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Homilies are posted no later than during the week
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6 Easter
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Sixth Sunday of Easter - A Cycle - John 14:15-21
A sailboat got caught in heavy seas. A rogue wave flipped
the boat over. The heavy keel righted the boat, but there was heavy
damage. A SOS brought the Coast Guard (CG). The seas were so rough the
CG ship could not rescue the crew. So, it placed itself as close as it
could to the sailboat. The CG protected the sailboat from the brunt of
the 10 foot waves. Finally they made port.
The Holy Spirit plays the same relation to us. He takes
the brunt of our troubles. He not only lives inside us but also He
walks beside us. He brings us into port. (Unknown)
Jesus in this Gospel told the apostles the extraordinary
statement He would not leave them orphans.
The setting was the Last Supper. He had announced
Hisimpending departure. The twelve were wiped out. The Christ
had to lift His people off the floor and put them back on their soft
cushions. He promised to continue His presence with them through a
Helper. He would serve as their eternal Deus ex machina. The Helper
would be the Holy Spirit.
Jesus in John's Gospel uses the Greek word menein forty
times. It translates as abide or remain or stay. He remains with us
through the Holy Spirit or Parakletos.
Parakletos is a tough word to translate into
English. A popular translation is Comforter. That term is traced to the
fourteenth century English reformer, John Wycliff. (William Barclay)
The word does a disservice to the Third Person of the
Trinity. A comforter is understood as one who stands about waiting till
we fall on our faces. Then he slips us chocolate with a sympathy card
and tells us, "No problem."The Spirit will do that. But His role
as Dutch uncle is but a small part of His assignment.
The Parakletos is one who will be right next to us on our
journey as a companion, even a buddy.He will support us so that
we seldom fall on our faces. He will be our Knight Protector. It is the
Spirit who will lead the rescuing cavalry when we find ourselves
surrounded by the bad guys. Much of our lives we looked for God in the
momentous while He's been waiting in the moment. (Michael Yaconelli)
Waiting patiently for us in the moment is the Holy Spirit.
Many college students I worked with said, "I just can't
cope any longer." I told them that I found myself in similar situations
often. But then I took ten, sipped a cup of hazelnut coffee, and prayed
to the Parakletos.
And, more often than not, what had been a stressful
situation eased off and sometimes disappeared entirely. I told them I
was falling back on that wonderful promise of Jesus, "I will not leave
you orphans." In many areas, I am a Bible-belt fundamentalist. I hold
Jesus to all His promises. I expect the Holy Spirit to deliver. He is a
legal and healthy steroid. I am seldom disappointed.
But I did emphasize for the students that the Helper is
not a party crasher. He waits for an invitation. Then He will come and
ring our bell loudly with His elbow. His hands will be filled with
gifts. They are outlined in the Scriptures. He leads us into truth (Jn
16:13.) He guarantees we are God's children (Rom 8:16). He helps us
pray (Rom 8:26). He offers us hope (Rom 15:13). He empowers us to help
other believers (1 Cor 12:4). He aids us to be another Christ (2 Cor
3:18). He gives us spiritual muscle (2 Cor 3:18). (Barclay)
However, He expects that we will join our physical bulk,
intellectual energy, and the gifts He has already given to us at
Baptismand Confirmation to His new gifts.
The Parakletos is summed up well in these lyrical words.
Eternally the Holy Spirit is love between the Father and the Son but
historically the Holy Spirit is love between God and the world. (Daniel
Durkin)
The Church's historical record over two millennia shows
that Jesus did not pull the legs of the apostles. He did not leave them
orphans. Nor do people of faith accept that the promise has gone
somewhere into limbo in the contemporary Church.
Moving about post-Christian Europe, I met many young
Christians. They were working for the Gospel in almost hopeless
situations. Yet, each of them assured me, "The Holy Spirit will think
of something." None of them showed fear. They were serene. The Spirit
had much to do with that serenity. They had not forgotten the promise
of Jesus. They did not feel orphans. They are a "creative minority."
(Benedict XVI) Their main advocate, the Holy Spirit, stands before them
like an unconquerable mountain.
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http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html
6 Easter
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Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.
Always be ready to give an explanation
to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.
1 Peter 3:15
About four years ago I received the great blessing of being asked to
join one of our Jesu Caritas Groups.Jesu Caritas is a priest
support group usually made up of five to seven members and meeting once
a month for prayer, reflection on the month and mutual support.
