Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

MARK 4:26-34

TODAY IS FATHER'S DAY. IT DOESN'T GET AS MUCH PLAY AS MOTHER'S DAY, AND THAT'S FINE. WE FATHERS PROBABLY DON'T PUT NEARLY AS MUCH DIRECT EFFORT INTO RAISING OUR CHILDREN THAN DO THEIR MOTHERS. ON THE OTHER HAND, MOST OF US HAVE BEEN THE MAJOR BREADWINNER, THE DISCIPLINARIAN, AND THE ONE WHO TAKES THE KIDS OFF THEIR MOTHER'S HANDS ONCE IN A WHILE SO THAT SHE CAN REST OR CATCH UP ON OTHER THINGS. A LONG OR SHORT TIME AGO WE AND OUR WIVES MADE THE DECISION TO HAVE CHILDREN, AND WITH GOD'S HELP, CHILDREN CAME ALONG. EVERY DAY WE DO WHAT WE MUST; AND EVERY EVENING WE GO TO BED KNOWING THAT WE COULD HAVE DONE MORE. THERE ARE ALL THOSE MOMENTS WHEN WE COULD HAVE SPENT TIME WITH THE KIDS BUT DIDN'T BECAUSE SOMETHING ELSE SEEMED MORE IMPORTANT AT THE TIME. THERE ARE THOSE TIMES WHEN BECAUSE OF A TEMPER FRAYED AT THE WORKPLACE WE OVER-REACTED TO SOMETHING THAT NORMALLY WOULDN'T HAVE MADE US LOOK UP FROM OUR NEWSPAPER. AND WE GO TO BED GRATEFUL THAT OUR CHILDREN HAVE SHORT MEMORIES AND ARE DISPOSED TO LOVE US AND LOOK UP TO US REGARDLESS OF OUR MANY FAULTS.

AND AS THE GOSPEL SAYS, WE SEW THE SEED AND SLEEP AND RISE AND THE SEED GROWS AND YIELDS FRUIT, WE KNOW NOT HOW. AND WE OLDER FATHERS LOOK AT OUR CHILDREN, AT THEIR INDEPENDENCE, THEIR SEPARATE AND UNIQUE PERSONALITIES; WE REJOICE IN THEIR JOY, WE FEEL THEIR PAIN; AND SOMETIMES WE GRIEVE BECAUSE THEY LEAVE THE CHURCH OR FIND THEMSELVES IN FAILED MARRIAGES OR DIE BEFORE WE DO. AND WE RECOGNIZE THAT GOD HAS THE GREATEST HAND IN HOW THINGS ARE GOING TO TURN OUT FOR THEM, AND WE ARE JUST INSTRUMENTS.

THERE IS A MOMENT IN SCRIPTURE WHEN THE NOTION OF FATHERHOOD TURNS UPSIDE DOWN. REFERRING TO GOD AS FATHER WAS NOT VERY COMMON AMONG THE PEOPLE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. FOR THEM, A FATHER WAS, WELL, LIKE FATHER ABRAHAM. ABRAHAM COULD COMMAND HIS WIFE TO JOIN THE HAREM OF THE LOCAL PRINCE; IF SHE WAS NOT FERTILE, HE COULD TAKE HER MAIDSERVANT. AND WHEN HE HAD A SON BY THIS MAIDSERVANT, AND SARAH BECAME UPSET, HE HAD NO COMPUNCTION AGAINST DRIVING THE SON AND HIS MOTHER INTO THE DESERT, PRESUMABLY TO DIE. AND STRONG AS ABRAHAM'S FAITH WAS, THERE IS STILL SOMETHING SHOCKING, AFTER ALL THESE CENTURIES, TO IMAGINE HIM ABOUT TO KILL THE SON HE LOVED BECAUSE HE WAS COMMANDED BY GOD TO DO SO. AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT OTHER EXAMPLES OF FATHERS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, AMONG THE PATRIARCHS, AMONG THE KINGS, THEY WERE DESPOTS TO THEIR CHILDREN AS WELL AS TO THEIR WIVES. DAVID'S FAVORITE SON, ABSOLOM, REBELLED AGAINST HIM AND TRIED TO TAKE OVER THE KINGDOM. IN THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS, FATHERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO PUT THEIR SONS TO DEATH FOR CURSING THEM. IN THE PSALMS, THERE ARE A FEW REFERENCES TO GOD AS FATHER, BUT MOST OF THEM HAVE TO DO WITH GOD DISCIPLINING HIS CHILDREN, OR INSTRUCTING THEM.

BUT SOMETHING CHANGED, AND IT CHANGED NOT WITH JESUS, BUT WITH JOSEPH. FOR JOSEPH WAS THE NEW KIND OF FATHER. HIS WIFE AND SON DID NOT EXIST FOR HIM, BUT HE FOR THEM. HE WAS A JUST MAN FROM THE BEGINNING; WHEN HE BELIEVED MARY HAD BEEN MADE PREGNANT BY ANOTHER MAN, HE DID NOT TAKE THE REMEDY HE COULD HAVE, WHICH WAS TO DEMAND THAT SHE BE STONED, OR EVEN, DEMAND THAT SHE BE CAST OUT OF THE VILLAGE. HE MADE UP HIS MIND TO TELL PEOPLE THAT SHE WAS CARRYING HIS CHILD, BUT THEY JUST COULDN'T GET ALONG ANY MORE. JOSEPH WOULD TAKE THE SHAME AND THE GUILT. AND JOSEPH ALWAYS LOOKED TO GOD FOR HIS DIRECTION, RATHER THAN HIMSELF. WE HAVE FIVE INSTANCES IN WHICH JOSEPH MADE DECISIONS BASED UP HIS DREAMS, DECISIONS WHICH HE NEVER WOULD HAVE MADE IF HE WERE PURSUING HIS OWN INTERESTS. AND WE CAN ONLY IMAGINE THOSE YEARS IN NAZARETH, WHEN JOSEPH TAUGHT JESUS HIS TRADE, WHEN JOSEPH HELPED JESUS STUDY THE HOLY BOOKS OF ISRAEL, WHEN JOSEPH TREATED MARY AS A REAL HUMAN BEING AND EQUAL PARTNER, RATHER THAN AS HIS PERSONAL POSSESSION, HIS SLAVE – THE WAY WOMEN WERE USUALLY TREATED IN THOSE DAYS.

AND JOSEPH ONLY KNEW THAT THIS CHILD WAS SPECIAL BECAUSE OF HIS DREAMS. JESUS, AFTER ALL, WAS LIKE US IN ALL THINGS BUT SIN. AND JOSEPH GOT UP EVERY MORNING AND PUT IN A LONG DAY AT WORK, SPENT SOME TIME STUDYING, PRAYED IN THE SYNAGOGUE ON SATURDAYS, MADE THE ODD PILGRIMAGE TO JERUSALEM, AND HE WORRIED ABOUT BILLS, AND TRIED TO WALK THE LINE WITH JESUS BETWEEN BEING A DISCIPLINARIAN AND BEING SOMEONE JESUS COULD COME TO WITH HIS QUESTIONS AND TROUBLES. JOSEPH HAS BEEN WHERE ALL OF US FATHERS HAVE BEEN.

AND JOSEPH GREW SICK AND DIED, AND ON HIS DEATHBED HE LOOKED AT THIS SON, WHO HAD GROWN TO BE A GOOD MAN, A GOOD CARPENTER, AND A DECENT HUMAN BEING; BUT NOTHING SPECIAL, NOT YET. AND JOSEPH THOUGHT TO HIMSELF, IT IS AS IF A MAN WERE TO SCATTER SEED ON THE LAND, AND IT WOULD SPROUT AND GROW, HE KNOWS NOT HOW.

AND MAYBE JESUS WAS THE FIRST TO KNOW A NEW KIND OF FATHER, A FATHER SO CLOSE, SO LOVING, SO CARING; A FATHER WHO PUT HIMSELF COMPLETELY AT THE SERVICE OF HIS WIFE AND SON; A FATHER WHO LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR THOSE HE LOVED. AND WHEN JESUS WAS DESCRIBING GOD, THE IMAGE THAT CAME CLOSEST TO WHAT JESUS KNEW GOD TO BE WAS FATHER, THE ESSENCE OF FATHERHOOD, REFLECTED WITH SUCH CLARITY IN THE HUMBLE CARPENTER, JOSEPH.

