BELIEF / PRACTICE / MOTHER'S DAY (2015-05-10)

6^th Sunday of Easter  / 10 May 2015

[__01___]     In the Gospel news about the Lord’s Easter Resurrection, and the news that he has continued to be present, has continued to live, his disciples and we are asked to:

·       BELIEVE – with heart and mind, to believe, to know and to understand this message that Jesus, once crucified and died has now been raised from the dead

·       And, having received and believed this message, the disciples were asked to PARTICIPATE and PRACTICE their faith.

[__02___]      

Isn’t it true that we can pretend – at times – that we could lack authenticity/honesty if we were to practice or participate in something with out assent or belief or understanding?

On the other hand, we could also profess our belief – and talk the talk …without the “walk” …and we lack the motivation to practice what we believe.

In the letter of Saint James, we read  a caution about what could happen to the person without the authentic connection between faith and action:

“Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror.  He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like.  But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed in what he does.”  (James 1:22-25)

[__03___]     In our readings from the Acts of the Apostles, from the first letter of John and from the Gospel Book of John, we are reminded about the connection between faith and practice.

In the first letter of John, chapter 4, we read about [ belief / faith ]

à “love is of God and everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.”

In the Gospel of John, chapter 15, regarding [faith / practice ]

“You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves because a slave does not know what is master is doing. I have called you friends because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.”

[__04___]     Jesus is reminding us that FAITH or BELIEF is a necessary step toward friendship, toward relationship with another person, whether in my family, work, school.

Then, after we have FAITH in another person, there can be love, charity, friendship.

[__05___]       We believe that FAITH precedes ACTION and RELATIONSHIPS …

For example, in the Beatitude verse from the Sermon on the Mount, we read “Blessed are the peacemakers fro they will be called children of God” (Matthew, Ch. 5)

Then, we would also be called to love one other, to seek peace and reconciliation, and to make even our disagreements to be opportunities of love, compassion, and positive correction/movement.

If we believe in the Beatitude verse saying ..”Blessed are the poor in spirit …” (Matthew, ch. 5) then we would try not to count in numerical terms all that we have given in the denomination of our DOLLARS, or EUROS …or even the denomination of our TIME.

If so, we would simply be counting the cost so as to keep ourselves rich numerically…meanwhile we would not be rich or wealthy in what matters to God.

[__06___]    When we believe in these verses, we are also called to practice them and thus to carry out God’s commands joyfully.  

[__07_-MOTHER’S DAY__]    

This Sunday, we also recall and pray for our mothers and grandmothers, living and deceased, and also to remember that our connection to our mothers is based not only in doing what they told us but also in believing what they told us.

[__07.01___]      At times, in our lives, we may pretend or lack authenticity if we do not believe in the actions we are carrying out …or we do not believe in the effectiveness of our own efforts.

For example, we may wonder if ..

·       Studying or practicing harder will do any good…if the subject matter is very difficult.

·       Trying to be honest will do any good …. If no one is going to notice or care…or if my honesty is going to be mocked or rejected.

·       We may wonder or fear that due to some fault in ourselves …or due to some unchangeable aspect of our own person – we may be rejected.

In all of these things, we can also be a harsh jury or prosecutor against ourselves.

In such cases, we may find it hard to believe and to act.

On Mother’s Day, we give thanks for the ways in which our mothers and grandmothers – all those who helped us as a mother would.

We give thanks for their support and recognition of God’s image in you and in me …and that by living he commandments, they not only believed in God but also believed in us, their children and in our goodness and our ability to practice and to act.    [__fin___]