13 May 2007
Homilies | 20 May 2007 | 06 May 2007
Ascension May 20, 2007
19/05/07 18:07
Ascension Sunday, Year C
May 20, 2007

Looking Up or Looking Out?

Anyone here remember the story of Martha and Mary in the Bible, in the New Testament? It’s in Luke 10. Jesus is visiting the two sisters. Martha is busy preparing the meal and doing all the work as hostess, while her sister, Mary, is sitting at the feet of Jesus. Martha gets mad at Mary and says to Jesus, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me." But Jesus says to her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."

Now, most of us can relate to this story. Some of us are Martha’s and others of us are Mary’s. Let’s just do a quick survey. Raise your hands if you are a Martha – always on the go, always the doer. That’s me, too! Now, raise your hands if you are a Mary – more laid back, less busy, less anxious and worried about things.

I have a picture on the screen. It’s of a policeman pulling someone over for speeding. How many here have ever gotten a speeding ticket? Let’s do another survey – what are some of the things you’ve seen people doing when they are driving, stuck in traffic or maybe on the freeway? … [Solicit some responses]

Let’s look at another picture – a guy running on a treadmill. How many of us feel like our lives are kind of like this – fast and going faster, always stressed, always busy! That’s our world today. We are taught that it is good to be like Martha, bad to be like Mary. Those of you who raised your hands about getting a speeding ticket – definitely a Martha!

What’s this next picture? Right – a “couch potato.” Good or bad? Right, it’s bad. At least that’s what society teaches us. It shows laziness, lack of initiative! The world wants us to be always on the run, climbing the ladder of success, working and working and working some more, making money, being productive, being efficient.

But on this Feast of the Ascension, we learn two things: First, we need to be a bit more like Mary. Slow down. Get off the treadmill of going nowhere. Rest. Refocus our lives on what God wants, not what the world and other people tell us. Trust in God, not in ourselves. The result will be less stress because we will be depending on God’s strength, not our own; and because the Lord will help us by recharging our batteries.

But the Ascension also tells us that there is a time and a place to be like Martha. Jesus is sending us out into the world, as missionaries, as his disciples who are called to reach the world for Jesus Christ.

Look at two more images. This first one – Martha or Mary? [Show image of people praying] Right – Mary. I remember years ago, a wise and experienced pastor once told me that when you feel like life is going at a 1,000 miles a minute, everything is a whirlwind and you don’t even have time to catch your breath – most of us feel tempted, in those moments, to cut back or postpone or limit our time of prayer with God; but it is precisely in those moments of greatest stress and greatest pressure when we need to slow down and spend MORE time, not LESS, in prayer with God. The Lord is our source of strength. He will renew us if we spend time with him and allow Him to recharge our weakened or harried batteries.

What’s this second image? Right – mission, serving. The two go hand in hand, but we will ultimately fail at this last, at serving and being missionaries for Jesus, if we don’t first take care of the prayer and the time with God. Martha and Mary – but Mary has chosen the better part!

Ascension is like Jesus giving us the baton in a relay race. He’s entrusted us with carrying for the mission. He’s ascended into heaven with his Father, while we are the ones here on earth to continue what he started – with the help of the Holy Spirit, of course! In our reading, as Jesus ascends and the apostles are looking heavenward, the angel appears and asks, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?” In other words, don’t just stand there, looking up; look first to God, the Holy Spirit for strength and guidance – but then, look out and start meeting the needs of the hurting world that is all around you.

Saint Paul uses the image of a race when he says in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.” But I think it is important to remember that the race is really a marathon, not a sprint. Lots of people start out running strong, eager to serve God; but they fizzle out and they don’t cross the finish line, because they do the Martha part and forget the Mary part – they don’t rest and feed themselves spiritually, and so they become weak and fall out of the race.

How do we accept the baton? A few simple suggestions:

• The first step is to accept Jesus in your heart – allow him to give you the baton and to take charge of your life.
• The second step is to feed yourself so that you can grow strong spiritually – pray, attend church, read the Bible, get plugged into a small faith community where you can grow spiritually with other Christians, attend some of the retreats or mini-retreats or other classes here at the church so that your faith will grow strong.
• The third step: Mission and Ministry. Get actively involved here at the church, serving with your gifts and talents. Become a missionary for Jesus, not just a person who is a spectator, sitting on the sidelines.

Our first reading today – the story of the Ascension, in Acts, Chapter 1, tells us this explicitly. First, Jesus tells his disciples to wait – wait for the Spirit, wait for the Lord to teach and lead and feed and strengthen them. Let’s read it together: “Jesus enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the holy Spirit." (Acts 1:4-5, NAB)

Ask yourself this week – do a bit of self reflection: How am I waiting on the Lord? How am I taking time out to feed myself spiritually and to grow strong in the Lord? Am I taking the spiritual rest I need so that I can be a strong follower of Jesus?