Recently, one of the priests spoke about how sometime our spiritual
lives are broken, but most times our spiritual lives are just
messy. Sometimes, we feel that we are broken.And we
are correct when those thoughts result from our making conscience
choices to reject God in the most serious ways.When we are in
serious sin, we are broken.But we are wrong if we ever feel that
our relationship to God is irreparable.That is not so.
Jesus redeemed a broken mankind and healed us.
Most
of the time, we are not broken.We are just messy.Quite
often we go about things in the wrong way.Quite often we
approach God on our terms instead of his.Quite often we zig-zag
in our approach to our final union with Him.Sometimes we think
we are wonderful Christians, fantastic Catholics, when actually we are
quite distorted.God sees us as we are, sees our messy
spirituality, and still loves us.
I
wonder if you remember the movie and musical,The Music
Man.For some of our younger people, the musical takes place in
rural America, a certain River City exactly, in the last decades of the
nineteenth century.The musical begins with a group of salesmen
on a train lamenting the success of a scam artist, a so-called
Professor Harold Hill.Hill is a salesman who comes into a town
and convinces the people that they have a problem.Their children
are on the verge of moral corruption.A pool hall has been
constructed, and the kids are learning bad habits.His normal
approach is to suggest a healthy release for the kids, a band.He
supplies the uniforms, music and instruments and offers to teach music
to the kids, but normally, after he gets their money, he heads out of
town.The only thing is that Harold Hill falls in love with the
town librarian, a certain Marian.So now he’s stuck with teaching
the kids, even though he really knows little about music.Anyway,
in the final scene, the children give their first performance for their
parents.They are horrible.It is a complete disaster, a
cacophony.But their parents think they are wonderful.To
their parents they are a fantastic marching band playing Seventy-six
trombones.When you watch the movie, you first laugh at the band
and the parents, then you realize that they are all trying their best.
God
is like the people in the vast audiences that the Music Man drew on
Broadway, in the movies with the great Robert Preston, and in its many
revivals.God hears the cacophony, but also sees the determined
effort. The results may be messy, but the Loving Father joins the
parents and saying, “Wasn’t that just wonderful.”
So
your marriage and family did not turn out as you wished?So your
career took a detour or two or seven?So we have made bad choices
in the past that have left their impact on our lives now.We may
think we are broken, but we aren’t broken.We are just
messy.We may not be as grand as the ideal, but when we play the
spiritual instruments of our lives, God hears Seventy-six trombones,
not a cacophony.
Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.
Always be ready to give an explanation
to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.
Those words come from the First Letter of Peter, our second
reading.Peter was a buffoon who tried to walk out on water to
Jesus but nearly drowned because he lost faith. Peter was a braggart
who denied the Lord three times.But Peter wanted to
better.He wanted to serve Jesus.Eventually, through God’s
grace, he conquered his fears, he controlled his emotions, he became
the first Vicar of Christ.
We
have a reason for hope.That reason is Jesus Christ.He
loves us more than we can possibly imagine, each of us.He is not
concerned with whether we produce the perfect result.He is
overjoyed that we are trying to produce the perfect result.You
and I have to have enough humility to have a good laugh at ourselves
every now and then.We have to trust in God to help us clean up
the mess of our lives.
No
matter what happened in the past. No matter what crises we are dealing
with right now.No matter what we might face in the future, we
have reason for hope. And if anyone comes to us and says, “How can you
be so optimistic?”We respond, “The Love of the Lord is real for
us.May his love also be real for you.”
Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.
Always be ready to give an explanation
to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.
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http://www.geocities.com/seapadre_1999/
* available in Spanish - see Spanish
homilies
6 Easter
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Bottom line: Jesus will not leave us orphans; he makes us part of his
family. The Annual Catholic Appeal reminds us of this broader family.
Jesus says, "I will not leave you orphans." During my years in Peru I
had the opportunity to meet many orphans - children who had lost
parents because of death or incapacity. One orphan girl stands out in
my mind: Francisca. Her mom died in childbirth and her dad could not
take care of her, so he entrusted his tiny child to the Vincentian
Daughters of Charity. When I first held Francisca, she cried so loudly
and so persistently that I held her back to the Sisters. As she got
older, she kept her distance, even hiding from me. One day, when she
was about four, she let me pick her up. I held Francisca in front of
me, looked into her wide, brown eyes and said, "Francisca, tu eres mi
hija. You are my daughter." She looked at me, then reached out her
little arms and put them around my neck. Now, maybe she was afraid I
would drop her...but it seemed like something more: embracing - in an
instinctive way - the family Jesus would give her.
