Hi everyone, here's my homily for the FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER - APRIL 29, 2018 the readings for today's Mass can be found at: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/042918.cfm.
Thanks as always for reading, your feedback and comments and for
sharing it on Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit. God Bless you and have a
great week - Fr Jim
HOMILY:
I’ve joked a bunch
of times that the Gospel of John is my least favorite of the 4 Gospels. John writes very differently from Matthew,
Mark and Luke. In John, we don’t get to
hear any of Jesus’ parables or even some of the more historical aspects of His
life story. Instead, we often hear these
long teachings, speeches of Jesus that some feel are poetic. I think they sound Dr. Seuss-like.. So initially this week, I concede I wasn’t
feeling anything with this Gospel reading. Usually something jumps off the
page, or an idea pops into my head that slowly evolves and takes shape. But I had nothing - to the point where I was
looking at the first and second readings for a different idea.
Then the more I thought about all
that happened this past week, the more Jesus words seemed perfectly timed for
all of us - myself included.
Because it’s been kind of an
emotional week or so — at a lot of different levels. It all started with a funeral a week ago
Friday for a woman who had been the parish secretary of the Church where I was
first assigned as a priest. I’ve known
Pat for almost 19 years now... and was very close to her the 7 years that I was
at Our Lady of Lourdes in West Orange.
Pat was a hard working, dedicated, faithful woman... Her being 100% Irish and me 90% Italian there
was an adjustment period - and me being 25 years old when I first arrived and
she being around my Mom’s age, well, she was always very respectful in calling
me “Father” even though she often was treating me like one of her kids. A couple of weeks ago when I went to visit
her in the hospital, our hour long conversation was so normal and ordinary that
I really didn’t see (or want to see) the urgency of getting to spend time with
her. I guess I was kind of in denial
that she was dying. It kind of caught me
off guard that at her wake, as her granddaughter was sharing heart warming
stories and memories of her grandmother, that I found myself tearing up... and
worked really hard to swallow the lump in my throat at the end of her funeral
Mass to offer a eulogy.
Then there was our Senior send off
last Sunday. Not to get the graduates
all emotional - yeah it’s hard for me - it’s hard for us – to prepare for you
guys to graduate and to leave us. It’s
not a shock or surprise that you are graduating (well maybe for some it is... )
I mean, in campus ministry, we know that all of you guys are here for a limited
time... But even though we know that, we
get used to you all being here... We get
to know you at a pretty important time in your lives and get to see you change
a lot in that short period... so we get to like you - get to love you all a
lot. And just talking with some of you
seniors, we know you’re feeling a lot of the same things... yeah there’s the
excitement and joy about graduation and new opportunities on the horizon... but
at the same time, a lot of you guys have talked about how nervous, afraid,
unsure you are of what’s next (even if you have a job or something lined up
next) And part of that comes from
knowing that you’ve got these next big steps to take and that you’re taking
them away from MSU, away from this Newman Catholic Community
Then on Tuesday night, at our
weekly “Newman Night” the topic was about how to keep your faith alive during
the summer months. It struck me hearing
you all talking about how when you’re not around your friends encouraging you
to come to Mass; when perhaps the last Mass scheduled on Sunday at home is a
little earlier in the day than 8:30 PM; when maybe you’re the only one in your
family who really gets to Mass on Sunday (let alone during the week, or
participating in service things like the Midnight Run last night - or apart of
the countless other things that we have going on here every day that would most
certainly stand out to your family and friends back home) how challenging a
thing this really is for you guys. I’ll
be honest, this wasn’t a struggle for me and my friends when I was in your
shoes. But I can hear how legitimate a
fear it is for some people now - how will they remain faithful over the next
few months.
All of these transitions, these
changes, these goodbyes - they unnerve us.
We worry about what is going to happen next - to us, to those we love
and care about. We know it’s part of
life - some of it is a joyful change, some of it is more painful - but we also
know these transitions, changes and goodbyes unites all of humanity. Everyone will experience it at some
point. Which is why that quote from
Jesus hit me on my umpteenth time reading it:
Remain in me, as I
remain in you
In the face of these realities,
these changes - that first word almost always seems to capture our initial
desire– that wants to remain...