Second, our Ascension reading from Acts of the Apostles tells us that we are to go out as missionaries. Let’s read this together: “But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8, NAB)

Read this carefully. Jesus first says to go to Jerusalem – that’s where they were living; then to Judea and Samaria, the regions nearby; then to the ends of the earth – to the rest of the world. We are to do the same. First, where is your Jerusalem? Who or where is God asking you to serve right in front of your nose – your marriage? Your kids? Others in your family? Your friends, or neighbors or co-workers? And where is your Judea and Samaria – how are you using your gifts and talents to serve others here in this church – our Judea – or in Samaria, our community of the Coachella Valley? There are so many ways to get involved – with children’s ministry, with our teen program, feeding the homeless, visiting the sick. Plug in to something! Call me or our ministry coordinator, Carmelo Calderon, or our Small Groups and Adult Ministries coordinator, Roy Luna, for some ideas. And then, how are we impacting the world? Are we reading about issues? Are we voting? Are we supporting our church’s social justice ministries – immigration reform, health care for children? In the announcements today, one of our young men who is in college is asking your support as he is planning to ride his bicycle in June from San Francisco to Los Angeles to raise money to help persons with HIV or AIDS. Faith in action!

Saint Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians: “I urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love.” (Ephesians 4:1-2, NAB)

“Live a life worthy of the call that you have received from Christ Jesus.” How are we witnesses and missionaries for Jesus? In two ways – through our words; and through our actions.

Martha and Mary – prayer and service, or action. Look at the screen and maybe these two images will help.

First, there is a woman watering a plant. That’s the Mary part – waiting on the Lord, allowing the Spirit of God to reign in our lives, praying, feeding ourselves spiritually so that we can be strong.

Second, there is the image of a magnet. That’s what God wants us to become, contagious Christians, people who attract others to the Lord through our words and actions and our witness to Jesus Christ in the world.

One last image – a picture of a shark. I once read that a shark, when it is a baby, if it is put into a house aquarium, will only grow to be about 6 inches long. But if it is put into the open sea, it can grow up to 8 feet long. Too often, we allow ourselves to be content swimming in our little aquarium, our comfort zone where we never really get challenged – we go to church on Sunday, we try to fulfill our “Christian duty,” at least minimally, but our growth gets stunted. God wants us to become open to the Spirit so that He can change and transform us and enable us to reach our full potential.

Jesus has given us the baton. Are we willing to grab hold of it and run with it?
Ascension Sunday, Year C
18/05/07 21:44
Ascension Sunday 2004

I heard a story last week of a priest on board an airplane who was terrified of flying. He was shaking so much that the passenger next to him asked, “Father, doesn’t your Bible tell you that God will protect you?” The priest replied, “The Bible says, ‘Low, I will watch over you always.’ “

Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension, when Jesus soared upward and left his disciples behind. Spiritually, are we soaring on high? Or do we have our heads tucked down between our knees? Are we trembling, allowing fear to control us, setting our sights too low and missing some of God’s wonderful opportunities?

On your handout, it asks, “Where Are You Looking?” In our first reading today, from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear that as Jesus ascends into heaven, and as his disciples look upward, two angels dressed in white appear and ask the disciples a simple question: “Men of Galilee, why are you looking up into the heavens?”

It’s a good question, not only then, but for us, now. If I had just seen Jesus ascend into the clouds, I certainly would be looking upward, too. But the angels are trying to alert the disciples that the real action, and their mission in life, is not “up there” but “down here” and “out there.”

Many decades ago, when the age of manned space exploration was just beginning, the first Russian cosmonaut to fly into orbit aboard a rocket radioed back to earth in a facetious tone: “I don’t seek God up here!” He was, of course, mocking the United States and mocking Christianity, After all, he was a communist and an atheist. But he was right in one sense – God is not, literally, “up there.” The Bible simply uses symbolic language – which reflects the ancient Hebrew belief that heaven was “up” and hell was “down.” God is everywhere – in and around us, like the air we breathe.

The two angels are trying to get the disciples to pull their heads out of the clouds so they can focus on the work of God down below, and so that they could start to see God in action all around them, not just up in the sky. Where are we looking? Above or below? What is our attitude? Do we simply see a world filled with pain and testing and difficulties? Or do we see a world pregnant with wonderful God-given opportunities? Are we plagued with a spirit of negativity and pessimism – always seeing sour limons? Or do we see lemonade?

Anyone here own a fish tank? If you go to Pet Smart, you can by sharks for your fish tank. But don’t worry! They’re tiny little things – just a few inches long. They can’t hurt anybody! And as long as you keep them in the aquarium, they will never grow larger than about 6 inches long. But if you release the same shark into the ocean, it soon will grow into a ferocious 8-foot-long man-eating shark.