Jesus tells us he will not leave us orphans. Sometimes we feel that way
- alone, on our own. But if we open our hearts to Jesus, if we love
him, if we do what he commands, he will give us a family.
This Sunday we have a presentation on the Annual Catholic Appeal. This
yearly collection - to support the work of Archbishop Brunett - reminds
us that, in Jesus, we are part of a family. I ask you to listen
carefully to this year's testimony. With a prayer in your heart, please
give your full attention to our Parish Council chair, Mrs. Rica
Herrera.
**********
Spanish Version
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http://www.agreeley.com/homilies.html
6 Easter
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Background:
John's Gospel obviously displays a much more developed theology
then the three synoptic gospels. However, it was still written early in
the so-called sub-apostolic time. The remarkable fact is not that there
is a strong theological slant to it. Rather it is surprising how
relatively early in the history of the early Church a strong
Trinitarian perspective has emerged. The trajectory towards Nicea and
the other early councils has already been set, thought he elaborate
explanations have yet to appear. Associated with God even by the time
of St. John are Jesus, and the Father, and the Paraclete, the advocate,
the teacher, the protector, the guarantor of the peace that Jesus has
given. Already we have hints that God is a community of relationships,
that there is so much knowledge and love in God that the knowledge and
love explode into distinct personages. This truth is revealed to test
our faith, not to provide theologians with raw material for their
speculations (though there is nothing wrong with that), but to dazzle
us with the brightness of God's glory, the power of God's knowledge and
the passion of God's love. The use of the word "spirit," a translation
of the Hebrew word Shekenah hints at a maternal protection in God
because the word is feminine in Hebrew - and was used in Hebrew folk
religion as the name of Yahweh's consort. St. John had no thought of
such matters, yet the gender of the noun might well be part of the
meaning "in front of the text."
Story:
Once upon a time back in the last century there was a young woman
from Ireland who had lost her parents and all her family. Some kind
people wrote to their relatives in America and said we have this
fourteen year old orphan
here who is very bright and very pretty and very hard working, We
don’t want her to go to the orphanage because she won’t have any
opportunities there to develop her talents. Would you eve consider
hiring her as a servant girl. You’d have to pay her way over on the
boat, but she’ll work for nothing until she earns her fare. You won’t
go wrong with her. So the Americans who could afford a serving girl,
but never had one and weren’t altogether sure what they would do with
such a person talked about it and said, well, what have to lose. So
they sent the fare for the boat and the train. And waited for the young
woman to come. She sailed from Kinsale. The last she saw of Ireland
were the twin spires of the church as they faded into the background.
Weeks later, sick and thin and exhausted, she arrived in the city where
her master and mistress lived. They took one look at the poor child and
said, Dear, we don’t need a servant, but we have room for another
daughter. When they brough her home the other children hugged her and
said, hooray! We have another sister. With their help she grew up to go
to college and university and become very successful and was a great
credit to those who took her into their family. (The Trinity is a
family into which God has invited us
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http://benedictine.stvincent.edu/archabbey/Weeklywords/Weeklywords.html
6 Easter
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Demetrius R. Dumm, O.S.B.
Sixth Sunday of Easter
Gospel Summary
To love Jesus means to trust him. And that means that we trust his
radical teaching about an ideal of unselfish loving. Those who think
this is dangerous foolishness belong to the "world," which is
interested only in self-promotion and self-protection. The secular
ideal is to take care of oneself first, and to think of others
later…which too often means not at all.
Jesus knows that his teaching seems unpromising and so he sends to
those who try to be unselfish an Advocate who is the "Spirit of truth."
This divine Spirit will be present to our inmost being and will assure
us that the path traced out by Jesus will in fact lead to freedom and
joy. This powerful Spirit will also guide us in knowing how to love
properly in all the circumstances of our lives.
Those who are truly concerned for the welfare of others will often
appear foolish and may even be ridiculed for their apparently
improvident behavior. But the Spirit will convince them that they are
with Jesus, and therefore with the Father. For "whoever loves me will
be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him."