BEING A FATHER IS AN AWESOME RESPONSIBILITY AND A GREAT PRIVILEGE. TOGETHER WITH THEIR MOTHER, A FATHER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT WHICH UNDER THE BEST OF CIRCUMSTANCES WILL RAISE UP SAINTS. HE DOES THIS BY PROVIDING THE MATERIAL NEEDS OF THE FAMILY; HE DOES THIS EVEN MORE BY BEING A ROLE MODEL FOR HIS CHILDREN; AND HE DOES THIS MOST SUCCESSFULLY BY GIVING HIMSELF UP, EMPTYING HIMSELF OUT, DAY AFTER DAY, IN IMITATION OF GOD THE FATHER. AND A FATHER DOES ALL HE CAN, KNOWING THAT, LIKE JOSEPH, HE WILL PROBABLY NEVER SEE THE FRUITS OF HIS EFFORTS; BUT HIS CHILDREN AND HIS CHILDREN'S CHILDREN WILL ALL BEAR HIS MARK, FOR GOOD OR FOR BAD.

MAY WE FATHERS LIVE IN SUCH A WAY THAT WHEN OUR CHILDREN SAY THE LORD'S PRAYER, THEY IMAGINE OUR FACES WHEN THEY SAY THE WORDS, “OUR FATHER”.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Body and Blood of Christ, 2012

MARK 14:12-16; 22-26

I DON'T KNOW IF ANY OF YOU HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE “THE AVENGERS”. WE SELDOM GO TO MOVIES, BUT WE ALLOWED OURSELVES TO BE TALKED INTO TAKING SOME OF THE GRANDCHILDREN TO THE THIS ONE. IT WAS LOUD, HAD LOTS OF ACTION; IT WAS A REAL VISUAL TREAT SHOWING WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH COMPUTERS THESE DAYS; AND THERE WAS ENOUGH HUMOR TO KEEP US OLD ADULTS AMUSED AS WELL AS THE KIDS. THE STORY IS THAT IRON MAN SAVES NEW YORK FROM AN ATOM BOMB BY GRABBING THE BOMB AND FLYING IT HIGH INTO OUTER SPACE, WHERE IT EXPLODES. UNFORTUNATELY, IT CREATES A PASSAGE THROUGH WHICH COME SOME PRETTY AWFUL ALIENS, INTENT ON TAKING OVER THE EARTH. DESPITE DESTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS AND SHOOTING OF RAY GUNS THAT VAPORIZE EVERYTHING IN SIGHT, AND DESPITE SUPERHEROES GETTING SLAMMED INTO BRICK WALLS, NOBODY GETS HURT, NOT EVEN ANY OF THE BYSTANDERS, AT LEAST SO YOU CAN TELL. THE SUPERHEROES ARE ALL HAVING A TERRIBLE TIME AND IT LOOKS LIKE EARTH IS GOING TO BE TAKEN OVER BY REALLY UGLY MACHINES, BUT AT THE LAST MINUTE, THEY DECIDE TO WORK TOGETHER, AND ONCE THIS HAPPENS, THE SPACE MONSTERS ARE HANDILY DEFEATED AND THE HOLE IN OUTER SPACE CLOSED UP.

TODAY WE CELEBRATE THE FEAST OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST. ALTHOUGH WE CELEBRATE THE HOLY EUCHARIST EVERY DAY, AND MOST OF US GET TO MASS ON SUNDAYS, THE CHURCH INVITES US TO CONSIDER THIS SACRAMENT IN GREATER DEPTH ONE DAY EVERY YEAR. AND THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS WE COULD TALK ABOUT. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO THINK ABOUT ONE THING TODAY. WE CALL THIS SACRAMENT THE EUCHARIST, THE TABLE OF THE LORD, THE SACRED MEAL, BUT TODAY WE WILL THINK ABOUT ONE OF THE NAMES FOR IT, HOLY COMMUNION.

WE BELIEVE AS CATHOLICS THAT RECEIVING THE BREAD AND WINE, OR EITHER, IS THE SAME THING AS RECEIVING JESUS. WE BELIEVE, IN FACT, THAT THE ELEMENTS OF BREAD AND WINE BECOME JESUS, SO THAT DESPITE THE APPEARANCE, THE UNDERLYING SUBSTANCE CHANGES. AND AS WE RECEIVE THE BODY AND BLOOD INTO OUR OWN BODIES, WE BECOME LINKED WITH JESUS IN A MOST INTIMATE WAY.

AND THERE IS ANOTHER MYSTERY HERE. JESUS, NOW RISEN FROM THE DEAD, BODY AND BLOOD, SOUL AND DIVINITY, CANNOT BE DIVIDED, CANNOT BE SPLIT UP AND PORTIONED OUT; SO WHEN I RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION, IN A VERY REAL WAY, YOU, AND ALL OF US WHO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION, PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE, STEP OUT OF TIME AND SPACE AND BECOME ONE; THERE IS ONLY ONE JESUS.

AND THE THIRD POINT IS THAT UNLIKE WHEN WE EAT ORDINARY FOOD, WHICH IS CHANGED INTO OUR BODIES, WHEN WE CONSUME THE BODY AND BLOOD OF JESUS, WE TAKE IN HIS LIFE, WE BECOME PART OF HIS BODY, THE MYSTICAL BODY.

OTHER CHRISTIANS BELIEVE OTHER THINGS ABOUT THE EUCHARIST. OUR ORTHODOX BROTHERS AGREE WITH US, BUT DON'T TRY TO EXPLAIN HOW IT HAPPENS. LUTHERANS BELIEVE THAT THE BREAD AND WINE REMAIN, BUT JESUS BECOMES PRESENT; AND MANY CHRISTIANS SIMPLY SEE HOLY COMMUNION AS A SYMBOLIC ACTION. BUT JESUS DID SAY, “THIS IS MY BODY” AND HE DID SAY, “UNLESS YOU EAT MY FLESH AND DRINK MY BLOOD, YOU SHALL NOT HAVE LIFE IN YOU.” WE CATHOLICS, I GUESS, HAVE ALWAYS TAKEN HIM AT HIS WORD.

BUT WHY? WHY DID JESUS DO THIS?

JESUS BECAME A HUMAN BEING 2000 YEARS AGO IN PALESTINE FOR ONE REASON, AND THAT WAS TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN GOD AND MAN, AND MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR HUMAN BEINGS TO ENTER INTO THE LIFE OF GOD HIMSELF. HE FOUNDED THE CHURCH, HE TAUGHT, HE HEALED, AND HE SUFFERED AND DIED FOR THIS PURPOSE. AND HE USHERED IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD, WHICH HE TOLD US WAS NOT LOCATED FAR OFF IN THE SKY SOMEWHERE, OR AFTER DEATH, BUT IT WAS RIGHT HERE, AMONG US. OUR MOTHER MARY DESCRIBED THE KINGDOM; IT WAS WHERE THE MIGHTY WOULD BE PULLED DOWN AND THE WEAK AND SUFFERING WOULD BE RAISED UP; JESUS COMPARED IT TO A BANQUET TO WHICH EVERYONE WAS INVITED; AND IN FACT EVERY TIME CHRISTIANS ENACT THE EUCHARIST, WHATEVER ELSE THEY BELIEVE ABOUT IT THEOLOGICALLY, THEY SEE THIS AS LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT BANQUET, WHERE EVERYONE IS CONTENT, WHERE ALL THAT DIVIDES US, ALL THAT HURTS US, IS FOREVER FORGOTTEN.

AND AFTER JESUS DIED AND ROSE FROM THE DEAD, THE TINY CHURCH BEGAN TO GROW, AND BY FITS AND STARTS BEGAN TO REMAKE THE WORLD. BUT SOMETHING SEEMS TO HAVE GONE WRONG. WE CATHOLICS MAKE UP ENOUGH OF THE POPULATION OF THIS COUNTRY, AND IN FACT, OF MANY COUNTRIES, SO THAT IF WE WORKED TOGETHER AROUND THE PRINCIPLES THAT CHRIST LGAVE US, WE COULD CHANGE THE WORLD, WE COULD USHER IN HIS KINGDOM. IT'S NOT PIE IN THE SKY. ALTHOUGH I THINK JESUS KNEW IT WOULD NEVER BE FULLY REALIZED IN THIS LIFE, HE DID EXPECT THAT HIS PEOPLE WOULD NEVER STAND BY AND WATCH PEOPLE STARVE WHEN THEY COULD HELP IT. HE DID EXPECT THAT HIS PEOPLE WOULD NOT ALLOW INNOCENT BABIES TO DIE, SOMETIMES BECAUSE THEY WERE MEMBERS OF THE SEX WHICH THE PARENTS HAD DECIDED THEY DID NOT WANT. HE DID EXPECT THAT HIS PEOPLE WOULD DO EVERYTHING THEY COULD TO MAKE A BETTER WORLD, RATHER THAN GET DISTRACTED BY POLITICS, OR EVEN DIFFERENCES IN RELIGION. AND WE AREN'T DOING A VERY GOOD JOB.

