Easter
V - C Sunday – Homilies and Stories
The last supper discourse of Jesus to his apostles is a mix of many
consoling things Jesus had said to them in the course of their time together so
that they might be sustained in hope after he had returned to the
Father-in-Heaven. The consolation today is mixed with a challenge – a new
commandment which sounds nice but which turns out to be very difficult.
For as we know from the experience of our lives it is very had to love
everyone, especially those who are closest to us, our colleagues, our families,
our close friends, the people next door.
Story:
Once upon a time an older woman live next door to strange neighbours.
Why is it that neighbours are always strange? Anyway these people were noisy,
rude, and vulgar. Their televisions were always on full blast way into the
night. They fought with one another at the top of their voices. Their kids
played baseball in the yard and football on the street and ran over her lawn
and flowers – and cursed a lot too, even the girls, though that is very had to
believe. All the other neighbours complained, called the police, threatened to
get court orders. The loud crowd just laughed at them. Their daddy was a lawyer
and he boasted he cold beat any complaint in a court of law.
WELL, everyone else in the neighbourhood refused to speak them. The
lady we’re talking about was always polite and friendly. She had treats ready
at Halloween, and cookies at Christmas, and she often salvaged their newspaper
from the rain or snow. One night a little girl – the one who always had a runny
nose – rang the doorbell about midnight. Our Mommy is dying and our daddy is
out of town. Please help us. Well, the woman went over to the house and called
911and stayed their till the ambulance came (the mommy had an allergic reaction
to some medicine) and stayed there until the daddy came home, and calmed the
children down and told them there mother would be fine and got them all into
bed. And they all became very good friends. (Andrew Greeley)
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Michel de
Verteuil
General Textual
Comments
This year’s first extract is the beginning of the discourse. It is in clearly distinct sections:
Verses 31 and 32 are the response of Jesus to the departure
of Judas. You may have difficulty interpreting the word “glorify” which occurs
several times. It is a biblical term indicating the victory of God’s power. It
is significant that “hallowed” in the first petition of the Our Father means
the same thing.
In verse 33, Jesus says clearly that he is at a point in his
life when he must make his journey alone. The saying is repeated and clarified
in verse 36, which is not included in this passage, but which you may want to
look up in a Bible.
In verses 34 and 35 the commandment of love – which is
the dominant theme of the last discourse – is enunciated for the first time.
Read the verses carefully, letting them touch you as if you were reading them
for the first time.
*************
John Littleton
Gospel
Reflection
Love is the main characteristic of Christianity because
Jesus’ teaching can be summarised in his great commandment: ‘Love one another;
just as I have loved you, you also must love one another’ (John 13:34). Also,
Jesus taught that it is by our love for one another that people will know that
we are his disciples. In addition to loving God through our personal
relationship with Jesus, we express our love for God through our love for other
people. For this reason, we cannot claim to love God if we do not love them.
There is a significant difference between liking someone and
dutifully loving someone in the Christian sense of loving. Many people assume
that the two words, ‘like’ and ‘love’, have the same meaning. Such confusion
makes it difficult to appreciate Jesus’ commandment to love other people.
Unfortunately, reality suggests that there are usually at least some people in
all our lives that we do not particularly like.
Loving, in the Christian context, is not a more intense form
of liking. To like people means that we experience them as being agreeable or
pleasant. In Contrast, to love people means that, regardless of whether or not
we consider them agreeable or likeable, we respect them. We are always patient
with them and kind towards them. To love people means that we are neither rude
to them nor arrogant towards them. It means that we never become irritable and
resentful towards them.
True love requires us to care about others, always putting
them first. We cannot truly love God if we do not love them. The basic
challenge of the Good News is to love all people, including those we dislike.
This does not just mean ‘being nice’ in our relationships.
Jesus was known for his ‘hard sayings’ that challenged his listeners to change
their lifestyles. We are obliged to be faithful to the truth and to speak the
truth with respect and compassion. Thus loving others means having an active
concern for their welfare — especially their spiritual welfare. No wonder,
then, that Christianity is demanding. Actually it is impossible if we rely only
on ourselves. We require God’s grace and strength if we are to succeed.
The message is clear: no matter how disagreeable or
unsuitable we find other people, we are challenged by Jesus’ great commandment
to love those people always. For Christians, as difficult as it may be, it is
possible to love people without necessarily liking them. Loving people is not
an optional extra for us. It is a serious obligation.
