Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”

Taken from the 20th Chapter of the Gospel according to Saint John, Verse 29.

When we think of Jesus’ time on earth we think in very narrow terms. He spent thirty-three years on earth in His human body. Of those thirty-three years, three were spent in public ministry.

We look at Jesus among us, and we wonder, exactly how many people did Jesus touch? How many saw Him?

We know that He fed over five thousand, as we heard on Corpus Christi:

Now the men there numbered about five thousand.

Today He spoke to the twelve. We also know that He sent out the seventy as recounted in the Gospel according to St. Luke:

After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come.

Let’s look at some statistics.

At the time of Jesus the population of Israel was about 550,000 people. Jerusalem had about 70,000 residents.

Jesus went from town to town. People came to him in droves. Remember the commotion when He visited Jericho:

He entered Jericho and was passing through.
And there was a man named Zacchae’us; he was a chief tax collector, and rich.
And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature.
So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way.

Remember the difficulty found in reaching Jesus when he was in Caper’na-um.

And when he returned to Caper’na-um after some days, it was reported that he was at home.
And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them.
And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay.

Jesus was seen by many, including His being seen by over five hundred following His resurrection, as St. Paul recounts:

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,
that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,
and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.
Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

Jesus was a prominent public figure and He was seen by more than that small band we typically associate with Him. It wasn’t just the twelve and a few women. He touched large portions of Israel. Those who didn’t see Him certainly heard of Him. They heard the message.

The prophet Zechariah tells us:

…when they look on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a first-born.

The inhabitants of Jerusalem saw Him. He taught in the Temple precincts daily. He was put on public trial, and was publicly humiliated and executed. They looked on Him whom they pieced.

Jesus was no secret and Zechariah’s prophecy was not unknown.

Yet, the weeping was muted, and was limited to a small band. When Peter stood up on the day of Pentecost many, but not all, came forward to be baptized.

Jesus knew it. He told the twelve:

The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes

Brothers and sisters,

It is to us. We are to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily and follow Him. We are to do so for His promise of salvation. We are to be about making Him known. Is there anything we would not sacrifice for our salvation based on Jesus’ promise?

Whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it.

It is a joyful promise. It is a hope filled promise. It is a promise for us and for all of humanity.

That is why we must preach and teach Jesus. That is why we must talk about Him, about Him more than we would talk about the latest TV show, the great book we just read, the gossip from Hollywood, or our favorites for President. We must proclaim the good news. Jesus is alive. Follow Him!

We inherit that responsibility in our baptism into Jesus, our baptism into His body. The baptism Paul speaks of which makes us heirs of God. Heirs who will inherit heaven.

Christ’s coming will bring to fulfillment Zechariah’s prophecy:

On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.

That day will be brought about by our believing without seeing, by our faithfulness to our call:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

I live by faith in the Son of God
who has loved me and given himself up for me.

Today’s readings and Gospel give us the full bore reality of sin —“ and the answer to sin.

In our first reading the prophet Nathan confronts David with God’s words.

‘I anointed you king of Israel.
I rescued you from the hand of Saul.
I gave you your lord’s house and your lord’s wives for your own.
I gave you the house of Israel and of Judah.
And if this were not enough, I could count up for you still more.
Why have you spurned the Lord and done evil in his sight?

In a deadly concoction of sin, a mixture of lust, jealousy, envy, desire, and corruption David had one of his finest soldiers, Uriah, a humble and righteous man, killed, so that he could take Uriah’s wife as his own. He had already committed adultery, she was pregnant by him, and then he killed her husband. David killed, and the Lord’s anger flared up.

What should David have done? What could David have done to make amends?

Nothing really.

David simply said:

—I have sinned against the LORD.—

To which the prophet of the Lord replied:

—The LORD on his part has forgiven your sin:
you shall not die.—

That, my friends, is trust beyond reason and a love beyond telling.

Jesus visits the house of the Pharisee and dines there.

Now there was a sinful woman in the city
who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.
Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
she stood behind him at his feet weeping
and began to bathe his feet with her tears.
Then she wiped them with her hair,
kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.

She didn’t say anything. She spoke through her actions and her tears.

Later Jesus would say:

—Your faith has saved you; go in peace.—

She had faith, but faith in what? Faith in a prophet? No prophet could forgive sins.

The guests pointed that one out.

