FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
10 MAY 2020
For
those adults, teens, and children being formed through the Rites of Christian
Initiation, the Easter Season becomes a time of Mystagogia. This Greek word means that they reflect on
the Mysteries they have received at the Easter Vigil. However, the Easter Season has a different
focus for them this year. Even though
all of our Catechumens were well formed, we could not baptize, confirm, or
admit them to the Eucharistic table. And
the same goes for Candidates for Full Communion who could not renew their
baptismal promises and be received into full communion with the Catholic Church
and be confirmed and admitted to the Eucharist.
Instead, this Easter Season has become for them a 50 day final
preparation for the Sacraments, which they will receive at Saint Pius at the
Vigil of Pentecost at the end of the Easter Season.
The First
Letter of Saint Peter helps them to understand what happens when they will be
baptized. They become living stones
being formed by the Lord into a spiritual house. Their sacrifices will be joined to that
perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Unlike the rock of Sinai which God’s people were forbidden to touch,
Jesus has become the cornerstone, rejected by the builders, who invites us into
loving and close union with him. Through
the Sacraments of Initiation, they will become a chosen race, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own.
They will truly allow the light of Christ to shine through them in the
darkness of this world.
The first
reading from the Acts of the Apostles helps the rest of us who have been
members of the family of the Church to reflect on the Mysteries which we
share. We know from our own experience
that conflicts and difficulties arise for any family. On this Mother’s Day, we honor so our mothers
who have helped us to navigate conflicts within our human families. My Mom was a master at handling conflicts in
our family. There have been and always
will be conflicts in the family of the Church, both universal and in our parish. We can learn from their response to the
diversity which caused a conflict. The
first disciples of the risen Christ were Jews who spoke Hebrew. As the Good News spread, Greek speaking Hellenists
became incorporated into the Body of Christ.
They complained, because their widows were being neglected. To solve the problem, the twelve invoked the
power of the Holy Spirit, chose seven men from the Hellenists, and laid hands
on them. These first deacons were
assigned the specific task of caring for the widows. To resolve the conflict, both sides had to
listen to one another. They had to die
to their focus on their own needs. They
had to trust that the Lord would be present in their sincere desire to serve
the needs of the wider Church. The
conflict ended, not in more division, but in the widening of humble service and
the spreading of the Gospel.
As we face
the conflicts within our parish and within our Church today, we can take
comfort in the presence of the Holy Spirit and pray for our bishops in union
with Pope Francis, those successors of the Apostles who lead us today. What Jesus says to his disciples at the Last
Supper he says to us: “Do not let your
hearts be troubled. You have faith in
God; have faith also in me.” Thomas and
the other Apostles would soon learn that the way to the Father would be through
the sacrificial death of his Son. As we
face the task of dying to ourselves and opening our hearts to resolving our own
conflicts, Jesus gives us the same assurance he gives to Philip. If we have known the presence of the risen
Christ, then we have known the Father.
Our struggles to deal with conflicts and even our own deaths will not
separate us from that union. Death has
no power to destroy living stones, as the stones of the ancient temple were
destroyed by the Romans. Jesus has gone
before us to prepare a place for us. We
can confidently follow.
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