2020-05-10
_ 5th Sunday Easter ●
Acts 6:1-7 ● Psalm 33 ● 1 Peter 2:4-9 ●
John 14:1-12 ●
[_01_] A celebration and party that is spontaneous is often very
good, but if it is a surprise party – like a surprise birthday party – the
guest of honor is not supposed to do any actual planning of the event.
The guest of honor is not supposed to know.
In order to get my mother to come to – and to be dressed up
and prepared for a big celebration that was really her birthday party – we had
to tell her that she was going to someone else’s party.
You know the drill. The guest of honor is brought to a
location where she does not know what and who is on the other side of the door.
Then, she opens the door, and everybody says “surprise”, sing happy birthday…
and it’s a great moment.
But, you have to get everyone there. In this case, we also needed my brother to
visit NJ from California for this and my sister to travel from Boston and to do
all this and stay at my parents’ house.
So, for one of the grandchildren, we planned to have the
baptism, christening and post-christening party on a Saturday afternoon and
evening.
My mother thought the party – the celebration – was for her
grandson.
Believing the party was for him, she also started planning
for the day.
She started inviting people…and she told me later that she
was wondering why people were not calling her back.
She was thinking about this guest list on the way to her
own party, but the guest of honor is not supposed to be planning…right.
That’s what made it also a good surprise, that the
celebration appeared to be for someone else.
All of our gifts though they are ours are also for someone
else.
The word “gift” appears originally in the New Testament as
the Greek word “charism” or charisma.
[_02_] Pope Francis
stated that … “A [personal] charism is more than a talent or personal quality.
It is a grace, a gift that God gives through the Holy Spirit. Not because
someone is better than the others, but rather so that he puts it at the service
of others with the same gratitude and love with which he has received it.”
We often hear the word “charism” as the root of another
word --- “charisma” or charismatic.
Many years ago, someone I worked with said the following to
me…. You know ..you … are so easy to work with …. The person who was here
before you. That person was so charismatic.
In other words, I was being praised for NOT being “charismatic”…I think
the other person was a bit mistaken about the full definition of “charismatic”. I am human, I ws put off by this for a while
…but then when I told the story to people, I realized that I could laugh about
it.
But, then again – I am also “mistaken” at times about the
definition of “charismatic” or charisma. I need to be reminded that my gift to
you is not my “charisma” –that should attract you to me, or remind you of
me…but any gift I have is meant to lead you to God, to the Father, son and Holy
Spirit.
This is true for all of us and for all the disciples.
[_03_] In our faith, we
profess that the Mother of God who is the mother of Jesus our Savior is also
our mother. She has a gift and a charisma to be shared.
Her charisma is meant also to lead us to Jesus, our Lord
and Savior.
It is no accident that Catholic painting and sculpture will
depict our Blessed Mother always in relation to Christ. At the Annunciation,
the announcement birth of Christ, at the nativity, the actual birth of Christ,
at the Cross, her attendance to his suffering,
And at the end of her
life, her Assumption to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
I’d like to touch on 2 gifts of
Mary as disciple and
mother – her her comprehension and her compassison.
1st. Comprehension
Mary is known famously for this verse, about comprehending
and listening to God.
And, at the wedding of Cana miracle in the Gospel of John, she
does have some instructions, but her final words are, of Jesus, “do whatever he
tells you.” This is the charism and charisma of the mother of God.
And, I would suggest that even your own mother – my own mother
– gives you life not only by having us follow her exact instructions, but to
prepare us to listen to the Holy Spirit in our lives.
This is how our mothers give us both stability and
strength. It is a vital sign that they share with us by listening to us and
then by teaching us to listen.
Listening is a charism, listening is a gift.
Her comprehension is also based on her COURAGE.
Courage is also a gift.
The Blessed Mothers as the pre-eminent and original disciple is
also the one who reminds us not to be afraid.
That was the message of the angel to Mary at the annunciation – Be
not afraid for you have found favor with God.
Boston College Professor Peter Kreeft observed that in Mary
we see that fear can be overcome by surrender, by self-surrender.
This is a paradox, isn’t it ..because logically think we
“surrender” is something we do when we are fearful.
But, I would suggest we do …when we are courageous.
I can think of times – perhaps you can as well – when I
have insisted or been very attached to having my own way, having things go my
way …or simply being popular and being liked…
all of this is based in fear … fear of being alone, fear of poverty,
fear of being weak.
Mary – as mother and disciple – shows us the joy of being
one with her Son and allowing God to work in
her life.
[_04_] In a crisis of
uncertainty – just putting one foot in front of the other – just taking one day
at a time as we are called to do in this crisis – is an act of both COMPREHENSION
and COURAGE – both of these are gifts of the Holy Spirit, gifts we are given
for understanding and wisdom, gifts to be given away, gift we receive not only
for ourselves but for someone else.
Gifts that help us to grow in compassion.
[_05_]
2nd COMPASSION
An example.
In 1977, the movie – Star Wars was
released in movie theaters …and Jimmy Carter became the president of the United
States…and one person who was a favorite of the media during his presidency was
his mother, Mrs. Lillian Carter, a.k.a. Miss Lillian.
This is an example of mother’s courage, comprehension,
compassion
Miss Lillian even lived at the White
House, 1600 Pennyslvania Avenue. It must have made Mother’s Day dinner
get-together so much harder. Background checks and all that.
(Source: Jimmy Carter, An Hour Before Daylight (memoir / book)
Jimmy Carter grew up in Georgia, southeastern
U.S., in the 1930’s, during the Great Depression. At this time, his family had
a working farm so they were relatively well-off.
Meanwhile, there many individuals and
families wandering the countryside, searching for food, for work, for shelter.
They were like sheep without a
shepherd.
Some of them came to the Carter home
and farmhouse. And, his mother – Miss Lillian – fed them.
One day, Miss Lillian was at a
neighbor’s house and was talking about these visitors and the food they asked
for.
Her neighbor responded, “Well I am
glad they do not come here, because I do not want them and would not feed
them.” Fear !
This caused Miss Lillian to wonder
why the Carter house received so many visitors so she asked some of them.
They told her about the signal and
sign that these vagabond travelers gave to each other, a sign of which the
Carters had no knowledge. The visitors explained that the at roadside, where
the mailbox was. In this area, the mailbox was not at your front door, but on a
wooden post at the road. And, the visitors had intentionally scratched the post
to indicate as a friendly home.
It is our imperfections, even our
faults and our desire to love God and neighbor that makes us who we are … who
we are may be better known by others and by God than we know, And, is it not
true that Jesus is recognized after the Resurrection not only his face but also
by his wounds? We also have some rough edges and scratches…and falls.
In order to be sure that the sign
would remain, Miss Lillian told her family never to paint over the wooden post
or to remove the scratches.
It is the wound of Christ that make him recognizable to his
disciples – after the resurrection and to us. It is a vital sign an reminder,
that in Jesus’ .. in His Father’s, there are many mansions and he goes to
prepare a place for us.
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
Spiritual
communion prayer
[__fin___]
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