Too many Christians are trapped in their own little fish tanks. They aren’t growing spiritually. They’ve become fat and lazy and complacent. We too easily gravitate toward our comfort zone, and don’t want to budge. But this Feast of the Ascension bids us to change – to look outward from our little aquarium and see a big world out there, full of potential and challenge and work and opportunity.

I remember reading about a guy who wanted God to do some special miracle. But nothing happened. Eventually, the guy got mad at God and yelled, “God, why don’t you do something?” God replied, “I did – I sent you!”

In our reading from Acts, the story of the Ascension is a story about Jesus sending the disciples out into the world on mission. It also is the story of Jesus sending us out on mission. Look on your handouts, and let’s read the story more carefully.

Ascension Sunday, Year C
18/05/07 21:42
Ascension Sunday – Year B
Don’t Look Up! Look OUT!

Life has its ups and its downs, its good moments and its bad. I remember reading a Peanut’s cartoon. Charlie Brown was heading to school, and his mom had packed his lunch, and she had placed a note inside. It read, “Dear Son: I packed this lunch with great love for you. But please remember – always do your homework, stay out of trouble, obey your teachers, never cheat, do your exercise, don’t pick on other kids, be honest, respect your elders, … “ And on and on the list went! When Linus asked Charlie Brown what was in his lunch, Charlie Brown sighed, “I have a sandwich, some cookies and carrots, an apple – and lots and lots and lots of guilt!” Good and bad, ups and downs!

But a lot also depends on our attitude. Here’s a glass a water, for example. Some people look at it and say, “Wow! That glass is half full!” But other people look at the very same glass, and with heads down, they complain, “My glass is half empty!” Some people embrace life with joy and optimism, even when the going gets tough. Others walk around, sad and depressed, weighed down by negativity, no matter what the circumstances – their glass is always half empty.

Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension, and the disciples had to choose between one of two attitudes: A glass is half-empty attitude – Jesus, our leader, is abandoning us, leaving us behind as orphans, what can we do? Or a “glass is half-full” attitude: Wow! Jesus is now going to send us his power, his Holy Spirit, so that we can continue all the great things that he started!

On your outlines today, it says, “Look Down, Not Out!” And that’s basically what the two angels said who appeared to the disciples just as Jesus ascended into heaven, just as those disciples were looking up at the clouds. Those angels were telling the disciples, “Stop wasting time looking up into space! The action is down here! Look down, look out here – because God is not just far off and way up in the heavens. God is here always and at every moment of every day – surrounding us with His great love and his personal affection and care.

On your sheet are five series of circles. Each series represents a different world view. The top circle represents heaven, or the spiritual world. The bottom circle represents earth, the materialistic world.

Now notice the first series of circles, where it says “Pre-Scientific” or “biblical” view. The two circles are connected by an arrow. This is the way that people viewed reality at the time of Jesus, when the Bible was being written, before the invention of science. In those days, before the dawn of modern science, people believed that the earth was flat, not round – and that heaven was up, literally, and hell was down. If you built a ladder high enough, you would reach God up there, or if you dug a hole deep enough, you would reach the devil, down there. The two worlds were connected – if there was war in heaven between God and Satan, there was also war below on earth – so that’s why there is an arrow connected the two worlds.

The writers of the Bible embraced this pre-scientific world view, which is why Jesus ascends up through the clouds – toward heaven, which they believed was literally up there! Of course, we no longer believe that today, because we no longer embrace this pre-scientific world view.

But why is this important? Because some people still believe in this simplistic world view. Anyone here ever had someone knock on your door – maybe a Jehovah’s Witness or another similar group – trying to convince you to quit your Catholic religion and join their church? These groups often believe in a simplistic, pre-scientific, literalistic interpretation of the Bible. And they come door to door with colorful picture Bibles, peddling simple black-and-white answers to life’s complicated problems, looking for gullible Catholics who don’t know much about their faith – and they trap these Catholics into buying into their simplistic black and white gospel. After all, a lot of people want simple black and white answers. They don’t want to have to work very hard at their faith. They buy hook, line and sinker into the simplistic message of these sects. But be careful – real faith is grey, not black and white. It’s a lot more complicated than just a God up there, a devil down below, and us in the middle.

Let me give you an example from our gospel today. Jesus says that if we have faith, we will be able to drink poison and hold poisonous snakes. Anyone here want to give that a try? Of course not! The Bible is exaggerating here to make a point! But some groups that look at the Bible literally will actually invite members to hold poisonous snakes or to drink poisonous snake venom – just to test their faith and because they take the gospels literally!

Now look at the next series of circles – the spiritualistic world view. Here, there is an “X” through the bottom circle. There are some people who believe that everything in this world is bad and sinful. Life is just a “valley of tears” – a journey of suffering that we must endure so that we can get to our reward in heaven. Have you ever known people like that? Life has no joy for them! Only the spiritual counts, but not the material world. So they spend all their time at prayer or in church or in reading the Bible, but neglect other important matters like taking care of their children. But they are not happy people. And this spiritualistic world view is a distortion – because God made and loves everything, including us, including His creation.