BEFORE THEY JOIN FORCES TO BATTLE THE ENEMY, THE AVENGERS ARE PROUD OF THEIR INDEPENDENCE. EACH OF THEM HAS NO NEED OF ANYONE ELSE, AND EACH REVELS IN HIS OR HER OWN POWER. BUT THE REALITY IS THAT EVEN WITH GREAT POWER, NOTHING SERIOUS WILL BE ACHIEVED UNTIL ALL BAND TOGETHER, UNTIL ALL REALIZE THEIR INTERDEPENDENCE. AND ONLY THEN DO THE TIDES OF BATTLE TURN, AND THE POWERS THAT BELONG TO EACH ACTUALLY MEAN SOMETHING.

JESUS GIVES US, THE MEMBERS OF HIS BODY, THE TASK OF BUILDING HIS KINGDOM. THIS IS WHAT WE ARE FOR, THIS IS OUR PURPOSE IN LIFE. JESUS GIVES US THE THINGS WE NEED TO DO THIS. OUR BAPTISM IS OUR COMMISSION; WE BECOME PART OF A LARGER PURPOSE. OUR CONFIRMATION EQUIPS US WITH POWER, WITH THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. OUR EUCHARIST IS OUR FOOD AND DRINK, WHICH STRENGTHEN US AND INDEED TRANSFORM US SO THAT OUR EVERY ACTION TRANSCENDS SPACE AND TIME, SO THAT WE BECOME POTENTIAL HEIRS OF HEAVEN AND MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE THE RIGHT TO SIT WITH MARY AND THE SAINTS IN THE HEART OF THE TRINITY. AND EVERY TIME WE RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST, WE ARE THUS TRANSFORMED.

SO LET US TODAY THINK THROUGH THE IMPLICATIONS OF WHAT WE EAT AND WHAT WE DRINK WHEN WE PARTAKE OF THIS SACRAMENT. AND LET US NEVER TAKE IT FOR GRANTED AGAIN.

Trinity Sunday cycle B, 2012

MATTHEW 28:16-20

ALL REPUTABLE PHYSICISTS SUPPORT THE BIG BANG THEORY, WHICH SAYS THAT THE UNIVERSE BEGAN AT A CERTAIN MOMENT, BEFORE WHICH THERE WAS NOTHING, NO TIME, NO SPACE, NO MATTER. BUT WHAT BOTHERS THEM ABOUT THIS THEORY IS THE FACT THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN NUMBERS, WHICH ARE CALLED FUNDAMENTAL CONSTANTS, WHICH SEEM TOTALLY ARBITRARY; AND IF YOU CHANGED THEM BY JUST A LITTLE BIT, YOU CAN SHOW THAT YOU WOULD NOT HAVE THE UNIVERSE WE KNOW OF, AND WE WOULDN'T BE AROUND TO WORRY ABOUT THAT. THIS BOTHERS PEOPLE WHO HATE TO SEE THE HAND OF GOD INVOLVED IN ANYTHING. NEWSWEEK JUST RECENTLY RAN AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE “MULTIVERSE” THEORY. THIS THEORY SAYS THAT IF YOU CHANGE THE VALUES OF THE FUNDAMENTAL CONSTANTS AND PLUG THEM INTO THE EQUATIONS WHICH DESCRIBE THE PROPERTIES OF THE UNIVERSE, YOU CAN COME UP WITH DIFFERENT POSSIBLE UNIVERSES. IN FACT, YOU CAN COME UP WITH AT LEAST ONE FOLLOWED BY 500 ZERO'S WORTH OF DIFFERENT POSSIBILITIES. (THE NUMBER OF ATOMS IN THE UNIVERSE WE LIVE IN IS ESTIMATED TO BE BETWEEN 1 FOLLOWED BY 78 TO 1 FOLLOWED BY 80; A BILLION IS 1 FOLLOWED BY NINE ZEROS.) THE MULITIVERSE THEORY SAYS THAT ALL THESE UNIVERSES EXIST, SO IT IS NOT AT ALL SURPRISING THAT OUT OF THAT INCREDIBLE NUMBER, THERE WOULD BE AT LEAST ONE LIKE OURS. OF COURSE THERE IS NO WAY AT ALL TO PROVE THIS THEORY, SINCE BY DEFINITION WE CANNOT EVER DETECT ONE OF THESE OTHER UNIVERSES, BUT MORE AND MORE PHYSICISTS LIKE IT BECAUSE YOU DON'T NEED A FIRST CAUSE, A PRIME MOVER – AS STEPHEN HAWKING SAID, WE DON'T NEED GOD ANYMORE.

WELL, WE CHRISTIANS HAVE AN EVEN BETTER THEORY, AND OURS IS EVEN MORE DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND. IT IS THE TRINITY. AND UNLIKE THE MULTIVERSE THEORY, THERE IS EVIDENCE FOR THE TRINITY – NOT STRICTLY SPEAKING, SCIENTIFIC, BUT LOGICAL AND DERIVED FROM SCRIPTURE AND REASON, AS WELL AS EXPERIENCE. AND WE WILL NEVER KNOW WHETHER THE MULTIVERSE EXISTS OR NOT, BUT WE WILL SOMEDAY EXPERIENCE THE TRINITY.

FIRST, WE BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER, THE CAUSE OF EVERYTHING. THOMAS AQUINAS SAYS THAT HE IS PURE ACT; THERE IS NO POSSIBILITY IN GOD, ONLY REALIZATION. IF THERE ARE OTHER UNIVERSES, GOD THE FATHER HAS BEEN THERE, DONE THAT. WE CANNOT USE WORDS TO DESCRIBE HIM; ALL WE CAN DO IS FEEL WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE LOOK AT THE STARS IN THE SKY, OR THE GRAND CANYON, OR A MAGNIFICENT CATHEDRAL, OR A NEWBORN BABY – WHEN YOU FEEL AWE AND WONDER, YOU ARE JUST BEGINNING TO SENSE GOD THE FATHER.

THE FATHER CREATES THE UNIVERSE, OR MULTIVERSE, OR WHATEVER; NOTHING EXISTS UNLESS HE MAKES IT TO EXIST. AND YET THE FATHER REALLY DOES ONLY ONE THING, HE GENERATES THE SON. ONE THEOLOGIAN TALKED ABOUT THE “COSMIC CHRIST”. HE HAD A DREAM THAT HE ROSE ABOVE THE EARTH AND THE SOLAR SYSTEM AND FAR INTO OUTER SPACE UNTIL HE COULD SEE THE WHOLE UNIVERSE, AND IT WAS THE FACE OF JESUS. SCRIPTURE TELLS US THAT ALL THINGS WERE MADE THROUGH HIM. EVERYTHING THAT COMES INTO BEING IS BECAUSE THE FATHER GENERATES THE SON. WE CAN NEVER KNOW THE FATHER. BUT WE CAN KNOW THE SON, WHO BROKE INTO OUR WORLD AND TOOK ON OUR HUMAN NATURE, AND TOLD THE APOSTLE PHILIP, “HE WHO HAS SEEN ME, HAS SEEN THE FATHER”. THE FATHER POURED HIMSELF OUT IN THE GENERATION OF THE SON, AND THE SON, WHO BECOMES ONE OF US, OFFERS HIMSELF TO THE FATHER IN THE CRUCIFIXION, AND IN SO DOING, OFFERS ALL OF US, AND INDEED, ALL OF THE UNIVERSE, TO THE FATHER. IN SOME MYSTERIOUS WAY, HE ALLOWS US TO BE IN ALL WAYS, PART OF HIM, PART OF HIS BODY, TO SUFFER HIS FATE, AND TO RISE WITH HIM FOREVER. THE SON, AFTER ALL, HAS ONLY ONE PURPOSE, TO BRING ALL THAT EXISTS BACK INTO A NEW AND PERFECT UNION WITH THE FATHER. AND FINALLY, THE FATHER AND THE SON SEND FORTH THE SPIRIT. THE SPIRIT ALSO HAS ONLY ONE FUNCTION – TO BRING ALL THE CREATURES OF GOD BACK TO THE SON. THE SPIRIT, LIKE THE FATHER AND THE SON, IS A PERSON; SAINT PAUL TELLS US THAT THE SPIRIT BLOWS WHERE HE WILLS. ONLY A PERSON CAN GO WHERE HE WANTS TO GO, CAN BE SELF-DIRECTED.

