Fr. Rick Spicer

Today speaks loudly of love for many people as we pause to honor our mothers for all that they have done for us, after all, mothers are our first real encounters with love.

Two people who love each other naturally want to make each other happy.  I imagine most children of any age are doing something to make their mothers happy today; maybe it was cooking breakfast or cleaning up a messy bedroom, buying or making a special gift or card, taking mom out to dinner or if she isn’t nearby, getting in touch with a long distance phone call or visit.

Just as children do something special for their mothers, spouses and friends often go the extra mile for one another.

A husband who knows that his wife likes freshly cut flowers will occasionally surprise her with a bouquet of a dozen roses. If he knows she gets furious when he watches football games all weekend each fall, he will try to spend more time with her. She, on the other hand, will try not to wake him on Saturday morning if he likes to sleep in or from time to time, she will prepare his favorite meal.

In today’s gospel, Jesus points out in so many words that we are in a love relationship with God as well. “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. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me.”

In other words, if we love Jesus, we will be true to his word.  In this gospel passage, Jesus tells us what pleases and displeases him. What must we do to be true to his word?

Take a good look at what Jesus said and did, and you will find the answer. The single motivation behind every one of his words and actions was love.  That is what prompted Jesus to do all that he has done, leaving the sanctuary of heaven to enter our troubled world, to become one with us, to share our pain and our struggles, and ultimately die on the cross. Without a doubt, Jesus loves you and me so much that some of us just cannot believe it. And he repeatedly invites us to follow his example. Loving all people, even those whom we deem not lovable, is the heart of Jesus’ life and message.  Simply put, being true to Jesus’ word means we must love others just as Jesus loves them.

That is easy enough for us to do with those who are close to us: our parents, our spouses, our children, our siblings, our relatives, and our friends, but loving someone who has hurt us or the total stranger?  That may seem like mission impossible. Fortunately, Jesus knows us well enough to realize that this is one mission we cannot handle alone.

For this reason, he told his disciples that his Father would be sending an advocate, the Holy Spirit, who would teach them everything and remind them of all that he had told them. That same Holy Spirit was sent into our lives when we were baptized and confirmed. But who is this advocate?

In childhood, I suspect we all went to our mothers from time to time seeking comfort or help whenever we were scared or found ourselves in difficult situations.  It helped to have someone at our side with whom we could share our fears and anxieties, someone who would encourage us and give us support.  Just as a mother would be there for her child, the Holy Spirit is there for us, because Jesus knows quite well that loving others can be too difficult a mission for us to handle alone. The Holy Spirit helps us to love when love is not easy to give as well as to understand what Jesus taught. 

For example, consider this line from today’s gospel. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” What an uplifting message to hear, especially when things aren’t going well but just what kind of peace did Jesus mean here? Certainly not a world free of conflict for that is a utopia we will never see. Rather, in our moments of crisis, moments when vital decisions have to be made, the Holy Spirit is there to offer us a harmony that comes from prayer, a harmony that is ours when we are in communion with Jesus. We should call on the Holy Spirit daily, asking for his insights on how best to live our lives, especially when we have a serious decision to make.

Integrating Jesus into our lives beyond simply saying that we believe in him enables us to experience a level of harmony that comes from loving God and knowing well that God loves us. Convinced then of the depth of God’s love for us, we would be more inclined to rely on the wisdom of the Holy Spirit instead of the wisdom of our secular world as the ultimate source for living life.

In this gospel scene, Jesus is telling his apostles that he is going away but that didn’t mean God would be absent from their lives. He promised to send the Spirit to instruct them and he has kept his promise. The Church is evidence of that but are we tuned in? When, in our pride, fear or eagerness to be in control of our lives, we refuse to open ourselves to the Holy Spirit, we jeopardize our eternal salvation.

Our mission to love one another is not an impossible one.  Graced and fortified by the Holy Spirit, we can live lives of openness and compassion, being true to Jesus’ words and showing others that true peace is found where love prevails.
 

Jesus left us with a tough challenge. “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” Hmm, how often have we loved one another? We like to think that we do, but most of us would be fooling ourselves if we made such a claim. We have friends whom we love but as Albert Camus once noted, what passes for friendship is often no more than an “effusion of feeling among people who get along together.” This is neither true friendship nor real love. This is selfish love, which seldom respects the rights of the other person. A selfish love withers and dies unless it is sustained by attention of the loved one. True love, on the other hand, seeks nothing at all, except the good of the other person.

