Homily Trinity B: The Trinity at the Centre of our faith and life

 Homily for Trinity Sunday Year B 2021

Deuteronomy 4:32-34,39-40, Romans 8:14-17 · Matthew 28:16-20

Introduction

Imagine someone asked you: “What is the central mystery of the Christian faith and life?  Perhaps you would point to the resurrection, that great event that save us; or for those who like Christmas very much, it would be the birth of Our Lord.  Others might look at the Eucharist, and others still the Blessed Mother, through whom the Saviour came into the world.

But these answers, while not wrong, would not be entirely correct.  For the Catechism 234 tells us that “The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life.”  This is because, the mystery of the Holy Trinity, “is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the ‘hierarchy of the truths of faith’”.  In fact, “The whole history of salvation is identical with the history of the way and the means by which the one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, reveals himself to men ‘and reconciles and unites with himself those who turn away from sin.’"  Today’s feast, even though it is not as glamourous as Christmas or Easter or even Pentecost, celebrates the most central mystery of our faith and life as Christians. 

But the mystery of the Trinity, that God is One, and yet three persons, is neither easy to understand nor easy to explain.  That is why theologians throughout history have tried to use various analogies to explain how there can be three persons in one God: St. Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock, St. Ignatius used the musical chord which has three notes, and modern theologians use the image of water, which can assume the three states of steam, ice and liquid.

But all these images fall short; they don't really leave us understanding the Trinity any better.  For God is a mystery whom the human mind can never fully grasp. That is why in some Eastern religions, before people pray in front of a statue representing God, they apologise for having to pray to him in that form, when in fact he is formless and he is everywhere.  They understand that the human mind is limited in its ability to grasp God completely.

Scripture and Theology and Christian Life

And so, we too have to humble ourselves before God and admit that our knowledge of him has limits.  And yet we don't give up on the Holy Trinity.  And so, I would like to offer three ways we can relate with the Holy Trinity: knowledge, prayer and action.

First, we must attempt to know our God as much as he has revealed himself to us, as much as we are able.  Perhaps the best way to understand the Trinity is to reflect on the Scriptures, on what he himself has told us.

Although the mystery of the Trinity was only fully revealed in the New Testament, scattered in the Old Testament are hints of this mystery.  Of course, the focus of the Old Testament is on monotheism, belief in One God, given the presence many nations at the time that believed in many gods.  And so, for example, in today’s first reading, Moses reminds the people of Israel to believe in this one God and Lord of theirs and no other.  And yet during creation, this one God who creates the world says, “let us make man in our own image,” speaking in the plural and so hinting at a God with more than one person.  And the name by which he is addressed, Elohim, is not in the singular, but in the plural, as other Hebrew plural words like anawim (God’s poor people), goyim (the Gentiles).  It is this God, whom Jesus comes to reveal as Father, and Son and Holy Spirit.

Perhaps the clearest indication of the Trinity are the words of Jesus as he commissions his disciples in today’s gospel telling them, “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.” Notice that Jesus indicates the Christians are to be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, clearly naming the three persons of the Trinity.  But he also doesn’t say, baptize them in the names (plural) of but in the name (singular) of because the three persons are One God.

Our Second Reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans also screams the Trinity.  Without even directly naming the three persons, Paul is simply assuming that the God he is preaching is a Triune God.  In that short paragraph he reminds us that when we pray, we pray to an “Abba Father,” a God who is Father.  He says we are able to do that only because we have received the Spirit of adoption, adoption as sons and daughters of God; thereby testifying to faith in God the Spirit.  And the only reason we are adopted sons and daughters of God is because of the Son, Jesus Christ, with whom we are joint heirs of the Kingdom; because God the Son has conquered death and brought about glory, he has shared that inheritance with his followers, who will now be gloried with him.  For St. Paul, therefore, there is no doubt that our God, is one God in three persons.

And so, perhaps instead of looking for helpful analogies of what the Trinity is, let us just listen to the words of God himself.  He is God the Father who creates and provides for us.  He is God the Son who gives his life for the world.  And he is God the Spirit that continues to inspire and guide us today.

Second, after knowing that our God is a Trinity then we pray to him as such.  In the Creed we are about to recite, in the sign of the Cross with which we begin every prayer, in the formula of with which our children are baptized and our sins forgiven in confession, and in the formula by which we are blessed by the deacon or priest, we acknowledge the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Even the basic prayer, the Our Father, reminds us of the Trinity; for it in we address God the Father, using the words taught us by the Son, inspired to do so by the Spirit.