IT ALMOST SOUNDS LIKE THERE ARE THREE GODS; BUT THERE IS ONLY ONE; EACH PERSON IS GOD, EACH PERSON IS EQUAL, EXCEPT IN TERMS OF RELATIONSHIP; AND EACH PERSON IS ACTIVE WHERE THE OTHER PERSONS ARE ACTIVE. SAINT AUGUSTINE SUMMED IT UP AS FOLLOWS: THE FATHER IS GOD, THE SON IS GOD, THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD; THE FATHER IS NOT THE SON OR THE HOLY SPIRIT; THE SON IS NOT THE FATHER OR THE HOLY SPIRIT; THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT THE FATHER OR THE SON. THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD.

ONCE A YEAR THE CHURCH INVITES US TO THINK ABOUT THE TRINITY. I SPENT ALL WEEK TRYING TO DO THIS, AND I STILL HAVE A HEADACHE, WHICH WASN'T HELPED BY THINKING ABOUT THE MULTIVERSE. BUT THE TRINITY IS CENTRAL TO OUR CHRISTIAN FAITH. CATHOLICS, PROTESTANTS, AND ORTHODOX CONSIDER THIS REVELATION FUNDAMENTAL, AND LIKEWISE, MUSLIMS AND JEWS SEE THE TRINITY AND ACCUSE CHRISTIANS OF FLIRTING WITH PAGANISM.

BUT WE CAN THINK OF THE TRINITY IN A SIMPLER MORE ACCESSIBLE WAY. THE FATHER IS GOD BEYOND US, BEYOND ANYTHING WE CAN GRASP, WHO, BEING PURE LOVE, CHOOSES TO CREATE ANDSUSTAIN US AND EVERYTHING THERE IS, AND GIVES US ALL THAT WE NEED TO RETURN TO HIM. THE SON IS GOD AMONG US, WHO WALKED AND TALKED AND LIVED AND DIED AND CONTINUES TO DWELL AMONG HIS PEOPLE IN HIS WORD AND IN THE EUCHARIST, AND IN OUR FELLOW CHRISTIANS. AND THE SPIRIT IS GOD WITHIN US, WHO PROMPTS US TO RECOGNIZE THE PRESENCE OF THE SON, AND IN RECOGNIZING HIM, DRAWING NEARER TO THE FATHER. AND THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD.

WHEN ABRAHAM WAS VERY OLD, THREE STRANGERS CAME TO HIM, AND HE INVITED THEM TO REST AND HAVE SUPPER. WHILE THAT WAS GOING ON, THEY TOLD HIM THAT HIS WIFE SARAH WOULD BEAR A CHILD. THE CHURCH FATHERS AND MANY OTHER THEOLOGIANS HAVE SEEN THESE THREE STRANGERS AS REPRESENTING THE TRINITY, AND THERE IS A RUSSIAN ORTHODOX ICON WHICH SHOWS THIS EVENT.

NOTICE THAT ALL OF THE INDIVIDUALS HAVE BLUE IN THEIR CLOTHING. THIS IS THE COLOR OF DIVINITY. NOTICE THAT THE CLOTHING OF THE FATHER IS ALMOST TRANSPARENT; THE FATHER CANNOT BE GRASPED, HE IS BEYOND OUR MENTAL ABILITIES. NOTICE THAT THE SON IS VERY CLEARLY DRAWN, AND IS WEARING EARTH COLORSAS WELL AS THE DIVINE BLUE; HE IS HUMAN AND DIVINE. AND NOTICE THAT THE SPIRIT WEARS GREEN, BECAUSE HE IS LIFE-GIVING. THERE IS A HOUSE ABOVE THE FATHER; BECAUSE JESUS TOLD US THAT IN HIS FATHER'S HOUSE ARE MANY MANSIONS; THERE IS A TREE ABOVE THE SON, THE TREE OF THE CROSS. THE SON POINTS TO THE CHALICE, WHICH CONTAIN HIS BLOOD. ABOVE THE SPIRIT IS A MOUNTAIN, REPRESENTING HOLINESS, PURITY, DISTANCE FROM WHAT DRAGS US DOWN.

AND THE SON AND THE SPIRIT GAZE UPON THE FATHER, WHO SITS AT REST.

AND THERE IS A FOURTH PLACE IN THIS ICON. IT IS FOR YOU, BECAUSE SOMEDAY, GOD WILLING, YOU AND I WILL BE TAKEN UP INTO THIS TRINITY.

Pentecost, 2012

PENTECOST SUNDAY, 2012

JOHN 15:26-27; 16:12-15

SOMETHING MOMENTOUS HAPPENED THIS LAST WEEK, AT LEAST, MOMENTOUS TO MY EXTENDED FAMILY. MY UNCLE PAUL KLEFFNER PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 95. HE'D BEEN ONE OF TWELVE CHILDREN, TWO OF WHOM DIED IN INFANCY. HE WAS THE LAST OF HIS GENERATION TO GO.

HE AND HIS BROTHERS AND SISTERS HAD A STRONG SENSE OF FAMILY. THEY LOOKED OUT FOR EACH OTHER. ANOTHER UNCLE OF MINE HAD LEFT THE CHURCH MANY YEARS AGO; HAD BEEN MARRIED AND DIVORCED SEVERAL TIMES. WHEN HE WAS DYING, MY UNCLE PAUL TRAVELED FROM MONTANA TO CALIFORNIA TO SIT WITH HIM AND ULTIMATELY PERSUADE HIM TO RECEIVE THE LAST SACRAMENTS. ALTHOUGH HE HAD EIGHT CHILDREN OF HIS OWN, HE WAS ALWAYS WILLING TO LISTEN TO MY PROBLEMS AND GIVE ME GOOD ADVICE WHEN I WAS GROWING UP – AND I WAS ONLY ONE OF HIS NIECES AND NEPHEWS WHO HAD THAT EXPERIENCE.

AND NOW HE'S GONE. BUT HIS FAMILY LIVES ON. WHEN WE OLDER COUSINS GET TOGETHER, ONE OF US WILL SAY SOMETHING OR DO SOMETHING, AND THE OTHERS WILL OFFER THE OPINION THAT THAT IS A TYPICAL KLEFFNER THING TO SAY OR DO. WHEN I WAS ABOUT 30 YEARS OLD, SOMEONE TOLD ME I HAD THE KLEFFNER SENSE OF HUMOR – AND I WAS GLAD TO HEAR IT, BECAUSE I REALLY ADMIRED THAT SENSE OF HUMOR IN MY MOTHER, MY UNCLES AND MY AUNTS. AND MANY OF MY COUSINS AND THEIR CHILDREN HAVE “GREEN THUMBS” AND SPEND A LOT OF TIME WITH GROWING PLANTS. ONE OF MY NON-KLEFFNER AUNTS ONCE OBSERVED THAT KLEFFNERS WERE HAPPIEST WHEN THEIR HANDS WERE DEEP IN THE DIRT.

MORE THAN 100 YEARS AGO JOSEPH KLEFFNER AND CLARA BOGNER, FIRST GENERATION AMERICANS OF GERMAN STOCK, GOT MARRIED AND BEGAN TO FORM A FAMILY. BUT EVEN THERE, THEY WERE PART OF THEIR OWN FAMILIES. IN A SENSE, THE KLEFFNER FAMILY GOES WAY BACK, AND GOES FORWARD. IT WON'T ALWAYS LOOK THE SAME, OR HAVE THE SAME NAME, BUT THERE IS SOMETHING REAL HERE, EVEN THOUGH WE CAN'T PUT OUR FINGER ON IT.

THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHOM WE CELEBRATE TODAY, IS SOMETHING LIKE THE ESSENCE OF A FAMILY. IN A HUMAN FAMILY, ALTHOUGH WE ARE ALL INDIVIDUALS, WE SHARE A COMMON STORY; WE HAVE TRAITS THAT IDENTIFY US AS MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY, LIKE A SENSE OF HUMOR OR A LOVE FOR GREEN PLANTS; WE HANG TOGETHER EVEN THOUGH IF WE WEREN'T RELATED, WE PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH EACH OTHER; AND WE LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER.

