Homily for the week of May 25, 2014

The Sixth Sunday in Easter, 2014

Acts 8:5-8, 14-17  Psalm 66: 1 Peter 3:15-18  John 14:15-21

         Most of you may realize that during all of these weeks after Easter our last reading known as the Gospel has been from the gospel of John. This gospel was not written by anyone who knew Jesus but it was written towards the end of the first century. It was written for a community in which most of the members had never known Jesus on earth.  But the very few who did remember Jesus spoke of him as The Way.

         Frequently we read throughout the Bible reminders to take care of widows and orphans. These were the true nobodies in Jewish society. They were the weakest in society.  Infant mortality was exceedingly high in the time of Jesus, with 60 percent of children dying by age 16. Most startling is that most children, perhaps more than 70 percent, would have lost one or both parents before they reached 13 year of age.

         Orphans had no protections either in law or in society. If an orphan was lucky, relatives would take the child into their own homes but only as a slave. In the Roman world, it was not uncommon for orphans to be left in the desert to die simply because the family could not afford to care for them. Jesus promised that He would not leave us orphans, would not leave us without a family. This is the example which Jesus uses today in the passage which I just read which is known as Jesus’ good-bye to his close friends..

         When Jesus announced to His friends at a supper with them that he was going to leave them, they felt very much alone.   Try to imagine someone whom you deeply cared about, and had dedicated your life to being with.  And this person leaves you, not because of disagreements but because this person had done all that he was born to do.

         Jesus told them he would soon die, but he went beyond His announcement of death. Jesus made a promise.  I will be with you always, and he meant it. Now, they all believed that he would die.  But then he says he will be with them always.  What did he mean?  They  had never known anyone who had died who would still be with them. 

         Those who did not have a living memory of Jesus, might have asked, “Wouldn’t it have been nice to know Jesus? Wouldn’t it have been reassuring to hear His words from His own mouth? Wouldn’t it be easier for us to believe if we could just see Jesus?” These are questions that maybe some of you have asked yourselves. John’s Gospel wants us to know that we can know Jesus in our lives. Jesus promised to send us someone to be with us, to guide us, to defend us. Catholics call this person the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Blessed Trinity.

         We Catholics rarely talked about or refer to the Holy Spirit, or what was at one time called the Holy Ghost.  Yet it is very much part of our spiritual life.  Whenever we make the sign of the cross, we make it in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. In the ritual of Baptism there are several mentions of the person’s being baptized with “water and the Holy Spirit”.  We have one sacrament called Confirmation which is when a person is confirmed in the Holy Spirit.

         The Holy Spirit is also with us right now. The Holy Spirit is like our own consciousness.  And the Holy Spirit can be another name for holiness. Holiness is what the Holy Spirit produces in each of us if we allow God to be part of our life.

         All the actions that we are encouraged to do as Catholics such as reading the Bible, going to church, receiving the sacraments, prayers and our personal devotions are all geared to making the Holy Spirit stronger and more alive in us.  Any time we do a good deed, whatever it might be, we do it because of the small voice inside of us that tells us it is OK and it is good to do this. That voice is the Holy Spirit speaking to us. 

         Jesus' promise that He will not leave us orphans is also a sign that we are loved by God. It is a love that defies full understanding.  And our response to Jesus is that we will try to obey what he has asked us to do because we also love him.  Obedience is faithfulness. Jesus' statement, ''If you love me, you will keep my commandments,'' is not a command. Jesus is saying that He will recognize those who have responded to His love by their obedience.

         Just as Jesus will always be with us regardless of what we do, he also wants us to love and be a caring spirit to all both friend and stranger. If until now the Holy Spirit hasn’t had much meaning in your life, begin today to realize that everything good and caring that you do, every act of love for others, is the result of this Holy Spirit.  If you let the Spirit of God lead you, you will no longer be an orphan but will be a child of God. 