Thirdly, after knowing and praying to this Trinity, we must put this knowledge and prayer into action.  Let the Trinity be a model of our own Christian lives.  Pope Benedict XVI suggests that we look at the Trinity as a family in love.  Such a family is a community of love where differences, such as being a father or mother, a parent or child, male or female, contribute to forming a communion, a life of love.  Similarly, the distinctions of Father, Son and Holy Spirit are ways of loving within the Trinity.  In fact, only the Christian God is a God who does not just love but is love itself.  Our God is love.  His very being is an eternal love shared by Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  In the Trinity we see a union, a working together of three persons for the same end of loving us.  At one moment the Father takes centre stage, at another, the Son, at another the Spirit; but they always work together and nobody hogs the credit.

And so, this shared love of the Trinity should inspire our own lives.  We should see the human community as one, and yet as diverse in the same way the Trinity is One and yet threefold.  Like the Trinity, let us live out the motto of this country e pluribus unum (out of many one), building a diverse but united community.

Yesterday morning I attended the priestly and diaconate ordinations in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.  In his homily Bishop Fabre decried the contemporary temptation and tendency to individualism, which expresses itself in many ways.  One of these is the mistaken belief that “I am able to accomplish many things solely on my own efforts, because I am totally self-sufficient.  I don’t need anybody and other people’s involvement is more of a hindrance rather than a blessing.”  The bishop warned the newly ordained to avoid this temptation.  We would also do well do heed the bishop’s warning and instead turn to the love and union of the Trinity, which works as one, even if they are distinct individuals.  There should be no lone rangers among Christians.  On our journey to heaven, we need the help of others, who are often diverse from us.  But we act as one, just as the Son and the Father are one, in unity with the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion

And so, let our celebration of the Most Holy Trinity inspire us not just to live in love with each other so as to get along here on earth, but let it be a preparation for life on the other side.  There, we shall live in love and union, not only with each other, but especially with the Father and the Son, in fellowship with the Holy Spirit.  That should be our hope and inspiration; let the love of the Trinity draw us into itself, so that one day we shall share that love for eternity.

Homily for Pentecost B: The Holy Spirit: the score behind the symphony of holiness

 Homily for Pentecost Year B 2021

Acts 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13; John 20:19-23

Introduction

As we celebrate the feast of Pentecost, I would like to borrow a line that Jesus used a lot and ask: “To what shall we compare the coming of the Holy Spirit?”

Scripture and Theology

But before I answer that question, I would us to remember that Pentecost was not the first time nor the last time, that the Spirit came into the world.

·        At the very beginning, in the book of Genesis, we are told that God created man by breathing his Spirit into him.

·        And then whenever God appeared to the people of Israel, he usually did so in a cloud of the Spirit.

·        Later, as the Prophets announced the coming of the Messiah, they also spoke about the coming of his Spirit.

·        In the New Testament, when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would bear a child, he told her, “The holy Spirit will come upon you.”

·        And as Jesus begins his ministry in Luke Chapter 4, he declares that the Spirit of the Lord is upon him, and is the inspiration of all his work.

And so, when on Pentecost the Spirit came upon the disciples, he was continuing a long tradition.  But there was also something special: at Pentecost the Spirit comes to complete saving work of God in Jesus Christ and has continued since.

And so, to what shall we compare the work of the Holy Spirit?  I will give you three images, not because I doubt your capacity to understand, but because I don't trust my capacity to explain effectively.  The Holy Spirit could be compared to an executor of a will, an advocate in a court of law and a composer of music.

Christian Life

First, the Holy Spirit is like an executor of a last will and testament.  When you make a will and testament, you appoint an executor to ensure that your instructions will be faithfully and completely followed.  Jesus left a rather important will, which we heard in last Sunday’s gospel when he told his disciples: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.”

Clearly the disciples could not do this job by themselves without help.  A few weeks earlier we had seen them running away from the Lord when he was arrested.  They needed help.  This help came on Pentecost day, when after receiving the Spirit, we see them carrying out the Master’s instructions.  They are now fearless and effective preachers of the Word, because the Holy Spirit gives them clear directions and the courage, to proclaim the gospel to the whole world.

Even today as we carry out our various duties in the Church, we do so effectively only with the help of the Holy Spirit.

·        For example, as a preacher of the Word, I know that it is not my words alone, but rather the Holy Spirit working through my poor words, that enables you to hear God’s word.

·        Also, when I celebrate the sacraments, it is the Holy Spirit who brings about God’s grace.  At Mass, for example, listen carefully during the Eucharist prayer, and you will hear the priest asking the Father to send down his Spirit to change our humble gifts of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.  Only with the Holy Spirit, as executor, can the sacraments of the Church produce grace for us.

The Spirit continues to be the power behind everything we do as a Church.

To what shall else we compare the Holy Spirit?  Jesus himself suggests another image when in the gospel he says: “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me.” The Holy Spirit is like an advocate, a lawyer, an attorney, who speaks up for a client in a court of law.