GOD THE FATHER GENERATES THE SON; THE LOVE THEY HAVE FOR EACH OTHER, THEIR RELATIONSHIP, IS THE HOLY SPIRIT, A PERSON EQUAL TO THE FATHER AND THE SON IN ALL WAYS EXCEPT FOR HIS PLACE IN THE TRINITY. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ALWAYS AT WORK BUILDING UP THIS FAMILY. SAINT PAUL CALLS HIM THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION – BECAUSE HE WORKS TO MAKE SONS AND DAUGHTERS FOR THE FATHER OUT OF LOWLY HUMAN BEINGS. ONLY CHRISTIANS REFER TO GOD AS FATHER, AND WE HAVE THAT RIGHT BECAUSE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, THROUGH WHOM THE FATHER LOOKS UPON EACH OF US AS HIS OWN BELOVED CHILD.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH. HE REMINDS US OF OUR FAMILY HISTORY, OF HOW OUR OLDER BROTHER JESUS DIED FOR US. HE LIVES IN THE CHURCH JESUS FOUNDED SO THAT WE CAN BE SURE ITS TEACHINGS ARE FROM GOD. HE HELPS US DEVELOP THOSE FAMILY TRAITS WHICH MARK US AS CHRISTIANS, AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF JESUS. YOU HEARD THOSE FAMILY TRAITS TODAY: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GENEROSITY, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, SELF-CONTROL.

HE IS THE SPIRIT OF LIFE. SAINT PAUL TELLS US THAT THE SAME SPIRIT WHO RAISED UP JESUS FROM THE DEAD, WILL RAISE US UP AS WELL.

AND HE IS THE SPIRIT OF GLORY. GLORY BELONGS TO GOD ALONE; BUT THE SPIRIT WHO LIVES IN US GIVES US A SHARE IN THAT GLORY. AND THERE IS GREAT CONSOLATION FOR A CHRISTIAN IN REMEMBERING THAT THE GREATEST GLORY COMES IN SUFFERING – NOWHERE DID JESUS SHOW GOD'S GLORY MORE PROFOUNDLY THAN ON THE CROSS.

MY UNCLES AND AUNTS ALWAYS ENJOYED GETTING TOGETHER, EVEN INTO THEIR OLD AGES. THEY WOULD GATHER OVER A MEAL, TEASE EACH OTHER, TELL STORIES, MAKE JOKES; THE YEARS WOULD FALL AWAY. THAT IS A TRAIT OF HAPPY FAMILIES. WHEN I VISIT MY COUSINS OR MY SISTERS, ITS THE SAME; AND I SEE MY OWN CHILDREN DOING THIS AS WELL; THEY ARE PART OF THE KLEFFNER FAMILY, BUT A NEW FAMILY AS WELL, ONE JOAN AND I STARTED BACK IN 1966. WE FEEL OUR FAMILY TIES THE STRONGEST WHEN WE GATHER TOGETHER. AND THE HOLY SPIRIT DRAWS US TOGETHER IN HOLY MASS, WHERE WE EAT TOGETHER, WHERE WE PRAISE OUR FATHER, WHERE WE LISTEN TO THE TEACHINGS OF OUR BROTHER JESUS. A PERSON BECOMES MORE THAN HIMSELF IN THE PRESENCE OF HIS FAMILY, AND THAT'S EXACTLY THE REASON THE SPIRIT BRINGS US TOGETHER – TO MAKE US MORE THAN WE COULD EVER BE BY OURSELVES ALONE.

THE FIRST FAMILY OF THE UNIVERSE, THE FATHER WHO CANNOT BE FATHER WITHOUT THE SON, AND THE SON WHO CANNOT BE SON WITHOUT THE FATHER, ARE BOUND IN THE RELATIONSHIP CALLED THE HOLY SPIRIT. AND THE HOLY SPIRIT WORKS TO CALL US INTO THE FAMILY OF GOD, THE TRINITY.

SO ON THIS FEAST OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, LET US ASK HIM THAT THOSE FAMILY TRAITS BELONGING TO THE FATHER AND THE SON WILL BECOME MORE AND MORE RECOGNIZEABLE IN US. LET US ASK THAT OUR SENSE OF FAMILY, OUR SENSE OF KINSHIP WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH JESUS AND MARY AND THE SAINTS, WILL GROW STRONGER, SO THAT WE WILL ALWAYS BE CONSCIOUS OF OUR RELATIONSHIP, SO THAT WE WILL AVOID WORDS OR ACTIONS WHICH REFLECT BADLY ON OUR FAMILY. AND LET US ASK HIM TO SHOW SOME OF GOD'S GLORY TO OTHERS THROUGH US, ESPECIALLY AT THE TIME WE SUFFER, AS WE ALL MUST SUFFER SOONER OR LATER. BECAUSE HE IS THE SPIRIT OF LIFE, AND ETERNAL LIFE IS OUR FAMILY INHERITANCE.

MY UNCLE PAUL HAS PASSED AWAY, THE LAST OF HIS GENERATION; HIS FAMILY LIVES ON, BUT WILL BECOME MORE AND MORE DILUTED AS HIS CHILDREN AND NIECES AND NEPHEWS BUILD THEIR OWN FAMILIES. BUT THE ESSENCE OF GOD'S FAMILY, THE HOLY SPIRIT, MAKES ALL THINGS NEW, AND KNITS ALL OF US INTO THE CHANGELESS FAMILY OF THE TRINITY. COME, HOLY SPIRIT, COME!

Seventh Sunday in Easter, Cycle B

JOHN 17:11-19

IF YOU WERE A MORMON MAN, YOU WOULD WEAR A GARMENT MADE OF LINEN WHICH LOOKED LIKE BOXER SHORTS BUT WITH LONGER LEGS. YOU WOULD TRY TO KEEP THIS TOUCHING YOU EVEN WHEN YOU WERE TAKING A BATH, AND WHEN YOU WANTED TO CHANGE IT, YOU WOULD TAKE ANOTHER GARMENT AND PUT IT ON WHILE REMOVING THE FIRST. SILLY, YES?

IF YOU WERE AN ORTHODOX JEW, YOU WOULD GROW A BEARD AND WEAR YOUR SIDEBURNS IN RINGLETS, AND ALWAYS HAVE YOUR HEAD COVERED. YOU WOULD HAVE TWO SETS OF DISHES, SO THAT IF YOU HAD A MEAL MADE WITH MILK OR CHEESE YOU'D USE ONE, AND IF IT WAS MEAT, YOU'D USE THE OTHER. STRANGE, ISN'T IT?

MEMBERS OF THE SIKH RELIGION WEAR TURBANS AND ALWAYS CARRY A LITTLE DAGGER. AND IF YOU WERE AMISH, YOU'D HAVE NO CLOTHING WITH ZIPPERS; EVERYTHING WOULD BE HOOK AND EYE.

ALL OF THESE CUSTOMS HAVE RATIONAL EXPLANATIONS, ASSUMING YOU BELONG TO THE COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS WHO PRACTICE THEM. THEY ARE BASED ON THEIR SCRIPTURES AND ON LONG STANDING CUSTOMS. WHAT THEY HAVE IN COMMON, THOUGH, IS THAT THEY ARE CONSTANT REMINDERS TO THOSE PRACTICING THEM THAT THEY ARE A PEOPLE SET APART, THAT THOUGH THEY MAY BE IN THE WORLD, THEY ARE NOT OF THE WORLD.

JESUS TELLS US THAT WE HIS FOLLOWERS DO NOT BELONG TO THE WORLD ANY MORE THAN HE DID. WHEN WE RECEIVED HIS WORD, WE BECOME CONSECRATED, AND THAT MEANS, MADE HOLY, SET ASIDE FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL. AND OF COURSE JESUS PROMISES THAT IF WE REALLY ACCEPT WHAT HE HAS GIVEN US, THE WORLD WILL HATE US, JUST AS IT HATED HIM.

THERE WAS A TIME WHEN WE CATHOLICS KNEW WE WERE CONSECRATED, WHEN WE KNEW WE WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE OF THIS WORLD. AND INDEED, A TIME WHEN WE WERE HATED IN THIS COUNTRY, BECAUSE WE WERE CATHOLICS. IT WASN'T THAT LONG AGO THAT JOHN KENNEDY PROMISED THE MINISTERIAL ASSOCIATION OF GREATER HOUSTON THAT IF HE BECAME PRESIDENT, HE WOULD NOT PUT A DIRECT PHONE LINE IN TO THE VATICAN; HE WOULD NOT TAKE ORDERS FROM THE POPE – BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE THOUGHT WOULD HAPPEN IF A CATHOLIC BECAME PRESIDENT.

