Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

Luke 11:1-13

Today’s gospel is about prayer.  Jesus gives us a model, a short story, and a promise.  As usual, what appears very straightforward at first becomes mysterious, the more we think about it.  

First, the model.  When you say the prayers of the Mass along with the priest, they often contain ornamental phrases.  Just recall the first prayer of the Mass today: “O God, protector of those who hope in you, without whom nothing has a firm foundation, nothing is holy” -- will God listen to us more if we talk about his attributes?  Kind of a contrast with Jesus’ simple prayer, which is a series of requests.  But the first kind of prayer is more to remind us about how God is, the second implies that we already know God as the giver of good things.  When you look at Jesus' model he’s really asking the Father, or “Daddy” as Jesus often called him -- to take this world of ours and change it into his kingdom.  First, we pray that all will recognize God’s place in the order of things, because the first step in changing the world is to recognize his fatherhood and his holiness.  We then pray that the world recognizes that there is a better way to live, that there is a kingdom that beats all the attempts humans have made to develop governments.  It’s a kingdom where, among other things, everyone gets enough to eat, and by extension, enough to live as humans.  It’s a  terrible thing when there are people in this world who scrounge through garbage every day to find some half-rotten  food and others who take their private planes to a vacation on some Caribbean island.  We ask for forgiveness, recognizing that if we don’t forgive we can’t expect God to forgive.  And we pray for protection from disasters -- from war, from climate change, from disease and death even.  

The second part is the story.  Jesus implies that we have to keep asking.  “For some reason, not at all clear, the story seems to imply that an effective prayer is one that’s repeated, that’s urgent, that reflects how much we want something.  The person in the story who bangs on the door is putting himself out.  He could give up and go home and maybe buy some bread in the morning.  Our ancestors in faith used to combine fasting with prayer; some people still do that.  When you pray, how do you show how much you want what you pray for?  

The third part is the promise -- all prayers will be answered.  Yet our experience, as I mentioned before, is that this isn’t the case.  I’d like my body to stop aging so rapidly.  Ten years ago my joints worked well, I slept through the night, and I could swim in the ocean.  Today, not so.

So why aren’t our prayers answered?  The people Jesus taught would not have asked this question.  They knew the answers from their own history and scriptures.  You and I, though, come up with excuses for God.  We say “Sometimes the answer is no” or “God will answer in due time” or the one I like least of all, “God wanted another angel” which does not console the family of someone who died.  And in a sense, Jesus gives us a reason prayers aren't answered – we aren't persistent.  

But the bible tells us many reasons why prayers are not answered.

First, what we pray for may  not be God’s will. Jesus tells us “Seek first the kingdom of God and all else will be given to you”.

Second, we may have the wrong motives.  If I pray for money so that I can take a vacation, my motive is not right.  James tells us, “When you ask you do not receive, because you act wit the wrong motives…”

Third, sin.  Scripture tells us in several places that unless you turn away from sin, you will not be heard.  For Catholics, sincere confession should precede our prayers of petition. 

Fourth, a proverb says that whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he himself will not be answered. 

Fifth, we have not forgiven someone.  Jesus tells us that we should leave our gift at the altar and forgive our brother, then our prayers will be heard.

Sixth, and I like this one, God gave me the means to answer my last prayer and I didn’t make use of what he gave me.  

There are several other reasons given in scripture as to why prayers are not answered.  An unanswered prayer should make us reflect on what might be standing in the way.  And Jesus tells us that in the end, he will give us the Holy Spirit to help us pray as we should pray. Saint Paul  says “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans”.  

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

Luke 10:38-42

Saint Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians has that notorious line, “wives, be subject to your husbands…” and this is considered so controversial that when we read that passage on Sunday, we are allowed to skip over that part.  We don’t want to get wives really mad at Saint Paul.  But the passage we just read is equally disturbing to my wife, at least, who has no problem being subject to me, because I always tell her that whatever she wants, that's fine with me.  But she is very much on Martha’s side.  She knows what it is like to have a crowd in the other room while she cleans up the dishes.  She knows what it is like to hear laughing conversation while she puts the finishing touches on supper.  She knows what it is like to launder all the bedding after we have overnight guests.  She is totally on Martha’s side.  