Life Implications
As mere creatures, we are all vulnerable to a deep anxiety about
personal extinction. For this reason, being self-centered becomes a
kind of defense mechanism by which we struggle to hold ourselves
together against all the forces of disintegration. The gospels tell us,
however, that it is only by taking the risk of reaching out in love
that our identity can be assured. Those who seem to gain their lives in
this world by selfish behavior will lose it, and those who seem to lose
their lives by loving others will gain it back again in the richest
measure imaginable.
In attempting to live this paradox, we are assured of the gift of the
divine Spirit, who will stand by us (which is what Paraclete/Advocate
literally means) and will give us a deep confidence about the wisdom of
the way of Jesus. Contrary to all expectations, the more we dare to
reach out in love to others, the more our "home base" will be protected
and strengthened.
When Jesus promised an Advocate to his disciples, who dreaded his
imminent departure from them, he was telling them that he would be with
them in this divine Spirit more truly than he had ever been present to
them in the flesh. This re-assurance is meant for us also. Sometimes we
may think that those who knew Jesus in his earthly life had a great
advantage over us but this is not at all the case. Jesus is far more
truly present now "in the Spirit" than he ever was in his bodily
existence in Palestine. As we struggle to maintain our identity as good
and loving persons, we must know that Jesus is ever at our side.
The most important consequence of this presence of Jesus in our lives
is the profound conviction, given to us by the Spirit, that we are
embraced by the heavenly Father's love, just as Jesus was embraced by
that love. This is what St. Paul tells us when he writes, "God has sent
the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!'"
(Galatians 4:6). If we listen to this Spirit, we will become ever more
confident, peaceful and generous in spite of the adversities that we
may find in our lives.
Demetrius R. Dumm, O.S.B.
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http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/lowhome.html
Meeting Christ in the Liturgy
6 Easter
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Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Today many live without belief in the existence of truth. Some use the
word without understanding its authentic meaning, as if it can denote
only a personal opinion, a thing that is "true" only for the individual
who holds that idea. This widespread relativism, the system of thought
which refuses to affirm that any one idea or law can apply to all
persons, is "true", has crept with increasing power like an infection
into the body of the Church. The members of Christ's Body are ever
affected by the same forces and currents as is every human person. For
the Catholic Christian, however, there can never be any confusion as to
the existence of truth. There can be no Catholic faith without truth,
for Christ founded the Church for the purpose of teaching the truth,
endowing her with the gift of the Holy Spirit by which the truth is
taught infallibly in matters of faith and morals in every age.
In Jesus Christ, the whole of God's truth has been made manifest. "Full
of grace and truth" he came as the light of the world," he is the
Truth." (Jn 1:14; 8:12; cf. 14:6.) "Whoever believes in me may not
remain in darkness." (Jn 12:46.) The disciple of Jesus continues in his
word so as to know "the truth [that] will set you free" and that
sanctifies. (Jn 8:32; cf. 17:17.) To follow Jesus is to live in "the
Spirit of truth," whom the Father sends in his name and who leads "into
all the truth." (Jn 16:13.) To his disciples Jesus teaches the
unconditional love of truth: "Let what you say be simply 'Yes or No.' "
(Mt 5:37.) (CCC 2466)
The Church cannot be the Body of Christ unless the Church leads us into
all the truth, for Christ is the Truth. The Church cannot teach the
truth without the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit of truth, for the
human members of the Church are incapable of grasping and remaining
faithful to the Word of truth without divine grace. The Lord promised
the gift of the Holy Spirit so that man might persevere in the truth
and so be saved.
Only when the hour has arrived for his glorification does Jesus promise
the coming of the Holy Spirit, since his Death and Resurrection will
fulfill the promise made to the fathers. ( Cf. Jn 14:16-17,26; 15:26;
16:7-15;17:26.) The Spirit of truth, the other Paraclete, will be given
by the Father in answer to Jesus' prayer; he will be sent by the Father
in Jesus' name; and Jesus will send him from the Father's side, since
he comes from the Father. The Holy Spirit will come and we shall know
him; he will be with us forever; he will remain with us. The Spirit
will teach us everything, remind us of all that Christ said to us and
bear witness to him. The Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth and
will glorify Christ. He will prove the world wrong about sin,
righteousness and judgment. (CCC 729)
Let your "Yes" mean "Yes" and your "No" mean "No." We must speak the
truth in order to bear the name of Christian and live in hope of the
Resurrection of the just. In order to abide in the truth, we must live
in obedience, making the "Yes" of the Church our own "Yes" and the "No"
of the Church our own "No."