The basis for Christian love is Jesus’ self-giving which was
so perfect that he offered his life on the cross to undo the effects of our
sins. His commandment to love one another just as he has loved us implies that
we too will be expected to make sacrifices as we put the needs of others before
our own needs. That demands considerable effort on our part and, as we know, is
not always easily achieved.
The fundamental question is: how genuine is our love?
Although we may not like all the people in our lives, Jesus has made love the
distinguishing mark of his Church. As Christians, then, we are obliged to love
one another, and it is this mutual love that becomes the sign to the world that
we are Jesus’ disciples.
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Thomas
O’Loughlin
Homily notes
1. Some words keep corning up in Eastertime: ‘new life,’
‘new creation,’ ‘renewal,’ ‘new birth,’ ‘baptism,’ ‘being a baptised people,’
and you could add many more to the list. However, these words all suffer a
burn-out in meaning for people. Baptism is just a fancy name for a christening
which is just a party after a new baby – and even those who are regular
church-goers will have been to many such family events where they know that
christening is an event and that’s the end of it. As for ‘new’ and ‘renewal’,
these words belong to the stock and trade of advertising. The effect of this
exhaustion of meaning within words is that some of our most basic beliefs
about the life that the Christ shares with us become, when expressed in phrases
like ‘he gives us new life’, sounds that are indistinguishable from trite
cliches.
2. So can meaning be restored? The two great means of restoring
religious symbols – and words are just one kind of symbol – are (1)
re-inventing rituals which capture the imagination anew, and (2) reflection
which brings those symbols into new alignments within our minds (so baptism is
not linked to a private family occasion nor new life with someone offering a
‘lifestyle makeover’).
3. If the theme of new creation, new life through baptism is
to be explored and given back its ‘saltiness’ then the homily and the rest of
the ritual need to gel together. So make more of the sprinkling with water at
the beginning that involves movement and action and touch by all concerned:
effective ritual always needs at least these components if it is to be
affective.
4. At the homily time ask people to reflect with those near
them what saying ‘we are a new creation’ means to them? Does it have
implications for how we treat one another? Does it mean replacing the instinct
for vengeance with that of forgiveness? Does it have any implications for how
responsible we must be with the earth’s resources and care of the environment?
Such questions touch some of our most deeply held beliefs
in contemporary western societies – areas of belief where often we do not want
the light of Christ to penetrate lest it cause us discomfort. But it is only in
discomfort that the basic symbols of our faith can be renovated from flippant
phrases into life-giving words.
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Prayer
Reflections
“The tyrant dies and
his rule ends. The martyr dies and his rule begins.” Kirkegaard
Lord, we thank you for the great martyrs of our time,
Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Archbishop Romero.
Those who put them to death have long been forgotten,
gone like Judas into the night,
but they have been glorified and you have been glorified in them.
Lord, we thank you for the great martyrs of our time,
Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Archbishop Romero.
Those who put them to death have long been forgotten,
gone like Judas into the night,
but they have been glorified and you have been glorified in them.
Lord, there was a time
when we struggled with some sin for several years,
lust, jealousy, racial prejudice, the inability to forgive.
Then one day we knew that this Judas had gone and left us,
that we had been victorious or rather that you had been victorious in us,
and like Jesus we knew that even if we face a great crisis,
you will be with us and soon bring us to safety with you.
lust, jealousy, racial prejudice, the inability to forgive.
Then one day we knew that this Judas had gone and left us,
that we had been victorious or rather that you had been victorious in us,
and like Jesus we knew that even if we face a great crisis,
you will be with us and soon bring us to safety with you.
Lord, forgive us that as
a Church community we make compromises
in order to please powerful people, fearing that otherwise they may harm us.
Teach us that sooner or later Judas goes away
and if our trust has been in our fidelity to your teaching,
you will be glorified in us and you will glorify us in yourself.
in order to please powerful people, fearing that otherwise they may harm us.
Teach us that sooner or later Judas goes away
and if our trust has been in our fidelity to your teaching,
you will be glorified in us and you will glorify us in yourself.
Lord, all of us who have
charge of young people,
as parents, teachers, youth leaders or spiritual guides,
help us not to be possessive as Peter was with Jesus,
wondering why we cannot accompany them in all their crises,
and looking for them even though they tell us clearly
that where they are going we cannot come.
as parents, teachers, youth leaders or spiritual guides,
help us not to be possessive as Peter was with Jesus,
wondering why we cannot accompany them in all their crises,
and looking for them even though they tell us clearly
that where they are going we cannot come.
