared tongues like fire. Jewish people had heard of this often. Ancient Jews linked God and the wind. The unseen wind’s feather like touch and its storm like power spoke to the Jews of God’s own unseen gentleness as well as power. Ancient Jews also linked God and fire. God appeared in the burning bush to Moses. And God came down in fire on Mount Sinai where Moses got the ten commandments. God appeared to these people as breath and as fire. They all understood the words of God in their own language.
We all know how important the ability to breath is to life. Right now, until I mentioned it, probably none of you noticed you were breathing. We don't give enough thought to what it means to be able to breathe. We just do it. But if our ability to breathe is compromised, we will most likely panic.
Asthma and emphysema sufferers, and those with other respiratory or heart problems, live with this panic. They know what is happening to them, and fortunately their crises can be relieved with oxygen, at least for a while. We know when our oxygen supply is cut of because of immediate physical consequences, but can we always read the symptoms of what it means to be cut off from the Church or from God?
Pentecost gives us these two things: breath and fire. But it also gives us the Holy Spirit which we believe is the third person of the Blessed Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Luke tells us that Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, ''Receive the Holy Spirit.'' “Spirit'' breathing out. Respiration means to breath in and out. For years the Church referred to the Holy Spirit as the Holy Ghost. In English, spirit and ghost can mean the same thing, but the spirit that we call the Holy Spirit is not that kind of spirit. This is why, in the 1960s, the Church had us begin saying Holy Spirit instead of Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit takes its name from breathing out. We might say that the Holy Spirit is the very breath of God.
This past week I stopped by the hospital and found at one the entrances some masks which were to be used to prevent the spreading of the swine flu. Doctors will tell you that colds are spread by touching someone who has a cold, but the flu is spread by breathing out on someone. Breathing on someone else as part of a blessing was common for the Mediterranean Middle East. Because the breath came from inside of a person, to breathe on someone was thought to pass on something of what is inside of one person to another. For those of Jesus' day, they believed that part of the essence of the person was being passed on. To create life, God breathed into the nostrils of the man. This breath of God gives us life. The Divine is within us.
On Pentecost the followers of Jesus received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was in the sound of the wind. Many of us here today have received the same Holy Spirit when we were confirmed. Unlike Baptism, we do not think much of our Confirmation. Yet it is the sacrament which was given by the early church along with Baptism. Confirmation confirms our faith in Jesus and our religion. We become adult believers. We are no longer children following others, but now persons following our conscience and our religion.
After Jesus ascended to heaven, we did not remain alone. Jesus provided for us the Holy Spirit which can guide us each day to a good life. But we need to pray to the Holy Spirit for the help that we might need. The Holy Spirit is the voice of God within us. It is his breathe and fire. As a young person I was raised on a farm. Spring time for farmers is a time for preparing the fields for planting. Among the preparation is removing stones that seem to come up out of the ground every winter. I remember the story of a farmer who had a large rock located in the center of his corn field. It was troublesome plowing around it each year. Worse yet, he sometimes forgot it and damaged his plow on it. He wanted to dig it out. But he kept putting it off. Finally, he acted. To his surprise, it was totally on the surface and easily removed. He thought to himself, Why did it take me so long to dig it up?
Each one of us has at least one rock in our life that causes us pain, anxiety, tensions. What keeps you from digging it up? During the next minutes of this Mass, and during this week, let each of us try to discover how the Holy Spirit can help us locate it, and give it up. If necessary let the Holy Spirit help you through those around you: wife or husband, a mother or father, family members, friend , teacher, counsellor. If the Spirit has worked in your life this way, express your appreciation to one of these people for improving your faith.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Homily for the Week of May 17, 2009
50th ANNIVERSARY MASS, 5/16/2009
Today I observe with each of you my 50th anniversary of the day when Bishop James Navagh, invited me to be a priest, and I accepted. It was May 16, 1959 at 10 am in St. Mary's Cathedral. I had just arrived the day before from Mount Saint Mary's Seminary and University in Maryland where I had been preparing for 4 years for this day. I was one of 7 who were to became Catholic priests for this diocese. I knelt in front of Bishop Navagh and he asked me: Are you resolved to consecrate your life to God for the salvation of his people? He then took my hands in his and asked me: Do you promise respect and obedience to me and my successors? I do. And then he placed his hands on my head and spoke nothing. I then became a Catholic priest.