The next series of circles, the materialist world view, is the exact opposite of the spiritualistic world view. Here, the “X” is through the top circle, the spiritual. That’s because these people deny that the top circle even exists. They do not believe in God. They believe that religion is just the invention of a small group of priests. They focus all their energy on the here-and-now, on the material world, on money and materialism and pleasure. On themselves.

The fourth series of circles represents the modern world view. Notice that the two circles are not even touching. This is where people say, “I believe in God” – but the spiritual world, the world of God, doesn’t really affect them very much. It’s as if the two worlds do not touch. They may go to church on Sunday, and squeeze God into a tiny box of one hour a week. But for the rest of the week, Monday through Saturday, they sort of forget about God and live just like the materialists, so caught up in the things of this world that God really doesn’t have much impact in their day to day life.

But now look at the last series of overlapping circles – the integral world view. This is what the Feast of Ascension is about. God is not way off “up there” – God is right here, all around us. We just need to have eyes of faith to see. Don’t stare up at space. Don’t look up. Look out. See God in the everyday ordinary experiences of life, every day, Sunday through Sunday – in the faces of your children, in the struggles at work, in the grocery store line, stuck in traffic, when saying hi to friends and neighbors. God wants our lives to be balanced, interconnected, whole!

In 1961, the Russians launched the first human into space, a cosmonaut named Yuri Gagarin. In those days, Russia was a communist country. Their official “religion” was atheism. He radioed back to earth, sarcastically, “I don’t see God up here. See, God does not exist!” And of course, as we know, God is not literally up there. But a few months later, the U.S. launched its first manned space flight. When U.S. astronaut John Glenn got up into space, he radioed back, “I am surrounded by the beauty and the glory of God! I see God everywhere up here – in the stars, the moon, the earth below!” What is the difference? Eyes of faith. Don’t look up, look out.

Now look back on your sheets. It says, “Our Hope.” Let’s read from Acts about what the apostles were hoping for: “When they had gathered together they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6)

They were expecting the Kingdom of Israel, the Kingdom of God – a world without war or violence, without hunger or poverty, without racism or discrimination, without sickness or death. We hope for the same! But is it here yet? NO! And why not? Because the Ascension is about Jesus handing off the baton to us – we are God’s hands and feet – God has given us the task, the privilege, the responsibility of building that Kingdom of God. And we haven’t yet completed our task.

There are two parts to the Mission that Christ has given us. Both are written on your sheets.

The first is to WAIT. Jesus told his disciples, just before he left them, “not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for "the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak.” (Acts 1:4) What is this promise that they are to wait for? The coming of the Holy Spirit, God’s strength and power and wisdom as Spirit that will live inside them and guide them. We can’t do it on our own. We will fail if we depend just on our own energy and strength.

How many of us here have struggles today? Maybe with kids. Maybe at work. Maybe we’re just not making enough money to survive. Maybe someone in the family has cancer or some other sickness. Maybe we are suffering the pain of marriage problems, or a divorce or separation, or an addiction to drugs or alcohol. Are we trying to solve the problem alone, all by ourselves? It won’t work! That’s why we need to lean on God, and let God take over our problems and to transform them. We need to wait on his Holy Spirit. And that’s why God gave us this family, the church, so we never have to walk alone – we have companions, helpmates, to walk with us on this journey.

The second part of our mission – after waiting on God, after depending on his help and strength through the Holy Spirit: GO. In our gospel Jesus tells the disciples, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) Here’s the baton – run. You are now my witnesses and my missionaries.

But let’s read together this next part, because it is so very, very important, in Acts 1:8. Jesus says, "You will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

For a few seconds here, we’re going to take this verse apart. It is so short, so often overlooked, but it is our guide, our roadmap. First, Jesus promises power and the Holy Spirit to help us be his witnesses. But where? First, Jerusalem, then Judea, then Samaria, then to the ends of the earth.

Where were the disciples when Jesus said this to them? Right – Jerusalem. Jesus isn’t saying for us to go, buy an airplane ticket to Jerusalem so that we can follow him. He’s saying that Jerusalem is right here, where you are now. Our starting point, our beginning, is right here in our own Jerusalem, in our own backyard: Be a witness for Jesus to your kids, to your spouse, to your family.

Next he says, Go to Judea. For the disciples, Judea was like the county surrounding Jerusalem. For us, our Judea is our neighborhood, our school, our stores, our workplace. Go out as a witness for Jesus to the friends and family around you.

Then comes Samaria. For the Jews of Jesus’ day, Samaria is where the Samaritans lived. This is the place where outcasts lived. Are there outcasts today? What about those with AIDS or cancer? The homeless? The undocumented? The abandoned and unwanted? Children and babies who are discarded or unloved? Those enslaved to alcohol and drugs? God loves everyone. We are all God’s children.