The others at table said to themselves,
—Who is this who even forgives sins?—

To the Jewish people the forgiveness of sins required actions. A blood sacrifice in the Temple was necessary. Even with that sacrifice, forgiveness wasn’t a spoken commodity. Only God could forgive, only God knew.

No, the woman had faith, faith and blind trust, like David’s blind trust. She knew that Jesus, who reclined at table, whose feet she bathed and anointed, was God. He who could forgive sins.

You heard the readings and the Gospel. After a joyous Easter season, and the three great post Easter Sundays celebrating the Holy Ghost, the Holy Trinity, and the Body and Blood of our Lord, it’s all a downer. It’s all about sin.

Brothers and sisters,

David didn’t think so, the sinful woman didn’t think so, and Mary, called Magdalene, out of whom seven demons were cast didn’t think so.

David saw, the woman saw, Mary saw. They all saw the great light. Each of them trusted beyond reason, and received love beyond telling. The light of God’s all encompassing love, the richness of His forgiveness.

There is really nothing we can do, other than in our expression of faith. Faith that saves us from sin.

Paul spoke of salvation though works alone, which is impossible. He pointed out that that was the faith of the old Israel.

Each of us lives the full bore reality of sin. In the small things and in the big things we do. We are David, and the sinful woman. All we can say is: —I have sinned against the LORD.—

The answer, as Paul rightly points out, is our faith. Faith that bears fruit in our repentance, and through the works we accomplish by faith.

They all ate and were satisfied.

Taken from the ninth chapter of the Gospel according to St. Luke, verse seventeen.

The Holy Eucharist is a powerful reality, a reality that defies explanation.

The reality of Jesus’ Body and Blood, and our acceptance of that reality, right here, among us, is based solely on faith. You cannot intellectualize it, theologize it, or even contemplate it.

The great southern writer, Flannery O’Connor once attended a dinner. Sitting among the notables of the time the discussion turned to the intellectualization of Catholic practice. Ms. Connor reported:

Mrs. Broadwater said when she was a child and received the host, she thought of it as the Holy Ghost, He being the most portable person of the Trinity; now she thought of it as a symbol and implied that it was a pretty good one. I then said, in a very shaky voice, Well, if it’s a symbol, to hell with it.

We can do lots of symbolic things on a Sunday. We can attend a ballgame and stand for the National Anthem. We can get together with family and prepare a nice meal. We could donate a few hours to visiting relatives that are sick or shut-in. We can visit a cemetery and care for the graves.

We have tons of options.

We could even gather in this building, sing a few songs, shake hands to make amends for the hurtful things we have done, and finish it all off with a roll and butter washed down by a cup of coffee.

This is my hard roll, this is my java, get together in remembrance of me.

As Ms. O’Connor pointed out, if it’s all symbolism, to heck with it. Frankly, I’d rather be back in bed.

Now symbolism is a great thing, but symbols pass. They do not live. They do not carry on, they do not last. Nations fade from the earth, mountains and coastlines crumble, nothing you see standing before you will last, save for one reality, God’s infinite love and His real presence among us. All else can pass, but this will not fail.

The reality of God’s presence among us, in all its fullness, is that essential element that connects us one-to-another throughout all time.

Jesus certainly knew the objections, and he spoke to those:

This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever.”
This he said in the synagogue, as he taught at Caper’na-um.

A symbol does not give life. A symbol, whether it be a reminder of happiness or sadness, victory or tragedy, is lifeless. Only God can give life. Jesus came to give us life.

To assure that fact, and to assure our constant connection to Him, a connection that defies mental gymnastics, He left us with His presence, His body and blood.

He left us with the only thing that can give life, a thing that is not a thing, but a living being.

Indeed, we have God’s powerful reality right here, before us. We kneel to that reality, we prostrate ourselves to that reality, and we pray and sing hymns to that reality. We wear vestments and conduct public rituals to further expose that reality. If it’s not reality, why bother…

My brothers and sisters,

In a few minutes we will enter into the most sacred moments of the Holy Mass. The bread and wine will be offered up and through the power of the Holy Spirit it will cease being bread and wine. Those elements will be transformed, through the power of God, into the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God is among us. He has come to bring us life everlasting.

We will feed on His body and drink His blood. We will carry Him in procession and fall down on our knees before Him.

Most importantly, we will expose Him to the world, and offer His reality to the world.