Most of my life as a priest has been connected with teaching and education. After completing my doctoral studies at Notre Dame in 1970, I was assigned as Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Ogdensburg and as a professor at Wadhams Hall. It was then that I started to live at the seminary and be professor and Spiritual Director. At that time there were 150 young men who thought they would be Catholic priests. When the seminary closed in May 2000 I became your Pastor.
An anniversary necessarily reminds us of the years and days of the past: the people, the places, the situations which have influenced us the most. For most of you anniversaries are like reading a history book. But for those of you who are 60 or older may remember some of the events of 1959. Father Lyddy was Pastor of St. James. John XXIII was Pope. Dwight Eisenhower was President of the United States, Nelson Rockefeller was governor of New York State. A gallon of gasoline cost 25 cents, postage stamps were 4 cents, a loaf bread cost 20 cents, the minimum wage was $1 an hour and the average annual salary was $5000. You could buy a Ford or Chevrolet for $2000.
The Catholic Church of 50 years ago was also very, very different. For many of you that is a church of history -- a church history that goes back to the middle ages. When I became a priest Latin was the language of the Mass. Catholics received Holy Communion kneeling at an Altar Rail and never in the hand. There were no afternoon Masses. There were no Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers. Most hymns were in Latin. About the only visible remnant today from the days is the passing around of the collection basket.
St. James Church had 2 side altars in addition to the main altar and on All Souls Day, November 2nd, three priest would celebrate Mass at the same time. There was no sound system. The Church bell was rung before Mass by a bell ringer who pulled on a rope tied to the bell in the steeple.
Changes in worshipping and the Mass began about 1970. There were many of them for both the priest and you people. I spent much time learning a whole new way of presiding at Mass as well as for Baptisms, weddings and funerals. And Catholics in the pews had to do the same. Mass was now in English. You were invited to participate in the Mass as you do today.
The special work of a priest, however, has remained much the same. At ordination, the Bishop placed these vestments on me and he presented me the chalice and the hosts and wine and said: Accept from the holy people of God the gifts to be offered to him. Know what you are doing, imitate the mystery you celebrate; model your life on the mystery of the Lord's cross. As Mother Teresa would often say, a priest, like all of you, are like pencils in the hands of God.
The priest is called to proclaim Gods' word to all, and especially to interpret Jesus for all persons. None of this can be done alone. A priest can preach and serve to the extent that he can become one with the experiences of all those whom he is called to serve.
The most significant development in these past 50 years, I believe, has been the explosion of lay ministries, wherein lay men and women have been able to claim their baptismal call to holiness and ministry, and to assume and exercise a wide variety of roles and responsibilities.
In today’s Bible reading Jesus uses the word ''love'' no fewer than nine times. Love became the central command of our Christian faith. My own living as a priest has opened up fantastic ways of living the commandment Love one another as I love you. You are my friends. While I have been able to share this love, I have received much more than I have given.
The priest, most of all, comes forth from a family; his own family, and the family of parishioners. For the past 9 years you the people of St. James Parish have been my family, my friends, my signs of faith and love. You have given me the privilege of praying with you, of listening, of preaching, of seeing you grow from children to married men and women; of knowing of your sorrows in sickness and death, and of knowing the strong faith that brings you together to pray and worship. I thank you for your love; for your encouragement, and for your faith. On my part I pray that you know and feel God's love for you, and that God is always ready to hold your drooping hands, or strengthen your bending knees. God always carries you in the palm of his hand.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Homily for the Week of May 10, 2009
5th Sunday in Easter, 2009
First Reading: Acts 9:26–31
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 22:26–27, 28, 20, 31–32
Second Reading: 1 John 3:18–24
Gospel: John 15:1–8
Many of our national and special holidays had their beginning in the last 200-300 years and are particular to the United States. If you lived in Palestine at the time of Jesus there would have been no Mother’s Day. In large part this was because the Jews social values and customs were very different from ours. The roles of men and women were highly defined. Women were in a position of having little legal status and, mostly, had to depend upon men for just about everything whether the man was the woman's father, her husband or her brother. A woman without one of these relationships was in a very tough spot. This is why Jesus used the widow and orphan to refer to the most defenseless in society.