Finally, to out to the ends of the earth. We start to transform our world when we start to transform our own Jerusalems, our own Judeas, our own Samarias. And when we support missionaries – like every Sunday, when our parish tithes 10 percent to support missions in Africa, in India, in Bangladesh, in Haiti, in Mexico, in Latin America – we are living out Jesus’ command to take his Good News to the ends of the earth.

Now turn to the back side of your handouts. Here’s how.

First, we need to see ourselves as God sees us. And some of the ways God sees us are written down on your sheet: God accepts us, sees us as valuable, as adorable, as forgivable, as capable. We need to start here, because a lot of people don’t see themselves as beloved and capable children of God. They say, “I can’t do that” or “I’m not worthy to serve in that way.” But it is all a big lie from Satan. We are God’s children. He loves us and gives us the power!

Look what St. Paul says in our second reading today, from his letter to the Ephesians. Let’s read it together: “Each one of us has received a special gift in proportion to what Christ has given…. It was he who "gave gifts to people"; he appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers. He did this to prepare all God's people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body of Christ. And so we shall all come together to that oneness in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God; we shall become mature people, reaching to the very height of Christ's full stature.” (Ephesians 4:7, 11-13)

These are our marching orders! We all have gifts, but none of us has all the gifts, so we need one another! Our task is to serve, to build up the Body of Christ, to become one, to become – notice this word – “mature” so that we can imitate Jesus and reach to the “very height of Christ’s full stature.” This is God’s plan for us. We doesn’t want us to remain as spiritual infants – babies drinking milk. He wants us to grow up and become mature believers who eat solid food. That’s why we need to take the baton and become missionaries for Christ, not just spectators.

Listen to what else Paul says to us in Ephesians: “Be always humble, gentle, and patient. Show your love by being tolerant with one another. Do your best to preserve the unity which the Spirit gives by means of the peace that binds you together.“ (Ephesians 4:2-3) That’s our homework assignment.

And to make this really simple, it all boils down to one question: Will you say “yes” or “no” to taking the baton and becoming a missionary and a worker bee for Christ. Will you say “yes” to seeing God all around, out there -- to becoming the hands and feet of Jesus to reach out to those who are hurting and in need, to become a witness for Jesus in your own Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth? Or will you just look up at the clouds, stay seated in the pews, doing nothing and saying “No” to the call of God?

Several years ago, I bought an aquarium. I always wanted to buy a shark for the aquarium. And did you know that if you buy a shark for an aquarium, it will always stay small and not dangerous – just a few inches long, no matter how much food you give it? That’s because in the small confines of an aquarium, and shark cannot grow very large. But if you put that same shark out into the Pacific Ocean, it will quickly grow into a 4- or 5- or 6-foot man-eating monster! Too often, we Catholics are like a baby shark inside an aquarium – we’re happy with our aquarium, with going to Mass on Sunday and maybe giving up something for Lent and saying a rosary – but we’re really not growing spiritually. We’re just biding time, going through the motions of life. The ocean is out there – our Jerusalems and Judeas and Samarias – and we need to leave the safe aquarium if we are to grow and complete the mission that Jesus has given to us.

On your sheets is one way to leave the aquarium. Next Thursday, July 12, at 6:30 p.m. here in the church, we are going to have a Ministry Night. Everyone’s invited. We’re going to try to organize our ministries for next year. If you want to leave the aquarium and get more involved, come to that Ministry Night and we’ll show you how to get plugged in and start to become a worker and a missionary for God’s Kingdom.

So finally, look on your sheet at what happened to the first disciples of Jesus. They said yes. They took the baton. Our gospel tells us, “So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere,” – and now, notice what happened -- “the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.” (Mark 16:19-20)

If we but say “Yes” and accept the baton, if we go out to our own Jerusalems and Judeas and Samarias, if we start looking out and not just looking up – then God will also work with us, and confirm his presence through miracles and signs. Our lives will be transformed, and through us, God will start to transform the lives of others as well. God bless!
6th Sunday of Easter 2007
13/05/07 20:06

6th Sunday of Easter, Year C
May 13, 2007

What the World Needs Now… (Part 2)

Last week, on Tuesday at the Youth Mass and at the children’s Masses last Sunday, I began my homily with this phrase: “What the World Needs Now Is…” Can anyone finish the sentence? Right! Love.

When I was a teenager, these were the words to a popular song. [Play the beginning of the song] How many have heard those words? And they are true, aren’t they? We live in a world of war and violence, hatred and fear. The world really needs more love!

Today, we celebrate Mother’s Day, which is a celebration of love. Where do children learn about love? Right! -- at home, from their moms (and from their dads)! This is not a religious holiday. Back in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared that the second Sunday of May every year would be dedicated to the honor of mothers. But religious holiday or not, us priests would get lynched if we didn’t at least mention it, and that’s because our mothers are so very important to us, and because they really are our first teachers about love.