In any relationship, sooner or later, there is bound to be a difference of opinion on a given issue. How the conflict is resolved can impact the future of that relationship. At a workshop on conflict resolution, I once learned how to look at the different outcomes of any conflict.

Ideally, the presenter said that we should strive for a win/win situation. Not my way or yours, but hopefully, our way, a better way than either of us had considered beforehand. Too often when two sides find themselves at odds, there aren’t two winners.

Instead, one side ends up the winner in a win/lose situation. “I get my way, you don’t get yours.” The other side is left feeling like the loser who now sees this as a lose/win situation. “Go ahead, have it your way.”

There is probably not a person here who doesn’t know the pain of what that feels like. No matter what our age is, I imagine we have all experienced being let down by a friend.

Whenever there is a loser, chances are that both sides will end up in a lose/lose situation, where neither side can or will feel like a winner. Years ago, a nun shared with me a story that shows how misunderstandings can lead to such a situation and unselfish love can turn things around.

“I hate, hate, hated my friend,” said Jill. “When I moved over on the school bus, she sat somewhere else. When her pencil broke in math class, and I passed her mine, she took Peter’s instead.”

“Ask her,” my mother said. “Ask your friend why she ignored you.” But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. I’d rather die.  What if she would say, ‘Oh, please, just go away. You’re ugly and dumb. Being with you was never fun.’ Oh, I hated my friend.

When it was her turn to wash the board, she didn’t ask me to help. When it was time to choose teams, she didn’t choose me. And when I made a basket and everyone else cheered, she turned away.

Oh, I hated my friend. When I went to walk home with her, she had already gone. When she took her dog out and I whistled to him, she put him on a leash and led him away. Oh, I hated my friend.

“Ask her,” my mother said, “Ask her why.”  I couldn’t, I wouldn’t.  I’d rather die. No, if that is the way she’s going to be, it’s quite okay with me.

“Ask her,” my mother said, “ask her and see.” I wouldn’t, I couldn’t. I’d rather die. But maybe….Oh, Jesus, help me! So I ventured to my friend’s house.

“You’ve been so rotten,” I said to her. “Why?” She looked at me as though she’d cry. “It’s you,” she said. “Last week, when I wore my new dress, Sue said that Jane said that you said I look like a freak!”

“I did not!” I said, “You look neat!” She looked straight at me for awhile and then we both began to smile. My friend said, “Hey, maybe tomorrow we can play?”  “Oh, yes,” I said, “Okay!” I didn’t hate her anyway. I wish it were tomorrow right away!

One of the hardest challenges in life is to love unselfishly. To really love is to put the other person first. The Eucharist is a reminder to us of how Jesus put us first so that we could experience the fullness of God’s love here and now. Yet, how many of us can claim to love like that? A few kind gestures, a commitment or two, and we have a good conscience. We give a little of ourselves, a few crumbs compared to what Jesus does for us.

True love, like true friendship, is more difficult. Perhaps the deepest pain in life happens when our love is not returned. When we encounter no response for our efforts, then it becomes really hard to go on loving. We are inclined then to stop loving those whom we think don’t love us or we deem unworthy of our energy and attention. Not that we hate them, but that we refuse to make room for them in our hearts.

So long as our love remains self-centered, motivated by the notion of ‘what is in it for me?’ someone ends up a loser.  Actually both sides usually end up losing. Real love, on the other hand, allows for everyone to be a winner. That is the love Jesus is demanding of us who claim to be his disciples. That is the love that Jesus demonstrated for us on the cross. That is the love made real for us in the Eucharist.
 

Back in the depression era, jobs were scarce. Whenever an opening was announced, dozens of applicants would apply. On one occasion, they were crowded into a noisy waiting room, eager to be interviewed for the position of telegraph operator. The drone of their conversation competed against the steady background noise of dots and dashes. The door opened and another applicant entered the room. He stood there quietly and listened attentively. He then walked to a door marked ‘private,’ and knocked. The personnel director opened the door and announced to the others in the waiting room, “You may go now, this applicant has the job.”

Furious and frustrated, the others demanded an explanation. The director replied, “Listen!” When the room became quiet, all heard the dots and dashes, repeating over and over the same message, “If you hear this, come in; the job is yours.”

The story sums up the message of today’s readings. Like dots and dashes in that story, God is constantly relaying a message of love to us, but are we listening?

When we are tuned to what God has to say, our lives are transformed. Being responsive to God at times requires that we be counter-cultural to the world around us. When someone stands out from the crowd because of a certain uniqueness or eccentricity, we say that person is marching to the beat of a different drummer. When someone stands out because he or she is listening to the whispers of God, that person is said to be a committed believer. Each of the readings today offers us examples of committed believers.

