Saturday, VII Easter
(Acts 28 and John 21)
I wonder how many of us feel more aware that this is Memorial Day weekend than that this is Pentecost weekend. It is easily understandable how a summer holiday weekend will so affect our lives in satisfying ways that we will give it first attention. Perhaps a few of us as well are looking forward to remembering our war dead in this time of hostility or of our beloved who have gone before us into the night.
But just for a few moments let us try to feel the excitement of the celebration of Pentecost. We celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the group of disciples and upon us. The Spirit will unite us together. He sends us forth to renew the face of the earth – that is, to transform our neighborhoods from indifferent, maybe hostile, places to friendly and caring communities. He also breathes life into our dead so that they just don’t linger in our memories until we join them.
The Scripture readings today present two characters to help us celebrate Pentecost. If anyone has ever been moved by the Spirit, surely Paul of Tarsus has. In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles he is in captivity. Yet he continues to preach the Good News. We would do well not just to admire but to imitate his desire to tell others about Jesus Christ. The gospel focuses on the Beloved Disciple. We really do not really know his name. But he stands out among all the disciples for just one quality – his love for Jesus. Peter may be the caretaker of Jesus’ flock and Thomas his proclaimer as “Lord and God.” But no one loves him quite as much as the Beloved Disciple. This is something else that we should imitate as well as admire.
Homilette for Friday, May 25, 2007
Friday, VII Easter
(John 21)
Atul Gawande, a physician, wrote an article on nursing homes in the New York Times yesterday. He said that society can do much better than provide institutions that avoid residents’ bed sores and maintain their body weights. He praised recent efforts to give the aged some independence and assistance with mutual cooperation when they can no longer live in their own homes.
In the gospel Jesus tells Peter that when you become old, someone else dresses you and leads you where you would not go. He is indicating that Peter will die a martyr’s death. But we can interpret Jesus’ words to mean that other people determine how the elderly live. Too often standard procedures deny seniors in nursing homes the semblance of privacy and most personal preference beyond their choice of television channel. An alternative vision, as the doctor in the Times suggested, would be institutions with at least individual rooms and opportunities for meaningful interaction with other residents.
We should do what we can to change the atmosphere of nursing homes from a place where the elderly are dying to one where they are really living out their last years. We might begin this effort by regularly visiting someone we know in a nursing home.
(John 21)
Atul Gawande, a physician, wrote an article on nursing homes in the New York Times yesterday. He said that society can do much better than provide institutions that avoid residents’ bed sores and maintain their body weights. He praised recent efforts to give the aged some independence and assistance with mutual cooperation when they can no longer live in their own homes.
In the gospel Jesus tells Peter that when you become old, someone else dresses you and leads you where you would not go. He is indicating that Peter will die a martyr’s death. But we can interpret Jesus’ words to mean that other people determine how the elderly live. Too often standard procedures deny seniors in nursing homes the semblance of privacy and most personal preference beyond their choice of television channel. An alternative vision, as the doctor in the Times suggested, would be institutions with at least individual rooms and opportunities for meaningful interaction with other residents.
We should do what we can to change the atmosphere of nursing homes from a place where the elderly are dying to one where they are really living out their last years. We might begin this effort by regularly visiting someone we know in a nursing home.
Homilette for Thursday, May 24, 2007
Thursday, May 24, The Transfer of St. Dominic’s Remains
(John 17)
The Lord has blessed the Dominican Order with unity. Where several other large orders have fractured, the Dominicans have stayed united. The Dominican Constitutions detailing the dynamics of communal life has, no doubt, contributed to this unity. Perhaps also Dominicans have resisted the impulse to divide over disagreements out of love for St. Dominic.
St. Dominic enjoyed talking with the brothers and sisters. This inclination to socialize was exceeded only by his desire to pray for the Order and its mission. Jordan of Saxony, St. Dominic’s successor, said of him, “During the day, none was more affable, none more pleasant to his brethren or associates. At night none was more instant in prayer or watching.” Today the Dominican Order celebrates the Transfer of St. Dominic’s Remains from their original burial place to a special tomb. It was Dominic’s desire to be buried under the choir stalls where the friars prayed. Obviously, he wished to perpetually remain part of their unity.
In the gospel Jesus prays to the Father that his disciples remain one. The source of the unity of Christians is to be love of him. He asks the Father that “the love with which you loved me may be in them.” He is praying for the same kind of unity that has blessed the Dominican Order for almost 800 years.
(John 17)
The Lord has blessed the Dominican Order with unity. Where several other large orders have fractured, the Dominicans have stayed united. The Dominican Constitutions detailing the dynamics of communal life has, no doubt, contributed to this unity. Perhaps also Dominicans have resisted the impulse to divide over disagreements out of love for St. Dominic.