I heard a humorous story about a young man who told his mom, “I have great news! I’m going to get married!” Mom said fine, but she wanted to meet the young bride first. So the next day, the young man brought three women to his house for his mom to meet. He told his mom off to the side, “One of these is my bride-to-be. See if you can tell which one it is.” Mom invited the three young women into her living room and talked with them for almost an hour. Then she came out to look for her son and told him, “I know which one it is. It’s the one sitting on the left, right?” The young man, astounded at his mother’s discernment abilities, told her, “Why, that’s exactly right – but how did you know?” The mother explained, “O, it was really simple. She was the only one I didn’t like.”

Last week, I came across these words of wisdom, source unknown, from 2nd graders, who were asked to answer the questions about their mothers. The first question was this: “Why did God Make Mothers?” Here were some of their answers:

1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.


Next question: How did God make mothers?

1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.


Next question: What ingredients are mothers made of?

1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.


Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?

1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.


What kind of little girl was your mom?

1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.


What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?

1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?


Why did your Mom marry your dad?

1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats alot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.


What does your Mom do in her spare time?

1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.


What would it take to make your Mom perfect?

1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.


If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?

1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on her back of her head.


Watch this following short film clip about mothers – about what our mother’s taught us. [Show film clip]

Now look on the screen. What is showing? Right, a magnet. I read a story last week about a school teacher who was teaching the children in her science class about magnetism. The next day, she surprised them with a quiz. It consisted of just one question: “My name has six letters in it, begins with an “M” and I pick up things – what am I?” Many of the kids, instead of answering “M-A-G-N-E-T,” wrote instead, “M-O-T-H-E-R.” But let’s move beyond Mother’s Day and continue our discussion about love.

God wants our life to be magnetic – Spirit-filled, contagious, attractive like a magnet. Last week, on Friday, we celebrated another big event in our parish – Confirmation of our teens. The bishop was here and confirmed 89 of our young people. And I must say, I was really impressed with our kids. They obviously learned from their great mothers and fathers! These kids were so enthusiastic about following God! Let’s ask some of our Confirmation kids to stand. Let’s give them a big applause! And are there any kids from last year’s Confirmation? You, too, please stand! Give them applause – you’ve persevered, you’re still here, loving God with that magnetic enthusiasm and excitement that only comes when we have a life-energizing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. A few weeks ago, our Confirmation teens were on a retreat up in the mountains, and they made the following video. Watch their enthusiasm! [Show video]

There are all kinds of love – family love, friendship love, romantic love – but the most important is agape love, which is the love that Jesus taught us. It’s unconditional, no strings attached. It’s the love that goes beyond just our family and friends and reaches out to the weak, the hurting, the poor, the marginalized, and even to our enemies. That’s the kind of love Jesus wants us to enjoy.

Our gospel gives us three simple lessons today. First: Love requires obedience. “Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever loves me will keep my word.’ ” (John 14:23, NAB) Let me illustrate. I’ve asked one of our kids to come up and help me. [Invite child forward] Does your mom love you? How does she show you that she loves you? [Answers: She cooks, cleans, hugs and kisses me, washes my clothes, takes care of me when I am sick, etc.] Do you love your mom? How do you show your mom that you love her? [house chores, homework, hugs, a Mother’s Day card or gift, etc.] You see, love – if it’s just a word – is meaningless and empty. We show love through our actions. And it’s the same with God. Love requires obedience.

Second: Love never fails. It’s the strongest force in the world. It can move entire nations. In our gospel today, Jesus tells us that we are never alone. “The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my mane – he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” (John 14:26, NAB) That’s what our teens experienced at Confirmation – God’s power, God’s Spirit, like a magnet, transforming and strengthening them.

Third: Love produces contentment and joy and peace. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27, NAB) Notice: This is not a promise that life will be easy-street if you follow God. Life will have its struggles and difficulties – but God will give you peace -- a deep, inner sense of joy and contentment – when you love Him and follow Him and are obedient to Him. When you let him transform and magnetize your life.

A final image: A mom watering a plant. Love needs to be watered and nurtured if it is to grow strong. That’s what parents do. They water and nurture love in their children. And hopefully, they are watering and nurturing more than a selfish, egotistical type of love just for family and friends, but rather, Jesus’ agape love for all people. Someone once wrote these powerful words of advice to parents:

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world.