In the passage from Revelation, John shares his vision of angels, living creatures and elders, too numerous to count, praising God, “To the one who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor, glory and might, forever and ever.” To which the living creatures acclaimed, “Amen.”

That ancient Hebrew word means, “I believe! So be it!” This is why we say “Amen” when we receive communion. In effect, they are saying that Jesus is the one who is to be honored. Do we say the same? Is Jesus the focus of our lives? Do we live our faith with zealous conviction as did Peter and the other disciples? John lent his voice to the great crescendo of praise, inviting us to do the same.

When the high priest demanded that Peter and the others listen to him and obey his orders, Peter boldly defended his stance, saying, “We must obey God rather than men.” He is so right. God’s call to love has remained unchanged. Imbedded in that message is God’s blueprint on how to live the life of a committed believer. But living that life in modern day America can be so challenging. See for yourself when you stand up for what you believe in as Catholics.

In the gospel, the risen Lord offers advice to a boat full of tired disciples. When they listen to his instructions, their efforts are rewarded with a great catch of fish. When they listened to Jesus, they found themselves marching to the beat of a different drummer, not that of Jewish or Roman authorities.

Two thousand years later, the divine drummer continues to tap out his message of salvation that can best be summed up in the question posed to Peter three times, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

As with Peter, it is easy for us to reply, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” But then how readily do we respond to his command, “Feed my sheep?”  In other words, Jesus wants proof that we love him, proof that is demonstrated when we put our words into action, sharing what we have with others.

In our individual lives, in our parish and in our archdiocese, we work of Christ in countless ways, directly as volunteers or indirectly by financially supporting the church in its many ministries.

Perhaps you are uneasy contributing directly to panhandlers you encounter at intersections and onramps, so you feel guilty when you pass them by but there are other ways you can respond to Jesus’ command, “Feed my sheep.”

One significant way is through the annual Catholic Appeal. In addition to partially funding the operations at the chancery, your contribution supports programs including the Missions Office, Catholic Community Services, our retired priests and sisters along with our seminarians,  to name but a few, that figuratively speaking would allow you to honestly say, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. I am tending your flock; I am feeding your lambs.”  If you are not doing so already, could you consider a gift of a dollar a day to support the many ministries and services of the Catholic Church in Western Washington?

Next week, you will be receiving a letter from Archbishop Brunett, outlining the many programs supported by your gifts to the Annual Catholic Appeal. The money raised will provide more than half of the necessary funding for 63 different programs and services, which directly and indirectly benefit the parish and you. This year, our parish was honored for its active participation in last year’s appeal; we exceeded our goal by 193%.  Again, thank you to the 200 families who contributed $53,673 last year. Imagine what could be done if every family in the parish participated in this year’s appeal. With your help, our future will be full of hope.
 

In the Haggadah, prayed at Passover by Jews, we find this ancient prayer:

How many gifts God has bestowed on us! Had God brought us out of Egypt and not divided the sea for us, it would have been enough!

Had God divided the sea and not permitted us to cross on dry land, it would have been enough!

Had God permitted us to cross the sea on dry land and not sustained us for forty years in the desert, it would have been enough!

Had God sustained us for forty years in the desert and not fed us manna, it would have been enough!

Had God fed us with manna and not given us the Sabbath, it would have been enough!

Had God given us the Sabbath and not brought us to Mt. Sinai, it would have been enough!

Had God brought us to Mt. Sinai and not given us the Torah, it would have been enough!

Had God given us the Torah and not led us to the land of Israel, it would have been enough!

Had God led us into the land of Israel and not built for us the temple, it would have been enough!

Had God built for us the temple and not sent us the prophets of truth, it would have been enough!

Had God sent us prophets of truth and not made us a holy people, it would have been enough!

Perhaps it would have been enough for us and we would have been content to celebrate Passover but God knew that there was much more that had to be done if salvation was to be universally experienced. Had God made us a holy people and not sent his son, God knows that would not have been enough.

Had God sent his son and not have him die on the cross, God knows that would not have been enough. Had God had his son die on the cross and not rise from the dead, God knows even that would not have been enough. The good news that Jesus shared would have died with his disciples. At best, he would be remembered along with Aristotle and Plato as a renowned teacher. But God had his son rise from the dead, and from the moment Mary Magdalene discovered the empty tomb, we have celebrated each Easter what will be our ultimate odyssey, crossing over from death to new life, from evil to light, from this world to the next, namely, our own resurrection to eternal life. There is no separation of the body and soul on earth, nor will there be in heaven.

