Scripture: 1st: Acts 15:1-2, 22-29
2nd: Rev 21: 10-14, 22-23
Gospel: John 14: 23-29

What a beautiful sight it was as I stood on the beach in Mukilteo watching the sunset over Whidbey Island some 40 years ago. I wondered how beautiful it would be if I was actually on the Island, being right there where I saw the sun set.

I was imagining how beautiful a sunset would be if I was on the Island yet being blind to the beauty that was in front of me; that beautiful sunset that caused me to wonder in the first place.

Have any of you ever heard anyone say how desolate, barren and empty the dessert is? Have any of you also heard anyone say to you how beautiful it is as the sunset turns the gray sand crystals into chrisoms of color and the sky as it turns into an indescribable yet beautiful color of red, pink, and orange?

I remember as a young boy looking upward seeing the big dipper dance across

the night sky and a few years later seeing that same dance looking upward into the night skies of Japan and Vietnam. Yes, God’s beauty, his creation is massive AND HE HAS GIVEN ALL THIS TO US OUT OF LOVE.

God’s love is found everywhere. All we have to do is open our hearts as we open our eyes. Where God’s house abounds, so does his love. That is why God has offered to make his house in us. When we open our heart’s we open the door for God’s gift of his son Jesus Christ, which is the perfect manifestation of God’s love.

Christ came into the world because he loved the world. Christ taught his people and performed miracles because he loved them. He willingly laid down his life on the cross out of his love for poor sinners, yes, you and me!

In his love for his Church, he gave us the wonderful gift of the Most Holy Eucharist and all the other Sacraments so that God’s love might live in our hearts. And now, he promises us another gift of love: the Spirit of love, sent from the Father and the Son to intercede for us, to teach us, and to fill us with God’s Peace.

Six of our children received their First Holy Communion last night. Their journey of faith started by opening their hearts to God, accepting the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ, to be with them as they grow in faith and love, and what love it is. No other love can compare to the love given us by God, his only son.

In today’s gospel when Jesus says: “whoever loves me will keep my word”, he is describing the best possible way of revealing himself to the world. Our loving obedience to the word of Christ and the love of God dwelling within us is the most perfect manifestation of Christ to those who do not believe. But not only is love the best way of revealing God, it is the ONLY way. Christ Jesus and his power to save cannot be known apart from love.

Our Gospel for the 6th Sunday of Easter invites us to wrestle with the mystery equally as mesmerizing to the eyes of faith as it is to the beauty of God’s creation. At the Last Supper, Jesus, as the Good Shepherd preparing the leaders of his flock, says to the Apostles: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him”.

What a powerful statement. The same almighty God who fashioned the heavens and the earth, the same Father who gave us the beautiful sunsets, the big dipper, the same Father also chose to love each of us personally making a dwelling place in our hearts.

This is the mystery of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the gift of Pentecost, which the Church will celebrate in two weeks, and the result of Baptism and Confirmation. The greatness and majesty of God, seen so obvious in creation, is un-equaled by His promise to enter into a personal union with you and me.

When we, by God’s grace, come to understand and accept this truth of our faith, our lives are transformed. We receive many gifts from the Father. Among them is the gift of peace. It is no coincidence that Jesus says, one verse later in John’s gospel: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.”

With God not just by our side but making a home in us, we know deep within our hearts that we are loved, freeing us to love others. God enters into the world of each of us, and cares with the tender concern of a Father and that we need not fear.

God gives a peace that the world does not give. It is a precious gift and one that follows the ultimate gift of His son, Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

We know we are loved and how better to experience love in this earthly life than to experience the love of our mothers. This weekend we remember and honor our mothers. We remember that nurturing, the bandages strategically place on the elbow and forearm.

We remember mother, who gives her love unconditionally as only a mother can and we remember mother who showed us compassion and understanding when we were in times of pain and confusion.

We know what the love of a mother feels like. But we can also know what it feels like to be loved by God. How? By opening our hearts as we open our eyes.

As I was finishing my thoughts for this homily, a windstorm came through. I sat on the edge of the bed and looking out, fearful of what might happen with the big fur trees around me might do, I opened my heart as I opened my eyes and saw the mighty power of God, the splendor of something you cannot see but you know is there by how everything moves in it.

