FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
14 MAY 2017
Jesus speaks these words to his closest
disciples at the Last Supper. For three
years, they had been walking the way to Jerusalem, listening to him teaching them
how to be good disciples. He had taught
them that the last would be first. He
had spoken openly of his own death on the cross and their need to carry their
crosses. He had just washed their feet
to teach them how to be humble servants.
Even though he had been deeply troubled at the tomb of Lazarus, he tells
them not to allow their hearts to be troubled.
He reminds them that they know the way.
Thomas objects that he does not know
the way. But he will soon find out what
Jesus had been talking about all along.
He and the other apostles will find that the way to the Father is
through death. In his encounter with
Christ after the resurrection, he would know the joy of being forgiven for
running away. All of them would
understand what Jesus was talking about when he says that there are many
dwelling places in his Father’s house.
He is not talking about rooms or buildings. He is talking about an intimate eternal experience
of God’s presence. He used the same
image when he spoke about destroying the temple and rebuilding it in three
days. He had been talking about the
temple of his body and his presence to them after the resurrection.
Then he tells them that they will do
greater works than his works. We can see
how this promise is kept in the Acts of the Apostles. Those who had been baptized became living
stones rooted in the cornerstone of Jesus Christ. They were living stones coming from many
different backgrounds, languages, and cultures.
That diversity brought conflict.
The Greek speaking Christians complained that their widows were being
neglected. So the Twelve Aramaic
speaking leaders came up with a decision under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. They laid hands on seven Greek speaking men
and put them in charge of serving the poor.
As the first deacons, they performed new works of service and helped the
Church adapt to changing circumstances.
We see a similar dynamic happening
in our sister parish of Saint Adalbert.
People of Polish descent founded the parish in the early part of the
twentieth century. Today, most of the
parishioners have Hispanic origins. That
is why the image of the bishop Saint Adalbert on our Triumphal Arch is flanked
by the image of the Mexican peasant, Saint Juan Diego kneeling next to
him. It has not been an easy transition,
much as the situation depicted in the Acts of the Apostles was not easy. The two communities have different languages,
different cultures, and different ways of behaving in Church. But, fed by the Body and Blood of the Lord at
every Mass, they have worked things out and are creating a new work in the name
of Jesus Christ.
The same is true of our parish as
try to do the works of Jesus Christ. We
may not walk on water. We cannot take
five loaves and two fish and feed five thousand people. We are certainly not perfect, and we are
working to make adjustments in settling into our new church. But our very acts of service, both within the
parish and to those in need outside the parish, make a huge difference. That is especially true of those of you who
are living the vocation of being mothers.
We honor them today, rightly, because they have learned from their own
experience that the way to the Father is through Jesus Christ and sharing in
his dying and rising. Mothers wash more
than feet on a regular basis. They deny
themselves many times each day and manifest the works of Jesus Christ. Inspired by the example of mothers in our
midst, we continue our journey in faith to the New and Eternal Jerusalem with
untroubled hearts. We continue to walk
the way that leads to the Father’s house, where there are many dwelling places.
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