We will not shut our doors or bar our gates. We will not card check.

Come you who have faith. Eat His body, drink His blood.

They all ate and were satisfied.

From of old I was poured forth

The Solemnity of the Holy Trinity can be seen as day of riddle solving. Well, perhaps not riddle solving. Maybe it is better said as mystery contemplating.

We are confounded in our efforts to understand God because we want to understand Him on terms that are comfortable for us.

Those among us with a mathematical mind try to comprehend the three in one mystery.

Those with a scientific mind seek to understand God by likenesses in the natural and created universe.

Those with a artistic mind look for keys to the mystery of God in music, stanzas describing the mystery of God in poetry, or brush strokes that unlock what is hidden in the canvas.

Those with a romantic mind, or perhaps heart, try to immerse themselves in the mystery of God, perhaps finding comprehension in their immersion in the idea of love.

None of these techniques is wrong, and none are prohibited or ruled out. God reveals Himself in myriad ways because everything that is good is drawn from God. All that is good lives in unison with God.

Brothers and sisters,

In contemplating the mystery of God we could re-cover St. Augustine’s walk on the beach, but to what end? To know that we will be frustrated in our trying?

I began with a line from the 8th Chapter of the Book of Proverbs. Wisdom, which is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was poured forth from of old.

That my friends is the key.

God has poured Himself into our lives. He has involved Himself with us in deep intimacy, right from the very moment of conception in our mother’s womb. He has created us.

In Psalm 139 we hear:

For thou didst form my inward parts, thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise thee, for thou art fearful and wonderful. Wonderful are thy works! Thou knowest me right well;
my frame was not hidden from thee, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.
Thy eyes beheld my unformed substance; in thy book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

Because of the incarnation, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Son, Jesus Christ, we have been born into a saved world.

St. Paul reminds us:

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
to this grace in which we stand

His coming as man has given us an introduction to a mystery so deep that Jesus reminded His disciples:

“To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.”

Jesus summed up the path to solving the mystery of God:

But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.

The Holy Spirit will reveal all of the mysteries of God to us.

Now you may very well ask yourselves, when is this mysterious event going to occur.

My friends, it has.

In our Baptism and Confirmation the Holy Spirit was poured into us. God is poured forth and is self-revealing. He has provided all we need in order to know, understand, and love Him.

His Holy Church provides the structure and the foundational elements necessary to knowledge of God. Through the work of the Holy Church, most especially in the laying on of hands, the Spirit enters our lives to assist us on the journey that began in the womb, where God first touched us. Through the Holy Eucharist our intimate connection to God is renewed.

God’s self-revelation, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are a tremendous gift. When we are confused or frustrated, when we struggle to make sense of God and of our lives, when we cannot see the forest for the trees, God is here. He says, Here I am, this is what I look like, and I look like this because of love.

Understand that, and the door to God’s mystery opens. Love each other, and this is what you will look like, like the sons and daughters of God.

How precious to me are thy thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand.

Justice will bring about peace; right will produce calm and security.

I could use this homily to make a strong case for the enduring sacrifice of our brothers and sisters. They most certainly responded when called upon.

Rather than being paid, they paid, paid with their lives. So it is with those who serve our country with honesty and integrity. They aren’t in it based on dollars and cents. Many would take a grease burn at McDonald’s any day, for a little less money, over an IED along a roadside in Iraq.

No, there is something more important to them. It is, I believe, grounding in ideals, ideals based in the gospel reality Isaiah prophesied;

Justice will bring about peace; right will produce calm and security.

No, I will not make the case for their sacrifice. It’s already apparent, just look at the headstones around you.

In the years ahead we will be seeing more and more markers in places like this. 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry, HQ Company, 1987 – 2007. We will also see more and more of the wounded and crippled coming home. They will search for jobs and apartments that can accommodate them. They will seek services in an effort to readjust, adapt, and make sense of it all. They will come to pray along side us in our parish.

In the years ahead we will see the veterans of the Second World War pass into history and we will see our Korean and Vietnam vets pass as well.

Again, none of these facts are a mystery to us. Common sense tells us that death is inevitable. Our Christian faith assures us no death is void of hope.

Their sacrifice endures, yet we still ask the question: ‘Why?”

