1. Good morning. Let’s pray. O Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to You O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
2. Opening Comments: Today is the third Sunday of the season of Easter. Next Sunday we remember and celebrate Christ’s Ascension into heaven and the following Sunday – Pentecost Sunday - we will remember and celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit to earth and the formation of the Christian Church!
Over the last 4 weeks we have been focusing on the theme “Stepping Out” – stepping out of our comfort zones and “Stepping Up” to our calling as followers of the resurrected Jesus Christ to continue doing what He began to do in the Person and Power and Presence of the Holy Spirit.
In fact the book that records what Christians did after Christ went to heaven is recorded in the book of the Acts of the Apostles and in fact the Book begins with these words:
Acts 1:1 In my former book, Theophilus – the Book of Luke, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach.
Ah!!! Did you hear that?
Luke recorded what Jesus “BEGAN” to do and to teach! What Jesus Began to do and to teach.
Can you see the inference?
It’s subtle but it’s there – What Jesus began we – who call ourselves Christians – are to continue and complete! - but not in our own strength and power but rather in the Strength – in the Power – in the miracle-working Presence of the Holy Spirit.
We’re going to be focusing on the Gospel reading but before we do this please allow me to quickly review what we were told in the other readings as it will enrich our reflections on the Gospel reading.
Just before I do this let me focus our thinking a bit.
Here are a few framing questions that I would encourage you to ask yourself as we reflect upon today’s Scripture readings:
· How much do I really love Jesus?
· Have I ever really felt His love for me?
Are you someone other Christians might say about –
“There seems to be no doubt that he or she loves Jesus Christ.”
Or would it be more accurate for them to say about you -
“They call themselves a Christian but they’re really just like the rest of us!”
What is it that distinguishes Christians from everyone else – from our non-Christian neighbors, from Muslims, from Buddhists, from Hindu’s, from humanitarians, from well=meaning social advocates, from politically correct advocates for the marginalized?
What separates us from them all?
The absence of which labels us either hypocrites or “people just like the rest of us!”
Good then – please turn with to our First Reading from the book of Acts chapter 8 beginning at verse 5:
In this reading we hear about Deacon Phillip preaching to the socially outcast tribe of the Samaritans. No Jew in good standing would be seen dead within a mile of such scum!
But sure enough Philip not only doesn’t show disdain for them but ministers in their midst and many are healed and come into a living relationship with the resurrected Jesus Christ.
The response of the Samaritans was so great that the news got back to Jerusalem and the Christians there sent Peter and John to consolidate what had happened by the laying on their hands and their praying that the Holy Spirit would fall upon them with power. This highlights the early Church’s conviction that all Christians needed the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
(Incidentally, this event – the baptism of the Samaritans in the name of Jesus and then soon thereafter their baptism in the Holy Spirit was a precursor to the Early Church’s decision to include the sacrament of Confirmation 12 years after an infants baptism.)
I should add here that fundamentally Christian Baptism does impart the Spirit. The narrative of acts at this point probably has in mind a more experiential awareness of the gift of the Spirit. It amounts to an “awakening” to the magnificent power that we Christians have at our fingertips if only we will ask for it!
Today’s Psalm response begins with a summons to praise. All the earth is called to praise the God of Israel. Second, the name of God is the object of the praise and finally, the praise given to God is glorious, not to be dismissed casually.
The works of God to which the psalmist refers are the wonders that God has accomplished in the history of Israel.
These words highlight the fact that every human being at some time in their life are brought to wonderment at the beauty of God’s creation and something deep down in all of us wants to express this wonderment – it’s called worship.
Know that everyone you know has felt this and has either offered it to God or has somehow found a way to deny it and to find something else to wonder at and ultimately to worship – this is adultery which is in fact what the world at large has ultimately chosen!
In our Second Reading from Peter’s First letter we hear Peter calling us all to:
“Set apart Christ as Lord in your hearts – not head so that you will always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”
And then St. Peter qualifies this by reminding us all to do this with “with a clear conscience.”
In other words, to share our faith with our actions and, if necessary, with our words but to ensure that we’re doing this without anything staining our consciences.
This reminds me of a conversation I had with our oldest son Adam last Monday after he had returned from a bear hunting expedition in Alaska.
No – no bears were bagged but over a 3 day camping expedition Adam was tempted any number of times to join in the bawdy banter the other men were engaging in as it related to the sexual prowess,
Adam casually said something that caught my attention and it was this,
“Dad I almost got swept up in their talk but I didn’t want it to sear my conscience. I didn’t want to come home to my wife and children with that stuff hanging off my conscience.”
Now he didn’t say with this feigned piety. He wasn’t saying this to get my respect. That’s just not Adam. He was stating a reality that he lives with and that is that if he is going to have an authentic witness first to his wife and children and then to those about him – then his life – his very thoughts – are going to have to consistent with what he says and believes. It’s called living a life of integrity! It’s called – not seducing your Christian witness!
Now let’s turn to our Gospel reading for it’s here that we get to it, as they say.
Please listen as I read it once again but this time from Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase entitled “The Message:”
I’m reading from the Gospel of John chapter 14 beginning at verse 15:
John 14:15 “If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you. 16 I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend (Paracletus) so that you will always have someone with you. 17 This Friend is the Spirit of Truth.
The godless world can’t take him in because it doesn’t have eyes to see him, doesn’t know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!
John 14:18 “I will not leave you orphaned. I’m coming back. 19 In just a little while the world will no longer see me, but you’re going to see me because I’m alive and you’re about to come alive. 20 At that moment you will know absolutely that I’m in my Father, and you’re in me, and I’m in you.
John 14:21 “The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that’s who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to him – I will, in fact, reveal myself to him!
I will e˙mfani÷zw myself to him - I will lay myself open to view – I will make myself visible to him!l’m,
The Greek word for “reveal” or “show myself” is amphanidzo and it literally means to exhibit: to appear in person!
As we express our love for Him in our obedient actions He will literally reveal Himself personally to us!!!
Now before we proceed I want to go back to my opening questions – do you remember them?
· How much do I really love Jesus?
· Have I really ever felt His love for me?
Are you someone other Christians might say about –
“There seems to be no doubt that he or she loves Jesus Christ.”
Or would it be more accurate for them to say about you -
“They call themselves a Christian but they’re really just like the rest of us!”
Can you see what our Lord is saying to us? – if we love Him we will obey Him – we will do what He did – we will continue His work of showing and telling the world that God loves them!
And here’s the really magnificent news – and as we do this He will reveal Himself to us again and again – personally – beyond the shadow of a doubt!
Listen to the what the Apostle John had to say about this:
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35
A few weeks ago I asked us all “How interesting are we to others?
Do you remember I showed you that crazy series of adds about the “Most Interesting Man in the World?”
But towards the end of my Homily I concluded by asking the more interesting question – How interested are you in others.
Can you see what happened – the reflection when from “How interesting are you” to “How interested in others are you?”
That’s what love looks like in action. Love is interested in others – interested in them – interested in their peace – their health – their joy – their hope. If you really love with the love of Jesus then you can not not be interested in others!
What Jesus began 2,000 years ago we get to complete – how involved in completing what Jesus began are you?
That will tell you and others how much you really love Him!
Now let me conclude with this thought – if we really want to become a great lover then we will change but if these words of mine are just words then you and I will go home today and go on as usual – no real change in our lives.
Whose to blame for this?
You and me . . . for taking in these magnificent truths and not allowing them to become part of who we are.
Let’s pray – let’s pray that these words – these spiritual realities will become a part of us!