Sometimes we get the idea that Mary is kind of lazy, avoiding work, while Martha is sweating in the kitchen.  In those days Mary would have been entirely out of place.  When we hear that she is sitting at Jesus' feet, that means that she is taking the place of a disciple, something a woman would never do.  And yet Jesus does not condemn her, rather, he praises her.  So certainly this passage shows that Jesus is very much more open to women than most of his contemporaries.  But still, what about Martha?  It seems that  Jesus is condemning her for worrying about the work she has to do to feed the disciples.  Think of it, 13 dinner guests.  I don’t think Jesus called ahead.  

Martha and Mary both loved Jesus..  IF you remember the story of Lazarus, it was obvious.  And we have that passage where Mary washed Jesus’ feet with her vial of holy oil.  We also remember the story in Luke, where Martha welcomed Jesus into their home.  And yet, Jesus, who undoubtedly loves them both, as well as their brother, Lazarus, seems to be rebuking Martha.

So what is going on?  Martha is trying to do things for Jesus;  Mary is trying to open herself up to what Jesus offers.  That’s the difference.  Martha is well-meaning and the more she can do for him, the better she feels.  Mary recognizes that whatever you do for Jesus, what  he does for you is infinitely greater.  And we should learn an important lesson here.

I think all Catholics who take their faith seriously go through a stage where they feel that their service to the Church in some sense serves Jesus -- and they are right.  CCD teachers, altar servers, lectors, ushers -- and there are so many ways we can serve Jesus, and that is all wonderful.  Our church could not exist without all the Martha’s we have.  Knights of Columbus, members of the Saint Joseph society or the saint Mary’s guild, people in the parish council, people who make the “food for the soul” a reality.  Martha’s everywhere!   Doing wonderful things for Jesus -- and for their fellow man.  But Mary has discovered that receiving what Jesus has to give is even better.  She is sitting at his feet, listening to his teaching; she is basking in his love.  

Jesus never condemns Martha; right there in the acts of the apostles we learn that the early church was very Martha.  The first deacons were appointed because someone needed to distribute the food fairly.  That’s a Martha thing.  And you can get pretty bogged down in doing Martha things, especially when you feel that you are being religious.  All of the Marthas among us have to learn to receive what Jesus wants to give us.

That means we need to sit quietly and listen to his word.  We need to put ourselves before the Blessed Sacrament and allow him to speak to us.  We need to read our bibles and good spiritual books.  We need to pray and contemplate and meditate.  Saint Francis de Sales said, "everyone needs a half hour of prayer a day, except when we are really busy -- then we need a whole hour.”  

Jesus talks about many things which Martha is anxious about -- she wants to do everything for him as well as she can, out of love.  She wants everything to be perfect and won’t stop until it is.  She’s a mess.  But the one thing, the thing Mary knows, is that opening her heart to Jesus and all he wants to give her is the only thing that really matters, and once that connection is made, all things are possible. As Jesus said in another place, “Seek first the kingdom of God, and all else will be given to you.”  This week let’s concentrate on receiving from Jesus what he wants to give us.  

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

 Luke 10:25-37

I’ve been thinking about this parable all week. I’ve come to a few conclusions, One is that the parable has nothing to do with charitable giving. I know some of our congregation give away money or time to help those in need. At tax time, I learned that my dear wife has given away a lot of our money to charities she deems need our help. At God’s judgement I’m going to claim part of that on my behalf. Charitable giving is good. But I don’t think that is Jesus’ point. The other conclusion I reached is that Jesus is not entering into the controversy going on in our country -- the argument that our national government is responsible for the welfare of countries all over the world, even those that hate us. You can be on one side or another, and arguments can be made supporting both points of view, but that’s not what Jesus is talking about. Another related conclusion is that Jesus is not talking about degrees of charity. Saint Augustine, and our vice president J.D. Vance both argue that we owe charity first and foremost to family, then those close to us, then to the citizens of our town, and so forth. Coming in last is what we owe to people in Bangladesh, or Somalia, or Haiti. It’s interesting that this is not just Saint Augustine and J.D. Vance, but was a well established principle in Jewish circles in Jesus’ time -- you can find it laid out in the book of Leviticus. And in Second Corinthians, Paul makes it clear that those who contribute to the support of the Christians in Jerusalem shouldn’t do so at the expense of their own families. The Bible can support the idea that Charity begins at home.