St. Paul gives us an insight:

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Our brothers and sisters who have sacrificed thought about those things, and not by accident. Our history, both as a nation and as a people, founded upon the teachings of Jesus Christ, and owing to the patrimony of the Church, taught them to look for, study, and imitate what is right and good, namely sacrifice.

May their sacrifice be an eternal memory. May their sacrifice teach us to do likewise, to stand for what is right and good against all that would oppress us. May their sacrifice inspire our efforts in protecting the oppressed, and battling against all that is selfish, self-serving, and without merit.

In the end, it is our duty to honor, protect, defend, and promote the Gospel, and the way-of-life shown to us by Jesus Christ in the beatitudes. That duty goes beyond presidents, countries, borders, and even time. It is our Christian duty, the same duty those of integrity have stood and died for throughout the ages. It has been passed on to us and is ours to take-up, cherish, and honor.

Amen.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven
staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.

Welcome to the Polish National Catholic Church. Whenever Father Andrew or I go somewhere people inquire about our parish. When we tell them we are from the Blessed Virgin Mary of Czestochowa Parish they say: ‘Oh, the Polish church.” Then they typically start asking us about various Roman Catholic prelates and priests. We gently tell them we are clergy of the Polish National Catholic Church. The typical response we receive: ‘Oh, do you have to be Polish to belong to that Church?’

Some are annoyed at having to explain that the Polish National Catholic Church is truly catholic, that is, universal. Personally I appreciate the opportunity to engage folks in a dialog. Each question is an opening and an opportunity to talk about our faith and beliefs.

The Polish National Catholic Church was established over 110 years ago to do one thing, to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. At its inception it certainly ministered to Polish immigrants, in a language they could understand. It spoke to them in the same way the Apostles spoke to the gathered crowds in Jerusalem on Pentecost day. Those Polish immigrants proclaimed their joy. Like the inhabitants and visitors to Jerusalem they said:

“…yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues
of the mighty acts of God.—

While ethnic identity played a significant role in the Church’s early life, more so did Bishop Hodur’s message of reform.

The heroes of the PNCC, Jerome Savonarola, whose commemoration we celebrated this past Wednesday, and Jan Hus, among others, are all marked by their efforts at Church reform. Savonarola and Hus are martyrs to reform. That message of reform and renewal is the same message people long to hear today. Our history provides us with an opportunity to take up that mantle.

Along with the message of reform, Bishop Hodur and his successors proclaimed the Holy Spirit’s action in our conscience. As Bishop Hodur said:

In the life of a free Christian the voice of conscience is important and is the only healthy standard of human actions. Our conscience, therefore, is our master, our judge and our chastiser. This voice cannot be muffled with impunity. Human conscience can only be influenced by good example, that means, that humanity should be educated in moral matters not by the threat of punishment in hell, not only anathemas or torture but only by the proper education of man. I strongly believe in Divine light, the light of man’s reason and the light of humanity.

Today we speak English, Spanish, Polish, Lithuanian, Norwegian, French, and many other languages. We work on three continents. We are alive solely by the power of the Holy Spirit who is active in each thing that we do.

Our charism and spirituality are something we bear before all people. As St. Paul reminds us:

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God
who produces all of them in everyone.

We are not brand A, B, or C. We are the PNCC, a strong catholic witness to the Catholic faith. A faith that cannot be restrained within the walls of a church, nor within charitable institutions. It is a living and breathing faith that must be proclaimed in what we say and do each day.

Jesus didn’t intend for us to sit in a comfortable place. He calls all to change, grow, and develop, holding true to what is true, and reforming what is broken. He calls all to the challenge of proclaiming the gospel. The challenge of bringing God’s light to the conscience of mankind.

Jesus said to them again, —Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.—
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
—Receive the Holy Spirit…”

Yes, each of us, when we reached sufficient age and education, received that gift. On our Confirmation Day the Bishop extended his hands over us and said those very same words: “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit was breathed into us and we took up the commission: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.—

We have certainly tripped along the way, we have been weak, we have failed in our courage and conviction. Yet He waits. Yet the Holy Spirit continues to call us back and energizes us.

—Receive the Holy Spirit…”

…and do something powerful with what you have received.

Speak to the crowds with the languages you have been given. Speak to the people and make use of the gifts you have received. Speak truth and power, and proclaim the name of Jesus Christ.