This does not mean that women were unimportant in Jewish society. They were extremely important. Aside from caring for the home -- an extremely physical task as everything, even milling the grain to make flour, was done by hand -- they were the chief promoters of their family.
The family was the most important unit in society. And by the idea of family meant parents, grandparents, or all others often for 3-4 generations. Status in society came from your family. A person's identity was so rooted in the family that it was impossible for anyone to think of themselves as an individual. Society's sense of right and wrong was based on a system of honor and shame. The more honor a family had, the more honor its members had.
The role of a wife and mother was extremely important to the process of gaining honor. It was difficult for the man to promote himself, so the woman took care of this. A woman, be it a wife or mother, did everything she could to promote a husband or a son. This is precisely what Mary was doing at the wedding feast at Cana when they ran out of wine. She wanted to preserve and increase the honor of her son Jesus. Jesus acknowledged this as He responded to His mother with the highly respectful term, Woman instead of Mother.
As we celebrate Mother's Day we might use a term advisor that today is perhaps more descriptive of a Mother or woman at the time of Jesus. Our first reading and the Gospel passage clearly reveal the vital importance of the role of advisor or guide.
Indirectly, we see the importance of our Mother by comparing them to the events of our first Bible reading for today. The reading is from The Acts of the Apostles, written about A.D. 85. Just a few years after the death of Jesus there was a great amount of fear among those who had left everything to follow Jesus. At that time there was a war between Rome and the Jewish people. On the religious side the Pharisees had lost their control of the Jews. Like a political party in our American history, they were expelling groups from the synagogue that they thought were not following the strict laws of the Jews. Among these were the followers of Jesus. And the worse among this group was a man named Saul.
Saul was very dangerous to the early Christian community. But he had a trusted friend by the name of Barnabas. Barnabas became a trusted advisor and teacher of Saul for quite a few years. And finally Barnabas helped Saul to understand the person of Jesus and Jesus' teachings. Without Barnabas, Saul certainly would not have come to love the Lord with such understanding. Saul finally accepted Jesus, and changed his name to Paul.
One role of mothers has not changed all that much since the first century. When we think of Mother, whether you are a teenager, or in mid life or a real senior citizen, whether it is a Mother is still living or a Mother who has died, we see in our mothers a person who takes care of us, feeds us, bandages our wounds, listens to us, gives us advice, and the person whom we trust the most. For many of us, it was our mothers who, like Barnabas, who introduced us to our Catholic religion: they taught us our prayers, helped us to make our First Communion and saw to our education. They taught us the difference between right and wrong, and what we are to do when do something that is wrong.
Jesus give us an example that good grapes come from a vine which has been take care and pruned of its broken or dead branches.
A vine cannot bear fruit ''on its own.'' Not only is there the need to be connected to the main vine, truly delicious grapes need the intervention of a gardener who knows where and how to prune. By and large, mothers know their children better than anyone, and they know where and when to prune .
As we honor Mothers this weekend we must remind ourselves that Mother comes in different forms. There are many who play the role of Mom in our lives and the lives of children. There is the grandmother and the godmother, but also the step mom that is part of a blended family. And then there are the super mom helpers. These are the friends and family who always lend a hand to do bring the kids to school, or help us to keep on time for appointments. On Mothers Day we take time to thank all the Mothers: moms, grandmas, stepmom sister, aunt, neighbor, child care provider, teacher, friend. They all make the job of mother all the better.
We realize that dads get their own day next month, but Mothers Day is also a time to remember the many ways fathers endless efforts make mothers’ efforts that much easier and more successful.
Years ago St Therese of Lisieux wrote: The loveliest masterpiece of the heart of God is the heart of a mother. That is why we have Mothers’ Day.
First Reading: Acts 9:26–31
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 22:26–27, 28, 20, 31–32
Second Reading: 1 John 3:18–24
Gospel: John 15:1–8
Many of our national and special holidays had their beginning in the last 200-300 years and are particular to the United States. If you lived in Palestine at the time of Jesus there would have been no Mother’s Day. In large part this was because the Jews social values and customs were very different from ours. The roles of men and women were highly defined. Women were in a position of having little legal status and, mostly, had to depend upon men for just about everything whether the man was the woman's father, her husband or her brother. A woman without one of these relationships was in a very tough spot. This is why Jesus used the widow and orphan to refer to the most defenseless in society.