So why is Jesus telling us this parable? Imagine that you were in his audience. You know about the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. It’s best to travel in a group, and do your traveling during daylight hours. To be beaten and robbed on the road is not uncommon. YOu identify with that guy lying in the ditch semi-conscious and bleeding. And Jesuis starts his story kind of like some of our jokes. I’m sure you’ve heard jokes that begin with “A priest, a minister and a rabbi…” IN Jesus’ time the common man was a little bit resentful of the priests, who got paid from temple taxes, and of Levites, who were entitled to a share of the harvest because they were Levites. Priests and Levites, by the way, were hereditary positions. So in the Jewish mind, there are three categories -- Priest, Levite, and Israelite. And the expectation is that after the priest and Levite cross to the other side, an ordinary Israelite will come along and play the hero. As Jesus’ audience listens, they think they know where he is going -- he’s putting those priests and Levites in their place. But the surprise is the Samaritan -- practically a pagan, definitely a heretic, and worst of all, not descended from Jacob.

We don’t know why the priest and Levite cross over to the other side. Jesus didn’t tell us. Some people think it’s about ritual cleanliness. Whatever it was, the question in the minds of the priest and LEvite is “IF I stop to help, what will happen to me?” That’s natural, it rises from our unconscious mind; it says “Don’t get involved”. It makes excuses -- “Maybe the ones who robbed him are hiding and waiting for someone to come along”. It’s very natural.

The Samaritan, of course, is the hero. That’s a big surprise to JEsus’ listeners. But the question in the Samaritan’s mind is “If I don’t stop to help, what will happen to him”. Jesus is always preaching about changing the way you think, or as it’s mistranslated, repentance. The Samaritan is not thinking about what will happen to him. He has a “new mind”.

And maybe some in Jesus' audience ask a third question ""If I don’t stop to help, what will become of me?” And we all know people like that, people who are locked inside themselves, people who believe in a dog-eat-dog world, people who are interested first and foremost in getting what’s coming to them. And most of us don’t want to be like that, but we fail to realize that not stopping to help is a step toward that state of being. If we do something or fail to do something it pushes us in a certain direction. It becomes easier the next time, and soon it’s a habit. It is always safer and easier to make excuses and promise ourselves that maybe next time we’ll do better.

Jesus’ point is that we are all on the Jericho road, and all of us are in danger. We need each other, whether we like it or not. We all need mercy, but to be really human we need to be merciful as well. And Jesus wants us to be fully human, to live as we were created to live -- in the image and likeness of God.

I think it’s interesting that the Samaritan does just enough to change the fate of the man in the ditch. He doesn't bring him home and invite him to live with him; he doesn’t pour oil and wine into his wounds and leave someone else to do the rest. He models true mercy -- to do just enough, no more, no less, to restore the man’s humanity. So who is our neighbor? The one we meet who needs something I can give. In another place Jesus tells us who that is: “the least of our brothers” and at the same time, Jesus himself.

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

Luke 10:1-12, 17-30

In the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, there is a scene where Jesus sends out his apostles two by two to preach and proclaim the kingdom.  In Luke, that’s in chapter 9.  Today’s reading is only in Luke, and it’s chapter ten, shortly after the commissioning of the apostles.  So who are these 72 that he sends out?  Jesus wasn’t thinking about missionaries as such, people who dedicate their lives to spreading the gospel.  His 72 were people who had been following him and had taken his message to heart.  These 72 are you and I.

Notice also that he sends them to where he intends to go.  We baptized and confirmed Catholics have an advantage over the 72; we are part of the Body of Christ; where we go, He is already there with us.  

And there is an urgency; we are to get moving.  I had a friend who was a presbyterian minister.  He told me a presbyterian minister joke, namely that when they went to found a church, they had to wait for the railroads to be finished, because only then could they bring along their libraries.  The methodists, on the other hand, stuck a  bible in their saddlebags ind got going.  And when the presbyterians finally  arrived at their destination, they usually would find an active methodist congregation.  

Jesus understands human nature; he tells us we will b e like lambs among wolves.  IF we are going to be in that much danger, it follows that we might as well take nothing with us, and depend on God alone.  To me that means that we should be prepared to evangelize at any moment -- you never know when an opportunity will come.  Now there is an important point to be made;  evangelization is not the same thing as catechesis.  Catechesis is teaching the truths of our faith -- the ten commandments, the creed, the Our Father, the seven sacraments.  You can spend a lifetime learning these truths; they are mysterious, and the more you know, the more you want to know.  Large books have been written about the Trinity, the Eucharist, and in fact every truth of our faith.  Even theologians don’t know it all.  

But evangelization is very different. Each of us can grasp this right away;  The Greek word for this is Kerygma, which means “proclamation”.