Although lawyers are often the butt of many jokes, we need lawyers, because they know the law well, to help us navigate what is often a legal minefield.  As the cliché goes, “A man who is his own lawyer has a fool for his client."

We could say the same for the Church and for us Christians.  If we act without the Holy Spirit as our advocate, we act foolishly.  We need the Holy Spirit as advocate to help us remain on the right side of God’s commandments.  We need the Holy Spirit as advocate to help us face persecution.  We need the Holy Spirit as advocate to help us fight off temptations.  How else would you explain those occasions when, despite every inclination in you, you succeed in avoiding sin!  How else could you explain those situations when despite your unworthy self, you do good!  On the last day, we shall be found not guilty, we shall be found innocent only because the Holy Spirit as our Advocate intervened on our behalf.

To what else shall we compare the Holy Spirit?  The third and final image of the Holy Spirit is that of a symphony orchestra.  The orchestra is made up of a hundred different musicians and dozens of instruments.  But each of them is not the real source of the music.  Even the conductor, the visible focus of everyone's attention is not the real source of the music.  The composer is the real source of music; in front of every musician is a music stand holding a few pages marked with black lines and dots - the score, the music.  No one in the audience sees the score, but that score is what brings all those minds together, coordinates everyone's efforts, and produces a beautiful, inspiring performance.

The Church too is like an orchestra, with the Pope as the conductor and the rest of us being musicians, who contribute our own unique talents to the symphony of holiness that resounds throughout the world and history.  But behind our work is the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul writes: “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.” 

And so, the Holy Spirit is the living musical score, the one who tells us what notes to play, when to play them, how fast to play them, how loud to play them, how soft to play them.  He is the silent force behind the holiness of every saint, behind the growth of every Christian, and behind the unity of the Church.  That is why after the consecration, we pray to God, that "we who are nourished by the Body and Blood of your Son and filled with his Holy Spirit, may become one body, one spirit in Christ."

But what kind of unity does the Spirit bring?  It is a unity in diversity and not the unity of a melting pot.  Unlike at Babel where diversity of voices created confusion, at Pentecost the Spirit used the diverse voices to hear the one message of God.  Catholic unity therefore does not mean we lose our individual gifts and talents, nationality and ethnicity, colours and races, femininity and masculinity, but that we use our individual uniqueness for the good of all.

Conclusion

And so, this Pentecost Sunday is as good a time as any other to remind us of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  The Holy Spirit acts as executor of Jesus' will, as advocate for us and as the musical score providing us with the road-map of our lives.  And he acts in every aspect of our lives, not just in times of excitement, but even quietly as we go about our daily duties.

Let us therefore make the words of today’s Psalm our own: “Lord send out your spirit and renew the face of the earth.”  Like he did at Pentecost, may the Holy Spirit allow us to hear God’s word in our own individuality and yet keep us united as one until the Last Day, when we shall be one in heaven.

Homily Ascension B: Equipped for the ministry of witnessing to Jesus

 Homily for Ascension Year B 2021

Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:17-23; Mark 16:15-20

Introduction

I would like to compare today’s feast of the Ascension, to the proverbial middle child.  The middle child, sandwiched between the over-achieving first born and the pampered baby of the family, often feels neglected and can’t find his niche.

For, coming as it does between Easter and Pentecost, sometimes we forget about Ascension.  While everybody knows that at Easter, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, when he conquered death once and for all and at Pentecost, we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit to empower and inaugurate the Church, one might ask, what is left to celebrate at the Ascension?

Scripture and Theology

If you are asking that question, you are in good company; for the Apostles were just as clueless.  On Ascension Day, when the Lord gathered them together, they knew that something big was about to happen; but they were not sure what. They thought, perhaps he was finally going to re-establish the Kingdom, the Kingdom that the Jewish people had been waiting for, for hundreds of years.  They thought that perhaps this was the big payday for which they had been working and waiting, to take up positions in his Kingdom.  That is why they asked: “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

To their great surprise, Jesus instead said: "You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  In other words, he was saying, “Look guys, I have done my part in establishing the Kingdom – I am going back to the Father. You now have to carry on the job that I started and bring the Kingdom to completion.”

·        And so, we could think of the Ascension as being like the day when a successful CEO takes a step back from actively running the company and hands the reins to his successor.

·        We could also think of the Ascension as being like when the runner in the relay race, who has run a good race, now hands the baton on to the last runner and says “off to the finish line; win this one for us.”

Jesus is that successful CEO, Jesus is that star athlete on the relay team who pass on the task.  And we the Church are the new CEO, we are the last athlete, and we have been given the task of completing the mission.  The feast of the Ascension is therefore the line that marks the ushering in of the age of the Church, when the disciples take over God's mission of establishing the Kingdom.

