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Homily for Fifth Sunday of Easter

READ: (Acts 6: 1-7; 1 Pet 2: 4-9; Jn 14: 1-12)

REFLECT: knowing the Father through Jesus and get closer to the Father…

Dear friends we are in the fifth Sunday of Easter just a week close to the Ascension of Jesus. The liturgy of the word invites each one of us to move with Jesus’ feel of meeting the heavenly Father. So Jesus makes us understand before he could go to the Father the works that we need to focus and the ways by which we can come closer to the Father. Just as Jesus did the works of God, pleased God, we are also called to do the will of God and please God, so that we may come to know the Father and become closer to the Father like Jesus. So based on the liturgy of the word, I would like to share with you three points of reflections;

1.     Called to realize our primacy:

The primacy of Christian life is to proclaim Christ, live Christ and reflect Christ in our lives. In order to make us realize our primacy or primary act of Christian life, God intervenes in our lives in different ways. It could be through persons, places, times and events in the daily activities of life. But every intervention of God is for a single purpose of improving the quality of life by remaining in him and remaining with one another in peace and harmony. First reading from the Acts of the Apostles presents to us the interventions of God through the apostles. As there were complaints from Hellenists that Hebrews neglect daily distribution to the widows and orphans of Hellenists, the apostle to choose seven men to share the responsibility and improve the quality of life in the service of the Lord and to one another.  The reason for choosing seven men of good repute, wisdom and Holy Spirit was to focus on the primacy of God’s word and God’s work; to share the responsibility in the work of proclamation; to avoid conflicts, confusion, division, partiality and obtain oneness, understanding, equality and unity to reach out God’s word to one another.

That’s why the disciples say, “It is not right that we give up preaching for the sake of serving tables.” So the apostles devise a group of seven men among many disciples to serve at the tables for daily food distribution. The passage mentions to us that they did not choose whosoever they wanted or preferred rather seven men with a good repute, full of wisdom and Holy Spirit. The apostle chose such men of character and caliber, so that the proclamation of God’s word and service to one another becomes more effective and affective. The apostles understand this as an intervention of God, take immediate action as how they can function as proclaimers of God’s word and bring oneness and peace prevail in the community.

All the more what adds joy is that at the end of the reading we hear that they were glad and many more were added to sheepfold of Christ. It is because they all began to serve one another in one mind and heart, whether it was the proclamation of the word or serving at tables. The oneness among them was formed because of the intervention of God through the apostles; the oneness was formed because they were of good repute, full of wisdom and filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, the intervention of God through the apostles inspires them to improve the quality of life as followers of Christ.

Today what we lack in life in the spread of faith and his word is oneness, good reputation, wisdom and the realization of the presence of the Holy Spirit in us. The lack of good character and sound capacity makes most of us tend to work individually, promoting individualistic ideas and ideals. Consequently, we end up in fights and complaints, disunity and division, counter witness to the call of God as Christians. Just as God intervened in the life of early Christians through the apostles, settling the issues between Hellenists and Hebrews, improving the quality of life to happiness and the increase of number to Christian faith, we must also allow God to intervene in our lives, change our life-style and improve the quality of life for the proclamation of God’s word and his service. So let us not lose heart or be divided failing to realize the primacy of life as Christians rather value it and live it for the spread of God’s word and his good works.

2.     Call to be living and corner stones

We know the importance of a foundation stone in any building. It determines the entire position of the structure in a building. It becomes strength and support of the entire building and balances itself for the rest of the structure to come up. If the foundation stone is not set right or strong, the entire building becomes weak and gets collapsed. But for us Christians and Catholics, Jesus is the sure and strong foundation stone of the Church upon which everything is built and carried out. The foundation of the Church, Jesus Christ is so strong that although people rejected, yet God made Jesus a corner stone. Jesus continues to be our foundation stone and a living stone, because he gives us life and he continues to build the church in the midst of problems and persecutions. That’s what we hear in the second reading from the First letter of St. Peter, who invites each one to come close to Jesus the living stone, to become living stones, so that we can become part of a spiritual temple, a holy community of priests, by offering spiritual sacrifices that pleased God like Jesus Christ.

We know that stone in itself has no life and dynamism. But God can make the impossible a possibility. Such is the power and grandeur of God. Jesus is the living stone or the foundation stone, upon which the entire building of the church of God continues to stand, grow and spread far and wide. At the time of Jesus’ death, the stone closed the tomb, but God opened the tomb and raised Jesus from death by way of resurrection. Therefore, Jesus becomes the living stone and corner stone upon which the entire church is built and the members are united as one body in Christ. If Christ was not raised from death, there would have been no Christianity today. Therefore, Jesus a living stone gives birth and growth to its members and we are called to be the reflection of Jesus the living stone on earth by the life we live. Jesus is not a lifeless stone that remains there and then without movement but Jesus as a living stone has life and gives us life. And so, we who imitate Jesus are called to become living stones and corner stones in carrying out the mission entrusted to us.

In our journey of life to reflect Jesus the as living stone, there are two groups of people who believe and disbelieve in Jesus as the living stone. For those who believe Jesus as the living stone obtain life but those who disbelieve Jesus stumble and fall because they refuse the offer of life that God gives and fail to accept Jesus as the life-giver. Therefore, all those who believe in Jesus and have received baptism are bound to reflect Jesus in our lives and share the mission of Christ.