This does not mean that women were unimportant in Jewish society. They were extremely important. Aside from caring for the home -- an extremely physical task as everything, even milling the grain to make flour, was done by hand -- they were the chief promoters of their family.
The family was the most important unit in society. And by the idea of family meant parents, grandparents, or all others often for 3-4 generations. Status in society came from your family. A person's identity was so rooted in the family that it was impossible for anyone to think of themselves as an individual. Society's sense of right and wrong was based on a system of honor and shame. The more honor a family had, the more honor its members had.
The role of a wife and mother was extremely important to the process of gaining honor. It was difficult for the man to promote himself, so the woman took care of this. A woman, be it a wife or mother, did everything she could to promote a husband or a son. This is precisely what Mary was doing at the wedding feast at Cana when they ran out of wine. She wanted to preserve and increase the honor of her son Jesus. Jesus acknowledged this as He responded to His mother with the highly respectful term, Woman instead of Mother.
As we celebrate Mother's Day we might use a term advisor that today is perhaps more descriptive of a Mother or woman at the time of Jesus. Our first reading and the Gospel passage clearly reveal the vital importance of the role of advisor or guide.
Indirectly, we see the importance of our Mother by comparing them to the events of our first Bible reading for today. The reading is from The Acts of the Apostles, written about A.D. 85. Just a few years after the death of Jesus there was a great amount of fear among those who had left everything to follow Jesus. At that time there was a war between Rome and the Jewish people. On the religious side the Pharisees had lost their control of the Jews. Like a political party in our American history, they were expelling groups from the synagogue that they thought were not following the strict laws of the Jews. Among these were the followers of Jesus. And the worse among this group was a man named Saul.
Saul was very dangerous to the early Christian community. But he had a trusted friend by the name of Barnabas. Barnabas became a trusted advisor and teacher of Saul for quite a few years. And finally Barnabas helped Saul to understand the person of Jesus and Jesus' teachings. Without Barnabas, Saul certainly would not have come to love the Lord with such understanding. Saul finally accepted Jesus, and changed his name to Paul.
One role of mothers has not changed all that much since the first century. When we think of Mother, whether you are a teenager, or in mid life or a real senior citizen, whether it is a Mother is still living or a Mother who has died, we see in our mothers a person who takes care of us, feeds us, bandages our wounds, listens to us, gives us advice, and the person whom we trust the most. For many of us, it was our mothers who, like Barnabas, who introduced us to our Catholic religion: they taught us our prayers, helped us to make our First Communion and saw to our education. They taught us the difference between right and wrong, and what we are to do when do something that is wrong.
Jesus give us an example that good grapes come from a vine which has been take care and pruned of its broken or dead branches.
A vine cannot bear fruit ''on its own.'' Not only is there the need to be connected to the main vine, truly delicious grapes need the intervention of a gardener who knows where and how to prune. By and large, mothers know their children better than anyone, and they know where and when to prune .
As we honor Mothers this weekend we must remind ourselves that Mother comes in different forms. There are many who play the role of Mom in our lives and the lives of children. There is the grandmother and the godmother, but also the step mom that is part of a blended family. And then there are the super mom helpers. These are the friends and family who always lend a hand to do bring the kids to school, or help us to keep on time for appointments. On Mothers Day we take time to thank all the Mothers: moms, grandmas, stepmom sister, aunt, neighbor, child care provider, teacher, friend. They all make the job of mother all the better.
We realize that dads get their own day next month, but Mothers Day is also a time to remember the many ways fathers endless efforts make mothers’ efforts that much easier and more successful.
Years ago St Therese of Lisieux wrote: The loveliest masterpiece of the heart of God is the heart of a mother. That is why we have Mothers’ Day.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Homily for the Week of May 3, 2009
FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER, 2009
First Reading: Acts 4:8–12
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 118:1, 8–9, 21–23, 26, 28, 29
Second Reading: 1 John 3:1–2
Gospel: John 10:11–18
Most of you have heard the expression: You're nothing but a bunch of sheep! We do not consider being called ''sheep'' flattering. This insinuates that a person or group of people are simply blind followers, unable to think for themselves, and are incapable of being leaders. This does make sense as sheep are utterly defenseless and are dependent on shepherds for protection. They will wander off without a thought about danger. Shepherds must ward off predators, guide them to food and water, or even keep them from foolishly falling off a cliff while eating grass.
