JOHN 15:9-17
IN THE MIDDLE AGES SOME
PEASANTS WERE GRADUALLY DIGGING A HOLE, LOADING THE DIRT INTO BASKETS
AND HAULING IT OUT. THIS WAS HARD WORK AND NOT TERRIBLY INTERESTING,
AND DIDN'T EVEN PAY VERY WELL – JUST ONE MEAL A DAY IN EXCHANGE FOR
WORKING FROM DAWN TILL DUSK. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THE PEASANTS
REFLECTED THIS IN THEIR MANNER; THEY LOOKED UNHAPPY AND DEPRESSED,
AND MOVED SLOWLY, EVEN AS THEIR OVERSEERS SHOUTED AND CRACKED WHIPS.
BUT ONE MAN MOVED QUICKLY, HELD HIS HEAD UP, AND SEEMED TO BE
BURSTING WITH GOOD SPIRITS. ONE OF THE PEASANTS ASKED HIM, HOW CAN
YOU BE SO HAPPY DIGGING A HOLE? HE REPLIED, “YOU MAY BE DIGGING A
HOLE, BUT I'M BUILDING A CATHEDRAL!”
WE ALL KNOW GOD LOVES
EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US, WHETHER WE ARE SAINTS OR SINNERS, WHETHER
WE ARE CATHOLICS OR MUSLIMS, WHETHER WE ARE WOMEN OR MEN. AND HE
LOVES US AS MUCH AS HE CAN LOVE, THERE IS NO HOLDING BACK. IT'S SAD
THAT WE BASK IN THIS OVERWHELMING LOVE AND HARDLY ARE AWARE OF IT.
BUT THAT'S THE WAY IT IS.
BUT JESUS TODAY OFFERS US
HIS FRIENDSHIP. FRIENDSHIP IS NOT THE SAME AS LOVE, NOR IS
FRIENDSHIP WITH JESUS THE SAME AS LOVE FROM GOD. FRIENDSHIP FOR
EVERYONE, GOD INCLUDED, IS CONDITIONAL. I CAN KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE,
EVEN HAVE AFFECTION FOR THEM, BUT A REAL FRIEND IS SOMEONE WHO MEETS
SOME DEEP NEED IN ME, AS I DO IN HIM OR HER. IF ONE OF US MEETS AN
EXISTENTIAL NEED IN THE OTHER, BUT IT'S NOT RECIPROCATED, THEN THAT
IS A RELATIONSHIP OF EXPLOITATION. FRIENDSHIP ONLY WORKS IF IT GOES
BOTH WAYS.
SO WHAT ARE THESE DEEP
NEEDS, THESE EXISTENTIAL NEEDS? DIFFERENT AUTHORS COUNT THEM
DIFFERENTLY, BUT THEY HAVE TO DO WITH FIVE LEVELS – PHYSICAL NEEDS
LIKE AIR AND FOOD; NEEDS HAVING TO DO WITH SECURITY AND SAFETY; NEEDS
HAVING TO DO WITH LOVE AND BELONGING; NEEDS HAVING TO DO WITH OUR
SENSE OF SELF-WORTH; AND NEEDS HAVING TO DO WITH SELF-ACTUALIZATION,
USING OUR TALENTS TO THE FULLEST. IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR PHYSICAL
NEEDS MET, YOU DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT SECURITY; IF YOU DON'T GET
SECURITY AND SAFETY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT LOVE AND
BELONGING. IN OTHER WORDS, TO MEET THE NEEDS ON A GIVEN LEVEL
REQUIRES THAT THEY HAVE BEEN MET, AT LEAST TO SOME DEGREE, ON THE
PREVIOUS LEVEL. IF SOMEONE DOES NOT HAVE HIS NEEDS OF SELF-WORTH
MET, HE ISN'T GOING TO BE ABLE TO USE HIS TALENTS TO THE FULLEST. IF
SOMEONE ISN'T LOVED, NO ONE CAN HELP HIS NEED FOR A SENSE OF
SELF-WORTH.
JESUS HAS DONE ALL HE CAN
TO MEET OUR EXISTENTIAL NEEDS. THROUGH HIS SACRIFICE, HE'S TAKEN
AWAY THE THREAT OF DEATH. THROUGH HIS SACRAMENTS HE'S DEMONSTRATED
HIS LOVE FOR US AND HIS BRINGING US INTO HIS OWN MYSTICAL BODY.
THROUGH HIS UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, HE'S SHOWN US THAT WE ARE WORTH HIS
VERY LIFE; AND THROUGH HIS PROMISE OF GRACE, HE'S DEMONSTRATED THAT
HE WILL GIVE US ALL WE NEED TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT GOD WANTS FOR US,
WHICH IS REAL SELF-ACTUALIZATION. OF COURSE, SINCE THROUGH HIM ALL
THINGS WERE CREATED, OUR VERY EXISTENCE IS SOMETHING JESUS MEETS IN
US.