When we evangelize we tell someone that God loves them and has a plan for their life; that sin will destroy your life; that Jesus died to save us from sin, death and hell, and that they are called to repent (which means change the way you think) and believe this.  In our own words we disciples of Jesus are supposed to be proclaiming this to everyone we meet.  That doesn’t mean we go around making those statements; pretty soon no one would want anything to do with us.  But we keep in mind the goal of the encounter --- to get people to recognize that Jesus is the answer.  And the sad thing is, despite our efforts, most will not listen -- at least this time.  But a seed has been planted.  In the gospel Jesus predicts that there will be some who are really open to the proclamation, and others who will be hostile.  Fine.  You’ve done your part, you’ve told them something about the fact that the kingdom of God is at hand.  Now move on.  

Jesus sends his disciples in pairs.  I grew up around Mormons and I always admired the fact that they consider it an obligation to go on mission.  Mission can take many forms, but the one we are most familiar with is to meet two young men, or nowadays, a young man and a young woman, or two young women, knocking at our door.  It’s a lot easier to evangelize with a companion.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we Catholics took this commission of Jesus to heart, and devoted some time to  door to door ministry?  Doors would be slammed in our faces, or course, but now and then we’d come across someone ripe for coming into a relationship with Jesus.  But married couples can be very effective evangelists to their children and to their friends.  

Jesus has given us power, just as he gave his disciples power.  We all know people who make us feel better about ourselves.  That’s a power.  We respond to holiness in others.  

And if we study today’s gospel, we see a really good reason to be evangelists -- our names will be written in heaven;  Don’t you want that for yourself?

So evangelize.  It’s not rocket science.  I know a young lady who has a great way of evangelizing;  she sits in a public place and says the rosary.  Now and then someone comes along and wants to know what she’s doing, or says “I’m a Catholic also”. And a conversation starts, and she eventually works in some simple truth, like “God loves you” in the conversation.  No instant conversion, just a little push; and maybe a soul is saved.

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, cycle C

 Solemnity of Saint Peter and Paul

Matthew 16:13-19

This is one of the most familiar passages of scripture and sometimes we just pass over it.  But Jesus asks two very important questions, and there is a third that comes from those two.

Jesus and his disciples have moved north and are on the way to Caesarea Philippi.  He has been preaching and working miracles of healing.  He’s gotten in trouble with the Pharisees and Sadducees.  And he and his band are in a largely pagan land.  Now when we hear the words of Jesus we can’t help but see them  in our own context.  We’ve been told that this is the place where Peter becomes the first Pope.  We hear about the gates of the netherworld -- we used to use “hell” here, but that isn’t really what Jesus means.  In fact, Jesus may have been very near a natural formation called “the gates of Hades” which was a deep pool that overflows its banks now and then and used to be used to sacrifice infants.  

The first question is “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” The Son of Man was a title the prophet Ezekiel used about himself; but the prophetic book of Daniel refers to the Son of Man who will usher in the last age and set up God’s reign on earth.  Daniel was a very popular scripture in Jesus’ time, because it seemed to predict a bright future for the Jewish people, one which was almost here.  And Jesus is probably referring to himself when he uses these words.  And it’s a good question today.  Because most people have some sort of opinion about Jesus. The Qaran mentions Jesus many times, but he’s not as great a prophet as Mohammed.  Jews usually have an opinion about Jesus -- good or bad.  He’s either a wise prophet who started out founding a Jewish sect, or he started a religion which has been proclaiming antisemitism for 2000 years.  And in secular America, there are a large number of people who don’t consider themselves religious at all, and to them Jesus is just another irrelevant figure from the distant past, like Cicero or Aristotle.  What do the people you know think about Jesus?  

The second question is “Who do you say that I am?”  The apostles are put on a spot. They confidently answered the first question -- some say John the Baptist -- because a lot of people thought John would return, including if you remember, Herod, who suspected Jesus was John reincarnated.  Some say Elijah, because it was believed he would return; he had been taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot, after all; he hadn't really died.  And some say Jeremiah or one of the prophets.  A number of the prophets had been martyrs.  We have hints in scripture and in later writings of Jewish scholars.  Jeremiah, Isaiah, Zecharia, and Ezekiel were all thought to have been martyred, and it stood to reason that they would be saved from permanent death because they had been devoted to God.  But who do you say that I am?  And Peter, with the help of the Holy Spirit, answers, “You are Christ the Son of the living God”.  Faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit.  It’s not something you can get on your own.  If you have a little, pray for more; if you have a lot, be thankful.  