We somehow want things to remain
the same...
You may want exams to be over
(check that – you do!) but you want to remain with your friends, and your
community, and for things to remain the same just like how they are here
every week (maybe a little sunnier and warmer) but basically the same.
You want to graduate, but you want
that the certainty of that confidence you have now as a senior to remain as
you begin your careers or embarking on a next step.
I wanted my friend Pat to remain
with her family, her friends, her parish community and the people that she
loved and loved her.
Yet all of those changes did happen
or are happening. Things don’t remain
the same. And that’s where the fear, the
sadness, the anxiety creeps in, which is why we have to let Jesus finish his
sentence. He doesn’t say remain
he says remain in me as I remain in you.
That’s more than just a nice
sentiment or thought. Because this whole
Gospel comes from Jesus speaking to his disciples in the Upper Room on that
first Holy Thursday at the Last Supper.
Jesus had already washed the disciples’ feet - called out Judas and seen
him leave to betray Him. He was alone
with them and His thoughts about what was about to unfold: His arrest, his unjust trial, brutal torture
and crucifixion. He who could see the
betrayer’s heart, also sees the hearts of those who remain - and He is also
able to look out into history, into this room and this very night to see our
hearts as well. In spite of the agony
that awaits Him, Love - true love - makes it impossible for someone to remain
self-focused. He is not thinking about
himself at that hour or what faces Him -
but us - each and every one of us who He is pouring out His life for.
To those in that upper room, Jesus
knows they don’t quite know what’s happening (they were confused by the washing
of the feet, and thought Judas had gone out to give money to the poor). So this lengthy Last Supper Discourse in that
moment probably didn’t click. More than
likely on Good Friday Night, these words “remain in me as I remain in you” must’ve
cut to the core - as they had run away in cowardice, fear and grief. But now post Easter Sunday - in the light of
the Resurrection, where Jesus has risen from the dead, they have new meaning.
They are words of hope. They are words of new life. They are words of promise. As we remain in Him (by keeping his
commandments, as St John tells us in the second reading) we can move forward
with confidence knowing that He
remains in us. That is what we have
to focus on, instead of our fears and worries.
He remains in us, as we continue to grow, and move forward... He’s
transforming us and utilizing us to bear fruit
He remains with us - as we leave
this room where we celebrate Mass every Sunday Night, or the chapel in the
Newman Center... or for that matter any place where we’ve celebrated the
Eucharist. That’s precisely why the
Mass ends with a simple charge “Go forth, the Mass is ended” - basically that’s
the Holy Spirit is telling us: we’re
not supposed to remain here, comfortable among ourselves - we’re supposed to go
forth and spread the Good News that we’ve just received.
He remains with you who will leave
this Campus in a few weeks. Jesus
encountered you here in a particular way in this particular space. But there’s a world out there that needs you...
to bring the joy you’ve experienced here out there - to your families, to your
friends, to whatever it is that comes next after this... Its okay to feel that
mixture of feelings right now - of some sadness, fear - but hopefully joy at
what you’ve experienced during your time here at MSU. Because as great a chapter in time as your
college years have been, you were never
destined to remain here forever (even if it’s all here as the MSU
marketing people would have you believe) -
The reason for this is simple. Ultimately ,
life is about this one journey we’re all on. Which is why Jesus wants us to remember
we’re destined to be with Him forever.
That’s why I could say goodbye to my friend Pat, recognizing that this
was nothing more than a temporary goodbye...
She had entrusted herself to Jesus in this life, and strove hard to love
Jesus and keep his commands during her life.
The tears her family and friends shared were because they could
recognize and appreciate that in a new way as they celebrated her life. They could rejoice at the good fruit she
produced by being rooted in Christ.
St. Pope John Paul II once said The true Christian
can nurture a trustful optimism, because he is certain of not walking
alone. In sending us Jesus, the eternal
son made man, God has drawn near to us.
In Christ, he has become our traveling companion. That’s an important thing to remember. May each of us, regardless of the season in
life we find ourselves in, whatever trials, tribulations, changes, or
challenges we’re facing or are yet to reveal themselves to us - allow and
welcome Christ to be that ever trustworthy, never failing companion... as we
remain in Him and He remains in us.