WE KNEW WE WERE CONSECRATED BECAUSE MOST OF US WENT TO CATHOLIC SCHOOLS. WE WENT TO CONFESSION ON SATURDAYS. WE FASTED FROM MIDNIGHT BEFORE RECEIVING COMMUNION ON SUNDAY MORNING. GIVEN THAT WE DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE THE RISK OF ACCIDENTALLY SWALLOWING TOOTHPASTE, BAD BREATH WAS AN OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD FOR OUR PRIESTS. AND OF COURSE, WE AVOIDED MEAT ON FRIDAY, AND REFERRED TO OURSELVES AS “MACKEREL SNAPPERS”. AND WE WORE SCAPULARS, AND CARRIED ROSARIES IN OUR POCKETS AND PURSES. EVERY TIME WE TURNED AROUND, WE WOULD BE REMINDED THAT WE WERE A CONSECRATED PEOPLE, A PEOPLE WHO WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE OF THIS WORLD.

WELL, WE'VE GOTTEN RID OF ALL THAT STUFF. SOME OF US OLD CATHOLICS STILL KEEP A FEW OF THESE CUSTOMS, BUT IT SURE ISN'T TRUE OF YOUNGER CATHOLICS. JOAN AND I GIVE OUT ROSARIES TO THE YOUNG COUPLES WHO COME TO OUR PRE-CANA CLASSES, AND ONLY ABOUT HALF KNOW WHAT THEY ARE, AND THE MAJORITY HAVEN'T SAID A ROSARY DURING THEIR ADULT LIFE. THE WORLD CAN NO LONGER TELL THAT WE ARE CONSECRATED, THAT WE ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD. AND WE CAN'T, EITHER. OUR COMMUNITY IS NO LONGER DEFINED BY OUR CHURCH; WE ARE DEFINED BY OUR SECULAR WORLD, AND MOST OF OUR ASSOCIATIONS ARE WITH PEOPLE WHO SHARE OUR PROFESSION, OR OUR SPORTS, OR OUR HOBBIES; AND EVEN WHEN THESE PEOPLE ARE ALSO CATHOLIC, THAT FACT AND THOSE CONSEQUENCES ALMOST NEVER ENTER IN TO OUR DISCOURSE.

I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THIS CHANGE IS GOOD OR BAD. BEING OLD, I LEAN TOWARDS BAD, BECAUSE WE OLD PEOPLE DON'T LIKE CHANGE AS MUCH AS YOUNG PEOPLE. BUT THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT.

GIVEN THAT WE NO LONGER HAVE A SET OF CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES THAT DEFINE US, I THINK WE NEED TO FIND OTHER WAYS FOR US AND OUR CHILDREN TO BE REMINDED DAY AFTER DAY THAT WE ARE CALLED TO BE NOT OF THIS WORLD, THAT WE ARE CONSECRATED IN TRUTH. NOTICE IN THE GOSPEL PASSAGE THAT JESUS REPEATS HIMSELF; SO IT MUST REALLY BE IMPORTANT. HE SAYS TWICE, “THEY DO NOT BELONG TO THE WORLD ANY MORE THAN I BELONG TO THE WORLD. IF WE ARE IN SOLIDARITY WITH JESUS, WE NEED TO KEEP THIS FACT BEFORE US AT ALL TIMES.

THERE IS SUCH A THING AS CATHOLIC CULTURE. IT REVOLVES AROUND THE MASS, WHICH IS CENTRAL TO OUR WEEK. IT HAS TO DO WITH REVERENCE TO THE BLESSED SACRAMENT, WHICH IS JESUS' PRESENCE IN WHAT WAS ONCE BREAD. THE ROSARY, THE MORNING OFFERING, GRACE BEFORE AND AFTER MEALS, WEARING A SCAPULAR OR A RELIGIOUS MEDAL – INVOKING GOD'S PRESENCE DURING OUR DAY BY WHAT WE USED TO CALL “ASPIRATIONS” – JESUS, I LOVE YOU; MARY MY MOTHER, HELP ME BE LIKE JESUS; LORD, I TRUST IN YOU – THESE AND OTHER SHORT PRAYERS SHOULD COME AS NATURALLY AS BREATHING.

IF YOU ARE PARENTS, AND YOU AREN'T HELPING YOUR CHILDREN UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD, YOU MAY LOSE THEM WHEN THEY GROW UP AND SEE NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEMSELVES AND THEIR FRIENDS. IF YOU ARE GRANDPARENTS, I HOPE YOUR GRANDCHILDREN SEE THAT ROSARY BY YOUR CHAIR AND ASK YOU WHAT IT IS FOR. AND WHATEVER YOU ARE, SINGLE, MARRIED, OLD, YOUNG – FIND WAYS TO REMIND YOURSELF THAT YOU ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD, NO MORE THAN JESUS IS. HOW CAN YOU TELL WHEN YOU HAVE IT RIGHT? WELL, THE WORLD STARTS TO HATE YOU. YOU MIGHT GET A FUNNY LOOK HERE AND THERE WHEN YOU MAKE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS AND SAY A SILENT GRACE BEFORE EATING IN A RESTAURANT. SOMEONE MAY NOTICE YOUR SCAPULAR WHEN YOU CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES IN THE LOCKER ROOM AND LAUGH AT YOUR SUPERSTITION. AND TRY TO FORM FRIENDSHIPS WITH OTHER CATHOLICS BECAUSE YOU ARE CATHOLIC, NOT BECAUSE YOU BOTH LIKE TO GOLF OR YOU BOTH HAVE KIDS IN THE SAME GRADE SCHOOL CLASS, AND TALK ABOUT YOUR FAITH AND YOUR DOUBTS, RATHER THAN KEEPING EVERYTHING HIDDEN WITHIN. WHEN WE DISCUSS OUR FAITH WITH EACH OTHER, WE ALSO STRENGTHEN EACH OTHER.

IF WE REMIND OURSELVES AND OTHERS THAT WE ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD, THERE MAY BE CONSEQUENCES WE DON'T PARTICULARLY LIKE; BUT IT WILL HELP REMIND US THAT WE BELONG TO JESUS, WHICH IS ALL THAT MATTERS IN THE LONG RUN.

Sixth Sunday of Easter, Cycle B

JOHN 15:9-17

THE OTHER DAY I WAS WATCHING MY TWO OLDEST GRANDDAUGHTERS, WHO AT THIS MOMENT ARE BOTH ELEVEN. THEY LIVE ABOUT 400 MILES APART, SO THEY DON'T GET TOGETHER VERY OFTEN. BUT WHEN THEY DO, YOU CAN ALMOST SEE THE BUBBLE THAT FORMS AROUND THEM. IN A MINUTE THEY LOSE TRACK OF EVERYTHING BUT EACH OTHER. THEY SEEM TO TALK ENDLESSLY. NORMALLY THEY ARE REASONABLY DOCILE AND OBEDIENT; BUT IN EACH OTHER'S PRESENCE, THEIR PERSONALITIES SEEM TO CHANGE, AND IT'S A LOT HARDER TO GET THEIR ATTENTION. THEY TRY TO ESCAPE THE REST OF THE FAMILY AND GO SOMEWHERE WHERE THEY CAN BE PRIVATE.

WHEN I WAS A KID, I HAD A BEST FRIEND. I THINK THAT'S A COMMON EXPERIENCE. WE FIND SOMEONE WHO RESONATES WITH US, A SOUL MATE. I MET MY BEST FRIEND WALKING HOME FROM SCHOOL WHEN I WAS IN THE FIRST GRADE. WE REMAINED BEST FRIENDS THROUGH BOY SCOUTS, BEING ALTAR SERVERS, PLAYING BASEBALL TOGETHER – ALL THE WAY TO HIGH SCHOOL, WHEN OUR INTERESTS STARTED TO DIVERGE, AND GRADUALLY THAT INTENSE AND SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP KIND OF DIED AWAY. I HAVEN'T BEEN IN TOUCH WITH HIM FOR MANY YEARS. A FEW YEARS AGO WE EXCHANGED A FEW EMAILS AND SOON FOUND THAT OUR POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES WERE TOO MUCH TO OVERCOME.