Homily for the Week of May 18, 2014

The Fifth Sunday in Easter, 2014

Acts 6:1-7:  Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19:1 Peter 2:4-9: John 14:1-12

         With the exception of Native Americans all of us are descendants of ancestors born in a foreign country. Most of you know that St. James Church began about 160 years ago and was built by Irish immigrants who came to Cadyville to avoid starvation. In Ireland, in the 1800s, many husbands and fathers decided that to help their families they had to travel to America to find work. The wife and children would often stay in Ireland. Often before leaving Ireland the family held a wake, the type of gathering that is held the night before a funeral. They gathered to say goodbye to someone they believed they might never see again.   When in the United States these husbands and fathers got a job.  Here our country they spent very little money and each month would sent some money back to their wife and family in Ireland.

        

         And finally, after saving enough money the wife and children would come. I remember a man telling me the story of his great grandfather who did this. He had saved enough money to buy a home. When his wife arrived at the new home with running water, gas lights a bathroom and inside heating he asked his wife: Isn't this worth the wait? His wife replied: You were worth the wait.

         Like this Irish man Jesus is about to leave his close friends. Leaving those we know and love makes us lonely or even hopeless. And it is especially difficult if we do not know when we will see them again, or ever see them. Thomas, one of those friends of Jesus, wants to go with Jesus, but he does not know the way.  Jesus did not leave a road map. Jesus has been preparing the disciples for His departure. Jesus has been packing for quite a while, but his close friends never seemed to notice it. What would they do once Jesus is gone?

         Our First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles is the story of the early church struggling to survive.  Jesus did not leave any instructions what to do when he was gone other than to pray and and join together.  Today’s first reading shows that disagreements did exist within the early Christian community. The first Christians generally fell into two groups: those who spoke Aramaic and viewed themselves as being pure Jewish, and the Hellenists, Jews who had lived outside of Jerusalem for generations and now spoke Greek rather than Aramaic. One of the more important decisions regarded the language they would use at prayer and at Mass?  They decided to use Greek. The same disagreement existed for centuries when the language of Mass was Latin and about 60 years ago it was changed to  the language spoken by the citizens.

         Another problem was the division of labor. The Apostles were being asked to preach and lead the prayers.  They were also asked to take care of widows and orphans.  Whether they wanted it or not, they became administrators and Pastors.  They had to count and distribute the money,  take care of the church buildings and property.  As with any family there were occasional disagreements.  It appears that the Greek Jews who were needy were not getting as much spiritual attention as the Hebrew Jews. There was inequality of distribution. 

         Each of the Apostles was a Bishop.  They had no helpers.  They said: IT IS NOT RIGHT THAT WE SHOULD NEGLECT THE WORD OF GOD TO SERVE AT TABLE.  So they selected seven men of good standing from the group among whom were Stephen, Philip and Nicholas.  Their ministry will be to continue to do the “deeds” of Jesus, the “works” which are the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. They prayed over them and ordained them deacons.   That was the beginning of the Permanent Diaconate in the Catholic Church.  These men were asked to help parishioners who were in need, and to assist the Bishop at Mass by reading from the Bible and preaching.

         During the first 200 years of the Catholic church there were no persons known as priests, yet there were men who did what I as a priest do today. There were only Bishops and Deacons.  Priests came later in order to take over some of the duties of the Bishop.  That is why to this very day a priest is assigned by the Bishop to represent him in the parishes of the Diocese.

         You and I would have never been here today, or been baptized or made our First Communion, or be a spiritual person unless someone had taught us. For most of us that teaching began with our parents. Later we may have had Catholic school teachers or religious education teachers to help our parents with our religious education. In the Catholic Church these are called ministries. The motivation for any form of ministry is a desire to serve others base on the teachings of Jesus that we are called to serve, not to be served.  This gift we all receive at Baptism.    At our Baptism we promised that we would help one another to come to Jesus.  Each one of us does this when we offer support to others by our daily works and acts of kindness and encouragement, by our generous giving of our time, of our talents and of our finances.  Jesus said today: I am the way, the truth and the life. Each of you are the way, the truth and the life when you help others come to Jesus. We can also be troubled by the imperfections of our Catholic Church and its minsters. But Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” He spoke of making room for everyone who would follow Him. This is our task, our hope, our peace and our goal. We must see the Church in all its imperfections and then look past them to see that Jesus lives in the midst of them!