The wind was covering the yard with fir bows, the power flickered and went off. Even in the strength and damage this wind storm did our even could have done, God was there and always is, so close that it is hard to imagine. His presence gives strength to face this storm and every storm in life. His love is amazing and his peace is irreplaceable. “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”

I gazed at the beauty of that sunset on the beach so long ago, but now I see that beauty wherever I am standing and wherever I go for he lives in me and you.  We are God’s creation. We are his expression of love. How beautiful we are.

In this short gospel passage, Jesus admonishes his disciples after washing their feet, “I give you a new commandment: love one another.  As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Love has so many meanings. There is puppy love when we find our hearts swept away by someone else, known otherwise as infatuation. I remember girls from my childhood whom I was madly in love with.  What Jesus speaks of, however, is not infatuation. Instead, he speaks of agape, that quality of deep love, where one puts the needs of others ahead of oneself.  That is the kind of love he has for us. For many people, that initial experience of puppy love has grown into real love because they have indeed put the needs of others ahead of themselves.

Katherine Hepburn once commented, “Few people know what they mean when they say, ‘I love you.’  Well, what does the word love mean? It means total interest. I think the reason very few people really fall in love with anyone is they’re not willing to pay the price. The price is you have to adjust yourself to them.”

Speaking of adjustments, I have a confession to make. I am no longer living alone. I now have a housemate living in the rectory with me. Her name is Amber. This blond has green eyes and is so affectionate. Any chance she has, she loves to be on my lap and be caressed. I never imagined that the day would come that this life long bachelor would find himself sharing his home with a cat. I quickly learned that I had to adjust my life accordingly.

To truly love someone, we have to put our priorities aside. Some relationships begin with one or both persons asking themselves, “What is in this for me?”  But that is not the manner of love which Jesus is speaking of here. When it comes to loving us, he didn’t ask that question. Instead, the question should be, “What can I do for the person whom I love? How willing am I to adjust my life for the sake of the person whom I love?” For most of us who love someone dearly, the answer is much.  When we really love someone, we are willing to go the extra mile and in some instances, go so far as to give our lives.  Many parents and spouses have made such adjustments for the well being of those whom they love.  They understand what Jesus and Katherine Hepburn are saying here; hence they do not hesitate to put aside their self interests for the sake of those whom they love.

Katherine Hepburn also had this to say about love. “Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get…only what you are expecting to give, which is everything. What you will receive in return varies. But it really has no connection with what you give. You give because you love and cannot help giving. If you are very lucky, you may be loved back. That is delicious, but it does not necessarily happen.”

One modern day saint demonstrated that attitude often. Mother Theresa of Calcutta spent many years caring for the dying in the streets of Calcutta. Once a journalist watched as she tended to a dying man who had a wound that oozed decay, giving off a foul smell. She calmly washed the wound, all the while speaking softly to the man. He told her that he would not have done that for all the gold in the world. Mother Theresa replied, “Neither would I.” She did it for someone worth more than that. While you and I are not Blessed Theresa of Calcutta, Jesus still calls us to a similar love.

I think of spouses who honor the vows they shared years ago, caring for the person whom they married who is now terminally ill.  I think of adult children going the extra mile to care for an elderly parent ill with dementia. I think of parents who have made personal sacrifices for the sake of their children.  Yet, I know Jesus is calling us to do more than that. He is calling on us to love even those whom we do not know.

One striking feature of the early church was the love its members showed for one another. They understood Paul’s advice, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” What was true then remains true today.

This weekend we are called to support those who care for the needy in our name.  Besides the formation of our seminarians, and the marriage tribunal, the Annual Catholic Appeal supports those who reach out to the poor on our behalf. For example, last year Catholic Community Services prepared and served over a million meals. They helped more than 78,000 clients, including some here on South Whidbey. In addition, your pledge supports hospital and prison chaplains.  In short, the Annual Catholic Appeal enables every one of us to do our part in fulfilling Jesus’ commandment to love one another as he has loved us.  We can all do our part if we are willing to make an adjustment to our priorities for no gift is too small. Every pledge makes a difference to someone somewhere in Western Washington.