And Jesus commends Peter, and commissions him to be the first Pope, right?.  But our Protestant brothers don’t see it that way; they say everyone who has faith will be part of God’s church, and those who are will have authority to speak and act in Jesus’ name.  We can agree that professing our faith in Christ is central to being a Christian; as Saint Paul said, “if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

But there is a third question that Jesus doesn't ask:  Who do others say that you are?

In my case, some people know me as a retired doctor; others as a deacon; some people call me father, or grandfather, or if she could talk, great grandfather.  I’m known as brother and cousin.  My wife knows me as “hey, you!”  But seriously, if I’m blessed with faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, I better be known as someone who makes a difference in the world, someone who ushers in the kingdom of heaven.  My life needs to be such that people who know me in some way recognize Christ in me.  Remember when Jesus said “Many will tell me on that day, “Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name and cast out demons, and do many mighty works?” and the Son of Man will tell them “I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers”.

If you aren’t in a state of sin, you are empowered to be another Christ.  A good way to open up those channels of grace that come to you to be given to others is to remind yourself how what you do carries on the work of Jesus.  Think about that; if you are a lawyer, you seek justice for someone; if you are a nurse or a physician, you carry out Jesus’ healing work.  If you are an accountant you help people take care of their resources.  A parent, like Jesus, is a teacher and a shepherd.  A spouse is a sign of Christ’s love for his church.  And so it goes.  

Who do others say that the son of man is?  If the answer is not  Peter’s answer, who is going to set them right?

And if I truly believe he is the Christ, the Son of God, then if that belief doesn’t somehow inform all my words and actions, something is wrong.  

Who do others say that I am?  At the end of the day, we hope to live so that they will answer “another Christ”.  

Trinity Sunday cycle C

John 16:12-15

Several weeks ago Joan and I attended the first birthday of our youngest grandson, John Joseph.  I’m pretty deaf and hearing aids aren’t very helpful when there is a lot of background noise, so I was sitting silently trying to look like a wise old patriarch instead of someone who was clueless as to what was going on.  One of my grandsons pulled up a chair and sat down next to me. I never had much of a conversation with him before so this was very unusual.  

“Do you think you have to believe in God to be a good person?” he asked.  “Of course not,” I replied.  “Because I don’t think I really believe in God,” he went on. “When you read the stories in the bible, God seems to be cruel, forgetful, get angry for very little reason, and then he sends people to hell.  I have a hard time believing in that god.”  

I thought for a few moments and replied, “To tell you the truth, I don’t believe in that god either.”  I tried to explain that for me, the Bible is full of stories written by human beings whe have encountered something of God, which they try to put into words.  The bible is inspired, of course, but we need a guide.  And for Catholics, the guide is the Church, but the Church only draws us back to Jesus over and over again, so the real guide to the scriptures and the nature of God is this person Jesus.  Is this logical? No.  Can I prove it? No.  The issue is not whether or not you  believe in God, or what kind of God you believe in or want to believe in.  The issue is how you understand this person Jesus.  Because You don’t begin with Adam and Eve and the serpent.  You begin with the person who said, “Philip, if you have seen me, you have seen the Father.”  and the person who spoke about the Spirit who will guide you to all truth; and the person who proclaimed that “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

There have been many attempts by great minds to explain the Trinity.  It can’t be done.  In fact there is a whole subdivision of theology that points out why such explanations are wrong.  Saint Patrick was to have held up a shamrock and explained the Trinity, comparing the three leaved plant to the three persons.  That was actually a heresy.  Thomas Aquinas said the Trinity is like a person generating a perfect image of himself which he loves, and it loves him back, and the love is the Holy Spirit.  I’m not sure if this is a heresy or not but I’m not sure I understand it either.  There are attempts to say the Trinity is like water -- solid as ice, liquid as water, and gass as steam.  Nope.  Likewise, it’s like the Sun, which generates a sunbeam, which warms something.  No.  A recent book by a priest from Stockbridge said it’s like this; we humans are all members of the species “homo sapiens”.  The three persons of the Trinity are members of the species “God”.  He’s wrong.  And I could go on, but the point is that if you try to explain the Trinity, you are missing the point.

This is not an explanation for the Trinity.  But I think if we look at how other religions see God, we might get a little breakthrough.  If you are Muslim, you believe in a God who is completely other, completely sufficient in himself, completely happy, powerful, knowing -- and the list goes on.  But why on earth should such a God create anything?  He needs nothing, He desires nothing.  He’s totally complete.  The God of our forebears, the Jews, gets involved with the human race, which he creates in his image and likeness.  Why he creates at all is not clear, but he does so and recognizes that what he made is good.  We then have thousands of years in which he draws out from the human race the Jews, who are supposed to be an example to the nations of how to render proper worship.  But still, the question is “Why”.