But were the disciples qualified to carry on this mission of establishing the Kingdom of God?  They were good fishermen; but what did they know about running a worldwide religious organization?  Some were tax-collectors and that expertise might help with the collection; but what did they know about preaching God's word?  Thankfully, Jesus did not just throw them into the water and tell them to swim or sink.  He had empowered them for the task in two ways.

First Jesus had taught them, by his word and by his example.  For three years as they lived with Jesus, they heard him teach, they saw his miracles and his example of prayer and compassion, and most importantly, they saw his suffering, death and resurrection, the cause of our salvation.  And these are the things they were to preach to the nations; these are the things of which they were to be witnesses. Like the retiring CEO who has been grooming his successor for several years by teaching him things, Jesus had indeed groomed the disciples.

Secondly, and unlike the CEO, Jesus gives spiritual muscle to the apostles.  “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,” he tells them.  In other words, in carrying on the mission of the now departing Jesus, they are not going to rely just on their own power and abilities; remember, they are only weak human beings.  Instead, they will be empowered by the life-giving Spirit of God, for which they have to wait in Jerusalem, which we celebrate on Pentecost. 

·        And so, if Pentecost is the birthday of the Church, when the Holy Spirit comes down upon the apostles, Ascension is the conceiving of the Church, when Jesus gives the great commission: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

·        If Pentecost is like the wedding day when the bride and groom seal their love with the grace of the sacrament, Ascension is like the engagement when the couple make the firm commitment to get married.

And so, after all, Ascension, like the middle child, has its niche.  Ascension reminds us Christians of the great commission given to us by Jesus.

Christian Life

The Apostles did indeed carry out the great commission.  They preached the Good News, not only in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, but indeed to the ends of the earth.  They in turn passed on this baton of faith to their successors who continued the work until the Good News reached us who believe today.

We today, are responsible for restoring the Kingdom of God.  Each of us has been given a role to play in this great commission.  And by we, I don’t mean just Pope Francis, the bishops, priests and deacons; I mean all the Christian faithful, all the baptized.  In fact, last week Pope Francis instituted a lay ministry of catechist.  This ministry, which in a way goes back to the position of teacher described in the Scriptures, shows have even the laity have an important role in witnessing to the gospel.  In fact, in many mission countries like Uganda, the catechists assist the priest in running the 20 or so missions that each parish has.

What St. Paul in today’s second reading told the Christian community of the Ephesians, he tells our Christian community gathered here.  “. . . grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”  In other words, like the disciples received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to enable them carry out their mission, Christians have also received the grace of the Holy Spirit, particularly from the sacraments:

·        At Baptism, we are cleansed of sin and made worthy for ministry.

·        At Confirmation, we are strengthened by the Holy Spirit for witness.

·        At Eucharist, we receive the Word and Sacrament, food for the journey.

·        At Matrimony and Ordination, we each receive the graces we need to serve God and others, as married people or as ordained ministers.

·        And when our witness is weakened by illness or sin, we are healed and strengthened by the sacraments of Anointing of the Sick and Penance.

We have no excuse!  We have the power to do the work Jesus left us.

That is why St. Paul in the same reading goes on to say: “And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers . . ..”  In other words, there is something for each of us to do.  And Paul continues to explain that these various callings are given “to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature to manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ.”  These are powerful words that should assure us that we have been equipped for the work of ministry, for the building up the Body of Christ, so that the Kingdom of God is established forever.

Conclusion

I like to summarize the three ways we do this, the three ways we witness to Jesus like the apostles, in three W’s - Word, Worship and Works, that is, teaching the word, celebrating worship and performing good works.

Like the apostles, let us be "witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Let us be witnesses to him everywhere, at Walmart, Walgreens and Winn-Dixie. Let us be witnesses to him always. 

Homilia Pascua 6B: Dios es amor, y quien permanece en el amor permanece en Dios y Dios en él.

Homilía de Pascua - VI Domingo Año B 2021

 Acts 10:25-26,34-35,44-48; 1 John 4:7-10 · John 15:9-17

Introducción

El amor es una de las palabras más utilizadas. Pero, ¿qué significa el amor? La misma palabra se usa para referirme a mis sentimientos hacia los gatitos, así como a mis sentimientos hacia cosas más importantes como mi madre. ¿Los ambos pueden ser realmente lo mismo? Y mientras espera a ver al médico, las revistas de la sala le darán un millón de significados diferentes del amor.

Por fortuna, tanto en la segunda lectura como en el evangelio San Juan dice algo sobre el amor real, enseñándonos tres cosas sobre el amor.

