Homily Outline for the 5th Sunday of Easter, Year A
Who are we in Christ? Each one of us in different ways is busy and does many things, but this is not who we are. We are not our jobs, we are not a bundle of tasks accomplished… St. Peter addresses this central and heartfelt question in our 2nd Reading, listen again to his answer: “…like living stones, let yourself be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. …You are a ‘chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises’ of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” In Christ Jesus, risen from the dead, we are God’s people, created by Him in love, redeemed by Him in love, and called to be a royal priesthood. The Father desires to build us into a body, a spiritual house, each of us living stones, the holy edifice of the Church, the Body of Christ. God’s love, Jesus’ perfect sacrifice becomes concrete in us as we are enlivened by the Holy Spirit.
If we are to embrace this true identity offered to us in Christ, we must turn to the Father with love and
confidence, allowing Him to shape and mold us. This is fearful and challenging… sin calls us to shape and mold ourselves, to be the tyrants and masters of our own destiny, to take the rudder of our lives and steer capriciously wherever our whims take us. To truly embrace our identity as beloved sons and daughters of the Father, we must walk the same path that Jesus walked, dying to self and placing ourselves into the Father’s hands. I had a simple experience some days ago that makes this concrete. I was sitting out on the couch there in the Gathering Space talking to a family, and one of their little girls came flying up onto the couch next to me and immediately nestled herself up against my side, under the crook of my arm. She settled there and gazed up at me with a big smile! Now, some children find my beard frightening, and some want to use it as a rope swing! This little girl has always sought me out, and apparently sometimes refers to me as “her Father Ben!”
You can imagine that the trust and affection in this child’s face touched my heart. The heart of a priest is a heart called to spiritual fatherhood, to give life to many spiritual children, and sometimes that becomes very concrete. Some time after this experience though, I was struck by another angle… Do I approach our Heavenly Father with such confidence and affection? God who created and redeemed us is PERFECTLY worthy of our love and trust, but it is so easy not to approach Him in this fashion, but rather to keep our distance, to approach Him guardedly, to bargain with Him, or even to ignore Him in our daily lives. Do you approach God in prayer, in worship, with deep affection and trust? This is how God the Father wants you to approach, to open your heart to being chosen by Him, to being part of His royal priesthood, a member of His holy nation, a living member of His Body, the Church. This intimate communion with the Father is exactly what Jesus invites us to in the Gospel… “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.” There is no competition for God’s love, His heart is infinite, there is a place for each one of us. Whatever brokenness has affected our human relationships, whether that is with parents, with spouses, with children, we must open ourselves up to confidence in God, whose love is perfect.
How do we draw near to the Father? Listen again to Jesus, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” We draw near to our Loving Father through Jesus Christ His Son. Jesus models for us the way, He Himself IS the Way, the Truth, the Life. Jesus emptied Himself on the Cross completely for us, broke down the barrier of sin and death, and opened up the way to the Father. Will we open our hearts to that love, to that way, to that truth, to that life? It is offered to us freely, abundantly, generously.
Close your eyes for just one moment, and picture yourself nestled against the Father’s loving chest, hearing the beat of His heart which beats with love for you. Pour out to the Father all that is in your heart. Hear of His love and His mercy.
This intimate communion with the Father through His Son and in the Holy Spirit is offered to us most perfectly at this altar. As we prepare to enter into the deep and perfect mystery of the Eucharist, let us turn away from suspicion and fear, and open our hearts to the Father’s perfect love, which will transform us, and through us the whole world.
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