7th Sunday of Easter, cycle C

JOHN 17:20-26
7TH SUNDAY OF EASTER, CYCLE C
SOME SURVIVORS OF A SHIPWRECK WERE DRIFTING IN A LIFEBOAT. AFTER A FEW DAYS THE PEOPLE IN THE FRONT OF THE BOAT BEGAN TO REFER TO THEMSELVES AS THE “FRONT PEOPLE”. AFTER A FEW MORE DAYS THE FRONT PEOPLE STOPPED TALKING TO THE BACK PEOPLE. THEN ONE DAY THE BOAT SPRANG A LEAK. THE FRONT PEOPLE CONGRATULATED THEMSELVES. THE LEAK WAS IN THE BACK OF THE BOAT, THEY HAD NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT.
IF YOU LISTEN TO THE GOSPEL READING TODAY, IT SEEMS AS THOUGH JESUS IS SAYING THAT HE DESIRES ALL OF US TO BE ONE. HE HAS GIVEN HIS OWN GLORY TO US FOR THAT PURPOSE. AND WHY? BECAUSE IT IS A CONDITION OF OUR SHARING THE LOVE WHICH EXISTS BETWEEN THE FATHER AND THE SON. AND FINALLY, THIS UNITY THAT HE PRAYS THAT WE WILL HAVE IS THE VEHICLE BY WHICH THE WHOLE WORLD WILL LEARN OF HIS MESSAGE.
BUT WE ARE LIKE THOSE PEOPLE IN THE LIFEBOAT. WE'RE NOT TOO GOOD AT UNITY. IN SOME PARISHES, THERE ARE DIVISIONS BETWEEN ETHNIC GROUPS. IN OTHERS, THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN THERE A LONG TIME ARE NOT WELCOMING TO THE NEWCOMERS. THERE IS ALWAYS A GROUP WHO DOES ABOUT 90% OF WHAT GETS DONE, A LARGER GROUP WHO COME TO MASS ON SUNDAYS, AND THAT'S ABOUT IT; AND OF COURSE A STILL LARGER GROUP WHO SHOW UP ON CHRISTMAS AND EASTER, AND WHEN THEY WANT SOMEONE BAPTIZED OR MARRIED. MANY OF OUR CATHOLICS DON'T CARE ABOUT THE UNITY THAT JESUS LONGED FOR, BECAUSE THEY DON'T WORK AT IT, THEY DON'T WORK AT BECOMING ONE.
AND I COULD GO ON, AND SO COULD YOU. AND BECAUSE WE AREN'T UNIFIED, WE AREN'T GETTING THE MESSAGE OF JESUS OUT TO THE WORLD. AND BECAUSE WE AREN'T GETTING THAT MESSAGE OUT, PEOPLE HAVE TWO REACTIONS; THERE ARE THOSE WHO GIVE UP ON GOD, AND BECOME SECULAR; THE MESSAGE OF JESUS MEANS NOTHING; IN FACT, THEY ARE INDIFFERENT TO WHETHER OR NOT GOD EXISTS. AND OTHERS, HUNGRY FOR SPIRITUAL NOURISHMENT, TURN TO RELIGIOUS GROUPS THAT SEEM TO OFFER MORE – MORE UNITY, FOR SURE.
SO WHAT IS OUR PROBLEM? ON PHILOSOPHER SAID THAT HUMAN BEINGS WERE LIKE PORCUPINES. WHEN WE TRY TO HUDDLE TOGETHER, WE STICK EACH OTHER WITH OUR QUILLS. BY THE TIME WE ARE ADULTS, MOST OF US HAVE BEEN HURT BY RELATIONSHIPS. MOST OF US HAVE DEVELOPED A LITTLE BIT OF A SHELL, AT LEAST, AND A FEW QUILLS AS WELL. THERE ARE A FEW PEOPLE WE TRUST, AND A LOT WE DON'T. THIS IS NATURAL, ITS PART OF BEING HUMAN. IT'S THE REASON PRIMITIVE PEOPLE FORMED TRIBES AND FOUGHT WITH EACH OTHER. IT'S THE REASON MODERN PEOPLE FORM GROUPS OF VARIOUS SORTS. WE ARE COMFORTABLE WHEN THERE IS A CLEAR LINE BETWEEN US AND THEM, BETWEEN THE FRONT OF THE BOAT PEOPLE AND THOSE IN THE BACK.