St. Dominic enjoyed talking with the brothers and sisters. This inclination to socialize was exceeded only by his desire to pray for the Order and its mission. Jordan of Saxony, St. Dominic’s successor, said of him, “During the day, none was more affable, none more pleasant to his brethren or associates. At night none was more instant in prayer or watching.” Today the Dominican Order celebrates the Transfer of St. Dominic’s Remains from their original burial place to a special tomb. It was Dominic’s desire to be buried under the choir stalls where the friars prayed. Obviously, he wished to perpetually remain part of their unity.
In the gospel Jesus prays to the Father that his disciples remain one. The source of the unity of Christians is to be love of him. He asks the Father that “the love with which you loved me may be in them.” He is praying for the same kind of unity that has blessed the Dominican Order for almost 800 years.
Homilette for Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Wednesday, VII Easter
(John 17)
The Gospel of John may be compared to a Soduku puzzle. Both the gospel and the puzzle are deceptively simple. The gospel uses few sophisticated words, and its sentences are brief. However, understanding its concepts requires thoughtful deliberation.
We all remember the consoling line at the beginning of the gospel where Jesus tells how “God so loved the world” that He gave to it His only Son. Here at the end of the gospel, however, Jesus is nothing but cautionary about the world. He says that the world hated his disciples and that they in no way belong to the world. The world has shown itself beyond redemption by rejecting God’s Son. Still the disciples must complete their mission of rescuing true children of God from the clutches of the Prince of the World.
Some of us might be uncomfortable with the Gospel of John’s negative evaluation of the world. We see much about secular life that promotes Christian values. For example, concern about climate change, which may have cause great suffering, stems largely from a coalition of secular institutions, including science and environmentalists. Some testimony in favor of openness toward the world can be found in Scripture passages such as, “The Lord’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it” (Psalm 24). Nevertheless, Christians are wise neither to consider the world a permanent ally nor to think that they can easily convert the world completely to their side.
(John 17)
The Gospel of John may be compared to a Soduku puzzle. Both the gospel and the puzzle are deceptively simple. The gospel uses few sophisticated words, and its sentences are brief. However, understanding its concepts requires thoughtful deliberation.
We all remember the consoling line at the beginning of the gospel where Jesus tells how “God so loved the world” that He gave to it His only Son. Here at the end of the gospel, however, Jesus is nothing but cautionary about the world. He says that the world hated his disciples and that they in no way belong to the world. The world has shown itself beyond redemption by rejecting God’s Son. Still the disciples must complete their mission of rescuing true children of God from the clutches of the Prince of the World.
Some of us might be uncomfortable with the Gospel of John’s negative evaluation of the world. We see much about secular life that promotes Christian values. For example, concern about climate change, which may have cause great suffering, stems largely from a coalition of secular institutions, including science and environmentalists. Some testimony in favor of openness toward the world can be found in Scripture passages such as, “The Lord’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it” (Psalm 24). Nevertheless, Christians are wise neither to consider the world a permanent ally nor to think that they can easily convert the world completely to their side.
Homilette for Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Tuesday, VII Easter
(John 17)
Early this month the Queen of England, Elizabeth II, visited the United States. She came as a successor to the monarch who originally sent colonists to Virginia 400 years ago. But Elizabeth II is recognized as an accomplished leader in her own right. Much more than occupying the throne for over fifty years, she has shown herself to be a model of wisdom and justice. People will say that she lives in glory.
In Queen Elizabeth we see a glimpse of the glory that Jesus seeks in today’s gospel passage. The hour has come for his death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. When this takes place, he will enjoy the glory of God the Father. All the words he preached will be fulfilled. All the suffering he will have endured will be vindicated. Evidence of his glory will be the eternal life that his disciples will receive. They will know God the Father and the Son by keeping their commands and enjoying their protection.
We likewise are beneficiaries of eternal life. We no longer need to have any anxieties about life or death. Remaining close to him by constant prayer, we will find no more appeal in the world’s seductions – Internet porn, talk of easy money, flattery of the people – than raincoats in the sun. Neither will we find death threatening. It will not mean leaving behind old associates but being introduced into the company of even dearer friends.
(John 17)
Early this month the Queen of England, Elizabeth II, visited the United States. She came as a successor to the monarch who originally sent colonists to Virginia 400 years ago. But Elizabeth II is recognized as an accomplished leader in her own right. Much more than occupying the throne for over fifty years, she has shown herself to be a model of wisdom and justice. People will say that she lives in glory.
In Queen Elizabeth we see a glimpse of the glory that Jesus seeks in today’s gospel passage. The hour has come for his death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. When this takes place, he will enjoy the glory of God the Father. All the words he preached will be fulfilled. All the suffering he will have endured will be vindicated. Evidence of his glory will be the eternal life that his disciples will receive. They will know God the Father and the Son by keeping their commands and enjoying their protection.
We likewise are beneficiaries of eternal life. We no longer need to have any anxieties about life or death. Remaining close to him by constant prayer, we will find no more appeal in the world’s seductions – Internet porn, talk of easy money, flattery of the people – than raincoats in the sun. Neither will we find death threatening. It will not mean leaving behind old associates but being introduced into the company of even dearer friends.
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