Homily – May, 2014 (Fourth Sunday of Easter - A)
Readings: Acts 2: 14a, 36-41; Ps. 23: 1-2a, 3b-4, 5, 6;
1 Peter 2: 20b-25; John 10: 1-10
"Gregory Scott Thompson, you come down here this instant!" Sound familiar? Hands up if you ever knew you were in trouble, just by the tone of your mother's voice. "There, there... Come here. It's gonna be alright. I've got you!" Sound equally familiar? Hands up if you can remember a time where mom just simply held you in her arms. Happy Mother's Day! Today the Word of God offers us a chance to reflect on the power of a loving voice, and real presence Jesus Christ, our good and gentle shepherd.
Why defend Hallmark? First and foremost, we've all found the perfect card for you Mom, and we're very happy that someone at a card writing desk in a Hallmark sweatshop has graciously summed up our feelings for you in an easy to read two part paragraph, all enclosed within a flowery, springy colored folded card. I don't know about yours, but mine is perfect! Secondly, these cards get right to the heart of the matter. Listen to some of these wonderful summaries... "God couldn't be everywhere, so that's why he invented mothers!" Hmmm... Theologically inaccurate, but you can see the point! "Mom, today is all about you and your accomplishments... Of which I am #1, so it's kind of both our day to celebrate!" A tad self-centered, but as the oldest of three, I really like this one! Finally there's this one: "Bless the heart that gives. The heart that loves. The heart that's open to others. Bless the heart that makes time. The heart that mends hurts. The generous heart of a mother." Now that my friends is a Hallmark card! At the risk of knowing just how much my Pastor loves the Hallmark concept, I will defend that in and of itself, that last one offers a wonderful summary of why we love you Mom! We need to celebrate Mom's calm, loving, and sometimes directive voice in our lives by responding to her with our own voice and loving action. Cards are nice, and necessary, but kids, cleaning your room is better! And Grow'd Ups... Go ahead and make that trip back home soon.
There's a similar theme in today's readings, for our God has given us the model of shepherding in the real presence of His Son Jesus Christ, the "Not So Hallmark" Style of Sharing the Good News as Peter did on that first day of his preaching, and the reward promised in the Gospel, that if we attempt to live as God has called us to live, we would have life abundantly! As Christ is the Good Shepherd, we are called as Christians to be like Him. As we recognize our shepherd by the familiarity of his loving voice, we are called to share the love of God with those we meet, so lovingly, and so often, that our voice and our actions are recognizable, loved, and trusted, for as we hear in today's Gospel, Christ "walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice." And there's no better example for today than you Mom! Your voice leads us home, and your guidance brings us to where we need to be... Our Blessed Mother, for example, hears our prayers, and leads us to her Son. And you Mom, like the Hallmark Card says, you bless us with your generous heart, and I'll add, your recognizable voice and your wonderful presence in our lives. Speaking of presence, Fr. Joy was sharing with me the other day about just how shepherding worked "back in the day". After a long day of journeying and grazing in the pasture, when it was time to settle down for the night, the shepherd would encircle the flock with a seamless net. The shepherd would sleep at the point where the two ends came together. That way, if the sheep were to try and leave, the only way they could escape the circle would be to climb over, or go through the shepherd. So you see, Christ is the gate, and the reality is that we enter and exit through Him, and anything out there that wishes to do us harm has to as well. Let's agree Mom, that in the most positive sense of the Gospel, and this example of authentic shepherding, you are there for us to hold us close and to protect us! So Mom, continue to stay strong, hold us close, and continue to focus on bringing us closer to Christ, we need it! As for the rest of us, "listen to your mother." If she's listening to Lord, and we're listening to her, then we are always close to Jesus, our true shepherd.
Now for the practical application of our call to discipleship, we simply need to look to Peter in today's first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. To reset this, Peter and the disciples have just seen the risen Lord, and all have witnessed the empty tomb. The Apostle Thomas is assured, and as Fr. Joy shared two weeks ago, Thomas challenges us to be confident in all that Christ promised... Of course he's risen, and of course he's here in the flesh... So why are we sitting in this room when we should be out witnessing this Truth? Peter's speech actually began with last weekend's first reading. An effective speaker that he was, he made sure to respect those who were listening, calling on them as the people of Israel to put this all together... For just as the prophet Isaiah and the covenant with David promised, "Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know." Now here's the not-so-Hallmark approach, as he continued, "This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify him." But unlike the great and amazing King David, who lies buried in his tomb, that we can visit today, "God raised [Jesus] up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it." Peter's voice continues in today's reading saying, “Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Again, the not-so-Hallmark approach "cut to the heart", as the crowd wondered, "well what are we supposed to do now?" Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you... and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." It might not have been the most "motherly" invitation ever given, but three-thousand were baptized and added that first day of the new Church, and that invitation has continued to add others just like those who are baptized each weekend, or those newly confirmed at the Easter Vigil and this past Tuesday and Conformation. A voice like Peter's cuts to the heart, and tells it like it is... Christ is the Way, the Truth, the Light, and the shepherd leading through the narrow gate!
So, what's the point... Why do I have to listen to the voice of Mom, or Peter, or even Jesus Christ? Our Gospel today makes it quite clear when the voice of The Lord says, "I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” A perfect blend of the Hallmark and the not-so-Hallmark approach, don't you think? Our promise is that if we allow Christ to dwell in our hearts, our life can be lived with more purpose, more love, and more direction, allow us to truly live more abundantly!
While there’s an obvious Motherly Spirit that we celebrate here today, there is also that same nurturing spirit here in those who long to be Mothers… Your spirit of sharing the Good News, and nurturing those in need is also the special voice of Christ working through you. We join you in prayer, and we thank God for your special example of courage, patience and support!
Finally, and on the occasion of celebrating one of our newest Saints, John Paul II, I have to share my memory of seeing him in 1993 at World Youth Day in Denver, Colorado. The scriptural theme of the even was the last verse of today's Gospel, "I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly." I remember we were all gathered for the Closing Mass at Cherry Creek Park, and in his homily, the Holy Father, Pope St. John Paul II said something simple, and amazing, and like his predecessor St. Peter, it was a perfect blend of the Hallmark, and the not-so-Hallmark. In the midst of the crowd, and through the dry heat of that August Sunday morning, I heard the voice of my earthly shepherd, echo the voice of my heavenly shepherd when he said, "Young people, do not be ashamed of the Gospel!" It cut to my heart, because in my growing up, I had heard the same thing from my own mother and father... Do not be ashamed, for you are a great kid! You know, I recognized the voice of the Lord that day in Denver because I had already heard it in the voices of my Church and my parents.
St. Peter heard the voice of Christ, and he proclaimed the Good News! St. John Paul II heard the voice of Christ and he encouraged the Church! Mom heard the voice of Christ, and she nurtured us kids! So if today, you hear his voice… Do something that shares the love of God with those in who are in need… Especially the poor and the broken! Proclaim, Encourage and Nurture!
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