1.    Que Dios es amor.

2.    Que Dios nos ha amado primero.

3.    Que debemos responder al amor de Dios con amor.

Escritura y teología

Cuando Juan dice: "El que no ama, no conoce a Dios, porque Dios es amor," está haciendo una afirmación muy singular. Juan no solo dice que Dios nos ama, sino que Dios es amor. Piénsenlo. El mismo ser de Dios es el amor.

Cuando el Papa Benedicto XVI (dieciséis) fue elegido Papa en 2005 (en el año dos mil cinco), algunos en la Iglesia estaban preocupados. Porque su trabajo anterior en el Vaticano era corregir y sancionar a los teólogos y sacerdotes. Y así, algunos pensaron que como Papa iba a ser muy estricto y severo. ¿Pero qué hizo él? Su primera encíclica o documento importante se tituló Deus Caritas Est, que en latín significa "Dios es amor". El Papa inició correctamente su ministerio con este mensaje, porque este mensaje es el núcleo de nuestra fe.

Por ejemplo, volvamos a la Trinidad, que está en el centro de nuestra fe. La Trinidad misma es amor, con Dios Padre como el que ama, el Hijo como el Amado y el Espíritu Santo como el amor compartido. Las tres personas de la Trinidad comparten un amor eterno e infinito al que nos invitan. Y entonces, esto significa que, a diferencia de nosotros, Dios nunca puede desenamorarse, incluso cuando lo ofendemos terriblemente. Además, la esencia de lo que significa ser cristiano no es aprender algunas doctrinas o verdades morales, sino de enamorarse de una persona, Dios; porque Dios es el amor en sí mismo.

Pasando al segundo mensaje, si Dios es amor, entonces se sigue que nos ama. Pero eso no es todo. San Juan dice algo más diciendo: "no en que nosotros hayamos amado a Dios, sino en que él nos amó primero y nos envió a su Hijo, como víctima de expiación por nuestros pecados." Juan quiere que sepamos que es Dios quien comienza esta relación con nosotros, al crearnos y también al redimirnos. En algunas religiones orientales e incluso en algunos programas espirituales, la religión se trata de impresionar a Dios, hacer que nos ame, incluso sobornarlo con nuestras obras. En la religión cristiana de la Biblia, es Dios quien nos busca primero. Incluso en el evangelio de hoy, Jesús dice claramente: "No son ustedes los que me han elegido, soy yo quien los ha elegido".

En otras palabras, el amor de Dios no es algo que nos ganemos o merezcamos, sino algo que Él nos da gratuitamente. Con demasiada frecuencia olvidamos esta verdad, tal vez porque usamos nuestro amor humano como la norma del amor de Dios. Con amor humano, a veces debemos tomar la iniciativa para acercarnos a nuestro amado. Pero no, en el caso de Dios, porque él se ha acercado a nosotros primero; él es el primer amante, no nosotros. Y nos amó más cuando envió a su Hijo, Jesús, quien dice: "Nadie tiene amor más grande a sus amigos que el que da la vida por ellos". El Hijo nos amó de esta manera.

Y eso nos lleva al tercer punto de Juan. Si Dios es amor y si Dios nos ha amado primero, entonces la única respuesta lógica es que debemos amarlo a él. Y lo amamos también, no porque necesite nuestro amor, sino porque eso es lo que hace un corazón agradecido cuando Dios le ama.

Eso es lo que Jesús nos manda hacer en el evangelio de hoy. Nos dice: “Como el Padre me ama, así los amo yo. Permanezcan en mi amor. Si cumplen mis mandamientos, permanecen en mi amor; lo mismo que yo cumplo los mandamientos de mi Padre y permanezco en su amor". Jesús nos muestra el camino de amor. Así como respondió al amor del Padre amándolo, amándonos y cumpliendo sus mandamientos, nosotros también deberíamos hacerlo. Debemos volver a amar a Dios cumpliendo sus mandamientos.

Muchas veces, cuando viajo por el país, me detengo como invitado en casas de mis amigos. Seguramente la expectativa es que responde a su amable hospitalidad comportándome bien.  Por ejemplo, debo llegar a una hora razonable, debo limpiar después de mí mismo, debo llevar un pequeño regalo, debo ser un huésped agradable en general. Así es como también nosotros debemos responder al amor de Dios, cumpliendo ciertas expectativas. Por eso, Jesús dice: "Esto es lo que les mando: que se amen los unos a los otros".  Haciendo esto es la respuesta natural al Dios que nos ha amado primero.

Vida cristiana

Nuestro mundo de hoy todavía necesita los tres mensajes sobre el amor.

Primero, vivimos en un mundo donde, a menudo se asocia a Dios con la venganza, el odio y la violencia. Por lo tanto, debemos recordarnos a nosotros mismos y enseñar a los demás que nuestro Dios es amor. Eso significa que nuestra relación con él debe basarse en el conocimiento de que él es amor y no es un Padre enojado que quiere atraparnos. Como un buen padre, incluso cuando nos castiga, es por amor. Saber que Dios es amor ayudará a amarlo en libertad, no con miedo. Para todo lo que hacemos, lo haremos porque estamos enamorados de un amante, Dios.

