Ascension of the Lord
May 24, 2009
Gospel: Mark 16:15-20
Can you imagine trying to explain the story of Jesus to someone who has absolutely no knowledge of Christianity – like a visitor from another planet. Jesus was a human person - but he was also divine. His mother was a virgin - and his father was God. He lived a very quiet life for about thirty years – and then he went out preaching, teaching, performing miracles, and gathering followers. Despite all of the good things he did, some people saw him as a threat - so they had him killed. Before he died, he told his friends that they would be able to change bread and wine into his body and blood - so he could remain with them forever. After he was killed he, somehow, was able to leave his tomb – and appeared to his friends for forty days. Then, one day, as he was talking to them - he was taken up to heaven. We celebrate that event today - the Feast of the Ascension.
As difficult as these events are to describe – they must have been just as difficult to experience. For the disciples it was like riding an emotional roller coaster. In the days before died, Jesus tried to convince them that he would be arrested and executed for their sake. He was – yet after his death - he was alive again and appeared to them a number of times. During that time, he had to convince them that he was truly alive. Now, forty days after his resurrection, he tells them he is leaving again – and disappears from their sight.
Mark tells us that he just left them standing there – probably with mouths wide open and eyes searching the heavens. Where did he go? Did they understand what had just happened? He is alive – then he is dead – then he alive again – now he is gone.
They were confused and frightened – and understandably so. Thankfully, ten days later – at Pentecost – God sent the Holy Spirit to clear their minds and help them understand.
Just as we cannot fault our spiritual ancestors for their lack of understanding - we cannot fault non-believers if they find it difficult to accept our beliefs. Many are difficult to understand – much less believe. This is why God gives us the Holy Spirit – and the gift of faith. Faith allows us to believe what we cannot understand. As St. Thomas Aquinas explained it: “For those with faith no explanation is necessary; for those without faith no explanation is possible.”
Although we cannot expect non-believers to accept our beliefs, it is not too much to ask that they respect them. Unfortunately, there is a growing trend in our society to have contempt for our beliefs – and for those of us who believe. Christians - particularly Catholic Christians - are rarely portrayed today on television and in the movies as anything but religious fanatics or criminals. And, if you dare to publicly express the belief that marriage should only be between a man and woman you will be vilified as a homophobic bigot.
As Catholics living in a world that does not accept many of our values – you and I must do more than just react when we are attacked for them. We must be more pro-active in defending our faith. The best way we can defend our faith is to live it – not just when we are in church - but at home, at school and at work. We must be faithful – if imperfect – messengers of the gospel.
We must also honor our traditions even when they are met with derision and scorn. There are those who think that many of our traditions are little more than superstitions. Seeing the Blessed Mother in a cheese sandwich – or burying a statue of St. Joseph in order to sell a house – may be. But asking Mary and the saints to intercede for us – and believing that God can do anything – are not superstitions – they are essential elements of our faith.
Processions have always been an important part of our Catholic tradition. Catholics love a parade - we begin and end each mass with a procession. More importantly, throughout history Catholics have walked together to publicly express their faith and to demonstrate the strength of their beliefs. Catholics have walked through hostile environments – and they have processed in wheelchairs and on their knees. I will never forget the processions at Lourdes and Fatima. The first procession was Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem – and the second was along the Via Dolorosa to Calvary.
Tonight, after mass, I hope you will join us as we walk in procession as a culmination of our month long Flowers of May devotion to Mary. We honor Mary – the mother of God and our mother – because she shows us the way to her Son. Spreading his gospel in a world that has become – in many respects – so hostile to it is not something we can do by ourselves. We need all the help we can get – from Mary and all the saints – and from the abiding presence of God in our lives as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The earliest Christians were confused and bewildered as they watched Jesus disappear from their sigh for the last time. Yet, Mark tells us “they went forth and preached everywhere.” – to a world no less indifferent to their message as the present world is to ours.
We have the benefit of their experience – and of 2,000 years of Catholic tradition – as we accept the challenge to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with all humankind. We must strive – always and everywhere – to be faithful bearers of that message.
Mothers’ Day
May 10, 2009
Gospel: John 15:1-8
Many years ago – during the 1970’s when such things were popular – I took a two-week summer nature course. One of the assignments was to adopt a tree.
Every day we were supposed to go to our tree and talk to it, write to it, and draw pictures of it. I thought the whole idea was silly, but I wanted the credit so I went along with it. Every morning I would report to my oak tree, ask how it was doing and write nasty little notes to it. I am pleased to report that my tree never responded.
Jesus spoke to the people of his day in images they could understand. Today, we hear him speak of vines and branches. I do not know much about grapevines, but every time I hear this gospel, I remember some of the things I learned from my tree.
For one thing, I realized that a tree could not survive without the nutrients that come up from the roots, through the trunk to the branches – and a branch cannot live apart from the trunk. Once a branch falls from the tree it dies.
So it is with the People of God. Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” Jesus is the trunk of tree that provides the nourishment we need to survive - his Body and Blood present in the Eucharist we share.
We are the branches. We can have no meaningful life apart from him.
The more I looked at my tree, the more I began to appreciate its true strength and beauty. The tree’s strength comes from the trunk – sturdy and solid - but its beauty is in its branches. No two branches are alike. They are more similar than different, but each is distinct. The artistry of God’s creation is brought about by the many diverse parts that come together to form this mighty and magnificent object.
So it is with the People of God. We gain our strength and sustenance from Jesus Christ – the true vine – who is the center of our lives. But the beauty of God’s creation lies in the fact that each one of us – each branch of that marvelous creation called humanity – is as unique as a snowflake. And what it even more remarkable, each one of us is loved by God individually – as an indispensable part of the whole. This is why when we judge someone by the color of their skin, or by the language they speak, or by anything other than as a unique child of God - we are taking an ax - not just to that branch - but to the essence of the tree itself.
I also noticed how much other creatures depended on my tree for life. The bird nested in its branches. The squirrel waited for its acorns to drop. We humans depend on it for shade - and for the very air we breathe. The life of the tree comes from the trunk – but the branches help provide life to other living creatures.
So it is with the People of God. Jesus is the true vine that gives life to all of us – but he calls each one of us – each branch – to help sustain that life. He calls us to provide a nesting place for those who require shelter - food for those who must be nourished - a cooling place of rest for family and friends. He calls us – always and everywhere – to support the life that God gives us.
I do not think that anyone understands this better than a mother. From conception to birth, she is the only source of sustenance for the life within her – and from birth onward, she continues to nourish and care for it.
As we celebrate Mother’s Day, let us always remember our mothers – and anyone who has nurtured as only a mother can – adoptive mothers, stepmothers, grandmothers, foster mothers, godmothers – even single fathers who are often called to be both father and mother to their children.
Abraham Lincoln once said: “All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” An angel is a messenger from God - sent to do God’s work. That is also a pretty good definition of a mother. Happy Mothers Day!