BUT FRIENDSHIP IS
RECIPROCAL. IF WE ACCEPT ALL THAT JESUS DOES TO MEET OUR NEEDS, BUT
DO NOTHING TO MEET HIS, THEN WE AREN'T HIS FRIENDS. WE ARE MORE LIKE
LITTLE CHILDREN OR PETS. NOW THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH CHILDREN OR
PETS, OR EVEN PEOPLE WHO SIMPLY ACCEPT WHAT JESUS HAS GIVEN THEM. WE
CAN BASK IN HIS LOVE AND YET NEVER RESPOND TO HIS OWN NEEDS, THAT'S
OUR CHOICE.
BUT, YOU SAY, WHAT
POSSIBLE NEEDS DOES JESUS HAVE? HOW COULD GOD HAVE NEEDS? WELL,
THAT IS A MYSTERY, BUT WE SEE A LOT OF HINTS IN SCRIPTURE; SAINT
PAUL TELLS US THAT “THOUGH HE WAS IN THE FORM OF GOD, HE DID NOT
REGARD EQUALITY WITH GOD SOMETHING TO BE GRASPED. RATHER, HE EMPTIED
HIMSELF,
TAKING THE FORM OF A
SLAVE, COMING IN HUMAN LIKENESS; AND FOUND HUMAN IN APPEARANCE, HE
HUMBLED HIMSELF, BECOMING OBEDIENT TO DEATH, EVEN DEATH ON A CROSS.”
WHEN JESUS EMPTIED HIMSELF, HE NOW HAS NEEDS. HE SAYS “COME TO ME
ALL YOU WHO LABOR, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST.” HE SAYS, “MY MEAT
AND DRINK IS TO DO THE WILL OF THE FATHER.” HE SAYS, “JERUSALEM,
YOU WHO KILL THE PROPHETS AND STONE THOSE SENT TO YOU, HOW OFTEN I
HAVE LONGED TO GATHER YOUR CHILDREN TOGETHER, AS A HEN GATHERS HER
CHICKS UNDER HER WINGS, AND YOU WERE NOT WILLING.” AND THE BOTTOM
LINE, I GUESS, IS THAT JESUS CAME TO THE EARTH TO LIVE WITH US,
PRECISELY SO THAT THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN COULD COME INTO EXISTENCE.
BUT THAT IS OUR JOB, THAT IS WHERE WE COME IN. JESUS TELLS HIS
DISCIPLES THAT HE HAS TOLD THEM EVERYTHING HE HAS HEARD FROM THE
FATHER. AND YOU AND I HAVE HEARD ALL THAT AS WELL. EACH OF US KNOWS
WHAT WE HAVE TO DO TO USHER IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. WE'VE EACH
BEEN GIVEN A SPECIAL GIFT, OR CHARISM, FOR THAT PURPOSE. BUT NOT
MANY OF US DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. THOSE WHO DO, THOSE WHO SET OUT
TO MAKE THE KINGDOM REAL, THOSE ARE THE ONES WHO ARE FRIENDS OF
JESUS, THE ONES WHO BEAR MUCH FRUIT.
IT SEEMS THAT AFTER JESUS
ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN, AN ANGEL APPROACHED HIM AND ASKED HOW THE WORK
OF BUILDING THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN WAS COMING ALONG. JESUS SAID,
WELL, I TOLD SOME FISHERMEN AND A TAX COLLECTOR AND A FEW WOMEN WHAT
THEY NEEDED TO DO, AND TOLD THEM TO TELL OTHERS, AND HOW TO COUNT ON
THE HOLY SPIRIT TO HELP THEM, AND I'M HOPING IT WILL WORK. THE ANGEL
REPLIED, “BUT SURELY YOU MUST HAVE A BACK-UP PLAN, BECAUSE BUILDING
THE KINGDOM IS SO IMPORTANT.” JESUS REPLIED, “NO BACKUP PLAN.”
WHAT A WONDERFUL THING IT
WOULD BE IF EVEN A FEW MORE CHRISTIANS WOULD DECIDE TO BE FRIENDS
WITH JESUS, TO LOOK AROUND AND SEE HOW THEY COULD MAKE THE KINGDOM
MORE REAL IN THEIR OWN LIVES AND CIRCUMSTANCES. HOW WONDERFUL IT
WOULD BE IF WE COULD SEE THAT ALL THOSE THINGS WE DO EVERY DAY CAN BE
MORE THAN JUST DIGGING A HOLE, BUT CAN BECOME PART OF BUILDING A
GREAT CATHEDRAL.
WE WISH ALL THE MOTHERS
OF SAINT MARY'S A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY. LISTEN TO THE BLESSING THE
CHURCH GIVES A MOTHER WHEN HER CHILD IS BAPTIZED: “GOD THE FATHER,
THROUGH HIS SON, THE VIRGIN MARY'S CHILD, HAS BROUGHT JOY TO ALL
CHRISTIAN MOTHERS, AS THEY SEE THE HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE SHINE ON
THEIR CHILDREN. MAY HE BLESS THE MOTHER OF THIS CHILD. SHE NOW THANKS
GOD FOR THE GIFT OF HER CHILD. MAY SHE BE ONE WITH HIM (HER) IN
THANKING HIM FOR EVER IN HEAVEN, IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD.” WHAT A
TRULY MARVELOUS VOCATION IT IS TO BE A MOTHER.
