Monday word, 07 May 2007

5Easter Monday (07 May 2007) Ac 14. 5-18; Ps 115; Jn 14. 21-26
Homily of Fr. Paul Panaretos, S.J., Mc Gregor Home
Never Distant

One feature of the spreading gospel in the beginning, the Acts of the Apostles reminded us, was miracles: like Jesus who sent them to continue his work, they worked miracles. We heard one healing miracle, worked by Paul and Barnabas, in the first reading.

The bystanders reacted with amazement that verged on worship--not of the Messiah Jesus, of whom they spoke but of Paul and Barnabas! This kind of amazement is distant. It was not the faith-filled love for the Messiah Jesus.

Love of God is rarely mentioned in the New Testament. Jesus desired his disciples love him: “Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.” Making Jesus present in our world by keeping his new command of selfless love is how we love our Messiah. It is how we personally respond to Jesus and his desire.

Humans desire to be loved. Each of knows that. Sometimes we know it because we ache for love. Sometimes we know it because we are awash in love. Jesus, our Messiah and Lord, never ceased to be fully human. Jesus desire to be loved never vanished or evaporated.

Sometimes we have only memories of love. My mother sorely misses my father, who died six years ago. Her love for him is no less real, no less strong than before his death.

At other times giving our love to Jesus is less outwardly active because we cannot function the way we once did. When we Jesuits can no longer do the missions we once did, our last mission is “to pray for the Church and for the Society of Jesus.” Active or prayerfully quiet, all Christians are able to respond to Jesus in love. Active or prayerfully quiet we refuse to let ourselves grow distant from Jesus.