I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me

Ok, so where is Jesus. He prayed fervently for us to be one with each other, and one with Him. He prayed that we would be with Him, that we would see His glory.

Do you see it? Do you see Him?

That is the question that lurks in our minds. Where is Jesus? Why can’t I see Him? Why isn’t He pulling my bacon out of the fire?

St. Stephen knew and saw Jesus:

Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God
and Jesus standing at the right hand of God

…and he told the Chief Priest and the Sanhedrin all about it:

and Stephen said, —Behold, I see the heavens opened
and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.—

I wonder if Stephen was thinking about his bacon? I wonder if Stephen was concerned for himself as:

they cried out in a loud voice,
covered their ears, and rushed upon him together.
They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him.

Jesus was certainly with Stephen and gave him a glimpse of the heavenly truth. It is a truth that surpasses all knowledge, a truth that can only be revealed by the light of faith.

The thing that Stephen knew, by light of his profound faith in Christ, is that Jesus is omnipresent. He is real in every aspect of our lives. He comes to us in our dreams and in our work. He sits with us in our loneliness, and at our parties. He loves you and me, through and through, with such a complete love that the saints who pondered it were devastated by its totality.

We are here, in this church, to profess that faith. The statement we make when we say I believe is recognition of the totality of God in all its revealed truth. God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, present in the world and revealed in glory and power. God among us, living through His Holy Church —“ not an institution of bricks and mortar, but a living body —“ consisting of its parts, you and me, and standing before Jesus Christ as His bride.

St. Stephen knew and saw Jesus. St. John learned from Jesus and recounted Christ’s glorious revelation to His Church. The countless multitudes of saints and martyrs, whom we commemorate, attest to the fact that where Jesus is, we are. They attest to the fact that Jesus’ glory is ours to behold.

When you are afraid, fear not. When the fires of the world are going after your bacon, fear not. When you are put on the spot, and the crowd asks, ‘For what reason are you fearless,’ you can rightfully attest:

—Behold, I see the heavens opened
and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.—

You and I have the glorious reassurance of Jesus’ prayer for us. We, the Christian faithful, stand together in attesting to His revelation. We stand as His bride, ready to bring Him into the streets, into homes, into hospitals and nursing homes, into the places where darkness, addiction, betrayal, and abuse live.

We are His children, the light of His glory. What comes bursting forth from us, His Holy Church, His bride, will bring redemption to all who live in darkness and pain. Redemption by baptism and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Do you see His glory? Do you see Jesus?

Yes, my friends, we do. You and I, we are called to do this thing. Jesus’ prayer is not an unanswered prayer. Jesus’ petition to the Father is being brought to fulfillment in us in each prayer, in each Holy Mass, in each rising, in each day of work, in every marriage, in every household.

We are His witnesses.

The Holy Spirit is alive in us. His Holy Church is His bride.

The Spirit and the bride say, —Come.—
Let the hearer say, —Come.—

Let the one who thirsts come forward,
and the one who wants it receive the gift of life-giving water.

The one who gives this testimony says, —Yes, I am coming soon.—
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.

An interesting picture to be sure; a small band gathered together on a hill in Bethany looking up at the sky.

I can imagine what may have been going through their minds. Maybe they felt amazement, expectation, fear, and wonder. Perhaps they experienced other emotions and thoughts.

Think of what they went through. In the past six months Jesus raised Lazarus, was greeted triumphantly, was arrested, tortured, and killed, rose, appeared to them, and was just taken up into a cloud.

People react to what happens in their lives in differing ways. The events of the past forty-three days saw Judas, so irreconcilable, as to choose death by suicide over forgiveness. They saw Peter, so irreconcilable, that he shed tears for days over his betrayal.

There was a lot going on as we say nowadays.

The angels appeared and said something startling. Somewhat akin to: ‘Hey, you, over here. What are you doing?’ Scripture recounts:

They said, —Men of Galilee,
why are you standing there looking at the sky?—

In other words, you should be doing something else.

On this Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord, we are including the anointing of the sick as part of the Holy Mass.

We are doing that for a very important reason.

Brothers and sisters,

When we are sick or troubled we often turn inward. We may give in to looking at ourselves and lamenting our position, our situation.

Now there is no doubt that sickness is horrible; that sickness is a great cross for us to bear. Nevertheless, sickness in the Christian context is more. It is witness to the world.