Homily for the Week of May 11, 2014

The Fourth Sunday in Easter, 2014

Acts 2:14a, 36-41  Psalm 23: 13a, 3b4, 5, 6 1 Peter 2:20b-25 John 10:1-10

         One of the easiest to remember descriptions of Jesus is what I just read.  It is the story of Jesus as a shepherd. Jesus speaks about himself as the shepherd of the sheep who enters the pasture properly, through the gate rather than the thief or the robber who scrambles into the pasture some other way. He will have no success in getting the sheep to follow him. He is a stranger, and the sheep will run away from him; they do not recognize his voice.  Jesus elaborates further the image of himself as the Good Shepherd.

         The image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd is one that is used frequently, especially when associated with funerals. In the context of a funeral, we think of “The Lord” in the psalm as Jesus. We should remember that Jesus had not yet been born when the psalm was written. “The Lord,” in Psalm 23, is God the Father. This is a prayer that Jesus himself would have prayed expressing absolute trust in His Father.

         Most likely the only shepherd that any of you have seen are persons dressed up as shepherds in Christmas plays. One of the oldest paintings of Jesus represents Jesus as gently carrying  an injured sheep on his shoulders back to the pasture. This is an image of Jesus which has always appealed to Christians.  There is something innocent about all animals whether they are cows or horses or llamas or sheep.

         Sheep, however, need a shepherd, a person who they recognize and who cares for them. As shepherds walked, they often with sing a tune, and the sheep followed. Whenever one of the sheep would wander off the path looking for grass, the shepherd would whistle a series of different tunes. With each tune an individual sheep’s head would pop up from the grass, twitch its ears around until it located the shepherd, and then would come back to the flock. What became clear was that the shepherd had a distinct whistle for each and every one of his sheep.

         Shepherds carried two items with them. One of these was a rod and the other a staff. The Good Shepherd Psalm which we just prayed refers to the staff of the shepherd. The rod was usually quite long and had a hook at one end so that the shepherd could pull the sheep pack into the flock.  The staff usually hung from the shepherds belt.  It was a short wooden club with a lump of wood at the end. The shepherd used this to defend himself and the sheep against thieves.  At times the shepherd might have the help of a sheep dog, but that was not very common when Jesus was living.

         Most towns and villages in Palestine had a common place where shepherds would bring their sheep for the night.  This was call the sheepfold. These were open air enclosures walled in by stones on top of which was a barrier of briars or thorn bushes. The gate was small.  Only one sheep could go though the gate at a time. Once the flock was inside there was no heavy door or gate.  A paid gate keeper or shepherd would take turns at night so that no one would come to steal the sheep,  or no animals would come to kill the sheep. They would stand at the gate, or at times even lie down across the opening. An important aspect of this image is that the gate swings in two directions.

         Shepherds with sheep are very different from cowboys with cattle.  Cowboys stay behind and alongside the herd to keep it moving forward as a group. They typically avoid riding in front of the herd because, if the cattle suddenly stampeded, anyone in front of the herd could get hurt. Sheep follow. Sheep develop deep trust in the one voice of the shepherd who guards them, and they respond quickly when they stray.

         There are many among us today who foolishly think they need no shepherd. They think they know all the facts of life.  They are in total ignorance of the most basic fact of all- what is our purpose in life? They try to ease their consciences by immersing themselves deeper and deeper in the affairs and the passing pleasures of this temporary life.

         Following in the footprints of Jesus is not always hard. At times following Him is very easy, especially when all is going well. When things do turn difficult, perhaps we really should learn to pray to the Good Shepherd. He will carry us if necessary.

         If Jesus were here today in 2014, he would not use the image of the shepherd and the sheep.  What image would Jesus use today to illustrate his love and caring? Might he speak of a mother and father, of a teacher, a fireman or rescue squad volunteer, a nurse or doctor, a young person helping out at home, or with the shut ins? 

         On this second weekend in May we honor mothers. The tradition of honoring mothers is a revival of a practice that dates back to the Early Christians who celebrated a festival in honor of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Christ. They adorned the churches with flowers, jewels, rich metals, and expensive gifts. On this day we recall the best our mothers have done for us. We also celebrate an idea of the perfect mother and cast our own mothers in that light.