The people of Jesus' day did not see Jesus comparing them to sheep as an insult; rather they saw it as an accurate description of their own circumstances. The people were defenseless. There were no police. Roman soldiers were often as much predators as they were defenders of a city. They could do pretty much as they pleased, and the only time restraint was ordered was to avoid a riot. People had to travel in groups. Travelling alone between towns and villages guaranteed being mugged or worse. The Jewish leaders were powerless to do anything about any of this. They too were in continual danger.
The example has even more depth. There were two kinds of shepherds: the hired man and the owner. The Gospel makes clear the hired man was only interested in money. He would not give his life for someone else's sheep. Such shepherds were also known to help themselves to a sheep or two. The owner of the flock was someone who would do anything to protect his flock. The flock was his livelihood. Sheep were not used for food, they were kept for their wool. The more sheep, the more wool, the more money. No owner would risk losing his income.
Jesus most likely lived with and met many shepherds. He admired them so much that he uses them as examples of how his followers must take care of each other. When Jesus decided to call himself The Good Shepherd, He made a good choice, but then, on the other hand, He didn't have much choice. In the Old Testament, the Messiah is referred to as the Shepherd twenty-two times.
But Jesus gives us a new and third kind of shepherd. Jesus was not a ''hired man'' and He was not exactly an owner, though His connection to His sheep was strong and intimate. The difference Jesus gives when He describes himself as a shepherd is His reason for being a shepherd. Jesus is not motivated by money, chooses to be a shepherd because of His love for His sheep. The Father loves us and put us in Jesus' care, and thus Jesus loves us as part of His love for the Father. Jesus gives us a model of what it means to love and why we must love. He loves because the Father loves, and because Jesus loves all things belonging to the Father, the Father loves Him.
Jesus teaches this love to us. We are to love all things that belong to God. Our sole motivation for all we do or refuse to do is based on this love for God.
Unfortunately we still struggle to understand how simple this is. We are so possessive of what is ''ours,'' and the Acts gives us a picture of ourselves as we more often tend to be. Peter had healed someone. The leadership overlooked the miracle. They accepted it as fact. Looking past it, they were far more concerned ''by whose authority'' had they done this. Their interest was self-serving. The healing power of Peter and the Apostles was a threat to their authority.
We must reach back into history and understand that this notion of acting out of love was very different than what they had been used to. You cared for your own. You did not care for the outsider. Generally speaking, all Jews were ''insiders'' and no one else matter. There was no sense of obligation toward outsiders. This understanding is important, for example, in the parable of the Good Samaritan. That no one stopped to help the man who had been injured by robbers was no surprise: He is not one of us! Jesus begins to teach that we do have an obligation for all people, even the outsiders.
In referring to himself as the Good Shepherd, Jesus says ''I know mine and mine know me.'' This term, to know, implies a very intimate knowledge. It means Jesus knows all the inner thoughts and makeup of all who are His own. Only someone intimately acquainted with us knows what goes on in our hearts and souls. Jesus is telling us He has this type of love for us.
Jesus goes on to say, ''I have other sheep who do not belong to this fold.'' This is an owner-shepherd who is just as concerned with the flocks of other owners as His own. Shocking! Jesus was rejected for this view. Thus, the psalm response: ''The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.'' We cannot reject this notion. This way of loving put the early Christians at odds with others thus the first Letter of John acknowledges that world ''does not know us.''
Does my love -- especially for the outsider -- perplex the general population which tends to care for only its own? This is how God loves us. We are to love in kind.
As our Good Shepherd Jesus is concerned that we are well taken care of. He is especially concerned that we get his message that we are good sheep always loved by him. He doesn't force his message on anyone, but offers it freely. As a shepherd he calls out to the sheep who are free to respond or not.
