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homily – May 17

Sunday, May 17th, 2009

John 15:9-17

I think you might agree with me when I say that the word ‘love’ is the most overused, misused and abused word in the English language. We flip around so easily it has lost its meaning. We say we love this or that when what we really mean is we admire something, desire something, envy something but we really don’t love.

Today the church puts before us all the demanding, challenging, frightening words of Jesus, “Love one another as I have loved you.” When we look at our history as Christians we don’t have a very good track record keeping this great commandment. Through the centuries we’ve slaughtered one another in the name of Christ. Nations have been torn apart as Catholics battle Protestants and vice versa and both sides claim the name Christian. In the name of Christ we’ve made crusades against the Moslems and done battle with other religions. A far cry from” love one another as I have loved you.”

We need only look at the crucifix to see the depth of the love of Christ for each of us. The crucified Christ is the love of God made visible. As our second reading tells us “in this is love, not our love for God but God’s love for us when he sent his son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

On one occasion Jesus told us that it’s easy to love those who love us, to do good to people who are good to us but the real test comes when we are faced with the challenge of loving those who do not love us, love those who do us harm. It is good to remember that Jesus loved Judas with the same love with which he loved Peter and James and John. It is good to remember that being loved is a gift and not something we earn. As Jesus reminds us, “ I chose you, you did not choose me.”

The author Ron Rolheiser offers this reflection on the demanding law of love:

“It’s easy to consider ourselves as loving if we only look at one side of things, namely, how we relate to those people who are loving, warm, respectful, and gracious towards us. If we rate ourselves on how we feel about ourselves in our best moments among like-minded friends, we can easily conclude both that we are loving persons and that we are measuring up to Jesus’ command to love as he did.”

He goes on to say:

“But if we begin to look at the skeletons in our relational closets, our naive confidence soon disappears: What about the people who hate us, whom we don’t like? What about the people whom we avoid and who avoid us? What about those people towards whom we feel resentment? What about all those people with whom we are at odds, towards whom we feel suspicion, coldness, anger? What about those people whom we haven’t been able to forgive?”

Let’s face it, Rolheiser asks hard questions and we come to realize love is easier to talk about than to execute.

In the first reading we have Peter sharing with his community his wonderful, God-given insight, “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right, is acceptable to God.” Peter didn’t always live by this insight; he had great struggles with the truth that the Gentiles, the non Jews, were blessed with faith in Jesus Christ. Peter and many of the early Christians found it difficult to accept these outsiders into their friendship and community.

Love has little to do with feelings, it has everything to do with our willingness to accept and respect others as they are. Love requires we wish nothing but the best for others no matter how we might feel about them and whether or not they reciprocate the love we offer them.

We may be annoyed, impatient, even angry with the Tamil’s who are demonstrating on behalf of loved ones in their native country, but the great commandment requires of us we love them and pray their families be safe and their nation know peace. We may not have welcomingly feelings to newcomers to our country; we may not have much sympathy for young people gunned down in botched drug deals. We may wonder at the validity of the needs of street people and the homeless but we would do well to remember they are just as precious to Jesus Christ as we are and He died for them no less than He died for us.

To live this commandment, love one another as I have loved you, demands we face our own hard heartedness, our own close mindedness, prejudice and bias in the way we relate to men and women different from ourselves. This commandment is not easy but by God’s grace it is livable.

In this Mass we witness again how loved we are by Jesus Christ as we make present His death on the cross – this is my body, this is my blood, this is my life given for you. We pray for ourselves and for each other for the grace and openness we need to love all others as we’ve been loved, to forgive all others as we’ve been forgiven, to heal all others as we’ve been healed, to embrace all others as we each of us have been embraced by the crucified Christ.



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homily – May 10

Sunday, May 10th, 2009

John 15:1-8

This is another of the great I am Sunday’s. Last week we had Jesus identifying Himself as the Good Shepherd, the shepherd Who knows His sheep by name and the shepherd Who will lay down His life for His sheep.

This Sunday Jesus identifies himself as the life giving, life sustaining vine, the only source of life to all the branches attached to the vine. Using this imagery Jesus’ lesson is clear; if we who are the branches wish to bear fruit we must remain attached to the vine. If we are fruitless we will be snapped off and thrown away. If we are fruitful we may still be pruned to make us more fruitful, not as punishment but to help us be healthier, more fruitful as we try to live out our Christian lives. Being so pruned our love will not be in mere word or speech but in truth and action.

But I’d like to go back to the first reading from Acts. We all know the surprising story Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus. Paul was an intense individual. He was on his way to Damascus to do what he could to stamp out this new sect. He had no patience with those people who claimed that the crucified Nazarene was the Messiah. He saw such people as apostates to their own Jewish faith.

On his journey to Damascus Paul was blessed with a deep spiritual experience. He met the risen Lord and came to know that Jesus truly was the Messiah. Because of this deep spiritual experience Paul turned from persecutor to proclaimer. So we have Paul speaking boldly in the name of Jesus, so boldly that those who heard him wanted to kill him. For many of his listeners Paul was a traitor to the faith and they wanted to do to Paul what Paul had in mind to do to the Christians in Damascus.