The angels are speaking to us now, saying: ‘Hey, you, over here. What are you doing?’

Being a person with a chronic health condition gives me some perspective on the issue. The angels are asking me— —What are you doing?—

I need to respond by my choices; choices that are in keeping with my faith.

The world doesn’t want the yuckiness of sickness, the mess, pain, sorrow, and burden. Everyone hopes that their suffering will be short or better yet, non-existent. The world offers solutions, if suffering lasts. Those solutions reject God.

Well, we don’t want the yuckiness of sickness, the mess, pain, sorrow, and burden either. We don’t wish for it. But we know that it will come. So we must make our choice, and our choice is for God.

We have come here tonight. In faith we come to the healer, Jesus, our physician, and we ask Him for healing, for strength, and that we might be molded to Him in our suffering, and in His cross.

We come in faith, seeking enlightenment, securing our belief in the hope we have been given, and seeking the riches of Christ’s glory and the exercise of His power. As St. Paul reminds us:

May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call,
what are the riches of glory
in his inheritance among the holy ones,
and what is the surpassing greatness of his power
for us who believe

We bear witness to Him by our faith, faith that overcomes the yuckiness, pain, and sorrow of the world. We bear witness as He asked.

—and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.—

Before He left them, He raised his hands, and blessed them.

May he bless you, secure your hope, and shower the riches of His glory and power upon you.

Amen.

Chrystus Zmartwychwstał
Prawdziwie zmartwychwstał!

Christ is risen
Truly He is risen! Alleluia

Because there arose no little dissension and debate

A strangle quote from scripture to say the least. But hey, it’s Mother’s Day and doesn’t that line just about capture the essence of what mom is all about.

Deacon, are you saying that mom is about dissension and debate?

Let me explain.

The Judiazers showed up in Antioch and the surrounding areas and immediately went to work upsetting the apple cart. The people of Antioch, especially the gentile converts, were being told to do all sorts of unimaginable things. They had to go and get circumcised, they had to stop eating the foods they liked, they had to follow all sorts of rules and regulations about work, hand washing, etc. The house got a little crazy.

Moms, you know how that goes. Your husband has a bad day at work, your children are frustrated with school, the television, iPod, video games, Internet, and radio are delivering all sorts of messages to your loved ones, telling them how they should act and what they should do. Maybe they even go so far as to develop ideas about how you should act, about who you should be.

So the community got together with their leaders, the ones who were speaking truth, that is, Paul and Barnabas, and they decided to get the final word. Paul and Barnabas traveled to Jerusalem. The Church convened an Ecumenical Council, the first ever, and decided the question. The Judiazers were wrong and the people received true direction.

Moms, when you see things going wrong you speak with your husband and children. You turn off the TV, the radio, and limit the video games, Internet, and iPod downloads. You call a family council and you lead the family in working things out. You set the ground rules and you indicate the way to go. Your family knows that it can come to you for advice, guidance, and love.

The Holy Church, sometimes referred to as Holy Mother Church and moms have a lot in common. Not only do they have a lot in common, but what they have springs from the same place —“ the love of God.

They both have the same mission, entrusted to them by Jesus Christ. I am the way. Show my people the way.

The vision of the life to come, which John cracks open for us, gives us this picture:

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.

The vision is the reality, namely God dwells in the midst of His people; the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is the light among us.

That, my friends, is the present reality and the life to come.

All of us dwell in that reality and that hope. Moms especially carry that reality forward. Their vocation, however it should come to them, reflects that light and passes it on.

Moms, in their cooperation with the Holy Church, and in their vocation, stand as a bulwark against the fits of the world, against the Judiazers, the hypocrites, against all the messages that say: —Do as you please, do as we say, live today, for tomorrow we die.—

Moms have heard the message and have accepted the mission. They know that life is not just the here and now, the fads that fade, the influences that are like the grass that withers, the flowers that fade.

Moms believe in what Jesus said:

Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.

When the messages of dissension and debate come, they, faithful as they are to Christ’s message and mission, live and teach the promise given to all Christians, the message that is in the best interest of those they love.

—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.”

Moms, grandmothers, godmothers, may our Lord ever bless you and enrich you in the graces needed to live out your vocation, to carry forth the message of Christ, and to be His missionary and messenger, standing for good and right against the sins of the world. May our mother Mary watch over, pray, and intercede for you.

Amen.