         For most of us it is our Mother who introduced us to Jesus when we were a young child.  When we gather as a family to share a meal together on this Mother’s Day perhaps we should also find the time to pray together in gratitude for the gift of life and love. It is also a time when we can listen to one another. Our own stories may not sound very different from the stories of the hundreds of people who came to Jesus because they needed him.  We are invited to tell Jesus our stories and to listen to one another. Jesus is always our Good Shepherd!

Homily for the Week of May 4, 2014

The Third Sunday in Easter, 2014

Acts 2:14, 22-33;  Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11;  1 Peter 1:17-21;  Luke 24:13-35

         When the history of the 20th century is written it will mention the marvelous discoveries in medicine, in technology and communications, and in space exploration. It will mention the progress in eliminating or reducing illiteracy, poverty and discrimination, It will also mention wars. It will mention the brutal repression and killing of thousands by strong willed dictators in various parts of the world.  And the legalized killing of the unborn in this country.

         I mention this today because of our Bible readings.  After the death of Jesus the followers of Jesus became refugees in their country.  At times they were not accepted by their own families. Jesus had died that they might be saved, but it seemed that it would have been a lot better if he had stayed alive. Jesus was not admired by most of his neighbors, and if you decided to follow Jesus, you too would be despised by most persons.

         This week's gospel is the story of two downhearted, discouraged followers of Jesus on the road to Emmaus. A mysterious stranger joins them. They begin a conversation with a man they took to be a complete stranger. They could not hide the fact they were downcast, and they were quick to explain to the stranger the reason for their gloom. Jesus, in whom they believed, had been crucified they said, but we had hoped, they said, that he was the one to redeem Israel.  They felt that the death of Jesus had left them high and dry -- stranded, confused, and at a loss. After listening carefully to their story, the stranger tells them that they are slow to "believe all that the prophets have announced." He then explains the Bible to them.  

         The two men are delighted with the stranger's teaching. But they do not realize that the stranger is Jesus until he takes bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to them.  At Mass we too meet Jesus along the road of our lives, and Jesus gives himself to us through these very actions.

         Have you ever wondered would you recognize Jesus if he came among us today? Remember we have no photos of Jesus and all of the art work which shows Jesus one way or another, and all of the Hollywood movie made of Jesus, are based on the imagination of the artist. But Jesus is present among every day in the people we meet, when we gather to pray, and at Mass in the Eucharist. For example, next Sunday we at St. James will honor 12 young boys and girls who for the first time will receive Holy Communion. 

         One of the goals of this weekend Gospel is to teach us how to encounter and recognize Jesus. Recognizing Jesus happens in the context of fulfilling Jesus’ invitation for us to be disciples. But like the close friends of Jesus we too may know the story of Jesus in its entirety,  but they lacked understanding about its meaning.

         Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we also come to know Jesus in the uninvited stranger, in the refugee from war torn countries, in the little baby who was born with severe disabilities; in the 96 year old women who lives alone.  But most importantly, we come to know Jesus more intimately in our hearts. Coming to know Jesus in the depths of our hearts takes time.  Time to let go, settle down. Time to listen to that familiar voice that speaks to us in silence. 

         Regardless of the roads we travel or the places they take us, we will meet Jesus along the way. He comes to us in different ways and we may not always be able to recognize him.  He may come as a stranger on the road, or a newcomer to our road or school or work. He may come as an act of love from someone we know. We may see him in a time of great anxiety, or he may simply be there smiling to us through the face of a crocus or dandelion or flower, or in the the sound of a song or the glow of a sunset.  Or in the Holy Communion which will be offered to us today.  May we be ever watchful for his presence. In fact, He is among us here and now.

         Our passage from the first Letter of Peter traditionally has been thought to have been part of a homily for baptism. The letter describes our life as a journey. We are headed somewhere, much like the disciples leaving Jerusalem and heading for Emmaus. The letter encourages us to embrace the journey, seeing our whole life as a journey with both trials and joy in which we can experience Christ.

Jesus’ disciples discovered the joy of the Gospel while being evangelized. We can do the same.