This year, our parish goal is $42,554. Last year 211 parishioners pledged an average of $276. Join me now in completing a pledge envelope, if you haven’t already.  Keep in mind as you fill out your envelope that your gift can be paid over a period of time with monthly billing from the chancery, a credit or debit card, or electronic fund transfer.  The suggested chart is asking you to consider pledging 1 % of your household earnings.  As I have said in the past, any amount received beyond our goal is returned to the parish; that amount will go toward a new organ.

If you choose not to make a gift, at least complete the envelope so that we know that you have responded to the Archbishop’s appeal. Thank you for your pledge; your gift, whatever its size, helps us to make real God’s kingdom in our midst.

Can you recall a painful moment in your life, perhaps a night spent in the emergency room due to an accident that injured a friend, or watching your home burn, or being there to watch a loved one pass away? What about that moment, perhaps unexpected when a verbal confrontation ended a friendship? When your world is turned upside down, it seems as though your life is being ripped apart, doesn’t it?

I imagine that is how Peter and his six companions felt. Having just lost Jesus in the trauma of the crucifixion, and witnessed his return in the incredible miracle of the resurrection, they knew life would not be the same for them ever again. Still, Peter opted to do what had been the normal thing for him to do. He went fishing and the others agreed to go with him.

After a long night of catching nothing, someone whom they did not recognized standing on the shore asked, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” When they told him, “No,” he told them to drop their nets on the right side of the boat and so they did, catching so many fish that they could hardly pull the net in. Just then, the beloved disciple recognized who the stranger was.

In the early light of a new day, the risen Lord greeted the apostles with the familiar smell of freshly grilled fish and bread. How ordinary yet how extraordinary! The last time they had dined together was in the upper room just before they ventured to the garden where Jesus was betrayed. The last time that Peter had stood by a fire, he had denied Jesus three times.

Now he finds himself being quizzed by Jesus. “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Peter replied, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again, Peter was asked the question, and again he gave the same response. This time, Jesus said, “Tend my sheep.” Once more, Peter is grilled. “”Simon, son of John, do you love me?” in exasperation, Peter replies, “Lord, you know everything! You know that I love you.” This time, Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”

Why three times instead of once? Perhaps, Jesus did this to give Peter a chance to recant each of his three denials.  I think of this scene as the gospel of the second chance.  Those who had been in the boat had deserted Jesus in the darkest hour of his life. When he needed them, they had abandoned him. Worse yet, their leader, Peter, had denied him three times in public.

Jesus could have asked, “Why did you do that?” That is the kind of question any upset parent or spouse or friend would typically ask.  Instead of dwelling on the past, he simply asked, “Do you love me?” That is all he wanted to know. Let bygones be bygones. Let hurts be forgotten. Let mistakes be put aside. Let betrayals be dismissed.  All that mattered to Jesus on the beach that morning, right here and now, was simply, “Do you love me?”

Jesus wasn’t speaking only to Peter. He is speaking to us as well, many Easters later. Right now, can you sense him asking you the very same question? Never mind the past. Never mind the many times you have betrayed him or let him down. That is, as the saying goes, water over the dam. What matters to him, here and now, is simply, “Do you love me?” If your response is the same as what Peter said, then picture Jesus saying to you, “feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep!”

Today’s gospel is a beautiful story of forgiveness. Three times, Jesus asked Peter the same question.  He wasn’t taunting Peter. Rather, he was inviting Peter to move beyond his past and take on the challenge of apostleship. He transforms Peter’s regrets and shame into understanding and conviction of the gospel.

It is easy to respond as Peter did and say, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” But then, how do we respond? Are we clinging to our past failures or the failures of others? Have we refused to forgive those who have hurt us in the past? Have we belittled our self worth because of something we did ages ago that continues to haunt us? We would not be today if Peter had allowed his denial of Jesus shame him from proclaiming the good news.

