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Fr. Charlie’s Homily - 5-18-2025 – The 5th Sunday of Easter – 830am
Saturday morning our Social Concerns Commission invited almost 36, 37 churches in the area to come together … we used to have a very big and ecumenical group … and I think we had ones that responded and other ones that actually showed up. And the concern was just to brainstorm a little bit about ‘how do we bring the faith back into the lives of the people, in society.’
I think somehow the people have so contorted religion and are using it more as a political weapon than we are hearing what that gospel is saying at any point.
That Jesus, notice how he waits until Judas is gone, and in the second reading, the difference between ‘there is a new creation’ and that the water, the sea is gone. And the point there is you think of the water as the chaos; in this new creation that chaos is gone – it’s focused on Jesus, the Truth.
So, how do we look at that? I hear all kind of numbers of 3000 different Christian denominations; everybody’s got their own idea of what Jesus wants of us and is calling us to do; and I think that’s part of the problem of even getting the ecumenical group together – that there’s such a vast thinking that even they can’t talk to one another.
So, I just feel that in this day and age that it’s important for us to focus. That it is in this new age in which we live. So what does that mean? In the past, we focused on this idea that we born into the faith and it had this structure and there was the rule of law and you lived by it to keep God happy. And so, that’s how we organized our faith and that’s what many Christians today are looking for. And I suppose you could say that that’s the first step. When you think of the child coming in knowledge of faith – you teach ‘em some rules. But eventually, you get to the New Testament, and Jesus reveals God is Love. And there’s the criteria. When we look at the things in the world around us, even what the religious…religions are professing when they say things; is it loving? Is chasing out to the immigrants, is that what Jesus would do? Is it denying the poor just the necessities of life? Is that what Jesus would do? Is this idea of creating conflict? Is that what Jesus would do?
And so, we need to focus on the God who is love. It’s not a God of judgement that we used that to work in the past. But, I think that we came to the realization it’s what these readings are about today. Jesus is showing the intimacy – The Father’s in me, I am in the Father, we are one. And then, Jesus is inviting us to be one with him. That’s what this eucharist is all about – his very Body and Blood; we are so intimately connected that we share in that relationship that he has with the Father. That’s what heaven’s about. And that’s what he came to bring us. And if we could only begin to realize that it is the depth of our love. Each day, are we a loving person or are we self-righteous? Are we just seeking our own welfare, our well-being in this world. And then we wonder why we can’t come together and think of the other first and share what we have with the other and invite the other into our community, that communion of love.
It’s a big challenge these days, I think especially I worry for young people because they don’t seem to even have that ability. When you grow up on a cell phone, where do you build this need for relationships? Where do you experience that love? Somehow, I don’t know what the answer is but we’ve got to bring that understanding back. That’s what glued us together as a church was this common relationship we had with our God. It was more of a parent/child, of course, relationship but it kept us strong in faith. Now, that we’re, responsible, it’s our need to love; if we’re a loving character you’re gonna notice that out there today. “Look at how that person takes care of others, reaches out to others, assists others.” And then, if that love is nurtured, the deeper that love the deeper you grow into God. We gotta get away from this idea that God’s up there keeping points, and if you don’t get enough, you’re not gonna get in, he’s gonna condemn you to hell. I mean, think about it. When I was growing up, if you ate meat on Friday, you were gonna burn in hell. I really worried one day I was on the bus and a piece of cream of wheat came out of my teeth and we always had Mass, and it was a 3 hour fast in those days and I really debated “should I go to communion or not?” I did, but it was that kind of focus on what the faith was for.
And we’ve got to realize that it’s that Prodigal Father just standing there with his arms wide open wanting to put his arms around us. What’s wrong with us? That we aren’t responding with our whole heart and soul to this revelation that is ours in Christ. We are the new creation. We’re living in a new world because we were baptized in the Spirit of Christ. Do our lives recognize that? And do we see the development through our prayer, through this eucharist, through the way we live our life in love? We pray for a deeper appreciation for that gift in our lives. -