Una vez escuché una historia sobre una pareja que durante años fue a la ópera. Sin embargo, varios años después de casados, se le escapó casualmente de la boca al marido que no le gustaba la ópera en absoluto. Cuando la esposa le preguntó: "¿Por qué entonces fuiste conmigo todos estos años?" Él dijo: "Me encantó la ópera, porque amas la ópera y yo te amo". Fue entonces cuando la esposa también dijo: “Yo también fui solo a la ópera, porque pensé que te encantaba y como yo te amaba, tenía que amarla”. Nosotros también debemos amar a Dios, porque él es amor, porque él es nuestro amante.

En segundo lugar, saber que es Dios quien nos ha amado primero, nos ayudará a vivir nuestra vida en agradecimiento al amor, no en un intento de ganarnos su amor; porque él ya es amor y nos ama no importa mucho lo que hagamos. Vivimos en un país que atesora la autosuficiencia y la iniciativa personal. Pero cuando se trata de Dios, debemos dejar de lado estas normas culturales y recordar que Dios toma la iniciativa, no nosotros. No hay nada que podamos hacer para ganarnos su amor; más bien, todo lo que hacemos es por su gracia y en respuesta a su amor.

Y eso nos lleva al tercer punto, que es cómo debemos amar. Debemos amar como Dios nos amó primero en Jesucristo. Debe quedar claro que el tipo de amor que Jesús nos pide no es el amor cariñoso, efímero de los adolescentes, sino más bien el amor que conlleva compromiso, como el de los esposos que llevan 40 años juntos, 50 años, 60 años, en enfermedad y en salud, a través de alegrías y tristezas. Es el mismo tipo de amor de las madres, que recordamos hoy, en el Día de la Madre. Las madres, incluso en el reino animal, harán todo y cualquier cosa por el bien de sus hijos. Porque amar no es solo una emoción, sino un acto de la voluntad, querer el bien de otra persona.

Conclusión

¡Que amemos como Jesús nos amó, amándonos incluso a nosotros que éramos sus enemigos, pecadores, exiliados, pobres, inútiles, que no éramos nada! ¿Y por qué amamos así? Porque como nos dice Juan: “Dios es amor, y el que permanece en el amor permanece en Dios, y Dios permanece en él” (1 Jn 4,16).

Homily Easter 6B: God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him

 Homily for Easter – 6^th Sunday Year B 2021

Acts 10:25-26,34-35,44-48; 1 John 4:7-10 · John 15:9-17

Introduction

Love is one of the most used words.  But what does love mean?  The same word is used to refer to my feelings towards kittens as well as my feelings towards more important things like my mother.  Can they really be the same thing?  And as wait to see the doctor, the magazines in the waiting room will give you a million different meanings of love.

Fortunately for us, today’s readings tell us something about real love.  For both in the second reading and the gospel St. John tells us three things about love.

1.    That God is love.

2.    That God has loved us first.

3.    That we must respond to God’s love in love.

Scripture and Theology

When John says “Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love,” he is making a very unique claim.  John does not just say that God loves us, but that God is love.  Think about that.  The very being of God is love itself.

When Pope Benedict became pope in 2005, some in the Church were worried.  For his previous job in the Vatican was to be the enforcer of correct teaching, a thankless job.  He had corrected many wayward theologians and priests.  And so, some thought that as Pope he was going to very strict and stern, all fire and brimstone.  But what did he do?  His first encyclical or major document was entitled Deus Caritas Est, which is the Latin for “God is Love.”  The Pope rightly started his ministry with this message, because it is at the core of our faith.

For example, let us turn to the Trinity, which is at the core of our faith.  The Trinity itself is love, with the God the Father as the one who loves, the Son as the Beloved and the Holy Spirit as the shared love.  The three persons of the Trinity share an eternal and endless love into which they invite us.  And so, this means that, unlike us, God can never fall out of love, even when we offend him terribly.  In addition, at the core of what it means to be a Christian is not learning some doctrines or moral truths; it is about falling in love with a person, with God; for God is love is itself.

Moving on to the second message, if God is love, then it follows that he loves us.  But that is not all.  St. John says something more than the fact that God loves us.  He says: “not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.”  John wants us to know that it is God who begins this relationship with us, first in creating us, but now also in redeeming us.  In some Eastern Religions and even some New Age programs, religion is about impressing God, making him love us, even bribe him with our works.  In the Christian religion of the Bible, it is God who seeks us out first.  Even in today’s gospel Jesus says clearly, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you.”