BEING IN A FRIENDSHIP IS NOT THE SAME AS BEING MARRIED. CERTAINLY IT'S WONDERFUL WHEN DEEP FRIENDSHIP EXISTS IN A MARRIAGE, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO. THERE ARE PLENTY OF MARRIAGES IN WHICH THE COUPLE ARE CONTENT, BUT NOT REALLY CLOSE FRIENDS. THEY EACH HAVE THEIR OWN SPACE, THEIR OWN FRIENDS, AND AS LONG AS EACH KEEPS TO WHAT IS HIS OR HERS, THINGS ARE OK. I'VE KNOWN MUSLIM COUPLES LIKE THIS. I KNOW A LADY WHO HAD MET HER HUSBAND FOR THE FIRST TIME THE DAY BEFORE THEIR ARRANGED MARRIAGE IN PAKISTAN. THEY ARE GOING ON THEIR 25^TH YEAR, FOUR CHILDREN. I TOLD HER I COULDN'T IMAGINE THIS KIND OF MARRIAGE IN OUR SOCIETY, WHERE WE PUT SUCH AN EMPHASIS ON ROMANTIC LOVE. SHE LOOKED AT ME WITH A PUZZLED EXPRESSION AND REPLIED, “OH, I LIKE HIM FINE.”

HERE IS A DEFINITION OF FRIENDSHIP FROM THE BOOK COMRADES, BY STEPHEN E. AMBROSE. “FRIENDSHIP IS DIFFERENT FROM ALL OTHER RELATIONSHIPS. UNLIKE ACQUAINTANCESHIP, IT IS BASED ON LOVE.... IT IS FREE OF JEALOUSY..... IT KNOWS NEITHER CRITICISM NOR RESENTMENT. FRIENDSHIP HAS NO STATUS IN LAW. BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS ARE BASED ON A CONTRACT. SO IS A MARRIAGE. PARENTS ARE BOUND BY THE LAW, AS ARE CHILDREN. BUT FRIENDSHIP IS FREELY ENTERED INTO, FREELY GIVEN, FREELY EXERCISED. FRIENDS NEVER CHEAT EACH OTHER, OR TAKE ADVANTAGE, OR LIE. FRIENDS DO NOT SPY ON ONE ANOTHER, YET THEY HAVE NO SECRETS. FRIENDS GLORY IN EACH OTHER'S SUCCESSES AND ARE DOWNCAST BY THE FAILURES. FRIENDS MINISTER TO EACH OTHER, NURSE EACH OTHER. FRIENDS GIVE TO EACH OTHER, WORRY ABOUT EACH OTHER, STAND READY TO HELP. PERFECT FRIENDSHIP IS RARELY ACHIEVED, BUT AT ITS HEIGHT IS AN ECSTASY."

PEOPLE PAID A LOT MORE ATTENTION TO FRIENDSHIP AS SUCH IN THE TIME OF JESUS. ARISTOTLE, FOR EXAMPLE, WROTE A GREAT DEAL ABOUT FRIENDSHIP, NOTING THAT YOUNG PEOPLE DEVELOPED FRIENDS MUCH MORE READILY THAN ELDERLY PEOPLE; AND THAT WHILE FRIENDSHIP COULD BE BASED ON USEFULNESS OR PLEASURE, THE BEST FRIENDSHIP WAS WHEN EACH FRIEND DESIRED THE GOOD OF THE OTHER. A COMMON DESCRIPTION OF FRIENDSHIP IN THOSE DAYS WAS TO SAY THAT YOU AND YOUR FRIEND HAD ONE SOUL.

JESUS CALLS US FRIENDS TODAY. WE ARE NO LONGER SERVANTS – A RELATIONSHIP BASED ON WHAT WE CAN DO FOR HIM. NO, WE ARE NOW OFFERED FRIENDSHIP LIKE THAT DESCRIBED BY AMBROSE; A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS FREELY ENTERED IN TO, BASED ON LOVE. JESUS, OUR FRIEND, DOES NOT CRITICIZE US. HE HAS NO SECRETS FROM US. HE WORRIES ABOUT US, MINISTERS TO US, STANDS READY TO HELP.

FOR SOME OF US, IT'S HARD TO ACCEPT THIS. WE SEE JESUS AS LORD, RULING OUR LIVES; OR WE SEE HIM AS SOMEONE WHO JUDGES US, WHOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH US DEPENDS ON HOW GOOD WE ARE, HOW MUCH WE PRAY, HOW MUCH WE GIVE. BUT IF YOU'VE EVER EXPERIENCED A REAL FRIENDSHIP, ESPECIALLY ONE LIKE YOU HAD WHEN YOU WERE SMALL, WHEN YOU PERHAPS HAD THE MOST WONDERFUL FRIENDSHIP YOU'VE EVER HAD, THAT IS THE KIND OF FRIENDSHIP JESUS HAS WITH US.

JESUS GIVES US A COMMANDMENT TODAY – LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU. THIS IS ACTUALLY A CALL TO FRIENDSHIP. WE CAN'T LOVE IN THE ABSTRACT. A REAL FRIEND LOOKS AT YOU, SEES WHAT YOU NEED, AND THEN TRIES TO FULFILL THAT NEED. IF WE AREN'T DOING THAT WITH EACH OTHER, WE ARE NOT LOVING EACH OTHER, WE ARE NOT FULFILLING THE ONE COMMANDMENT JESUS GAVE US.

AND ONE OTHER THING TO THINK ABOUT. GOD WHO IS LOVE CANNOT NOT LOVE US. EVEN IF WE ULTIMATELY CHOOSE TO REJECT HIS LOVE AND FIND OURSELVES IN HELL, WHICH OF COURSE IS WHEN GOD ACCEPTS OUR DECISION AND LEAVES US COMPLETELY ALONE, HE CONTINUES TO LOVE US. IN LOVING US, HE WOULD NEVER GIVE US A COMMANDMENT THAT WOULD NOT BE FOR OUR GREATER GOOD. AND HE TELLS US IN ANOTHER PASSAGE, “LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO HATE YOU.” IT'S EASY TO LOVE WHEN YOU ARE LOVED BACK; BUT HOW HARD IT IS TO LOVE THOSE WHO HATE US. AND THAT IS THE REAL CHALLENGE OF CHRISTIANS TODAY. WE WILL NEVER CONVERT THE WORLD UNLESS WE LOVE THOSE WHO HATE US, WHO RIDICULE US, WHO WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH US. AND REMEMBER, LOVE IS NOT ABSTRACT, LOVE REQUIRES ACTION, OR IT IS NOT LOVE.

THIS OF COURSE IS MOTHER'S DAY. DID YOUR MOTHER LOVE YOU? I AM REMINDED OF TOM MONAGHAN'S BIOGRAPHY. THE FOUNDER OF DOMINO'S PIZZA, THE FOUNDER OF AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY, THE MAN WHO STARTED THE LEGATUS ORGANIZATION – HIS MOTHER PUT HIM AND HIS BROTHER IN AN ORPHANAGE WHEN THEY WERE BOTH SMALL AND SELDOM SAW THEM AGAIN. AND I'M REMINDED OF SAINT GIANNA MOLLA, WHO DIED IN 1962 OF CANCER, HAVING CHOSEN TO BEAR HER CHILD RATHER THAN SUBMIT TO AN OPERATION THAT MIGHT HAVE CURED HER BUT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN AN ABORTION. WHICH MOTHER LOVED HER CHILD THE MOST? LOVE IS NOT A FEELING; LOVE ACTS.

Fifth Sunday of Easter, Cycle B

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER, CYCLE B

JOHN 15:1-8

MY UNCLE PHIL PASSED AWAY A FEW MONTHS AGO. HE WAS THE YOUNGEST OF TEN CHILDREN, AND NEVER GOT MARRIED. HE WAS A PROFESSIONAL CARPENTER, BUT WHEN HE TURNED 50 HE DECIDED TO CHANGE PROFESSIONS AND BECOME A PLUMBER, AND INDEED, HE BECAME A MASTER PLUMBER. HE SPENT TWO YEARS AS MAYOR OF HIS TOWN, DURING WHICH TIME HE ARRANGED TO DREDGE THE CREEK THAT RAN THROUGH THE TOWN AND PERIODICALLY FLOODED EVERYONE'S BASEMENT. AFTER HIS SINGLE TERM HE REFUSED TO RUN AGAIN, EVEN THOUGH HE COULD HAVE WON IN A WALK.