How then do we respond to Jesus’ command?  Feed my sheep, he said, but who are his sheep? They are the marginalized, the hungry, the homeless, those who don’t fit in. His lambs are children in need.  Repeatedly, our Church calls on us to do what we can to uphold the dignity of every human person. That is what social justice is about, striving to safeguard the well being of all God’s children. Jesus is calling on each one of us to be involved, using our gifts and talents to tend his sheep.

We heed his call by sharing what God has given us, our resources and talents, with the rest of his flock. One way of sharing is through the Annual Catholic Appeal, which enables pastoral care ministers to visit the imprisoned and the sick, sustains the ninth largest school system in our state that serves over 23,000 students, prepares those seeking to serve our Church tomorrow, as well providing care for our retired priests. Altogether, this crucial appeal supports 63 important programs throughout Western Washington.  Our goal this year has been set at $42,554. Help us to build a future full of hope with your gift.

In light of the difficult economic situation, I know that not all of our parishioners will be able to support the appeal financially this year. If you are able to participate and not giving at this level already, would you consider a gift of $1 a day to make up for those who cannot give much this year? Know that every gift, no matter the amount, can and will make a difference.  You have made it possible for us to surpass our goal every year and I trust that we will do so again; for this is one way we can say to the Lord, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

The Incredible Power of Jesus’ Divine Mercy

Today we celebrate the Second Sunday of Easter. Our late Holy Father, Pope John Paul II designated the Sunday after Easter Sunday to be Divine Mercy Sunday. Prayers for the intervention of Jesus’ Divine Mercy in human affairs are emphasized. There are many such prayers, most notably the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. This prayer was given by Jesus to Sister Maria Faustina, a Catholic nun who lived in Poland in the first part of the twentieth century. The Church promises that those who pray the Chaplet and receive the sacrament of Reconciliation will receive extraordinary graces. The Chaplet is prayed here at St. Hubert’s on Saturday mornings. All of you are welcome to join us.

God’s mercy is an active mercy. We need only look to our readings this (evening)(morning) to see the powerful effects in the early Church of God’s Divine Mercy. In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the apostles overcome fear and doubt by healing the sick and driving out demons. Once wracked by doubt and fear when Jesus walked among them, the Resurrection and Pentecost had given them the courage to receive and practice Jesus’ Divine Mercy.

In our second reading we also see the apostle John paralyzed by fear and doubt. John is describing a revelatory encounter with Jesus. This encounter comes at the end of his life when he was in political exile and hard labor on the punishment island of Patmos. John’s revelation frightens him. Jesus responds in John’s revelation with His ever-present Divine Mercy. He reminds John, as he reminds all of us through this Scripture passage, that God has been and always will be with His people. His response to John’s fears and what John believes will be the doubt of his readers is simple but incredibly powerful: “Do not be afraid.”

Finally, in our Gospel from John, we have the classic story of doubting Thomas. Here Jesus’ Divine Mercy goes the extra mile. All that Jesus has done for the Apostles is not enough for the apostle Thomas, Thomas does not believe Jesus has risen from the dead. Seized by fear and doubt in the aftermath of the Crucifixion, he demands a private revelation.  Jesus’ love for his disciples leads Him to appear to Thomas. He offers His Divine Mercy to Thomas with the words “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

For us, Jesus’ Divine Mercy can be just as powerful in overcoming our own doubts and fears. For Jesus’ Divine Mercy is a mercy that not only has as its root charity and forgiveness but also the key element of a change of heart in us that enables us to both receive and accept forgiveness and mercy. In this regard, I offer this story for your consideration.

The country of Rwanda is a small central African country of about eight million people. About 99% of the population belongs either to the Hutu tribe (about 85%) or the Tutsi tribe (about 14%).  The country was a Belgian colony and is overwhelmingly Catholic, whether one is of Hutu or Tutsi background.

 

For much of Rwanda’s history, the two major tribes have had a difficult relationship. In 1994 a radical Hutu faction overthrew a coalition government and implemented a horrible genocide against the Tutsis.  Out of a population of eight million, 800,000 were slaughtered. Whole families were frequently hacked to death by machetes, swords and just about anything else on which Hutus could get their hands. Bodies lay in latrines and fields all around Rwanda. Even Catholic priests and nuns participated in the massacre, sometimes taking in fleeing Tutsis on the promise of sanctuary, and then turning them over the Hutus. Many other Catholic priests and nuns who refused to participate or were of Tutsi background were slaughtered as well.