Lord, there comes a time
in life for each of us, as it did for Jesus,
when we have to make a decisions alone:
• to marry;
• to enter religious life or the seminary;
• to run for public office;
• to accept terminal illness.
Often before, we have had to distance ourselves from those who did not love us.
Now we say to those dearest to us
that where we are going they cannot come.
when we have to make a decisions alone:
• to marry;
• to enter religious life or the seminary;
• to run for public office;
• to accept terminal illness.
Often before, we have had to distance ourselves from those who did not love us.
Now we say to those dearest to us
that where we are going they cannot come.
Lord, we thank you for
the time that we experienced selfless love for someone,
for one of our parents, a friend, a leader in our community.
At that moment it was as if we had understood love for the first time;
we had received a new commandment to love others as we had been loved.
for one of our parents, a friend, a leader in our community.
At that moment it was as if we had understood love for the first time;
we had received a new commandment to love others as we had been loved.
Lord, there is a history
of love in the world,
so that when we see people who are able to reach out to one another,
we know that they have experienced love themselves.
so that when we see people who are able to reach out to one another,
we know that they have experienced love themselves.
“Non-violence
is the greatest and most active force in the world.” Gandhi
Lord, when people love unconditionally, as Jesus did,
everyone knows that your disciples are at work in the world.
Lord, when people love unconditionally, as Jesus did,
everyone knows that your disciples are at work in the world.
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|
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ACP:
Overcoming
Discouragement
“We have
all to experience many hardships before we enter the kingdom of God.” This was
the warning of Paul and Barnabas to the people of Antioch. Yet, we are told
earlier on that the two apostles were filled with joy when they were driven out
of Antioch (Acts 13:52). If you read the first book in the New Testament to be
set down in writing, St Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians – written, by
the way, at least twelve years before Mark’s gospel, and close on twenty years
before the Acts – you will find Paul warning his Christian followers in
Thessalonika about the difficulties that lie ahead. “Affliction is bound to
come our way,” he warns, “we must expect to have troubles to bear” (1 Thess
3:3f). Indeed, Paul himself was to become the persecuted confessor of Christ –
a “vessel of election,” that is elected, or called, to suffer, and so bear
witness, in his own life, to the sufferings of Christ.
The
apostles did not want their listeners to dwell on this theme of suffering in
any kind of morbid way. Their purpose, at all times, was to put fresh heart
into the disciples, to encourage them to persevere in the faith, just as Paul
urged the Thessalonians to comfort one another, to sustain each other’s hopes
of the eternal vision of God. “All things work together unto good, for those
who love God,” were his words of consolation, later on, to the Christians in
Rome (8:28). We can always be certain that our God is the God of love, and God
himself tells us, in today’s gospel reading, to allow this love to give direction
and shape to our lives. Indeed every single chapter in the New Testament
carries a special message from him to us; and ever so often it is similar to
that contained in the words of Christ to his Apostles at the Last Supper; “Let
not your hearts be troubled. Trust in God and trust in me” (Jn 14:1).
We see this
exemplified in the encounter of the risen Christ with the two disciples,
weighed down with gloom and despondency, while walking to Emmaus, on that first
Easter Sunday. “Their eyes, as yet, were kept from recognising him,” we are
told. When questioned as to what they were discussing between themselves, and
why they were so downhearted, they endeavoured to explain their grief by giving
an account of the tragic things that had taken place in Jerusalem, during the
previous days. But their companion’s amazing response to all this was by way of
a simple question. “What things?,” he asked them. It is difficult for us to
begin to understand this kind of innocence on the part of Christ. It belongs to
the mystery of what the French dramatist, poet, and diplomat, Paul Claudel,
called “the eternal childhood of God.” For that brief question, “What things?,”
conveys the impression that so perfectly has Christ passed into the freedom,
and joy, and glory of his Father, that he scarcely remembers the cruel and
terrible journey he had travelled in arriving there. There are no dark clouds
on God’s horizon, nor any sorrowful memories weighing upon the mind of God.
The
disciples at Emmaus were led gradually to make an act of faith in the risen
Christ. While he remained visually present to them they had failed to recognise
him. When the moment of recognition did come, St Luke says that “he had already
vanished from their sight.” In other words, it was not by the sight of their
eyes, but rather by the response of their hearts that Christ made himself known
to them. “Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road,”
the disciples said in retrospect. When the true follower of Christ comes to
celebrate the Eucharist, his/her primary purpose should not be to complain, or
even to ask for graces, but rather to give heartfelt thanks to God.
