THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD

29 MAY 2022

 

          In matters of faith, we run into limitations of language as we try to explain, articulate, and make sense of the mysteries that we celebrate.  Words fail us in explaining our experiences of a mystery that is far greater than ourselves.  Even in terms of human interactions, limitations of language keep us from describing to someone else the totality of the person we love the most.  We can try.  We can come up with qualities, physical attributes, and personality traits of the person.  But with words, we fall short of expressing all of who that person is.

            This limitation of language certainly applies to the Solemnity that we celebrate today.  This Solemnity is so crucial to the Paschal Mystery that our Bishops have transferred it from the fortieth day of Easter (last Thursday) to this Sunday.  They wanted as many people as possible to celebrate the Ascension.  Of course, the words we hear tell us that the risen Christ “was lifted up to be seated at God’s right hand”.  But what does that really mean?

            We can see the limitations of language in our attempts to describe this mystery.  Saint Luke wrote the Gospel, his first volume.  He also wrote the Acts of the Apostles, his second volume.  We heard from both today.  Both are accounts of the Ascension.  But both are different.  The differences show the limitations of trying to put a mystery into human language.  The limitations of language also are reflected in the remarks made by the first Soviet Cosmonaut launched into space.  Reflecting his atheistic origins, he bragged:  “I went up to heaven and did not see God.”  He obviously did not understand that the reality of heaven is not confined to space and time.  Heaven is a reality that exists, a mystery beyond our comprehension.

            But both accounts are trying to express the same reality.  What we celebrate today is one special aspect of the mystery of Christ’s resurrection.  Christ was raised from the dead.  That is what we have been celebrating during this last seven weeks.  The risen Lord is truly alive.  He appeared to his disciples.  He gave them the gift of peace, forgiving them for abandoning him in his darkest hour.  He showed them the wounds in his hands and feet and side.  He ate with them.  With the Ascension, we celebrate the exaltation of the risen Lord.  He is no longer confined by space and time.  He is in heaven.  But the risen Lord also remains present to us in so many ways.  He is especially present in the Sacramental life of the Church. 

            So, what should we do in response to this mystery of the Ascension of the Lord?  We can do what the Lord tells his original disciples.  He tells them them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the power of the Holy Spirit.  It was the first Novena.  We can do the same.  We can wait with the Lord and pray for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  Once we become open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we cannot stand around and look up into the skies.  We become more aware of the mystery experienced by the Lord’s first disciples.  In the absence of the Lord’s physical body, we are the Body of Christ, carrying on his mission in the world.

            As we prepare for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit next Sunday, please be open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.  Be sure to discern the gifts that God has given you.  Respond with boldness to the ways that the Holy Spirit prompts you to serve as the Lord has served you.  As the original disciples proclaimed the message of forgiveness and reconciliation, be open to the ways all of us can move beyond the anger and bitterness and divisions of the past two years to reconciliation and respect for one another, even in our differences.  The Ascension may be a mystery. But our celebration today is really a call to action, even in the midst of the limitations of language to describe it.

 

 

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

22 MAY 2022

 

          We continue to hear from the Farewell Discourse of Jesus in the Gospel of John at the Last Supper.  It is so long that we have been able to hear most of it during this Easter Season.  Jesus gives the disciples a final gift – the gift of peace.  It will also be the first gift he gives after he is raised from the dead.  It is a gift that the world cannot give.  Jesus knows that one of his closest friends will betray him.  He knows that he will be submitted to an unjust trial and be sentenced to a horrible and humiliating death.  He also knows that most of those at the table will abandon him in his darkest hour.  Yet he still gives his gift of peace, granting forgiveness and mercy to those who have not earned it.  This is certainly not the peace that the world is interested in giving.  The world prefers vengeance and retribution instead.

            The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles shows Paul and Barnabas using this gift of peace.  Paul himself had experienced the gift of peace when he encountered the risen Lord on the road to Damascus.  He had accepted the Lord’s forgiveness for persecuting the Church. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul was able to use the other promise made by Jesus at the Last Supper.  Through the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, promised by Jesus at the Last Supper, he had been teaching everything and been reminded of the words of Jesus in his public ministry.  Both Paul and Barnabas cooperate with the power of the Holy Spirit in their mission.