JESUS WANTS SOMETHING DIFFERENT. HE WANTS US TO BE ONE, HE WANTS US TO INVITE EVERYONE TO BE ONE WITH US. FOR CATHOLICS WHO FOLLOW HIM THERE SHOULD BE NO US AND THEM, THERE SHOULD ONLY BE US AND POTENTIAL MEMBERS OF US, OF OUR GROUP.
AND HOW DO WE DO THIS? ST. STEPHEN SHOWS US. WE FORGIVE. HE HAD BEEN PREACHING THE TRUTH. HE WAS TAKEN OUT OF THE CITY AND STONED. IN THAT VERY MOMENT WHEN HE WAS BEING EXECUTED, HE ASKED GOD TO FORGIVE THOSE WHO WERE PUTTING HIM TO DEATH. FORGIVENESS IS THAT, YES. BUT IT IS BROADER AND MORE SUBTLE. WE HAVE TO BECOME CONSCIOUS OF HOW WE HABITUALLY REACT TO OTHER PEOPLE. WHAT IS IT ABOUT SOMEONE THAT CAUSES ME TO UNCONSCIOUSLY BACK OFF, OR WITHDRAW? WHAT HABITS ARE INTERFERING WITH THE UNITY WE ARE CALLED TO CREATE? SELFISHNESS, SHYNESS, SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS, DIFFICULTY CONTROLLING OUR EMOTIONS, NOT WANTING TO GET HURT – WE CAN ALL FIND SOMETHING.
FIRST, FORGIVENESS HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH FINDING THE QUILLS THAT KEEP US APART FROM EACH OTHER, BECAUSE ONCE WE FIND THEM, THEY NO LONGER NEED TO BE BARRIERS; WE CAN RECOGNIZE THEM FOR WHAT THEY ARE -- ROOTED IN OUR EMOTIONS AND HABITS, NOT IN REALITY.
THE SECOND PART OF FORGIVENESS IS REACHING OUT. WE DON'T WAIT FOR OTHERS TO COME TO US, WE GO TO THEM. IF THE APOSTLES HAD WAITED FOR PEOPLE TO COME, THEY MIGHT NEVER HAVE BEEN MARTYRED, THEY MIGHT HAVE LIVED FAR MORE COMFORTABLE LIVES; BUT THE HERITAGE OF JESUS WOULD HAVE BEEN A MERE HISTORICAL NOTE INSTEAD OF A MOVEMENT THAT INVOLVES ABOUT TWO BILLION PEOPLE.
AND THE THIRD PART OF FORGIVENESS IS THAT WHEN PEOPLE PRICK US WITH THEIR QUILLS, WE KEEP REACHING OUT, WE DON'T GIVE UP.
THE LOVE BETWEEN THE FATHER AND THE SON IS A LOVE WHICH COMES BECAUSE OF PERFECT UNITY; THE FATHER AND THE SON KNOW EACH OTHER PERFECTLY, AND BECAUSE THEY DO, THEY LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS BREATHED FORTH – AND REAL LOVE WANTS TO SHARE, WANTS TO BRING OTHERS INTO THE CIRCLE, AND THAT IS WHY THE FATHER SENT THE SON HE LOVED WITH GODLY LOVE INTO THE WORLD; AND THAT IS WHY THE SON WILLINGLY DIED ON THE CROSS; AND THAT IS WHY THE HOLY SPIRIT STILL MOVES AMONG US, PROMPTING US TO LOVE EACH OTHER AND TO BRING MORE AND MORE PEOPLE INTO THE CIRCLE THAT STARTED BEFORE THE BIG BANG, BEFORE THE UNIVERSE CAME INTO EXISTENCE.
WHERE WILL YOU FIND THE HOLY SPIRIT? THE MOST LIKELY PLACE IS WHERE OTHER CHRISTIANS GATHER. HOW MANY OF US HAVE THE SOCIAL ASPECT OF OUR LIVES SOMEWHERE ELSE, NOT IN THE PARISH. THE PARISH, AFTER ALL, IS WHERE GOD WANTS US TO BEGIN BECOMING ONE.
THE PRAYER OF JESUS IS A PRAYER OF DEEP LONGING. IT IS A MOMENT WHEN JESUS ALLOWS US TO LOOK INTO HIS SOUL. AND ALL WE SEE IS LOVE, LOVE SO GREAT THAT HE WILL DIE TO BRING US LIFE. AND TODAY WE SHOULD LOOK INTO OUR OWN LIVES AND ASK, HOW ARE WE RESPONDING TO THAT LOVE? HOW ARE WE TRYING TO ACHIEVE THAT UNITY HE PRAYED FOR. HOW ARE WE PRACTICING FORGIVENESS, DEEPENING OUR POWERS TO FORGIVE?