The Church teaches the truth so that we may abide in Christ through the
power of the Holy Spirit who proclaims the truth in the Church. The
Holy Spirit gives particular assistance to the Holy Father who leads
the Church on earth into all the truth. The Lord's vicar on earth, the
successor of Peter, ministers to the Church and the world as a servant
of the truth, that all mankind may be freed to live eternal life. When
Peter teaches in matters of faith and morals, it is not his own opinion
he offers; rather, it is the Spirit of Truth who speaks through him. By
the power of the Spirit, the Lord's promise is made real in our own
day: "He who hears you, hears me."
I look forward to meeting you here again next week as, together, we
"meet Christ in the liturgy" -Father Cusick
(See also CCC 243, 687, 692, 788, 2615, 2671.)
(Publish with permission.) www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/
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http://www.ctk-thornbury.org.uk/
6 Easter
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As we approach the Feasts of Ascension and Pentecost we are given
another extract from the rather long Farewell Discourse given by Jesus
at the Last Supper as recorded in the Gospel of John. In fact today we
follow directly on from the text we were given last week.
Today’s extract, appropriately enough, is about the Holy Spirit. Here
Jesus is explaining to the Apostles that while he will soon be
departing he will not leave them orphans but will ask the Father to
send them the Holy Spirit.
He tells them that the Spirit will bring them understanding and that
when he comes they will realise the significance of the events that are
about to take place and the nature of the relationship between Jesus
and the Father.
This role of the Holy Spirit in helping the Church to come to the truth
is very important to Catholics; indeed it is one of the cornerstones on
which the Church is built.
We take the words of Jesus at face value and have a clear understanding
that the Holy Spirit guides the Church down through the centuries
keeping it fundamentally free from error and true to the faith of the
Apostles.
Now by this we certainly do not mean that the Church is free from error
in every detail of its teaching and actions. It has made mistakes and
does from time to time change its position in the light of experience
and the application of reason.
It is still slowly searching for the truth especially regarding
contemporary moral dilemmas which were unknown to the Apostles.
We certainly would want to distance ourselves from some Nineteenth
Century enthusiasts for Papal Infallibility like William George Ward
who stated that he would like nothing more than an infallible papal
pronouncement for breakfast every morning along with his tea and copy
of The Times!
No, over the centuries the Church has erred in certain matters. It has
also occasionally changed its position on very important topics. For
example at one time the Church officially condoned slavery, even though
many of its members felt that it was wrong and two quite prominent
religious orders were set up whose principal aims were to free slaves
and captives.
In fact it was these movements occurring in the 13th and 14th centuries
that gradually caused the Church to shift its position.
More recently the Church has changed its views on capital punishment.
The traditional position was that the state had the right to employ
capital punishment.
However in recent years as the Church has struggled with increasing
attacks on life such as abortion, it has come to a much clearer
understanding that the right to life is like a seamless robe. It
concludes that all attacks on life are equally to be deplored and that
this must inevitably include capital punishment.
When we say that the Holy Spirit guides the Church and keeps it free
from error in matters of faith and morals we mean that the essentials
of the faith are handed down from generation to generation in fidelity
to the beliefs of the first Apostles.
The ordinary Catholic knows the core beliefs of Church. The Pope and
the Bishops constantly uphold these fundamental beliefs and there is an
extraordinary consistency in what Catholics believe no mater when or
where they live in the world.
This is not true of the other Christian Churches which have rejected
the role of the what we call tradition in preference to private
interpretation and therefore have quite a wide divergence on what
constitutes the essence of the faith.
To go back to the Farewell Discourse, there is something in it that
people often find puzzling; it is the apparent contradictions in the
language used by Jesus.
One minute he promises to send the Holy Spirit to the Apostles and
immediately afterwards tells them that the Holy Spirit is already in
them.
He clearly tells them that he is going back to the Father but straight
away says that he will always be with them. While these things seem
very contradictory to us we must remember that for Jesus they are not
contradictory at all.
We are bound by the limits of time and space but he is not. We speak of
yesterday, today and tomorrow; we talk about here and there.