This encounter with Christ opens Paul’s life up to a whole new future, a future that does not negate his past but allows him to live with it peacefully. In his future ministry Paul never denied that he persecuted the church of God, that he was an enemy of Christ. But Paul would say “there is one thing I do, I forget what is behind and I strive on to what is ahead and I go with confidence to the throne of grace.” Paul would not let himself be haunted by his past. He was not preoccupied by memories of his deep hostility to the followers of Jesus. For Paul, “that was yesterday and yesterday is gone.”

Remember the saying” every saint has a history and every sinner has a future.” This is so true of Paul – as a saint he did have a history of which he was not proud – as a sinner Paul had a future which he gratefully embraced. “By God’s grace I am what I am and His grace in me has not been in vain.”

Too often we can let the present living of our lives and our relationship with God be stymied by our memories of past sins and failures. As I’ve said before we can be plagued by memories of past mistakes and find it hard to trust that God does not hold grudges. We impose on God our own tightfistedness, our own unwillingness to let go of past hurts.

The grace and the forgiveness of God does not negate our past, yes we did sin, yes we did fail to be the man or woman we are called to be, the man or woman we want to be – but our struggle is to be able to live peacefully with our past. We don’t allow memories rob us of the love and forgiveness that is ours today.

To be fruitful branches on the life giving vine we pray that we be pruned of nagging memories of past wrongs and be more open to the ever present grace and peace of Christ. To be fruitful branches on the life giving vine may we capture the boldness of Paul and forget what is behind, forget our history and strive on to what is ahead and face each day with confidence in the presence and power of Christ in our lives.



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homily – May 3

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009

John 10:11-18

The people to whom Jesus spoke the words in today’s gospel were familiar with the notion of shepherd. Their scriptures were filled with the teachings that God was the shepherd of Israel. We all know the 23rd psalm, ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want’ – this beautiful psalm speaks of the providential care of God for the people of Israel. It speaks of God’s providential care for all of us.

What is the relationship between the shepherd and his sheep? First of all the shepherd has an intimate knowledge of his sheep, he knows his sheep, he calls them by name, they hear his voice and follow him. The sheep will not respond to a stranger’s voice. The shepherd protects his sheep. The shepherd’s staff has two uses, one as a weapon to use when he needs to protect the sheep from predators, the crook of his staff he uses to hook a sheep by the neck to lift it out of a place of danger. The shepherd leads his sheep to pastures rich in nourishment and to refreshing waters so that they can be strong and healthy. The shepherd has an investment in his sheep, he uses their wool and finally he sells their meat. When we stop to think about it the sheep lay down their lives in gratitude for all the care the shepherd has shown them.

For the next several Sundays of this Easter season we will be hearing some familiar themes from the Gospel of John. Jesus makes many imaginative “I am” statements. “I am the light.” “I am the bread of life.” “I am the living water.” “I am the way, the truth and the life.”

In today’s Gospel we hear Jesus say twice “I am the good shepherd.” Jesus was not like the religious leaders of His time whom He compares to hireling, hired hands that had no investment in the sheep, no real concern for the sheep’s safety and well being, hirelings who would take off in times of danger. Jesus would lay down His life for His sheep.

Usually Good Shepherd Sunday is Vocation Sunday, a day on which we pray that young men and women will seriously consider giving their lives to the service of God’s people. But when we stop to think of it we are all called to be shepherds. We are all called to be sources of life to others. Think of the shepherding that goes on in our parish family; parents shepherding their children, guiding and directing them with life values and faith in God. Spouses shepherding each other, supporting each other, encouraging each others, understanding each other when things are tough, rejoicing in each other in the good times of their lives. Think of the shepherding done by dedicated teachers as they care for their students. Think of the shepherding done by those in the medical profession, the counseling profession. Think of the shepherding done in the care of the aged and those diminished in mind or body.

We are called to be shepherds in our relationships and friendships. In one way or another each of us is called to be shepherd, leading others to green pastures and fresh life giving waters, restoring each others spirits. Each of us is called to be a shepherd to others and we walk with them in the dark valley of depression, grief or other difficult times. In all these situations we lay down our lives, we put others first as we give them our time, support, encouragement, understanding, and forgiveness.

As we continue to celebrate this Mass we can pray for ourselves and for each other that each of us be the shepherd we are called to be, as priest, as spouse, as parent, as friend, as neighbour, as co-worker, being a source of live and lover to others as Christ, the Good Shepherd, Who laid down His life for us, is the source of our life and love.



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homily – April 19

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

John 20:19-31

Imagine the scene in today’s gospel. It’s the evening of the first day of the week. The disciples were hiding out behind locked doors fearing for their lives. They couldn’t believe their eyes when Jesus stands among them. These are the men who betrayed, denied and abandoned Him when He most needed them. If it were us we probably would have torn a strip off them. But what does Jesus say, “Peace be with you.” All is forgiven. I understand you were afraid, you didn’t know what was happening, you were intimidated by the crowd, you buckled under. I understand. Peace be with you.

