Happy Mother's Day.

Graduates refer to their schools as their “Alma Mater” which literally means “Nourishing Mother”. Religious orders refer to their foundation buildings as “Mother Houses”. Miners hitting a large strike of ore would call that hitting the “Mother Load”. WE refer to this planet as “Mother Earth”. There is something precious, like gold, nourishing, sustaining and stable about the vocation of being a Mother.

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Acts 15:1-2, 22-29

Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6+8

Rev 21:10-14, 22-23

J ohn 14:23-29  Jesus answered him, "If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. (24) He who does not love me does not keep my words; and the word which you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. (25) "These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you. (26) But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all  that I have said to you. (27) Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (28) You heard me say to you, `I go away, and I will come to you.' If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. (29) And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place, you may believe.

Meditation by Larry Gillick, S.J. - Deglman Center for Ignatian Spirituality

T oday in this part of the world there is the wonderful celebration of Mothers Day. It is the most popular day for the restaurant industry, the flower stores and in the memory departments of most of us. Graduates refer to their schools as their “Alma Mater” which literally means “Nourishing mother”. Religious orders refer to their foundation buildings as “Mother Houses”. Miners hitting a large strike of ore would call that hitting the “Mother Load”. WE refer to this planet as “Mother Earth”. There is something precious, like gold, nourishing, sustaining and stable about the vocation of being a mother.

As we prepare these days to remember our birth-mothers and journey toward the celebration, as well, of the Eucharist, we might reflect on how we relate with the mysterious God often as a Mother; stable, precious, tender, the Source.

In most families we learned of God, not through Theology, or catechism, but through a gentle force which picked us up, sat us down, rolled us over, let us go and brought us back. We can pray with the memories of how our mothers brought us to life and played their part in bringing God to life for us as well.

REFLECTION

R elationships do change behavior. The early apostles were influenced greatly by their friendship with Jesus. They were religiously faithful to their Jewish traditions, such as circumcision, and other rituals of bodily and communal purification. Chapter seventeen of the Book of Leviticus relates clearly some of these laws which were the Word of God.

What we hear of in today’s First Reading is a developmental situation. The Acts of the Apostles is a book dedicated to the workings of the Holy Spirit in spreading the relationship with Jesus within a growing and non-Jewish community. The question Paul and Barnabas are facing is - what do converts from paganism have to do to be in the, what we would call, the Church. Do the men have to be circumcised? Are the purification rules for women and eating laws binding on the converts?

Some of the Jerusalem head-office have come down to Antioch and were instructing the new-comers that they must observe all the old Jewish rituals of purity. Paul and Barnabas, who were formerly quite religiously Jews, begin to reflect on just how Jesus, during His time with the apostles, dealt with these very same laws and rituals. They decide to have a literally, “Come-to-Jesus” meeting about this issue. What we hear is the letter or decree which is sent to the new communities. It is a long letter meant to restore peace of mind and heart to the newly converted. There are some things which are required which are stated near the end of the letter and which are mentioned in the chapter from Leviticus cited above. It is so helpful to remember that relationships change behaviors, but without the preexisting relationships, the changes are meaningless. Paul and Barnabas kept preaching about the Risen Jesus Who came to free all from mere practice of laws and called all to be brothers and sisters of His and each other. 

The Gospel continues the last conference-talk Jesus is giving His disciples in John’s narrative leading to the betrayal of Jesus, His death and His Resurrection. There is a peaceful tenderness about Jesus’ words and still a doomful sense of leaving them, but not totally.

In two weeks we will celebrate the descending of the Holy Spirit upon the world through the Church and before that the Ascending of Jesus from the earth into heaven. This Gospel reading is a preparing for our not experiencing being left abandoned as a Church. This fragile reality, the Church, had its problems from the earliest days when two disciples wanted preferential treatment by being guaranteed top seats when the Kingdom was to arrive. Jesus offers us a peace that the world cannot give. The world gives a temporary stillness when there is perfection or accomplishment. Jesus is the Fullness of Creation and He associates from the beginning with the fragmented and incomplete. His peace comes from the embrace He extends to the disciples and through them to us. His peace is not predicated on our perfection or achievements. His peace flows from His perfect embrace of our imperfect struggles to follow Him in bringing this world to His peace. The world applauds, celebrates and moves on to the next superiffic person or persons. Jesus’ peace is a covenant, a completion of God’s creation.

My own mother gave peace to us not like the world gives. She, by her own self, had her husband, the father of us three, confined to a state hospital for six months to detoxify him from “the drink” as it was known in our Irish community. We have hand-written letters from Dad explaining how things were going to be lots better and a lot sooner if she would let him out. She didn’t! She was giving us and him peace in the many ways of God’s giving peace. It was neither through denial, avoidance, easy solutions nor through anger. She loved him beyond all that and loved us as well. She ordered peace through hope and got a job to sustain that peace, not as the world does.

Three more children later, for all those years later, our mother remained the source, the stable force, the precious stillpoint in a family which more than survived, but flourished and not as the world flourishes.

The Church which is the extension of the person and Mission of Jesus receives its peace from the active stillpoint of the peaceful hands even when it experiences its fragility, fragmentation and disorders. Jesus, give us Your peace.

Supplementary Reading

Line up Your Heart

…The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart – 1 Samuel 16:7

W hen the Lord looks at your heart, what does He see? Every one of us has an outer life and an inner life. The outer life is our public life that the people around us see. The inner life is made up of our thoughts, attitudes, and motives. Only you and God know what's going on inside of you.

Too many people go around today pretending—acting one way, yet on the inside they're thinking something totally different. Their heart and their actions don't line up. But we have to understand that God is looking on the inside. We can fool a lot of people, but we can't fool God. He would rather us be open and honest than go through life pretending.

Take inventory of what's going on inside of you today. Are you at peace? Are you overlooking offenses? Do you believe the best in people? Do your heart and actions line up? If not, ask the Lord to give you an undivided heart. Be determined to stay true in your mind and your actions. Line up your whole being with His Word so that you can be pleasing to Him all the days of your life!

Heavenly Father, I humbly come before You today and ask that You search the deep places of my heart. Show me if there is any area where I need to line up my heart and actions. Help me to be authentic and true in my mind, heart, and actions. In Jesus Name. Amen. (Joel and Victoria Osteen)

  
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GOD BLESS US ALL!
O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.