Homily - 5th Sunday of Easter - Mother's Day [UPDATED with video]
Fifth Sunday of Easter [A] – May 10, 2020 (Mothers’ Day)
As we wait patiently for the reopening of public Masses, I want to talk a little bit about both the Gospel and Mothers’ Day. In recent times, the Church has encouraged the faithful to be involved in the preparation of the funeral Masses for their loved ones. That often includes choosing which Scripture readings are proclaimed there. Over many years as a priest, I have found that today’s Gospel is one of the most popular ones chosen by families, and so I have preached on it countless times. I’d definitely say its in the “Top 5” of chosen Gospels. It’s pretty easy to see why it’s so popular for that occasion, because of the comforting language of Jesus “preparing a place” for His disciples, taking them back to Himself, and so on.
But certainly the Gospel is not just for the funeral Mass. When we reflect on it meaning for our day to day life, we can see it is far more than just a source of comfort. It is also a challenge to us to make sure that we live our lives in such a way that we can get to Heaven. And to live our lives in such a way that, if we enter into Heavenly Communion with the Blessed Trinity, we can be as close to God as possible.
The first part of the Gospel challenge is to live our lives with spiritual peace and serenity. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Have faith in me. From talking to a lot of people recently, I know that is a huge challenge for many. Our lives have really been turned upside down and there is a lot of anxiety and fear. Not just fear of death and disease, but fear of joblessness, fear of our family routines being upended, fear of what might happen next and more. And yet, when Jesus first spoke these words to His disciples, it was at a time when He knew that His life and theirs would soon be upended. He has told them about His impending death; He knows He is about to be betrayed. He knows that His friend Peter’s claim that He would do anything for Him – even die for him – will be contradicted. He knows that nearly all of His disciples will run from His hour of greatest need in terrible fear and confusion. Still, He says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”
How can He say that under those circumstances? Because He knows that if they stay faithful to Him – which all of the Apostles save Judas will eventually do – they’ll be able to look forward to the unmitigated joy of dwelling together with Jesus Christ in the presence of God forever.
Despite everything they must endure– the persecution, the shortness of their lives, the physical danger they will constantly face in proclaiming the Gospel to every corner of the globe – they can do this with untroubled hearts not only because of the reward they will receive if they do stay faithful, but because the Risen Lord will be with them in the face of all those fearsome things. That should definitely be something we cling on to in these challenging times.
But there’s another challenge in this Gospel. Something we hardly ever hear in this day and age when so many Catholic falsely believe that going to Heaven is automatic for nearly everyone. It’s not. If we want to be in Heaven with Our Father, we need to follow Jesus, Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Our relationship with God the Father – not just now, but in eternity – depends on it. Te Church Fathers interpret this famous passage of “many dwelling places” not as meaning, “there’s room for everyone, all are welcome,” as we are likely to hear today, but differently. They believe it means there are different degrees of dignity in our relationship with God for those who do get to Heaven. In other words, some will be closer to God in Heaven than others. To o put it a little more poetically, they will have a “higher place” in Heaven. That’s related to just how much we strive in this life to grow in holiness in this short life–to become closer to God while we can. Now, to be clear, there is no jealousy in Heaven, so there will be no unhappiness about this fact. Hard for us to imagine because here on earth, afflicted by sin, we are constantly comparing ourselves to each other. No, all those in Heaven will be perfectly happy for each other and content with what God has given, because it is enough. That is what is meant by the Communion of Saints. But still, we should strive for that higher place. The more seriously we take our spiritual life, our interior life on earth, the more closely we can be united to God in Heaven. That should be the burning desire and goal of each one of us.
That explains the stark challenge, even rebuke, that Jesus gives to the Apostle Philip: “Have I been with you for so long a time, and yet you still do not know Me?” Philip has seen with his own eyes the Son of God Whose love is beyond telling. He has traveled with Him in His public life. Witnessed His signs and miracles. But despite all that, He hasn’t really come to know Him. A warning for us as well. We see with our eyes the miracle of Mass week in and week out. We might see beautiful Catholic art and crucifixes. But if we never contemplate what this means and learn to pray and stay close to Our Lord, we might not really get to know Him. The saints teach us see Jesus not just with our eyes but, through prayer and faith, with our heart.*
I wanted to switch gears to Mothers’ Day, as we celebrate this holiday in unusual circumstances. I’m sure the usual routine has been disrupted for many – no Mothers’ Day meals at restaurants, maybe harder to get flowers delivered, no outings to crowded public places. But all that doesn’t stop us from praying for them and honoring them through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of us all – whom we honor not just for one day but all month long.
This is the first Mothers’ Day without the earthly presence of my late mother, Joan, who died last October. So I wanted to offer a very brief reflection what she meant to me and my faith.