******************
Stories/Illustrations:
1. High School Music
Band:
A junior high music teacher had just organized a band in her
school. The principal was so proud of the music teacher's efforts that without
consulting her he decided that the band should give a concert for the entire
school. The music teacher wasn't so sure her young musicians were ready to give
a concert, so she tried to talk the principal out of holding the concert, to no
avail. Just before the concert was ready to begin, as the music teacher stood
on the podium, she leaned forward and whispered to her nervous musicians,
"If you're not sure of your part, just pretend to play." And with
that, she stepped back, lifted her baton and with a great flourish brought it
down. Lo and behold, nothing happened! The band brought forth a resounding
silence.
Sometimes we in the church are like that junior high band,
unsure of our parts, tentative in our roles, reluctant to trumpet forth the
music of faith that God desires of us. And that's because we have trouble
deciding what's most important.
Most of the choices we make in life are not between what is
trivial and what is important. Rather, most of the choices we make are usually
between what is important and what is more important. This morning's Gospel
reading is so timely for us because it shows us what is most important.
As we gather in worship today we affirm that the greatest blessing that God has given us is God's love for us -- God's love that forgives us our sins and makes us children of God; God's love that brings us together into a fellowship with one another.
As we gather in worship today we affirm that the greatest blessing that God has given us is God's love for us -- God's love that forgives us our sins and makes us children of God; God's love that brings us together into a fellowship with one another.
___________________________
2. Terms of
Service
It is the key you click before you can do anything. It is
the box you check before you can go anywhere. You know what it is. It's a
"Terms of Service."
You are online and you sign on to some website that has the
information or product you've been searching for. But before you are granted
access to that portal you must endure the "Terms of Service"
claimer/disclaimer.
The "term of service" barrier is the twenty-first
century version of the cherubim with flailing; flaming swords set up to guard
the Garden of Eden. You are SO not getting anywhere without first
"agreeing" to the terms of "service" stipulated by the site
you are visiting. Even when all you want to do is access some information or
establish an account, there is always the underlying, nagging feeling that by
checking on the "I agree" tab you have somehow sold off a piece of
your soul.
"Terms of Service" contracts require current or
potential customers to agree to a series of requirements, or "terms,"
before they will be granted full access to use of the site. Steeped in dark,
deep "legalese," it is probably safe to say that virtually no one
knows exactly what they are "agreeing" to when they impatiently hit
the "agree" option on their keyboard. Is there anyone here this
morning who has actually read every line of one of these "terms of
service?"
What is obvious to all of us, however, is that these
"Terms of Service" contracts are actually a corporate safety net for
"terms of Dis-service." The concern and concentration is not on how
the consumer can be provided for, but on how the business can be protected.
These "terms of dis-service" offer an extensive list of what does NOT
apply, what they WON'T do, and what actions you CANNOT take. Any personal
information you need to provide is now "theirs" and you no longer
have any control over it. That is their "service." One wit has
recently argued that one you are agreeing to when you click the "I
Agree" box is in fact not "Terms of Service" but "Terms of
Servitude."
It is what it is. It is how a digital age turns. Either we
"agree" or we find ourselves forever cut off from the information
highway. So we page down to the bottom and "agree."
But these "Terms of Service" have forever changed
our personal understanding of the concept of "terms of service."
"Service" has become a commodity that is concerned only with the
bottom line. "Service" is about maximizing profit, not serving.
"Terms of service" is a safety net - an insulator - against personal
exposure.
Proof how confused we are what service means? Let me just
name some names: Internal Revenue Service, Postal Service, Telephone Service,
Cable TV Service, Division of Motor Vehicle (DMV) Service. Ever been to a
Customer Service that offered service?
In our "terms of service" world,
"service" and "sacrifice" have no common ground. Any wonder
our world cannot fathom the concept that "service" is a word best
tied to love and shored up by grace?
The "terms of service" that Jesus taught and
practiced had only one "term," not terms. And that one term of
service was love.
_________________________________
3. How Do You Know My
Name?
I've always loved the little story about the boy who's
trying to learn the Lord's Prayer, and one night as he knelt by his bed, these
words came out:
Our Father, who are in heaven how do you know my name?
Such individualized affection will always remain a mystery
to us mortals, and at the same time, let us never forget we're made in the
image of that extraordinary love. And doing what Jesus did in loving each one
he ever met as if there were none other in all the world is at least an ideal
toward which we can reach even if it always remains utterly beyond our complete
grasp.