            Now, Paul and Barnabas are engaged in the first major conflict in the history of the Church.  There is intense disagreement about accepting Gentile converts.  Are they joining a sect within Judaism that acknowledges Jesus as the promised Messiah?  Or are they becoming part of a completely new movement that does not require following Jewish dietary laws and customs?  Paul and Barnabas come from the Church at Antioch, where they were first called Christians.  They bring their opinion to the mother Church in Jerusalem, rooted in their Jewish upbringing.  In this Council, Paul and Barnabas make a strong plea that Christianity is a new religion with its roots in the Jewish tradition.  Gentiles should not be obliged to be circumcised and follow Jewish dietary laws.  Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, their argument is accepted. The Apostles send Judas and Silas to convey the news to the Church in Antioch.

            Even though participants have strong and opposing views on this matter, they recognize their unity in the person of the risen Lord and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  They also urge the Gentiles to avoid practices that their Jewish brothers and sister find offensive.  Those offensive practices include abstaining from meat sacrificed to animals and available at a discount in the market, along with blood and meats of strangled animals.  They should avoid these practices out of charity.  They realize that charity sometimes demands a willingness to restrict one’s freedom when its use might have a hurtful effect on other people.

            As we continue to celebrate the resurrection during this Easter Season, we embrace the gift of peace given to us at our Baptism.  Through the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, we continue to encounter the presence of the risen Christ.  As the Advocate speaks to us in the Word proclaimed here, we are reminded of all that Jesus told his disciples.  As the Advocate changes bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, we are strengthened to love as the Lord has loved us.  The Advocate is also present to guide us in our disagreements and our divisions, which have been festering since the pandemic began.  The Advocate can teach us how to speak to one another with respect and ask for guidance.  The Advocate can guide us to heal wounds and resentments that have been festering for too long.  We can be open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, because we have been given the gift of peace, which the world cannot give.

 

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

15 MAY 2022

 

          Jesus speaks these words to his disciples at the Last Supper.  He has already shown them what authentic love looks like.  He had washed their feet.  He humbled himself to do an unsavory task reserved for servants or slaves.  Now Judas leaves the room.  Jesus prepares them to see the fullness of his love – his total gift of self on the cross.  God’s love had become human through the Incarnation of Jesus.  He calls his commandment to love “new.”  It is new in the sense that love is rooted in the offering of one’s life for others.

            We know from our experience that this kind of love always involves sacrifice.  It always involves a dying to self.  Jesus gives this new commandment to us during the Easter Season, because he wants to reinforce our trust that we can share in his rising when we share in his dying.  Parents understand this dynamic very well.  How many times have you made sacrifices for your children, only to see those acts of dying translated into new life that is transformative?

            This Sunday, we renew our stewardship of service at Saint Pius.  Before the pandemic, we were known as a parish offering many services.  We were able to welcome those who came to seek our help.  We were able to serve the needs of our parish community.  We were able to serve the vulnerable, the poor, and the needy.  Our tradition of serving took a huge hit with the pandemic.  We have struggled to resume the pre-pandemic level of service.  Please read the materials we send and look at the many opportunities to serve.  You might consider renewing a commitment that existed before the pandemic.  Or you might consider offering yourself to serve for the first time.  If people step forward to serve for the first time, then we might see one of the silver linings of the pandemic.  You expect me to say all of this.  But listen to Lindsay Will, as she shares her story of embracing the stewardship of service.  Even with the demands of a very young family, she has found ways to serve.

 

Thank you, Fr. Bill. My husband, Tim, and I have been parishioners here for just over 8 years. We have 5 children and the oldest four attend St. Pius School.

 

When Father Bill first asked me to give this talk about stewardship of service, I immediately thought of this seemingly insignificant little wooden box that sits on a shelf in our kitchen. In tiny white text the words, “Your life is not about you” are printed on this black box. It was actually gifted to my service-minded and inspirational husband and has been a guiding force in our decisions as family. It’s a gentle nudge in the right direction as I strive to make my life one long thank you note to God in gratitude for the many ways He has blessed my life. Most importantly, this saying has been a reminder of our Christian call to serve with the gifts God has placed in our hearts.

 

My stewardship journey started small and slow when we first moved here as I was figuring out how to be a mom of two under two and we were finding our way in this wonderfully large parish. Honestly, as the kids got older and more involved, I just started saying yes in spaces I thought I might have a gift to share. As our family continued to grow, and time seemed to evaporate, stewardship became about fitting it in where the whole family could be involved, the children could help and saying yes even when I wasn’t quite sure. Today service is a large part of our very full lives. 