First Reading: Acts 4:8–12
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 118:1, 8–9, 21–23, 26, 28, 29
Second Reading: 1 John 3:1–2
Gospel: John 10:11–18
Most of you have heard the expression: You're nothing but a bunch of sheep! We do not consider being called ''sheep'' flattering. This insinuates that a person or group of people are simply blind followers, unable to think for themselves, and are incapable of being leaders. This does make sense as sheep are utterly defenseless and are dependent on shepherds for protection. They will wander off without a thought about danger. Shepherds must ward off predators, guide them to food and water, or even keep them from foolishly falling off a cliff while eating grass.
The people of Jesus' day did not see Jesus comparing them to sheep as an insult; rather they saw it as an accurate description of their own circumstances. The people were defenseless. There were no police. Roman soldiers were often as much predators as they were defenders of a city. They could do pretty much as they pleased, and the only time restraint was ordered was to avoid a riot. People had to travel in groups. Travelling alone between towns and villages guaranteed being mugged or worse. The Jewish leaders were powerless to do anything about any of this. They too were in continual danger.
The example has even more depth. There were two kinds of shepherds: the hired man and the owner. The Gospel makes clear the hired man was only interested in money. He would not give his life for someone else's sheep. Such shepherds were also known to help themselves to a sheep or two. The owner of the flock was someone who would do anything to protect his flock. The flock was his livelihood. Sheep were not used for food, they were kept for their wool. The more sheep, the more wool, the more money. No owner would risk losing his income.
Jesus most likely lived with and met many shepherds. He admired them so much that he uses them as examples of how his followers must take care of each other. When Jesus decided to call himself The Good Shepherd, He made a good choice, but then, on the other hand, He didn't have much choice. In the Old Testament, the Messiah is referred to as the Shepherd twenty-two times.
But Jesus gives us a new and third kind of shepherd. Jesus was not a ''hired man'' and He was not exactly an owner, though His connection to His sheep was strong and intimate. The difference Jesus gives when He describes himself as a shepherd is His reason for being a shepherd. Jesus is not motivated by money, chooses to be a shepherd because of His love for His sheep. The Father loves us and put us in Jesus' care, and thus Jesus loves us as part of His love for the Father. Jesus gives us a model of what it means to love and why we must love. He loves because the Father loves, and because Jesus loves all things belonging to the Father, the Father loves Him.
Jesus teaches this love to us. We are to love all things that belong to God. Our sole motivation for all we do or refuse to do is based on this love for God.
Unfortunately we still struggle to understand how simple this is. We are so possessive of what is ''ours,'' and the Acts gives us a picture of ourselves as we more often tend to be. Peter had healed someone. The leadership overlooked the miracle. They accepted it as fact. Looking past it, they were far more concerned ''by whose authority'' had they done this. Their interest was self-serving. The healing power of Peter and the Apostles was a threat to their authority.
We must reach back into history and understand that this notion of acting out of love was very different than what they had been used to. You cared for your own. You did not care for the outsider. Generally speaking, all Jews were ''insiders'' and no one else matter. There was no sense of obligation toward outsiders. This understanding is important, for example, in the parable of the Good Samaritan. That no one stopped to help the man who had been injured by robbers was no surprise: He is not one of us! Jesus begins to teach that we do have an obligation for all people, even the outsiders.
In referring to himself as the Good Shepherd, Jesus says ''I know mine and mine know me.'' This term, to know, implies a very intimate knowledge. It means Jesus knows all the inner thoughts and makeup of all who are His own. Only someone intimately acquainted with us knows what goes on in our hearts and souls. Jesus is telling us He has this type of love for us.
Jesus goes on to say, ''I have other sheep who do not belong to this fold.'' This is an owner-shepherd who is just as concerned with the flocks of other owners as His own. Shocking! Jesus was rejected for this view. Thus, the psalm response: ''The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.'' We cannot reject this notion. This way of loving put the early Christians at odds with others thus the first Letter of John acknowledges that world ''does not know us.''
Does my love -- especially for the outsider -- perplex the general population which tends to care for only its own? This is how God loves us. We are to love in kind.
As our Good Shepherd Jesus is concerned that we are well taken care of. He is especially concerned that we get his message that we are good sheep always loved by him. He doesn't force his message on anyone, but offers it freely. As a shepherd he calls out to the sheep who are free to respond or not.
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