Deacon
Pat Homily (Saint Joseph – Mother’s Day)
John
15; 9-17 Love One Another-the Supreme Commandment
· If you were going on a long trip, what would you say to your family and friends before you left?
· If your children were moving away from home, what would you say to them?
· If you knew that you were going to see
someone for the last time, what would you say?
In each case you would
probably remind them of your love and care for them, as well as give them some
instructions or words of advice.
Well, not unlike us,
knowing that He was soon to leave, Jesus gave us and his disciples His final
instructions and words of advice.
Today’s Gospel passage is
part of the final instructions that Jesus gave to the disciples the night
before he was crucified.
Jesus knew that the
disciples would not easily find love in the world.
He knew that the world
would largely hate them and His message.
In fact, much of the
world still hates His message today.
How often are Christians
belittled, ignored, or even attacked?
Nevertheless, we, like
the disciples, are called to love each other and our fellow man in spite of
opposition.
When we love each other,
we will experience the joy of obeying God.
When we love one another,
we also allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and grow in us.
But how it grows will
depend on our connection to each other, to God, and to His Church.
The stronger our faith
the more we will do, and it is the things that we do for God and for others
that brings glory to God and strengthens the Holy Spirit within us.
Love for others means
being willing to die for others.
Jesus showed his love for
us by dying on the cross for our sins.
The men and women who
serve in our armed forces also show this same type of love.
·
They and countless others who served were
willing to sacrifice their lives for the freedom of others.
·
They were willing to go out of their way
for others by dying to save their lives.
·
They came to the aid of those who were in
need even at their own personal expense, and they are still willing and ready
to do so today.
Mothers show this same
type of love for their children.
·
More mothers than not would willingly lay
down their lives for their children rather than see them suffer.
·
Their love is freely given and given
without compromise or cost.
·
That is why we honor them so much,
especially on Mother’s Day.
·
They reflect in a powerful and mystical
way, God’s love.
Thank
you, Mothers, for who you are
and
for being that special light and comfort in our lives.
Jesus also showed how far
that type of love can take someone when he died for us.
If Jesus could lay down
his own life for us, isn’t there a part of our lives that we are willing to lay
down or surrender as well?
Maybe it has to do with a
pride, or an unwillingness to help, envy, greed, hatred, an act of forgiveness,
or even something else?
This message that speaks
of love is intimately connected to relationships.
God wants us to have
relationships that are more than superficial.
But relationship building
takes time and requires compassion, wisdom, empathy, kindness, courtesy, and
forgiveness.
When we love one another,
we act as God’s hands and feet to those that he puts in our lives.
Serving others does take
time, effort, and sometimes even a little money but the blessings outweigh the
costs.
We must not forget that
loving others as God loved us is the heart of Christian discipleship.
Christian life can only
exist through these human relationships, especially when they are based on
mutual respect and humane values.
The apostle Peter showed
the same type of love in the first reading.
His love for others,
combined with the visions he and the Roman centurion Cornelius had led Peter to
minister to Cornelius and his family.
When Peter proclaimed the
Good News, the Holy Spirit moved within his audience, and it marked both a
second Pentecost and the spreading of the Good News to all people (not just the
Jews).
If the Holy Spirit could
move in the hearts of Peter’s audience, it can also move in the hearts of the
people in our world today.
Yet, these people will
need to be open to hearing it, and more especially we need to be open and
willing to share it.
If we are to be fruitful
for Christ, we must seek His will for our lives and let Him lead us to what He
wants us to do for others and for Him, even if it seems a little uncomfortable.
Because when we love one
another, we fulfill the second of Jesus’ two Great Commandments, to love thy
neighbor as thyself.
When we love Jesus, He
also becomes our true best friend.
·
Friends have our best interests in mind,
just like Jesus does.
·
Friends will be with us in good times and
bad times just like Jesus is.
·
They help us to expand our world, expose us to
new and creative possibilities, and sustain us when we are in need.
God has chosen all of us
for the purpose of bearing much eternal fruit in such personal characteristics
as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control.
These characteristics
will grow within us and help us when we tell others about Jesus and lead them
into a fruitful and personal relationship with him.
Let’s take a moment and
reflect upon our lives, our lives as Christians.
·
We can say that Jesus is our friend, but
can we say that we are His friends?
·
Do we listen to Him when he speaks to us,
or do we only want Him to listen to us?
·
Do we want to know what’s on His heart and
mind, or do we only want to tell Him what’s on ours?
Being a true friend of
Jesus means listening to what He wants to tell us and then using that
information to do His work in our world and in our lives.
So, with all that has
been shared, what is the true message for us here today?
Simply, the message is:
·
Christ is love, and we are to love as He
has loved, even to the point of willingly laying down our lives for our
friends.
·
And, even if the world shall hate us, we
are to love, and in that love, and service of love, we will be… eternally… united..
with God.
Amen
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