The radical Hutu government was overthrown after a few bloody months and replaced by a new government of national reconciliation. But how to deal with the horrific massacres and their social and economic aftermath was and is a question the Rwandan government has grappled with ever since.

Responding to Pope John Paul II’s special devotion to the power of Jesus’ divine mercy, Catholic Relief Services has for a number of years now been promoting reconciliation and peace among the people of Rwanda. CRS staff had themselves been killed in the massacre, and the CRS presence in Rwanda had been devastated. In 1998, to prepare for the Great Jubilee Year of 2000 in the Catholic Church, the Rwandan bishops and CRS instituted a series of peace and justice commissions. Thousands of leaders have trained by CRS and the Rwandan dioceses to facilitate the work of the commissions. The commissions urged those who were responsible for the massacres to come forward and seek repentance, and those who were victims were called to forgive them.

Remarkably, neighbors who had lived side by side and then were caught up in the massacre on both sides began to visit each other. Jesus’ Divine Mercy was showered on the people of Rwanda, and Rwandans began to shower that mercy on each other. Throughout the country, because of the trust CRS and the Church still had, men and women confessed to brutal killings and lootings. All were required to ask for forgiveness in public and then visit the homes of survivors and ask for forgiveness directly.

To be sure, the process is not perfect. Nor is it a complete substitute for traditional punishment of such horrific crimes. But what is most remarkable is the reconciliation that HAS occurred. The killers and those who had family members have in some instances become friends. Jesus’ Divine Mercy is clearly present in many of the accounts.

For example, one woman named Drocella, a Tutsi, was separated from her children during the genocide. They stayed at home while she left to do errands in a nearby town. When the genocide began, Drocella returned home as quickly as she could. By the time she arrived, her eight children were dead. They had fled to their Hutu godfather’s home. They had hoped he would protect them. Instead, he gave them up to the killers. Drocella also lost several extended family members in the genocide. However, in the intervening years only one person came forward to confess and ask forgiveness, a man named Philippe. Her journey to forgive started much like the others. She recalled:

“After the genocide, I found myself alone. Everyone around me had died. I said, “Why don’t I go back to church and pray so that I can live again? My heart was very dark and broken. The priest encouraged me and others like me to forgive. I said, “I can’t go through this business of forgiving because of this man Philippe. I see him here. He was the first one to work with us in the church, to help the poor, to do all of the church activities which brought us together. But he was also the first one to kill my people.”

“So every time they started talking about the commission, I felt like my heart was ready to burst. It was heavy, and I wouldn’t get the message. But there was a very dynamic priest here. When he came to my parish, I would bend my head, because I knew why he came. He was coming to tell us to forgive. After the Mass, the priest would walk around and ask, “Where is she? Where is she? I would say, “Why is he looking for me? I lost all my people; my heart is almost going to burst; what does he want me for?

“The Word of God was very helpful to me. My heart is no longer as heavy as it used to be. I felt relieved and then I told one of the people who came to teach us, “You know I think I am going to forgive. I feel ready to forgive.”

Remarkably, through the power of Jesus’ Divine Mercy, and the human dignity work of CRS, Rwandans are the first people in human history to rebuild a nation composed of the perpetrators of genocide and the surviving victims. They still have a long way to go. But if people, brothers and sisters, who once killed each other in cold blood can now reconcile, and seek and provide forgiveness and mercy, cannot we also do so in our families, in our community, and in our world?

Brothers and sisters, let us all reflect on the lessons of Rwanda. Let us pray that we may all overcome our fears and doubts about Jesus’ Divine Mercy. May we practice an active mercy in our own lives, one that reflects Jesus’ Divine Mercy, a mercy that is a signpost on the road to salvation.

The blessings of the Risen Christ be with you! The message of Easter is indeed incredible; one that has captivated the interest of many people since the first Easter morning so long ago. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. As Luke tells us, the women from Galilee were puzzled and terrified when they discovered the empty tomb. They weren’t the only ones.