To proclaim the resurrection of Jesus Christ is to proclaim new life for us in the face of death. Just as the Passover depicts the passage of the ancient Jews from oppression in Egypt to new life in the Promised Land, Easter has always been the story for us of new life, not only for the risen Lord, but also for those who follow in his footsteps.

What makes this story so important? First of all, the resurrection is God’s endorsement of everything Jesus claimed and taught. Jealous men in search of power could not destroy Jesus by hanging him on a tree. No, God had the final word.

Secondly, this faith event is the cause of our salvation. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul tells us if Christ had not risen from the dead, our faith would be futile and we would still be mired in sin. The first born of the dead, Jesus Christ, gives us the assurance that we are bound for the same destiny. The risen Christ represents the starting point of our journey.

Every journey begins with a first step and for the Christian, that first step is baptism. At the Easter Vigil, many people around the world joined the Church through this sacrament. For them, this night marks their emergence into the fullness of new life, liberated from the darkness of sin. Easter is also a fitting moment for those of us who are already baptized to renew our baptismal promises, for as Paul said to the Romans, “You must think of yourselves as being dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.”

As the baptized, we are also message bearers. None of us would be gathered here had Mary Magdalene not shared the news of the empty tomb with the other disciples. For some people, the story of Easter may seem too incredulous to believe yet that is what compels so many of us to do just that.  The resurrection of Jesus laid the groundwork that love, compassion, generosity, humility and selflessness would ultimately triumph over hatred, bigotry, prejudice, despair, greed and death. Alleluia! What the world has been desperately yearning for, countless generations of Christians have found in the risen Lord. How blessed we are that God sent us his risen son who fills us with hope and new life!  God sees that it is enough! A blessed Easter to you and your loved ones! 
 

What an odd name to give this day; Good Friday. It may be difficult for us to see the good in a day that commemorates such a horrendous death.  Knowing that this is Act II of the drama unfolding before us, we might be inclined to even fast forward to Easter morning rather than dwell on the reality of what happened so long ago on the hill known as Golgotha.

We have no clue how long Jesus hung on the cross before he said, “It is finished.” According to John, those were Jesus’ last words. None of us have any idea what our last words will be when the appointed moment of our death arrives. Perhaps the moment will come unexpectedly as it did for my father when he died of a heart attack or we might be unable for any number of reasons to speak what is on our mind. But should we be blessed with the chance to say any last words, would we or could we say what Jesus did? His dying words suggest not an air of defeat, but of victory. Having accomplished what he had set out to do, he was now ready to go home to his Father.

To some degree, what we say would depend on how ready we are to cross that threshold we call death. Undoubtedly a fair number of us might be afraid to. We don’t want to let go of what is familiar, our loved ones and our surroundings, to venture into the unknown. At that moment, our faith could very well be tested to the limit. Do we really believe that there will be new life on the other side? Do we really believe that some day we will as Jesus did, rise from the dead? Do we really believe that a heavenly banquet awaits us? As the moment nears, will we have second thoughts about what we have believed in all these years?

Unlike other animals, we know that someday we will die. That is Adam and Eve’s gift to us along with sin. By eating of the tree of knowledge, they became aware of those realities. What they didn’t know is what happens once they would die. When they introduced death and sin into our world, they also ushered in fear, which has gripped humanity ever since.

That was Jesus’ mission; to rid our world of fear so that at our appointed moment, we would have no reason to be afraid. Looking back over the story of his passion, you can tell that Jesus had no fear of dying. He never let any fear of death overpower him. Not once did he curse his fate.

Jesus defeated death by embracing it. He didn’t let fear and its many forms control his decision. He rejected the urge to turn his back on his Father or to mistrust him. This act of faith enabled Jesus to atone for all the sins of the human race, including yours and mine. No wonder then that he could say, “It is finished.” He had triumphed over Satan. He did what had to be done to save us from sin. His death on the cross was and remains the ultimate sacrifice.

Unlike Adam, who tried to live apart from God, Jesus surrendered his life completely to his Father. The good news for us is this; his death means life for us! Everlasting life! And that means freedom from fear. Because of what Jesus did, nothing can separate us from the love of God in this lifetime and the lifetime to come. This is why we call this day good.

May we see what happened on the cross not as a folly, but as an example to follow, doing what we can, each in our own way, to conquer sin with acts of love, so that when the time comes for us to stand before God, we too can proudly say, “It is finished,” having done what we could each in our own way in our lifetime to build his kingdom.