The main character in today’s gospel is Thomas the Doubter. He just would not believe Jesus was alive. He had been so shaken by the death of Jesus, so disillusioned by it all, Thomas was not about to be taken in by some story of Jesus being alive. So we have his famous demand, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the mark of the nails and put my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

I think Thomas’ real problem was that he tried to cope with the humiliating death of Jesus alone. He didn’t stay with the others, he wanted to be alone. That decision robbed him of the support of his friends. He had no one to talk to, no one to listen to his hurt, his disappointment, and his fear of the future. He was alone. Thomas was with the community for the second visit of the risen Christ. Christ offers His wounds as a witness to the reality He was alive, not an illusion. We hear Thomas’ statement of faith, “My Lord and My God” And all is well.

There is a saying that, as humans, there are two things we can’t do alone; get married and be a Christian. I would add to that we can’t grieve alone. We need the presence and support of others in both the joys and sorrows of life.

It is within a community we find the example and the strength we need to be faithful to the faith. That’s why Sunday Mass is so important. We are here with others who share our faith; we are here with good people who share with us the struggles of life, with good people who share the joys of life. We see in those around us examples of years of marital love, we see in those around us examples of young love and new life, we see in those around us those burdened with the weakness of old age, chronic illness, we see in those around us the hopes, possibilities and vibrancy of youth, we see in those around us loneliness of those who mourn. In this Mass, at every Mass we are surrounded by all the possibilities of our human condition.

And it is from this community of good people, who at the same time are as we are, mistake making beings; we grow in our own Christian faith. As community we praise and thank God, as community we hear the word of God, as community we share the Bread of Life at the table of the Lord and it is from this community we go out to live this Mass beyond these walls. I want to share these quotes from two different Rabbis; their words apply to us Christians as much as they apply to the Jewish congregations to which they were addressed.

“The synagogue is where Jews are made, where the individual soul and the community are joined. It is the place where modernity and eternity cross-fertilize, where the seed of Jewish identity are sown. All other institutions in Jewish life are created by Jews. Only the synagogue creates Jews, child by child, family by family.”

“In congregational worship, regularly scheduled services on Saturday of Sunday, I have come to believe that the congregating is more important than the words we speak. Something miraculous happens when people come together seeking the presence of God. The miracle is that we so often find it. Somehow the whole becomes more important than the sum of its parts. A spirit is created in our midst which none of us has brought there. In fact each of us came looking for it because we did not have it when we were alone. But in coming together, we create the mood and the moment in which God is present.”

“We don’t go to church or synagogue at a stipulated time because God keeps office hours. We go because that is when we know there will be other people there, seeking the same kind of encounter we are seeking.”

After his experience of the Risen Christ, I think Thomas the Doubter would say to us, “Stick together, you need one another.”

As we continue to celebrate this Eucharist we pray for ourselves and for each other that we not be like the Thomas who tried to cope with his grief and disappointment in isolation, but that we be the Thomas who finds his strength to live on surrounded by others who share with him their faith in the Christ who lives, love, heals and forgives in the community He has made His own.



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homily – April 12

Sunday, April 12th, 2009

John 20:1-9

In the earliest years of the Church this was the night when all baptisms took place. In those days baptisms were by immersion. They took place at a river or lake. The new converts were taken into the water and immersed. Just as Christ was entombed in the earth those being baptized were entombed in water. Just as Christ came out of the tomb to new life so the newly baptized came out of the life-giving water to walk in newness of life. Christ’s resurrection is the pledge and promise of our resurrection. “If we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be with him in a resurrection like his.”

Good people with the help of others, you have been involved in a long process of study and soul searching concerning your own relationship with God and with the Catholic Church. The celebration of your baptism, confirmation, your profession of faith and your first communion is not the end of the journey. These Sacraments are your beginning of a life-long process in the development of your own relationship with Christ and with the church.

Our parish motto is ‘belonging, believing, becoming’. Tonight’s celebration is all about your becoming, it is about your growing to a full maturity in Christ.

Tomorrow millions of children will be involved in the hunt for Easter eggs. It’s an Easter ritual. Notice their joy in the hunting, their excitement in the finding and their eagerness to search for more. The Easter Egg Hunt is a lesson for all of us. There is always more to discover and each discovery brings it own joy and motivates us to look for more.

Our lives should be a constant search for Easter eggs, finding new discoverers about the Risen Christ and our personal relationships with Him. Searching for new ways of deepening our relationship with Him and His gifts of the Eucharist and the Sacraments through which we deepen our relationship with Him. He has given us all a share in His glory.

This night we all celebrate the wonder Christ is Risen. The tragedy of Good Friday is transformed into victory, life conquers death and love destroys hatred. As we say in one of our prayers, ‘the Father has raised the Lord Jesus and we too have been raised in Him to live a new life for God.’

As we continue this ritual of Baptism, Confirmation and Reception with these good people and later when all of us renew our own Baptismal promises, pray for ourselves and for each other that each of us will be blessed to be a hunter, a searcher, always seeking a deeper understanding and a fuller living of the faith with which we have all been blessed. May we always live in the wonder – Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again.



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