Anyone here ever heard of the K.I.S.S. Principle? “Keep It Simple, Stupid.” Growing in love isn’t complicated. It’s like watering a plant, little by little, but persistently, each day. That’s also how our love for God grows. On your handout are some simple questions and some simple, first steps, baby steps, to help your love grow for God and for other people:

• Do I miss Mass frequently? Commit to attending every Sunday.
• Do I forget to pray at home? Start praying before meals or with your kids at bedtime.
• Do I attend Mass but never get involved in a ministry? Plug in to a ministry you enjoy! We have hundreds! (children, teens, adults, elderly, sick, music, liturgy, justice, office, maintenance, retreats…)
• Do I need to learn more about my faith? Join a Bible study group!
• Would a retreat do me good? Attend a mini-retreat or a weekend retreats?
• Teens: Bored with church? Come to Tuesday Youth Night at 6:30 p.m. or help on Sundays with the Children’s Church at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. or 1 p.m.
• Am I grumpy and stressed out? Smile more… give more hugs!
• Too much family stress? Take time out with your spouse. Spend special time with your family. Make a special date with each of your kids!
• Do you get angry when caught in traffic? Listen to some Christian music or a Christian tape. Pray for the other poor schmucks who are also trapped in traffic with you.


Little things. On your screen is the image of a man, running on a treadmill, but going nowhere. Sometimes, that is what happens to us. We are going, going, going, running, running, running, but we are going nowhere. Slow down. Focus on the most important things – God, family, relationships, people. Take some baby steps in the right direction. Start to water the plant. See if God won’t send His Spirit to electrify and magnetize your life.

One final video clip – which, again, I used last week at the Youth and Children’s Masses – Austin Powers, playing Doctor Evil, and his son, Scott. [Show clip] Is there any love in this family? Clearly, no! Do you want a family like this? Definitely, no! So one final small step in watering that plant and allowing God’s love to grow – please, everyone, stand! Smile at someone next to you. Give someone near you a hug or handshake. Show the world that we are a family that loves! God bless!

6th Sunday of Easter 2004
13/05/07 08:16

Easter 6-c 2004

I heard a story the other day about the devil knocking on heaven’s door to talk to Saint Peter. He suggested a soccer competition – heaven’s team versus hell’s team. Saint Peter agreed, but reminded that devil that all the best soccer players and coaches were in heaven. The devil replied, “That’s OK. We have all the referees here.”

Joking aside, life can seem like a competition, or even full out open warfare, between heaven and hell, between the forces of good and God and the forces of Satan and evil. And it’s easy to get discouraged.

We were reminded of that in a graphic way over the last few weeks. Look with me on the TV screen for a moment, or at the photos on your handout. These are a few of the horrific images that have bombarded our sensibilities, reminding us that evil is alive and well. The first picture is of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. The next picture is the sadistic shot of el Queda terrorists as they prepare to behead an American prisoner, Nick Berg. The last two photos are of the horrible abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison in Bagdad.

What are we to make of these horrible images? Is evil winning the day? And what does it mean when our gospel tells us, “Do not let your hearts be troubled”? How can our hearts NOT be troubled?

Our readings today offer us God’s guidance. Let’s begin with today’s second reading, from the Book of Revelation. We need to remember that the Jews of the first century experienced their own “9-11” in the year 70 A.D., when the Romans came and completely destroyed the Jerusalem Temple. On the TV screen is a picture of that Temple. It was magnificent, and it was the centerpiece of Jewish worship and Jewish religion. It was considered to be the very house of God, and was one of the wonders of the ancient world.

The Book of Revelation was written AFTER the Jewish 9-11 – after the Temple has been destroyed. Notice what the writer says: I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb. The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the Lamb. – Revelation 21:22-23

What the writer of the Book of Revelation is trying to tell us is that God is our Temple, that God gives light to our world and to our lives through His Son, Jesus, the Lamb. Revelation gives us a glimpse of heaven, of what lies ahead. And it also instructs us on how to find God’s peace here and now – not in Temples of stone and mortar made by human hands, but by trusting in the Lamb who died for us and has been raised from the dead.

Today, there are many spiritual “wars” going on. On the world level, terrorism, war, violence, starvation, hunger, poverty, the A.I.D.S. epidemic that is ravishing the continent of Africa. The list goes on and on. Does anyone here have a son or daughter, brother or sister or other relative in Iraq, in the military? That is a source of worry and anxiety, I am sure!

And on the personal level, we face our own battles and obstacles – maybe a divorce or an illness, or anger or maybe we can’t find a job. All of these things can rob us of a sense of peace.

Our readings today first want to remind us that God wants us to experience peace. That’s why Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you.” I think we really need to let that message sink deep into us, so we can really start to believe it. “Peace I leave with you.” Let’s all repeat those words of Jesus –

Do you believe those words?

Secondly, the Bible instructs us on HOW to experience God’s peace. In our gospel today, Jesus tells us, “My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. – John 14:27

Real peace is different from what the world offers us. The world’s peace is based on the use of power and force. Our armies will impose peace through their might. But God’s peace is based on surrender and submission, on trusting God and letting God control our lives.