Clearly, what happened was outside the realm of ordinary human experience. Probably no other event has had a greater impact on world history than their discovery of this empty tomb three days after Jesus of Nazareth had been crucified.

Some critics say the event was staged, claiming that Jesus wasn’t really dead when he was taken down from the cross or that the apostles came and took his body away from the tomb in the dark of the night. The ancient Jewish historian, Josephus, wrote, “Some people actually assert that he had risen. Others retort that his friends stole him away. I for one cannot decide where the truth lies.” To me, what makes the notion of a hoax unlikely is that those who witnessed the risen Christ never changed their story even in the face of persecution and death.

Had he not risen from the dead, the good news of Jesus Christ would likely have faded from memory long ago. At best we would remember him as a great ancient teacher like Plato or Aristotle. But he did rise from the dead and within a century this amazing historical truth had spread like wildfire throughout the Roman Empire. This event touched the lives of many people then and, as your presence here testifies, still does today.

Granted, Jesus’ resurrection is a mystery that cannot be fully explained. For those who seek a rational explanation, none can be offered, for as all four gospels relate, there were no witnesses to the actual event itself.

When you stop and think about it, there are many things we believe without understanding. For example, across the street, I often see sheep grazing. Somehow the grass they eat becomes wool that in turn could well become my next woolen sweater but I don’t understand why or how this happens.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one mystery Christians have come to believe based on the testimony of those who saw the risen Christ first hand. Judging from other gospel accounts, the body of Jesus Christ that rose on Easter Sunday was radically different from the body that was buried on Good Friday. Jesus did something no other human being has yet experienced.  He was transformed.

Unlike his birth or crucifixion, the resurrection of Jesus is the starting point of our Christian faith. For starters, the resurrection gives us reason to believe that life for us will not end when we take our final breath. Rather, we also will be transformed into something new, just as Jesus was. That gives us cause for joy, prompting us to sing, “Alleluia!” That ancient word, which cannot be translated, expresses hope that we will not die. Admittedly, we dare to believe the unbelievable, but then that is what separates us from others who have respected Jesus only as a great teacher and prophet, but not as the Son of God who rose from the dead. We know that without the resurrection, there would have been no Christianity.

On Good Friday, I noted that the last words Jesus said on the cross were, “It is finished.” What was finished wasn’t his life but his last lesson for his disciples. The teacher had done what he could to convey the good news to disciples who had traveled with him for three years. Class was over.  With the resurrection, they now understood the full impact of his many lessons. Having encountered the risen Christ, the disciples then ventured forth to proclaim the good news to anyone who would listen.

Nothing could keep them entombed in the upper room, for they had seen first hand that Jesus had triumphed over sin and death. They were moved to share this fantastic news at any cost. They passed on the good news that we could experience new life in Christ not only here in this Easter gathering but also in every celebration of the Eucharist.  And that nothing could defeat us any more, not pain, not sorrow, not rejection, not even death.

Fr. Richard Rohr, a renowned Franciscan retreat master, notes,  “The tomb becomes a womb today, waiting for rebirth.” Jesus wishes to transform our present lives, just as he transformed the lives of his disciples after his resurrection.  We don’t have to wait until we die to share in the risen life of Jesus Christ. We can begin right now, in this Mass, in this Easter celebration.

We are here today because someone in our past shared the good news of Easter with us. Over the past few weeks, you may have noticed local ads on TV inviting Catholics who have been away to come home. I have come to know some who have returned in recent weeks.  One observed that all it took was a personal invitation from a parishioner to prompt his return after many years of being away from the Church. He in turn invited someone else to come home. It was moving to watch them both venerate the cross on Good Friday. If you have been away, please accept my invitation to come back again and again.

This day draws more people than usual to prayer. By your presence, you have linked yourself in faith to the risen Christ. Keep in mind that Easter is more than a day; it is a way of life. Every Sunday the Church celebrates Easter anew reminding us that the risen Christ is in our midst inviting us to a new life of faith, hope and love. May the risen Lord continually fill your hearts, your minds, indeed your very lives with his peace, love and joy until the day comes when we too will rise from the dead.