At the end of the reading from the letter of St. Peter we hear of beautiful titles, the purpose of God’s choice as his own. God chose people as “a chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nations and a special possession,” and their purpose of God’s choice was to, “Declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” Yes, the purpose of God’s calling is to praise God for the enormous wonders done in our lives. Just as God chose the people of Israel, brought them from darkness of life to a wonderful light, so also we who are chosen by God through Jesus are called to praise God for the wonders God has done through Jesus, removing the domain of darkness and death by resurrection and giving us life eternal.

Perhaps, today why we fail to be living stones of Jesus is because we feel that there are only some chosen or appointed or it is only the privilege or duty of some special people or we don’t involve considering it as not one’s duty or responsibility. But let us realize that God has chosen everyone and loves everyone. Each according to one’s nature and state we are called to contribute our share in the priesthood of Christ; Common priesthood, by virtue of Baptism everyone is called to share in the mission of Christ and the ministerial priesthood by the virtue of ordination to holy orders the ordained ministers are called to share in the mission of Christ.  So we all of us as Christians and Catholics are united in Christ by virtue of Baptism thus we all are privileged and are duty bound to proclaim God’s mighty works and God’s wonders to one another in the world. So let us become the reflection of Jesus the living stone and make Jesus a corner stone in our lives.

3.     Called to Know Jesus:

In the journey of human life, we all of us become sad when one speaks of leaving us forever or seeing them no more or arrive at the point of death. It is because of the close association or bond or love that we have for him or her, we feel sad of their absence. We are frightened because we would miss them. It is at that point of time we try to come closer than ever, because we are afraid to lose the one we dearly and truly love. Today’s gospel reading brings us to such scenario, where Jesus speaks of his departure from earth to heaven, consoles the apostles not to be worried or troubled, gives them an assurance that Jesus’ going to the Father is necessary and for a good cause, because Jesus could prepare room for them to remain with Jesus, as Jesus remains with God. So we notice here, Jesus does not want to leave disciples in a troubled spirit or a confused state rather makes them understand about his going to the Father. Yes, Jesus wants every one of us to be part of the room in store for us. If we want to remain in the rooms prepared by God, then we need to follow Jesus. That’s what Jesus will answer to the question of Thomas, “Lord we do not know where you are going? How can we know the way?

Jesus gives an apt answer to Thomas, yet so deep in meaning, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This statement of Jesus is one of the seven “I am sayings” in the Gospel of John that underscores the importance of Jesus’ nature. Yes, Jesus is the only way to the Father and no one can take us to the Father except Jesus; Jesus is the only truth by whom all our suspicions and confusions are set free; Jesus is only source of life, where we obtain life, nourish life and renew life. Therefore we have to follow Jesus the only way, the truth and the life. Because, Jesus is the door to the Father, reflection of the Father, the one who sees Jesus has seen the Father. This will take us to the statement of Philip, “Lord, show us the Father.”

Perhaps, what we see here could be the failure of Philip to grasp what Jesus had said. In the same passage of Gospel Jesus has already said, “If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him,” (Jn 14:7). Philip has not paid attention or not understood what Jesus said. Philip’s failure could be for two reasons; one he was slow to grasp what Jesus had said about Jesus’ relationship with the Father and secondly Philip had not yet known or understood Jesus fully. Sometimes, we too fall in this category of being slow to grasp what Jesus tells us at different point of time in our lives or have not completely grown into intimacy with Christ to know or experience Jesus in  our lives. So it is a time for all of us to check, how intimately we are united with Jesus.

However, in the two clarifications made by Thomas and Philip, Jesus does not reproach them harshly but helps them to understand the relationship between Father and Jesus that exist. This is what Jesus does with us too. When we do not understand, Jesus does not reproach us but makes us understand; when we go far away from him, he brings us closer to him; when we feel we are deserted or denied, he assures of his presence with us. It is all because, Jesus wants us to be where he is going; Jesus wants us to be in the same place where the Father is because he loves us; Jesus loves us because he cannot disown his own, as we are created in the image and likeness of God, Father.

That’s what Pope Francis would tell us that “the Christian life is always a matter of being on the way, and of not going alone”, but of going “in the Church, amid God’s people. Moreover, coming to know Jesus who presents himself “as way, truth, and life” requires starting out on a journey. Indeed, knowing Jesus is our life’s most important work, because in coming to know him we come to know the Father.” Yes, we need to make earnest efforts to know Jesus and his ways, so that we may come to know the Father and remain united with the Father. So let us implore Jesus the way who leads us to the Father, the truth who sets us free from unnecessary falsity and doubts and the life who gives life in abundance to enable us to know him more and know the Father too.

RESPOND:

Do we realize our call to primacy is God’s word and God’s work?

Do we realize our call to manifest Jesus the living and corner stone in our life?

Do we realize our call to know Jesus to come to the Father, who loves us always?

Let us realize our primacy for God’s work, become the reflection of Jesus the living and corner stone and know Jesus to come closer to the Father. Amen.

God bless us all! Live Jesus!

Fr. Ramesh George MSFS

rameshvkmsfs@gmail.com

9500930968