In other words, God’s loving us is not something we earn or deserve, but something he freely gives to us. Far too often we forget this truth, perhaps because we use our human love as the standard of God’s love.  With human love, sometimes we must take the initiative to approach our beloved.  But not in God’s case, for he has approached us first; he is the first lover, not us.  And he loved us most when he sent his Son, Jesus, who says, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  God’s son loved us in this way.

And that brings us to the third point of John.  If God is love and if God has loved us first, then the only logical response is that we must love him back.  And we love him back, not because he needs our love, but because that is what a grateful heart does when someone like God loves you.  You love him back.

That is what Jesus enjoins us to do in today’s gospel.  He tells us: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.”  Jesus shows us the way.  Just as he responded to the Father’s love by loving him, loving us and keeping his commandments.  So should we.  We should love God back by keeping his commandments.

Many times, when I am travelling across the country, I stop as a guest at friends’ homes.  Surely the expectation is that I respond to their gracious hospitality by behaving myself, like not arriving at an ungodly hour, like cleaning up after myself, like bringing a token gift, like generally being an agreeable house guest.  That is how we too should respond to God’s love for us, by fulfilling certain expectations.  Jesus says, “This I command you: love one another.” He is not asking for much, just what should naturally follow because he has loved us first.

Christian Life

Our world today still needs all three messages about love.

First, we live in world where, unfortunately, God is often associated with vengeance, hatred and violence.  We must therefore remind ourselves and teach others that our God is love.  That means our relationship with him should be based in the knowledge that he is love and not that he is an angry Father out to get us.  Just like a good parent, even when he punishes us, it is because of love; it is tough love.  Knowing that God is love will help love him in freedom, not fear.  For everything we do, will do because we are in love with a lover, God.

I once heard a story about a married couple, who for years went to the opera.  Several years into their marriage, however, it slipped accidentally from the mouth of the husband, that he did not like opera at all.  When the wife asked him, "why then did you go with me all these years?" he said: “I loved the opera, because you love the opera and I love you.”  That is when the wife also said, “I too only went to the opera, because I thought you loved it and since I loved you, I had to love it.”  They cancelled their season tickets and found other mutual pleasures.  We too should love God, because he is love.

Secondly, knowing that it is God who has loved us first, will help us live our lives in gratitude to love, not in an attempt to win his love; for he is already love and loves us no matter what we do.  We live in a country that treasures self-reliance and personal initiative.  But when it comes to God, we must put aside these cultural norms and remember that God takes the initiative, not we.  There is nothing we can do to win his love; rather everything we do is because of his grace and in response to his love.

And that brings us to the third point, which is, how we are to love.  We are to love like God has first loved us in Jesus Christ.  It should be clear that the kind of love that Jesus is asking of us his disciples is not the lovey-dovey, fleeting love of teenagers, but more like the love that entails commitment, such as that of spouses who have stayed together for 40 years, 50 years, 60 years, in sickness and in health, through joys and sorrows.  It is the same kind of love of mothers, who we remember today, on Mother’s Day.  Mothers, even in the animal kingdom, will do everything and anything for the good of their children.  For to love is not just an emotion, but it is an act of the will, to will the good of another person.

Conclusion

May we love as Jesus loved us, loving even us who were his enemies, sinners, exiles, poor, useless, who were nothing!  And why do we love this way?  Because as John tells us: “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 Jn 4:16).

Homily Easter 5B: Remaining in Jesus to produce good fruit

 Homily for Easter – 5^th Sunday Year B 2021

Acts 9:26-31; 1 John 3:18-24; John 15:1-8

Introduction

Jesus in today's gospel continues to use another agricultural image to teach his disciples.  Last Sunday he used the image of the shepherd’s care for his sheep, to teach that he, the Good Shepherd, loves his disciples.  Today he uses the image of the vine, its branches and the vine grower, to teach about the intimate bond between God and his people.

With this image of the vine, Jesus teaches three important bonds:

·        The relationship between God the Father and Jesus

·        The relationship between Jesus and his disciples

·        The relationship between the disciples and the Father

Scripture and Theology

First, when Jesus announces that "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower,” he is revealing that his work, his teaching, his very being is dependent on God the Father.  The Father has sent him; the Father continues to guide him; the Father continues to tell him what to say and do.

This image of God as the vine grower was used already in the Old Testament.  The Prophets, especially Jeremiah and Isaiah lamented that the vine, Israel, had failed to provide good fruit to the vine grower, God.  Instead, by their sinfulness they were producing sour grapes.  Now with Jesus as the vine, there is hope that this time round, good fruit will be produced, because Jesus and the Father have a close bond and relationship. Jesus is the kind of vine that makes use of all the fertilizing and propping that the owner provides and produces good fruit.