Mom was an only child because her mother was only able to have one child due to medical issues. She always joked that she was lonely growing up – and didn’t want that to happen to us. So, sharing in a deep love of Church and generosity and openness to children and family with my dad, thirteen children later, there was precious little chance of that ever happening to us.
Because of the way I grew up – literally surrounded by siblings – I tend to think of this Gospel a little differently than some. “In my father’s house, there are many dwelling places.” Some might be tempted to think of this image as some kind of luxury hotel, with each heavenly denizen having a luxurious private suite. Especially in our very affluent and materialistic culture. I don’t think so. I perceive it more as the way we grew up. Sharing rooms – two to three to a room and bunk beds were the norm in my (earthly) Father’s house. And because there were so many more girls than boys, there was even a time when five (count ‘em, five) of my sisters had to share one very large bedroom!
But we had not only the love of a good father to keep us in line, but the extraordinarily patient, tireless and utterly self-giving love of a mother who taught us what it meant to cherish each other, by her countless sacrifices for us
Part of a mother’s mission is of course to feed her children. I have very distinct memories of Mom cooking what I like to call “assembly line meals” – cranking out four or five omelets at a time on the stove with all four burners going, or placing 8 or 10 burgers at a time under the broiler and lining up the buns in neat rows. And setting two tables (because we couldn’t all fit at just one) making sure that there was enough for all of us before worrying about herself.
But she fed us with far more than just meals for dinner. She fed us with the truth. She was a natural teacher – the only job she had before marriage was a teacher briefly at Regina High School in Norwood. So she helped us learn just about everything except history – my dad’s department: Math, English, Literature and so on. She could advise us all. But most importantly, the faith. She knew her Catholic faith inside and out and loved it because it was true. She wanted to make certain that we did too. In the age of the ‘70s and earl’y 80s, when so many Catholic schools even began to veer away from the tradition of what Jesus taught, she was not afraid to correct our errors when necessary, even when it meant challenging our teachers.
She always taught us to love beauty too in all its forms –the beauty of creation in her beloved gardens where she patiently labored, the beauty of Christian art, the beauty of literature as she read so often to us as children. Even the beautiful of a perfectly formulated mathematical equation.
She taught us too by example what it meant to live out the words of Christ, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” She had to endure many hardships – not just the day to day exhausting work of raising so many children, but trials like my dad losing his job when the university he worked for went into a financial tailspin, some serious medical problems he experienced, the closure of our childhood parish when the city’s Catholic population plummeted, the death of a husband and a son, and much more. Through all of this, I never saw her faith waver or saw her surrender to fear and doubt. Because she knew that she and Dad had given us was the opportunity to be united to Christ in Heaven – the most precious gift that she could give.
And so we pray today, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God and mother of all those baptized into Christ, that our mothers and spiritual mothers may continue to be blessed. That their vocation may bear great spiritual fruit in helping us their children and grandchildren cling on to Jesus, Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
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*Longer version would have this quote:
Mother Teresa of Calcutta wrote this to her sisters. Words we too should take to heart.
(paraphrased) I worry that some of you still have not really met Jesus. One to one. You and him alone. Jesus wants … to tell you again, how much is the love He has for each one of you – beyond all that you can imagine … have you seen with the eyes of your soul how He looks at you with love? Do you really know the living Jesus – not from books, but from being with Him in your heart?... Never give up on this daily intimate contact with Jesus as a real living person – not just an idea.
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 52
Reading 1 Acts 6:1-7
As the number of disciples continued to grow,
the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews
because their widows
were being neglected in the daily distribution.
So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said,
“It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table.
Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men,
filled with the Spirit and wisdom,
whom we shall appoint to this task,
whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer
and to the ministry of the word.”
The proposal was acceptable to the whole community,
so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit,
also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas,
and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
They presented these men to the apostles
who prayed and laid hands on them.
The word of God continued to spread,
and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly;
even a large group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19
R. (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises. …
Reading 2 1 Pt 2:4-9
Beloved:
Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings
but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones,
let yourselves be built into a spiritual house
to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
For it says in Scripture:
Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion,
a cornerstone, chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in it shall not be put to shame.
Therefore, its value is for you who have faith, but for those without faith:
The stone that the builders rejected has become the
cornerstone,
and
A stone that will make people stumble, and a rock that will
make them fall.
They stumble by disobeying the word, as is their destiny.
You are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of
him
who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Alleluia Jn 14:6
I am the way, the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father, except through me.
Gospel Jn 14:1-12
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going you know the way.”
Thomas said to him,
“Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you know me, then you will also know my Father.
From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said to him,
“Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time
and you still do not know me, Philip?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.
The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,
or else, believe because of the works themselves.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,
and will do greater ones than these,
because I am going to the Father.”