That’s where the Trinity comes in.  If I love someone, I like to give them things; and if the one I love loves me, she gives things to me as well.  God is perfect love, and for all eternity has the Son to give things to -- and the Son gives back to the Father.  The power to give out of love is the Holy Spirit.  That’s why we have a universe, that’s why humans exist, that’s why Jesus died on the cross to give himself completely to the Father.  And all we can do is look at this loving God who loves everything into existence and plans that all will work together for good, even death and sin.  He weaves this into a gift for the Son who gives it back through the Spirit.  And we imitate this at Mass, this loving movement, when we offer God our bread and wine and he gives us back the Son, through the Spirit that brings about this transformation.

Don’t wrestle with the Trinity.  Just remember, the Trinity means that God is Love, completely, and you are loved, and others are loved through you because the Spirit spills over into each of our lives.  Happy Father’s Day.  

Seventh Sunday in Easter, cycle C

John 17:20-26

The passage we just read is from the prayer that Jesus prayed at the Last Supper.  After this the next prayer will be when he begs the Father to take the cup from him.  Then he goes on to his passion and death.  So this is a really important prayer and what does He pray for?  Not for us to be more holy, not to have us pray more; not even to have us go to heaven, although that is implied, obviously because if we are one with Jesus the Father will never let us go.  What Jesus does pray for is unity, that his followers consciously seek to become one with each other and with Jesus himself.  And we don’t do a very good job of it.

Jesus wants unity for four reasons.  The first reason is that we may be one just as the Father and Jesus are one.  Second, that we may be brought to perfection by receiving the glory given to Jesus.  Third, that we will show the world through our unity so that everyone will know that the Father has sent Jesus into the world.  Fourth, that we will be where Jesus is, so that the love the Father has for Jesus will embrace us as well.  

That’s quite a list. The gospel reading is one which you should go back to, maybe at the end of Mass or at home, and read slowly and thoughtfully.  It tells us in summary form the whole purpose of why God became man, suffered and died for us, and left us the Church.  It tells us that we have a God who created us as free creatures, then gave himself entirely to us through Jesus; and waits expectantly for our response.  It reminds me of a marriage proposal, in which one of the lovers puts everything on the line and waits to hear the response of the other.  And the other, by the way, is not you, not me.  The other is you and the people of God, me and the people of God.  Jesus is praying for all those who believe in him through the words of his apostles, words which continue to be put out there for the whole of mankind, two thousand years later and counting.  

I read an essay this week about the transhumanist movement.  As you may know, technology billionaires like Elon Musk, Tim Cook, who runs Apple, Sundar Pichai, who runs Google, and several others, are all pursuing ways to enhance human beings.  You may have heard of neuralink, a technology which can translate brain waves into print, so that people who are disabled from things like Lou Gehrig’s disease can communicate again.  And many of these people are looking for a way to replace cell phones.  Brain implants, eyeglasses, tattoos --- they have several interesting and scary ideas.  And we can’t forget artificial intelligence.  They have come up with one that can converse with you like a real person, only without misunderstandings or misinterpretations of your words.  

But Jesus started a transhumanist movement a long time ago.  The Father invites us to become one with Jesus, who is God and man.  The Father through Jesus invites us to share in his divinity.  When we achieve this, we will have gone as far as possible for human beings to be enhanced; we will be divine by adoption.  

Jesus wanted a way for people to become one in him.  During his time on earth, he participated in many meals.  When you look at the Gospels, Jesus frequently accepts invitations to parties, to suppers; and even after the Resurrection he shares in meals with his disciples.  Eating together is a very human thing.  Birds in our backyard fight over birdseed.  Our two cats push each other out of the way to get at their food.  But for people, eating together goes along with being civilized, building family values, and growing in our humanity.  So, Jesus left us instructions about the meal which brings us to divinity, that makes us one, the Holy Eucharist.  And being God, he made it possible for us to consume his body and blood, and through this act, receive the grace to become more and more like Jesus, and united more and more with each other.  The Eucharist, of course, is the tip of the iceberg, the Church, through whose sacraments God continues to make us divine.  

So please, again, meditate on this gospel and listen to Jesus’ prayer for you, for me, for his church.  And when you come to Mass look around and see the people God has given to Jesus so that Jesus can continue the work of making us into divine beings.