John R. Claypool, Loving as Jesus Loved
John R. Claypool, Loving as Jesus Loved
___________________________________________
4. Closer to Christ
4. Closer to Christ
God never intended God's boundaries to be less than the
whole world. Therefore, none of us have a monopoly on God's love. We may feel
like we do when we look down on someone different than we are, or when we
snicker at someone's misfortune, or when we say, "Thank you, Lord, that I
am not like them," or when we say, "It's too bad they do not believe
as we believe." But woe be unto us whenever we reek of such arrogance! For
when we try to restrict God's grace to ourselves, we cut ourselves off from
that very grace. Why? Pierre Teilhard de Chardin may have said it best,
"It is impossible to love Christ without loving others, and it is
impossible to love others without moving nearer to Christ."
John K. Bergland, Love without Limits, One Heaven of a
Party:
_______________________
5. Remember You Are
Brothers
I am the eldest of three very strong-willed boys. When I
was growing up we had all of the fights and arguments you can imagine of
rambunctious boys. Sometimes our disagreements would get so intense we would go
to mother to have our righteous indignation ratified. She would often say to
us, "You boys go back and resolve it, but remember you are brothers."
"But Mom," we would reply, "he took my ball; he said I was a
liar." "Mom, he broke the rules." But all she would say was,
"You boys go back and resolve it and, remember, you are brothers." It
was eventually clear that what was most important to Mother was that we behave,
in such a way that demonstrated our bond as brothers. This was even more
important to her than our resolution (which she also expected).
I think this is what God says to the church. "I know you have differences, but you must struggle to resolve them as brothers and sisters. This is what I expect of you because you are my children."
Jesus said it this way in the Gospel of John: "By this, everyone will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" [John 13:35].
Nathan D. Baxter, What a Christian Community Can Offer a Polarized Society
6. A Sympathetic Gesture
Edgar Guest, a renowned American poet at the turn of the
century, tells of a neighbor by the name of Jim Potter. Mr. Potter ran the drug
store in the small town where Edgar Guest lived. Guest recalled that daily he
would pass his neighbor and how they would smile and exchange greetings. But it
was a mere casual relationship.
Then came that tragic night in the life of Edgar Guest when
his first born child died. He felt lonely and defeated. These were grim days
for him and he was overcome with grief. Several days later Guest had reason to
go to the drug store run by his neighbor, and when he entered Jim Potter
motioned for him to come behind the counter. "Eddie," he said,
"I really can't express to you the great sympathy that I have for you at this
time. All I can say is that I am terribly sorry, and if you need for me to do
anything, you can count on me."
Many years later Edgar Guest wrote of that encounter in one
of his books. This is how he worded it: "Just a person across the way--a
passing acquaintance. Jim Potter may have long since forgotten that moment when
he extended his hand to me in sympathy, but I shall never forget it--never in
all my life. To me it stands out like the silhouette of a lonely tree against a
crimson sunset."
[Suggestion for follow-up on this story]
I have wondered how it is that I want people to remember me
when I come to end of life's journey.
[name some accomplishments followed by]
But I really don't care if someone remembers me for that. I
really don't.
I do hope that people are able to say of me at the end of my
life's pilgrimage: When we were sick he came to us; when we needed help, he was
there; when I was down, he lifted me up. In short, I hope that my ministry is
remembered for simple acts of kindness. For if that is the case, then my life
would have been worth it and I might have come close to fulfilling the greatest
commandment in life: Love God and love your neighbor.
Brett Blair and Staff, www.Sermons.com
___________________
7. Didn't Look Like
an Elephant
There is a story about a man who had a huge boulder in his
front yard. He grew weary of this big, unattractive stone in the center of his
lawn, so he decided to take advantage of it and turn it into an object of art.
He went to work on it with hammer and chisel, and chipped away at the huge
boulder until it became a beautiful stone elephant. When he finished, it was
gorgeous, breath-taking.
A neighbor asked, "How did you ever carve such a
marvelous likeness of an elephant?"
The man answered, "I just chipped away everything that
didn't look like an elephant!"
If you have anything in your life right now that doesn't
look like love, then, with the help of God, chip it away! If you have anything
in your life that doesn't look like compassion or mercy or empathy, then, with
the help of God, chip it away! If you have hatred or prejudice or vengeance or
envy in your heart, for God's sake, and the for the other person's sake, and
for your sake, get rid of it! Let God chip everything out of your life that
doesn't look like tender-hearted-ness.