The world tells us we will find peace through things like fame, riches, beauty, popularity, hard work, pleasure, getting a good education, or maybe escaping from the world through drugs or alcohol. But the world’s so-called peace is a lie. The only real peace is in God.
Have you ever known people who just seemed to always be at peace with themselves and the world, no matter what fires were burning all around them? They just seemed to have this deep sense that God was with them. Last week, I was reading about a man who – when asked how he was doing – would always reply, “I’m still breathing.” At first, it seems that his response was just a curt and cutesy brush-off, but it wasn’t. “I’m still breathing” meant he was grateful to God for giving him each day’s new breath, and that he wasn’t going to let bills or kids or life’s other preoccupations distract him from what was most important – simply living in the moment, enjoying life fully. Last week, two friends of mine lost their jobs. If I were in their shoes, I would be in a panic. But they weren’t. In fact, both of them told me, with a deep sense of inner tranquility, “God will provide. All will be well.” Even in the worst of tragedies, God tells us, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. All will be well.”

On your sheet are five concrete guideposts for discovering God’s true peace in life. We’ll look through each one briefly. In your mind, maybe place a mental checkmark next to any of these that you think you need to work on.

The first is obedience. In our gospel today, Jesus says, "Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. – Juan 14:23

So much of life’s pain is the result of us disobeyed God. We want to be in control of our own life. We don’t want to let God in to run our lives. But then, we are mad at God later when things fall apart. There are so many examples of this. We marry someone for the wrong reasons, then wonder why we and our families are miserable. Or we drown ourselves in work or drinking or gambling and wonder why life is not going the way we would like. It’s like choosing to smoke, then wondering why later we end up with lung cancer.

Of course, none of us is perfect, and we all make mistakes. But obedience isn’t about being perfect. It’s about an attitude – are we trying to follow God, or are we not? I want to say this in the strongest way possible, because it needs to be said, but we don’t like to hear it: It is IMPOSSIBLE – COMPLETELY, UTTERLY, TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE to find ultimate real genuine peace and contentment in life if we are living in open rebellion and disobedience to God. That’s why Jesus said so often, CHANGE! REPENT!

I’ve known many people who really don’t want to change their unhealthy and disobedient lifestyle. They might pay lip service to following God, but they don’t really mean it. They’re moderately happy with things the way they are, and they really aren’t interested in finding something better. They think that following God will mean giving up forbidden pleasures that they really don’t want to give up. They think being obedient to God will be hard and will make them miserable. If anyone here is like that, sitting on the fence and not ready to make the changes God wants you to make, I want to tell you some Good News right now. Once you turn your heart and life over to God, it’s NOT that you now need to give up all the sinful pleasures and gut it out but feel this deep pain. No! God works a heart transplant in you – he takes away the very desire for those unhealthy sins and habits. You no longer want to live a life of sin. It isn’t even pleasurable anymore. That’s the peace that God gives us. We are freed from slavery to sin – really free. And that’s how God gives us the gift of inner peace.

The second and third guidepost: We find God’s peace through trust in God, and through following God’s guidance and direction. Jesus wants us to not worry about our future. He’s in control. The future is his problem, not ours. That’s a huge load off our shoulders! And he will steer us and guide us. All we need to do is listen. In our gospel today, Jesus tells us: "I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name--he will teach you everything and remind you of all that (I) told you. -- John 14:25-26

The fourth guidepost is passion and enthusiasm for God. Some people are passionate about all the wrong things – stupid, silly things life a sports team or a hobby. I like sports and I like hobbies, but life does not revolve around sports or a hobby. In this valley, there are lots of people who are passionate about golf. Nothing wrong with golf, mind you – but it is not the most important thing in life! God placed each of us on this earth for a purpose, for a reason. We have certain gifts and talents. If we do not use what God has given us and if we do not complete the mission on earth that God has designed for us, then our lives will – in the end – feel wasted and empty, and we will not find real peace. Let’s read the verse on your handout from Isaiah: You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you! – Isaiah 26:3

The final guidepost for finding God’s peace is to develop margin, or balance in your life. We talked about this a bit last week, but it is so important that I think it bears repeating. We need space in life for God. We can’t always be on the treadmill, running and running but going nowhere. Just like pages in books and magazines have margins around the edges so that they are readable and pleasing to the eye – the words and letters and sentences don’t go out to the very last edge of the page – our lives also need margin, space, balance so that we can pray, we can be quiet with God, we can take time with our family. In today’s society, margin and balance are rapidly disappearing in people’s lives. The result is stress, which is the opposite of peace. Look at the verse on your sheet from Psalm 127: It is senseless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, fearing you will starve to death; for God wants his loved ones to get their proper rest. – Psalm 127:2

The bottom line: God wants what is best for us. God wants us to experience real freedom, real inner peace, real fullness of life. True peace is an inner attitude or disposition, a “philosophy” of life that says I will choose to trust in God instead of to worry and fret. Jesus means it when it says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”