The second relationship then is that between Jesus and his disciples.  That is why he says: “I am the vine, you are the branches.” This time the relationship is not compared to that between the plant and its owner, but between the main stalk of the vine and the branches attached to it.  Jesus is the stalk whose roots are anchored in the soil; he is the part to whom all the branches are attached and from whom they draw their nutrition and life.

Having grown up in a tropical climate, I am not really familiar with vines and vine branches.  But I recently visited some friends who own a farm in Mississippi, and the gentleman showed me some of his fruit trees and how he grafts one branch on another.  He took a small shoot from a tree and joined it to the seedling that had already germinated and had strong roots.  Moreover, he said that the species onto which he grafted the small branch was more resilient in the soil and temperature of the area; so that the bud had a greater chance of surviving by being grafted into it.  And it would grow into a beautiful tree with plenty of fruit.  That is why as Christians we must remain attached to Jesus, to continue receiving nourishment and producing spiritual fruit.

The third relationship Jesus speaks of is that between the disciples and the Father.  Jesus says of his Father: “He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.”  It is not enough to be attached to Jesus in the manner a branch is attached to tree.  The branches need continual care. It is the Father’s job is to do so, for example, by pruning the branches.  When we prune flowers in our gardens, we cut off unwanted shoots and leaves.  Pruning a plant might be considered an assault on the plant, cutting off some of its parts.  But actually, the wine growers pruned the vines especially in the first few years to allow them to spread out and produce better fruit; and every year they continued to prune them.

As pruning, though painful, is necessary for the growth of the plant, so is a certain amount of suffering on the part of the Christian’s life.  Besides the redemptive ways, through which the suffering of our human condition such as sickness or death can nourish us, the suffering that comes from separating ourselves from evil is a kind of pruning.  Like pruning a plant takes away unwanted shoots and leaves, conversion allows us to remove sinful habits and activities that might stop us from continuing to grow in holiness.

Christian Life

There is one more verse that that directly provides a practical way for us to apply this message.  Jesus says: “Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing."

We can think of our lives as Christians as being like the branches of this Christian tree, and our purpose of being is to produce good and much fruit.  We were created for a reason – to produce much fruit.  We became Christians for a reason – to produce good fruit.  And what is that fruit?

While I like new Catechism, especially because it is very detailed and comprehensive, sometimes I like to go back to the Baltimore Catechism, which puts things in rather simple and straightforward language.  So, for example, Question #6 asks: "Why did God make you?"  And the answer is: "God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven."  And so, one could say, that knowing and loving God, serving him in this world and being happy with him forever in heaven is the good fruit that we are supposed to produce.  And in today's gospel, Jesus tells us that this is possible, only if we remain in him and he in us.

If the image of the vine is too agricultural for us city people to understand this message, let us think of the wires bringing electricity, the internet and cable into our house and the further connections within the house.  Like the branches need to connect to the vine for nourishment and life, our house must be connected to the main supply, if we are to have any electricity, internet and cable.  When we don’t pay the bill, the company cuts the connection and we are plunged in darkness.   Similarly, when we don’t pay attention to Jesus’ teaching in his Word and the Sacraments, we are plunged in darkness.

And so, remaining in Jesus means for us remaining faithful to his Word and to the Sacraments, so that we can then produce good fruit in our lives.  Today, that Word and those sacraments are mediated to us by the Church.  Even the great St. Paul the apostle to the Gentiles, as we heard in the first reading, had first to go to the Church, to receive the Word and Sacraments.  But first he was sent off to Tarsus.  Although he probably wanted to begin preaching the gospel, he had to be obedient to the Church, which provided his connection with Christ.  And indeed, he was to remain in Tarsus, out of commission, for about ten years.  It was like putting your best football player on the bench for the whole season, perhaps so that he might heal.  For Paul, it was to get ready for his mission.

Conclusion

Our connection with Jesus in the Church today comes primarily through the going to Mass on Sunday.  For the past year, we have had the obligation to attend Mass lifted for the very pro-life reason of protecting our most vulnerable people from the deadly COVID-19 illness.  Thankfully we seem to have turned the corner on this pandemic and so can return to Mass again.  As you know, in this diocese, the obligation to attend Sunday Mass will resume on June 6.

But it is not merely a legal obligation.  Coming to Mass on Sunday is our way of being joined to Christ the Vine tree.  As the saying goes, the apple does not fall far from the tree, meaning that good fruit will often come from a good tree, and bad fruit from a bad tree.  The tree onto which we are grated is a good Tree, the Cross of Jesus Christ.  May our continued commitment to the Mass and the Sacraments, help us remain grafted onto Jesus and produce good apples.  For attached to Jesus the Vine Tree, we shall produce good fruit.