James W. Moore, Some Things Are Too Good Not To Be True
___________________
8. A Lie
Now I want to tell you a lie. Hate is an emotion we can't
help. Hate is a feeling we cannot overcome. If we hate someone, it is because
we just can't help ourselves. We're human. We have no choice but to hate. That
is a lie. Unfortunately, it is a lie many people believe. They believe this lie
in order to excuse their hatred. After all, if we can't help but hate, if hate
is a feeling we simply cannot help, then hatred is never our fault, is it?
But we can help it. Hatred is a choice. We choose to hate,
just as we choose to love. Oh, I know, there are people out there who believe
love isn't a choice, that love is primarily an emotion, a feeling, a stirring
in the loins. These are the same people who stay married for six months, then
divorce. These are the people who love the idea of love but seem unable to stay
in it. Love is a matter of the will - something we decide to do. Love is a
choice.
Philip Gulley, For Everything a Season, Sisters, Oregon:
Multnomah Publishers, p. 204
___________________9. We are judged by our actions, not our intentions. We may have a heart of gold, but then, so does a hard-boiled egg. (Traditional)
___________________
10. A Great
Inheritance: A Child of God
Craddock has been a great preacher his whole life and has a
ton of integrity. Plus, I heard him tell the story almost exactly as it is told
below. So, who you gonna believe? If any of you reformedanglican readers have
info on this story as urban legend or as an actual Craddock story, please let
me know?
"A seminary professor was vacationing with his wife in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. One morning they were eating breakfast in a little restaurant, hoping to enjoy a quiet, family meal. While waiting for their food, they noticed a distinguished looking, white haired man moving from table to table, visiting with the guests. The professor leaned over and whispered to his wife, "I hope he doesn't come over here." But sure enough, the man came over to their table."Where are you folks from?" he asked in a friendly voice."Oklahoma," they answered."Great to have you here in Tennessee," the stranger said. "What do you do for a living?""I teach at a seminary," he replied."Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you?
Well, I've got a really good story for you." And with
that, the gentleman pulled up a chair and sat down.The professor groaned and
thought to himself, "Great. Just what I need -- another preacher
story!"The man started, "See that mountain over there?" He
pointed out the restaurant window. "Not far from the base of that
mountain, there was a boy born to an unwed mother. He had a hard time growing
up because every place he went, he was always asked the same question: 'Hey,
boy, who's your daddy?' Whether he was at school, in the grocery store or drug
store, people would ask the same question: 'Who's your daddy?' He would hide at
recess and lunch time from other students. He would avoid going into stores
because that question hurt him so bad. When he was about 12 years old, a new
preacher came to his church. He would always go in late and slip out early to
avoid hearing the question, 'Who's your daddy?' But one day, the new preacher
said the benediction so fast, he got caught and had to walk out with the crowd.
Just about the time he got to the back door, the new preacher, not knowing
anything about him, put his hand on his shoulder and asked him, 'Son, who's
your daddy?' The whole church got deathly quiet. He could feel every eye in the
church looking at him. Now everyone would finally know the answer to the
question, 'Who's your daddy?' The new preacher, though, sensed the situation
around him and using discernment that only the Holy Spirit could give, said the
following to the scared little boy: 'Wait a minute! I know who you are. I see
the family resemblance now. You are a child of God.' With that, he patted the
boy on his shoulder and said, 'Boy, you've got a great inheritance -- go and
claim it. 'With that, the boy smiled for the first time in a long time and
walked out the door a changed person. He was never the same again. Whenever
anybody asked him, 'Who's your daddy?' he'd just tell them, 'I'm a child of
God.' The distinguished gentleman got up from the table and said, "Isn't
that a great story?" The professor responded that it really was a great
story. As the man turned to leave, he said, "You know, if that new
preacher hadn't told me that I was one of God's children, I probably would
never have amounted to anything!" And he walked away. The seminary
professor and his wife were stunned. He called the waitress over and asked,
"Do you know that man who was just sitting at our table?" The
waitress grinned and said, "Of course. Everybody here knows him. That's
Ben Hooper. He's the former governor of Tennessee!"