But since God not only created the world but also time and space, for
Jesus there is no yesterday, today or tomorrow. For him it is always
now. For him there is no here and there because he is everywhere.
If we closely examine all the apparently contradictory statements made
by Jesus, especially these ones in the Farewell Discourse, we would
soon get thoroughly confused.
But what we need to realise is that while it is certainly true that the
Father is already with us it is equally true that Jesus is leading us
to the Father.
This is what theologians call Realised Eschatology. By this we
understand that in one sense the Kingdom of God is already realised,
already present. But we also understand that it is still to come about
in all its fullness.
One of my professors summed it up in the phrase “now but not yet”. It
is a phrase that explains a lot of these apparent contradictions.
We all know that Christ is with us now but we also know that he is
coming at the End of the World. What we mean by this is that in some
sense the Kingdom of God is already here and established in this world
and yet we also know that it is still something that we have to work
for in order to bring about.
There is a deep ambiguity in the Christian Life and yet it is strangely
reassuring; what we hope for is already here. The Kingdom of God is
breaking in on this world. There are signs of it all around us if we
but only open our eyes to see.
This is why we Catholics are very conscious of such things as miracles.
This is why we pray to the Saints. This is why we depend on the
Eucharist and understand that in it Christ is present to us in quite
unique ways.
We wait for Christ’s coming, but we know he is with us. Christ is
correct when he says he has not left us orphans for the Holy Spirit is
with us acting in us and leading and guiding us into the fullness of
truth, into the full realisation of the Kingdom of God.
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Contact Father at cbonar@cfl.rr.com;
information about his book of homilies is available at www.clydebonar.com.
6 Easter |
Jesus’ Last Will and Testimony
Introduction
A chore most of us keep putting off is making a will. Our last will and
testimony. Finally, for some reason or other, we see our lawyer.
Some decisions are easy. To our wives or husbands, to the surviving
spouse, we leave everything. Harder are the individual wills for the
wife and the husband. Who gets what, item by item, we go through
everything we own. Not to forget something for our church.
A lot of wills also include some advice. To a daughter, married to that
guy mom and dad never did like: "Dear daughter, keep this money for
yourself. Don’t let your husband squander it."
Our wills, who gets our money, our possessions. And, some advice for
our heirs.
Today’s Gospel takes place at the Last Supper. It’s the last will and
testimony for Jesus. Christ leaves two things. First, he gives us his
very self. Jesus says, my Father "will give you another Advocate to be
with your always." Second, he gives us some advice. Jesus tells us,
"keep my commandments."
"Keep My Commandments"
Let’s start with the advice. Jesus says, "If you love me, you will keep
my commandments." The commandments are our core values as Christians. A
set of values to sustain us as Christians and the Church throughout all
ages.
Problem is, keeping the commandments can get difficult. We know how our
faith is challenged. The eighth commandments says, "You shall not bear
false witness against your neighbor." Don’t tell lies. But, how Sally
was tempted. She wanted her boss’s job. And, she could get it. Her
boss, married with two kids, had asked her for a date. All she had to
do is claim harassment, and that boss would be gone, the job would be
her’s.
But, Sally also knew it would be a lie to claim harassment. Ever since
Sally had said, "No thanks, no date," her boss had been a gentleman,
quite professional at work. Sally decided to tell the truth. Christians
keep the commandments, Christians do not lie.
Here’s a harder one. Tom lost his wife, and Mary was a widow. They met,
liked each other, spent more and more time doing things together. After
a few months, Tom and Mary talked about marriage. But, if they got
married, each would lose many retirements benefits. If they just live
together, they keep all the benefits.
The commandment says, "You shall not commit adultery." It’s against
God’s commandment for a man and a women to live together unless they
are married. Besides, what would they tell their children and
grandchildren. The same children Tom and Marry told as young adults not
to live together until married. The same children Tom and Mary tried
hard to bring up Catholic.
Finally, Tom and Mary get married. Living their beliefs more important
than losing some retirement benefits. They say, "With God, we really
can’t lose."
Challenges come to our faith, sometimes it’s difficult to live God’s
commandments. So tempted we are to lie and steal, to break the
commandments. In his last will and testimony, Jesus says, "If you love
me, you will keep my commandments."