 

For most of my life, I have resonated with the familiar thoughts around service- “the more you give, the more you receive”, the natural joy and fulfillment that comes from helping others,

And, on some levels, I have felt like I might become a little more “holy”, perhaps Saint-like, if I take on more service opportunities. Well I’m grateful for the How to Holiness retreat St. Pius offered in March to reframe my thinking. I learned that holiness isn’t about doing more holy things; holiness is actually about a relationship with God and recognition of your own weakness and limitations. Holiness is where you leave space for God to fill in. When God is able to fill those gaps, you can reflect a little more of His light in your actions and service.

 

Our parish is so rich with generous, faithful stewards that have inspired and motivated me over the years to get more involved. This weekend is about renewing your commitment to stewardship of service. What gifts do you have to share that are going untapped? Or maybe I should ask, what can you say yes to, even if you feel there is limitation or weakness, in order to grow in holiness?

 

I’ll close with one last story- Before the arrival of our fifth child last year, I did a little demonstration for the first four children in order to make concrete the idea that even with the arrival of a new life in our family, my God-given love for them will only grow. So with a series of candles lined up I lit the first one to show how when we got married, Dad had all my love, which was represented by the flame. When our first child was born, I lit the second candle, using the first; to show that Dad still had all my love and now so did James. And then I lit another candle for June, another candle for Jonathan, another candle for JT, and another candle for Jack. They could clearly see that no one’s candle flame of love dimmed as they were subsequently lit. In fact, they glowed even brighter. I think the same can go for stewardship. With a holy recognition that God will do His work in our weakness, in saying yes to serving others, His love can actually glow brighter through you, because, after all, your life is not about you.

 

Thank you and God bless you in your discernment. 

 

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

8 MAY 2022

 

            In 1954, Sofia Cavalletti, an Italian theologian, teamed up with Gianna Gobbi to create a better way for students to learn about Jesus.  Gianna was a Montessori teacher.  She had learned to use children’s natural curiosity to create hands-on experiences through which they can learn and explore.  Gianna’s classrooms created a calm and peaceful environment by focusing on details such as volume of people’s voices and the classroom layout.  Together, they created a new religious education program called the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

            Theresa Depung and the catechists who work with her have gone through extensive training to offer the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd to our parish.  The children gather in what are called atria.  In the first atrium, the youngest children from the age of three to six gather around a wooden statue of a shepherd and a number of wooden sheep inside a fence.  Many lessons revolve around this centerpiece.  In this calm environment, the catechists use the children’s natural curiosity to connect with the shepherd and his role with the sheep.  As the children advance to the next two atria, they grow to understand that the Good Shepherd knows each of them by name.  The Good Shepherd loves them and calls them to himself.  Our children understand the artwork on our triumphal arch in the church.  They are the sheep being called by the Good Shepherd.  They understand that the Good Shepherd wants each of them to sit in his lap in the eternal kingdom, just as the lamb is pictured on his lap on the triumphal arch.

            In their own uncomplicated way, our children believe these truths from the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.  During the past two Sundays, we have seen their faith as they received the Lamb of God present in their First Holy Communion.  They also understand the truth about their status as sheep.  Sheep have no natural defenses of their own.  They have no claws to fight back against wolves hungry for mutton.  They get lost very easily.  They rely totally on the care of their Good Shepherd.  They invite us to imitate their faith and be humble enough to recognize ourselves as the sheep of the flock.  We have no natural defenses against the wolves that want to devour us.  We get lost very easily.  We need to increase our trust in the Good Shepherd who knows each of us by name and who has laid down his life for us out of his intense love for us.

            In the Acts of the Apostles, Paul and Barnabas are attacked by wolves persecuting them and expelling them from their territory.  They shake the dust of hatred and jealousy from their feet and go on to Iconium.  There, they will continue to proclaim fearlessly the Paschal Mystery, trusting that the Good Shepherd is with them and feeds them with his own Body and Blood.

            We do not need to look far to recognize the wolves that seek to devour our faith and take us away from the Good Shepherd.  The wolves of anger and bitterness have been chasing us for the past two years and want to continue the divisions that we suffered in the pandemic.  The wolves of abuse of power and control want us to think that we can continue by relying on our own abilities and talents.  The wolves of greed and jealousy lure us away from a sense of gratitude for the gifts we have received.  The wolves are after us these days to erode our conviction that life begins with conception in the womb and needs protection.

            On this Good Shepherd Sunday, we express our gratitude for our mothers.  They named us and provided for our every need when we were vulnerable and without any defenses of our own.  They continued to show us the love of a shepherd as we grew and thought we knew better than they did.  Our mothers have sacrificed and laid down their lives for us.  They give us a glimpse into the love of the Good Shepherd.  For that, we are grateful and give them thanks.