--------------------
11. Baby girl locked
up in a car
An incident a couple of summers ago in San Antonio, Texas, illustrates
what I'm talking about. It was a hot, 99-degree August day when a ten-month-old
baby girl was accidentally locked in a parked car by her aunt. Frantically the
mother and the aunt ran around the car in near hysteria, while a neighbor
attempted to unlock the car with a clothes hanger. The infant was bawling at
the top of its lungs, beginning to turn purple and foam from the mouth, a
combination of anxiety and the intense heat inside the car. It had quickly
become a life-and-death situation when Fred Arriola, a tow-truck driver,
arrived on the scene. He grabbed a hammer from his truck and smashed the back
side window of the car to free the baby. Was he heralded a hero? Not so.
According to an article in the San Antonio Tribune, he is quoted as saying,
"The lady was mad at me because I broke the window. I just thought,
'What's more important – a baby or a window?' "
1) The
renowned artist Paul Gustave Dore once lost his passport while traveling in
Europe.
When he
came to a border crossing, he explained his predicament to one of the guards.
Giving his name to the official, Dore hoped he would be recognized and allowed
to pass. The guard, however, said that many people attempted to cross the
border by claiming to be persons they were not. Dore insisted that he was the
man he claimed to be. "All right," said the official, "we'll
give you a test, and if you pass it we'll allow you to go through."
Handing him a pencil and a sheet of paper, he told the artist to sketch several
peasants standing nearby. Dore did it so quickly and skillfully that the guard
was convinced he was indeed who he claimed to be. His action confirmed his
identity. In today’s gospel Jesus gives us the mark of Christian identity: “I
give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved
you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are
my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-5).Love is the
Christian identity. Love is the Christian uniform. Love is the Christian habit.
If you are wearing the habit of love, you are in. If you are not wearing love
as a habit, you are out. (Fr. Essau) . Let us remember the words of Shakespeare
in Measure for Measure, "Cucullus non facit monachum (the hood does not
make a monk).” A Christian name or a cross on a chain will not make us
Christians unless we practice Jesus’ new commandment of love given in today’s
gospel.
2)
"Wow! I would like to be that kind of brother.”
In the
lovely book, Chicken Soup for the Soul, there's a story about a man who came
out of his office one Christmas morning and found a little boy from a nearby
project looking with great admiration at the man’s new vehicle. The little boy
asked, "Does this car belong to you?" And the man said, "Yes, in
fact my brother gave it to me for Christmas. I've just gotten it." With
that, the little boy's eyes widened. He said, "You mean to say that
somebody gave it to you? And you didn't have to pay anything for it?" And
the man said, "That's right. My brother gave it to me as a gift."
With that the little boy let out a long sigh and said, "Boy, I would
really like..." And the man fully expected the boy to say, "I would
like to have a brother like that, who would give me such a beautiful car,"
but instead the man was amazed when the little boy said, "Wow! I would
like to be that kind of brother. I wish I could give that kind of car to my
little brother." Somehow that child understood the secret of the “new
commandment” of love, which Jesus gave to his apostles during his last
discourse, as described in today’s gospel: “Love one another as I have loved
you.” True love consists, not in "getting" something from the lover,
but in "giving" something to the loved one. The most familiar example
of this type of love is a mother’s love for her child.
3) “Little
children love one another:”
St. Jerome
relates of the apostle John that when he became old he used to be carried to
the churches and assemblies, everywhere repeating the words, “Little children,
love one another.” His disciples, wearied by the constant repetition, asked him
why he always said this. “Because,” he replied, “it is the Lord’s commandment,
and if it only be fulfilled, it is enough.” John knew that the greatest truth
was most apt to be forgotten because it was taken for granted. This is one of
the greatest calamities in the Christian Church and the one that causes
divisions.
4) The
bomber and the victim:
Two World
War II veterans, a German and an American, were attending a three-day seminar.
As they were washing dishes one evening after dinner they exchanged stories
about the war. The American told of the horror he felt as a young pilot during
the particularly savage bombing of a city in Germany . He had orders to bomb a
hospital, which he would know by the huge Red Cross painted on the roof. The
German -- somewhat shocked by the story -- revealed that his wife had been
giving birth to their baby in that very hospital when it was being bombed,
resulting in the death of the mother and the baby. After a few minutes of silence
the two men fell into each other’s arms weeping. Imagine being in heaven, at
the end of the world, where we fall weeping upon one another, waves of
reconciliation breaking upon us as we adjust ourselves to this dimension of
pure love which Jesus demands from his followers in today’s gospel passage.