The Paraclete
To help us, Christ gives us "another Advocate." It’s in his will, Jesus
asks God the Father to send the "Spirit of truth." We call it the Holy
Spirit. By the power of the Holy Spirit God himself dwells in us. With
another Advocate, we have God walking right next to us on our journey
through life.
Going back to the Latin and Greek words helps understand what Christ
bequeathed to us. In Latin, the word "spiritus" means breath. Breath is
what we have when we are alive. On a human level we know this. Within
seconds after a baby is born, the baby screeches in air. Breathing
begins.
The Bible tells us how breath equals life. Remember in Genesis the
account of creation (Genesis 2:7). God, Yahweh fashioned a man from
dust. Then God, Yahweh breathed into his nostrils. The breath of life.
Adam became a living being. Spirit means breath. Breath equals life. By
sending the Spirit of truth to dwell within us, Christ bequeathed to us
the aliveness of God within our lives.
Jesus also calls the Spirit of truth the Advocate. The Greek word is
Parakletos, or Paraclete. In the Greek legal system, the paraclete went
to court with the accused. Not to plead his case, but to witness to the
good moral character of the accused. Christ sent the Paraclete to walk
right next to us throughout life. To support us lest we fall on our
faces. The Paraclete comes to our rescue when bad people surround us.
He is our Knight Protector when danger threatens.
The Paraclete continues to teach just as Jesus taught (John 14:26;
15:26-27). The Paraclete reminds us of all that Christ said, clarifies
anything we do not understand, and empowers us to pass our faith on to
the next generation.
Our Lord said "I am in you, you are in me." Christ gives us the Spirit
of truth, sends the Advocate to us. Christ gives us himself, the
aliveness of God.
Guided by the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth
Dwelling deep within our hearts, the Spirit of truth does guide our
lives. Our individual lives and the life of our Church.
If you do not believe that the Advocate, the Spirit of truth guides us,
think for a moment about how we celebrate Mass. We pray the prayers of
the Eucharist in English, not Latin. During consecration at the altar
the priest faces you. We who are older grew up with the priest praying
in Latin, facing the wall, his back to everyone.
This because an old man of 76 was elected pope in 1958, Pope John XXIII
(1958-1963). They said he'd be a transition pope. Instead the Holy
Spirit told him to renew the Church. Pope John XXIII called the Second
Vatican Council. The Spirit of truth, the Advocate, changed the whole
Church.
So too, you and I are moved by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of truth,
the Paraclete prompts us to see love where no one else sees love. Two
nurses worked in a neo-natal intensive care unit. A tiny baby, weeks
pre-mature, had no chance of living but a few days. And, it didn’t. One
the nurses, Diane, worked with the family to ensure the baby was given
a name, and got baptized.
Diane cared for the baby with tenderness and love. The other nurse
asked her, "Why bother? It seems such a waste to struggle to keep the
baby alive when we know it will die any minute."
Nurse Diane told the other nurse, "I felt such love for the baby."
That’s the Spirit of truth prompting Nurse Diane. With God’s love
dwelling within our hearts, the Paraclete calls us to love each other
as God loves.
One more example of the Spirit of truth at work. On the day the World
Trade Center was attacked, people gathered in their churches.
Parishioners went to their own church, people who seldom went to church
came to pray.
They came scared, upset, wondering what was happening. All sought the
presence of God at that horrific moment. Many continued to pray and
spend time in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. All remember the
time in church as comforting and peaceful.
That’s the Spirit of truth touching our lives when we need extra
strength. Remember our own church the Sunday after Nine-Eleven. Our
pews were packed. We sought our God as we struggled to make sense out
of the nonsensical.
Make no mistake, the Paraclete works in our lives. Dwelling deep within
our hearts, the Spirit of truth guides our lives. The Spirit of truth
equips us to live in love. The Advocate guards our faith, keeps us
faithful to God’s commandments.
Conclusion
The question is: Do we accept the Spirit of truth? Do we keep the Ten
Commandments, and the commandments to love God and to love our neighbor
as we love ourselves?
We show we accept the Advocate, the Spirit of truth when we obey God’s
commandments. We show we accept the Advocate, the Spirit of truth when
we witness to our faith.
So we ask yourself: What priorities do we set? Do we follow God's ways
or the ways of the world?
Christ told us he will not leave us orphans. And, he didn’t. Christ is
in us, and we are in Christ.
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These
homilies may be copied and adapted for your own use;
however, they may not be commercially published without permission of
the author.
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