SO FOR SOMEONE WHO WASN'T TOO GOOD AT BOOKS, AS HE ADMITTED HIMSELF, HE DID PRETTY WELL. BUT HE HAD A HOBBY THAT CONSUMED HIM; HE WAS AN AVID GARDENER, AND ON A RELATIVELY SMALL PLOT OF LAND, HE GREW ENOUGH FOOD TO MAKE A SIZABLE DENT IN THE GROCERY BILL FOR HIMSELF AND HIS SISTER, WHO LIVED WITH HIM.

WHEN I WAS YOUNG, HE SHOWED ME AN APPLE TREE IN HIS BACK YARD. HE POINTED OUT ONE BRANCH THAT HAD DELICIOUS APPLES, AND ANOTHER THAT HAD SOME WINESAP, AND STILL ANOTHER THAT BORE MACINTOSH. I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT. BUT WHAT HE HAD DONE WAS GRAFT BRANCHES FROM DIFFERENT KINDS OF APPLE TREES ONTO THAT ONE APPLE TREE. HE TOLD ME THAT HE WAS PLANNING TO SEE IF HE COULD GRAFT A PEAR BRANCH ONTO THE APPLE TREE. I DON'T KNOW WHETHER HE EVER DID THAT.

UNCLE PHIL IS GONE NOW, AND I WONDER IF ANYONE IS TAKING CARE OF HIS GARDEN, OF HIS GOOSEBERRY BUSHES AND RHUBARB PLANTS AND THAT APPLE TREE?

I IMAGINE IF JESUS HAD LIVED IN BELT, MONTANA, AND KNOWN MY UNCLE, HE MIGHT HAVE COMPARED HIMSELF TO THAT APPLE TREE, AND US TO THE BRANCHES.

IT'S A GOOD COMPARISON. THE APPLE TREE IS ROOTED IN THE EARTH AND DRAWS WATER UP FROM THE GROUND. THE BRANCHES, CAREFULLY GRAFTED ONTO THE TRUNK OF THE TREE, TAKE WATER AND OTHER NUTRIENTS INTO THEMSELVES. WHEN YOU GRAFT A BRANCH ONTO A TREE, YOU HAVE TO VERY CAREFULLY ALIGN THE BARK OF THE BRANCH WITH THE BARK OF THE TREE. THE LIFE-GIVING FLUIDS PASS INTO THE BRANCH LIKE A SIPHON, SO IF THERE IS ANY SPACE BETWEEN THE TREE BARK AND THE BARK OF THE BRANCH, THE BRANCH WITHERS AND DIES. WE BRANCHES WILL FLOURISH THE CLOSER WE ARE TO JESUS. BUT A LOT OF US LIKE TO KEEP HIM AT A DISTANCE. WE TEND TO BRING HIM INTO OUR LIVES WHEN THERE IS AN EMERGENCY, OR WHEN WE REALLY NEED SOMETHING, BUT WHEN WE ARE MORE OR LESS CONTENT AND SATISFIED, WE'D JUST AS SOON HE KEEP HIS DISTANCE. IN FACT, I THINK SOME CATHOLICS COME TO MASS A FEW TIMES A YEAR HOPING THAT HE WILL LEAVE THEM ALONE THE REST OF THE TIME. JESUS DISTURBS US WHEN HE SPEAKS TO US, WHEN WE DRAW TOO CLOSE; BUT YOU CAN'T HAVE HIS LIFE IN ABUNDANCE IF YOU KEEP YOUR DISTANCE.

MY UNCLE'S TREE HAD ANOTHER INTERESTING FEATURE. THE BRANCHES THAT WERE GIVEN LIFE BY BEING GRAFTED INTO THE TREE DID NOT LOSE THEIR INDIVIDUALITY. THEY STILL BORE THE FRUIT OF THE TREE FROM WHICH THEY HAD COME. AND THAT'S IN A WAY AN INCREDIBLE MIRACLE, EVEN MORE SO FOR HUMAN BEINGS WHO ARE GRAFTED INTO JESUS. IF YOU READ ABOUT GREAT CHRISTIANS THEY ARE ALL REALLY AND TRULY THEMSELVES; THEY AREN'T TRYING TO BE SOMEONE ELSE, THEY AREN'T GOODY-TWO-SHOES, THEY AREN'T PALE SICKLY CREATURES WHO STARE INTO THE HEAVENS WITH A SAD EXPRESSION ON THEIR FACES. REAL SAINTS LEAVE A MARK. THE LIFE OF JESUS THAT FLOWS INTO THEM HEIGHTENS THEIR INDIVIDUALITY, PERFECTS IT, AND THEY BEAR FRUIT AS A RESULT, FRUIT THAT ONLY THEY CAN BEAR. THE LIFE OF JESUS FLOWING THROUGH THEM PERFECTS THEIR INDIVIDUALITY, THEIR UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS.

IF YOU LET AN ORDINARY APPLE TREE ALONE, IT BEARS ONE KIND OF APPLE. WE HUMAN BEINGS GRAVITATE TOWARDS PEOPLE LIKE US. AFTER BEING ON THIS EARTH FOR ABOUT 250,000 YEARS, WE ARE STILL TRIBAL PEOPLE, WE STILL SORT OURSELVES OUT BY LANGUAGE, SKIN COLOR, SOCIAL CLASS, RELIGION, POLITICS – IN FACT, ONE OF THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF THE INTERNET IS THAT MORE AND MORE PEOPLE GET ALL THEIR NEWS FROM THE NET, AND SINCE THERE ARE NEWS SOURCES TO SUIT EVERY POLITICAL FLAVOR, FROM NAZI TO COMMUNIST, FROM UNFETTERED CAPITALIST TO SOCIALIST, WE AMERICANS AREN'T READING AND DISCUSSING THE SAME THING. IN THE OLDEN DAYS THERE WERE THREE NETWORKS AND A COUPLE OF NEWS MAGAZINES, AND THE DAILY PAPERS DEPENDED ON TWO SOURCES OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS. THAT MEANT THAT EVERYONE WAS ON THE SAME PAGE. NOT TRUE ANYMORE.

BUT ON MY UNCLE'S APPLE TREE, YOU COULD FIND SEVERAL VARIETIES OF APPLE ALL GROWING PEACEFULLY TOGETHER. AND THAT IS A CONSEQUENCE OF JESUS' LIFE FLOWING THROUGH US. WE RECOGNIZE HIS LIFE IN EACH OTHER, AND HIS LIFE CROSSES ALL THOSE BARRIERS WE PUT BETWEEN OURSELVES AND THOSE NOT QUITE LIKE US. IN THIS DAY OF INCREASING DESTRUCTION OF THE THINGS THAT HOLD US TOGETHER, JESUS IS ABOUT THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN UNITE US, IF WE ARE GRAFTED INTO HIM.

THERE WAS ANOTHER THING ABOUT MY UNCLE'S TREE. IN ORDER TO GRAFT A BRANCH ONTO THE TREE, YOU HAD TO CUT OFF ONE OF IT'S OWN BRANCHES. THAT WAY YOU COULD MATCH THE SURFACES OF THE BARK MUCH BETTER. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE A FEW NATIVE BRANCHES ON THE TREE, IF MY UNCLE HAD HIS WAY, HE WOULD EVENTUALLY HAVE GRAFTED AS MANY BRANCHES ON THAT TREE AS HE COULD GET. AND HERE MAYBE THE IMAGE OF THE VINE AND BRANCHES IS MORE TO THE POINT. IN CALIFORNIA, THE WONDERFUL GRAPES THAT MAKE THOSE FINE WINES COME FROM PLANTS THAT HAVE BEEN GRAFTED ONTO ROOTS DERIVED FROM NATIVE GRAPE VARIETIES. ALL THOSE IMPORTED VINES HAD NO RESISTANCE TO A ROOT-DESTROYING FUNGUS, BUT THE WILD GRAPES THAT GREW ON THIS CONTINENT DID. JESUS LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR US, GAVE HIMSELF UP FOR US, DIED ON THE CROSS FOR US, AND CONTINUES TO PROTECT US, SO THAT WE CAN HAVE HIS LIFE.

WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU AND I? WITH JESUS' PROMISES TO US, AND THE EXAMPLE OF HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE TAKEN HIM UP ON THOSE PROMISES, YOU WOULD THINK WE WOULD BE SPENDING EVERY MINUTE TRYING TO GET CLOSER TO HIM, TRYING TO DRAW FROM HIM ALL THE LIFE WE POSSIBLY CAN. LET US RESOLVE TODAY TO BEGIN TO CHANGE OUR LIVES, TO ALLOW HIS LIFE TO FLOW IN US MORE ABUNDANTLY. SOMEDAY IT WILL BE TOO LATE.