5) One Sunday a priest was finishing
up a series on marriage. At the end of the service he was giving out small
wooden crosses to each married couple. He said, "Place this cross in the
room in which you fight the most and you will be reminded of Jesus’ new
commandment and you won’t argue as much." One woman came up after the
service and said: “You’d better give me five crosses.”
6) Catherine Lawes who transformed a notorious prison with love: In 1921, Lewis Lawes became the warden at Sing Sing Prison, No prison was tougher than Sing Sing during that time. But when Warden Lawes retired some 20 years later, that prison had become a humanitarian institution. Those who studied the system said credit for the change belonged to Lawes. But when he was asked about the transformation, here's what he said: "I owe it all to my wonderful wife, Catherine, who is buried outside the prison walls." Catherine Lawes was a young mother with three small children when her husband became the warden. Everybody warned her from the beginning that she should never set foot inside the prison walls, but that didn't stop Catherine! When the first prison basketball game was held, she went ... walking into the gym with her three beautiful kids, and she sat in the stands with the inmates. Her attitude was: "My husband and I are going to take care of these men and I believe they will take care of me! I don't have to worry." She insisted on getting acquainted with them and their records. She discovered one convicted murderer was blind so she paid him a visit. Holding his hand in hers she said, "Do you read Braille?" "What's Braille?" he asked. Then she taught him how to read. Years later he would weep in love for her. Later, Catherine found a deaf-mute in prison. She went to school to learn how to use sign language. Many said that Catherine Lawes was the body of Jesus that came alive again in Sing Sing from 1921 to 1937. Then, she was killed in a car accident. The next morning Lewis Lawes didn't come to work, so the acting warden took his place. It seemed almost instantly that the prison knew something was wrong. The following day, her body was resting in a casket in her home, three-quarters of a mile from the prison. As the acting warden took his early morning walk he was shocked to see a large crowd of the toughest, hardest-looking criminals gathered like a herd of animals at the main gate. He came closer and noted tears of grief and sadness. He knew how much they loved Catherine. He turned and faced the men, "All right, men, you can go. Just be sure and check in tonight!" Then he opened the gate and a parade of criminals walked, without a guard, the three-quarters of a mile to stand in line to pay their final respects to Catherine Lawes. And every one of them checked back in. Every one! They learned the commandment of love as practiced by Catherine. [Stories for the Heart compiled by Alice Gray (Portland: Multnomah Press, 1996), pp. 54-55.]
6) Catherine Lawes who transformed a notorious prison with love: In 1921, Lewis Lawes became the warden at Sing Sing Prison, No prison was tougher than Sing Sing during that time. But when Warden Lawes retired some 20 years later, that prison had become a humanitarian institution. Those who studied the system said credit for the change belonged to Lawes. But when he was asked about the transformation, here's what he said: "I owe it all to my wonderful wife, Catherine, who is buried outside the prison walls." Catherine Lawes was a young mother with three small children when her husband became the warden. Everybody warned her from the beginning that she should never set foot inside the prison walls, but that didn't stop Catherine! When the first prison basketball game was held, she went ... walking into the gym with her three beautiful kids, and she sat in the stands with the inmates. Her attitude was: "My husband and I are going to take care of these men and I believe they will take care of me! I don't have to worry." She insisted on getting acquainted with them and their records. She discovered one convicted murderer was blind so she paid him a visit. Holding his hand in hers she said, "Do you read Braille?" "What's Braille?" he asked. Then she taught him how to read. Years later he would weep in love for her. Later, Catherine found a deaf-mute in prison. She went to school to learn how to use sign language. Many said that Catherine Lawes was the body of Jesus that came alive again in Sing Sing from 1921 to 1937. Then, she was killed in a car accident. The next morning Lewis Lawes didn't come to work, so the acting warden took his place. It seemed almost instantly that the prison knew something was wrong. The following day, her body was resting in a casket in her home, three-quarters of a mile from the prison. As the acting warden took his early morning walk he was shocked to see a large crowd of the toughest, hardest-looking criminals gathered like a herd of animals at the main gate. He came closer and noted tears of grief and sadness. He knew how much they loved Catherine. He turned and faced the men, "All right, men, you can go. Just be sure and check in tonight!" Then he opened the gate and a parade of criminals walked, without a guard, the three-quarters of a mile to stand in line to pay their final respects to Catherine Lawes. And every one of them checked back in. Every one! They learned the commandment of love as practiced by Catherine. [Stories for the Heart compiled by Alice Gray (Portland: Multnomah Press, 1996), pp. 54-55.]