Fifth Sunday of Easter at Holy Spirit

Growing up Catholic, in our family home, in my bedroom, around my neck, on the rosary in my pocket, in the classroom of the school, Our Lady of Good Counsel School, then in the minor seminary which I entered at age 14, and in our parish Church, the crucifix is part of the DNA of my Catholic upbringing.  The crucifix was a constant fixture in almost every prayer I said.  The crucifix symbolized the giving love of Jesus for me and the whole world. 

The message of the crucifix in the sanctuary of our Church is that for Jesus his dying is his greatest act of giving.

In today’s Gospel taken from Jesus’ farewell discourse at the Last Supper, Jesus is speaking to his disciples about his own death.  “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him…My children I will be with you only a little while longer.  I give you a new commandment, that you love one another…By this all shall know that you are my disciples, by the love you have for one another.”

Jesus understands his dying as central to the eternal purpose of God.   Death is not a defeat.  Jesus’ death is a process of glory, a revelation of divine love saving human life.  Jesus’ death is the supreme expression of love for his disciples.  “I lay down my life for the sheep.  This laying down of life out of love creates a new commandment.   “By this all shall know that you are my disciples, your love for one another.”

We deeply believe God has first loved us.  The love of Jesus for us joins us in our deepest fears and sustains us through our greatest loss.  I presided at a funeral Mass on Friday at St Louis Church of Joe Nunn.  I have known Joe and his wife Lucy for many, many years.  Lucy is a person of considerable faith as she grieves the death of her husband.  The love of Jesus sustains Lucy in the grieving that she now experiences, and she now knows a peace that only God can give.

To walk with people of faith in the dark valleys of life is a humbling experience and to witness the trust that people place in Jesus as their Lord and their Savior is a beautiful God moment for me.

As seen in the Gospel Last Supper discourse of Jesus with His disciples, Jesus is very clear on how His disciples are to be known.  Jesus parting words to his disciples are:  “By this all shall know that you are my disciples, the love you have for one another.”  Love is the first priority of our lives as the disciples of Jesus.  In loving, we are to give of ourselves in the service of one another.

In love, we are to forgive as our loving God forgives us.

So, whenever you think of how hard it is to forgive, don’t think yes how hard it is for me to forgive, because for all of us, it’s a great weakness, the hardest thing in life is to forgive somebody.

But look again at that person you cannot forgive. Because you have not seen that he or she, too, is God’s glory. For God does not make garbage. He doesn’t fool around with life. Each one of us has an eternal destiny and an eternal goodness.
 
We need to ask ourselves: “Can I not forgive this person the way God forgives me, with a generosity of forgiveness, or must I insist, me refusing to give this person my little forgiveness, when God himself has died for this person and has died for me and forgives us all?”

May we always remember the words of Jesus on the cross saying, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”

We have a Gospel imperative to give and to forgive.  As to the Gospel imperative to give, even more important than the marketing strategy of giving to a specific need, we have a need to give, to give generously, yes, to give of our time, talent, and treasure, even our very lives as an expression of our love.

There is no way we can feel comfortable in our discipleship of Jesus if we are not generous givers.  When it is a sacrifice, when our giving does challenge us, when we are forced to make sacrifices, this is what Gospel giving is all about.

Now you know and I know the experience of being on overload.  Our plate is too full at times and we lose our center.  For myself, when I begin to feel on overload and too much is being asked of me, my prayer is quite simple:  “Behold the cross.”  I began the homily with saying that the crucifix is part of the DNA of my Catholic upbringing no matter where I turned.  My mom and dad must have had stock in the making of crucifixes.   “Behold the cross” is still very much a part of my faith DNA.  Know that the dying of Jesus is the greatest expression of giving.  If I have to simplify my lifestyle a bit because I’m being asked to give, know these little acts of dying prepare us for the ultimate act of giving which one day we will all be called to.

I call your attention to the second collection today:  Our Raising the Roof Campaign.   We are replacing the roof in our parish hall and replacing the flooring and the ceiling in the parish hall as well.  As we all well know, replacing a leaking roof is not optional or a luxury.  We commit ourselves to updating our facilities not only for ourselves but for future parishioners of the Church of the Holy Spirit for generations to come.  The parish hall is where our faith formation is done; it is where we have our parish meetings; our youth ministry; our parish social events; and where we enjoy our coffee and doughnuts after Sunday Mass.  The parish hall houses so many of our parish ministries.

The second collection is for this raising the roof campaign.  You will notice pledge form in the pews.  If you are able to make a greater pledge over the course of two years than you could in a single collection gift, the pledge would be so much appreciated.  You will have a couple of moments following the homily to fill out a pledge form and you could simply place the pledge in the second collection today.

By God’s grace, may we always be generous givers.  Please take a moment to consider the pledge form in the pews.  Please place in the second collection today.