Blog Post 4/20/2024 Homily Cycle B Offered at OLPH

 

Brennan Manning told a story of an Irish priest who was on a walking tour of a rural parish.  The priest saw an old peasant kneeling by the side of the road, praying and he said to him, "You must be very close to God."  The peasant looks up from his prayers, thinks a moment, and then smiled & said, "Yes, he's very fond of me." [www.Sermons.com Adapted from Phillip Yancey, What's So Amazing about Grace?] 

God is very fond of you and me, God is fond of each of us and all of us.

Peter tells the leaders of the Jewish people that that Jesus Christ the Nazorean is the cornerstone, is the way to salvation.  Our Scriptures tell us that we are God’s us children and Jesus is the Good Shepherd.  Ancient Israel was an agricultural society so they knew about Shepherds.  Most of us don’t live in that kind of society, so it is foreign to us.

But neither the Ancient Israelites nor we grasp the Good Shepherd that Jesus was talking about.  He told them and us that He looks after us constantly, each hour, each moment; Jesus cares for us and loves us.  Today we heard, “I am the good shepherd, I know my sheep & my sheep know me, alleluia.”  [John 10:14]

From the Old Testament Ezekiel, tells us “For thus says the Lord GOD: Look! I myself will search for my sheep….  I will deliver them from every place where they were scattered …. I will bring them back….”  [34:11 - 13]

How can we emulate the Good Shepherd in our day, in our time.  Maybe this story, Picking up the Check, can help us.  Their father was in an advanced state of dementia & his family had to place him in a nursing home.  But they remain devoted.  One night the family visited, then stayed to have dinner with him, in the dining hall.  When dinner was over and everyone was getting up to leave, Dad suddenly became agitated.  No one understood what was wrong, when his wise daughter-in-law had an insight, she handed him a paper napkin and a pen.  He scratched away and handed the napkin back and was peaceful.  The napkin was the check for the meal and he was paying for it. 

He always enjoyed taking his family to dinner and at that moment, his family saw their dad both as he had been and what he had become.  In the fog of Alzheimer's, the essence of his old and protective habit of love survived.  The love that Jesus demands of us, is that simple and that profound.

Jesus asks us to put others ahead of ourselves, to seek our joy in bringing joy to others, to honor and cherish others simply because they are God’s sons and daughters.             [Connections May ’09]

“In ordinary acts of kindness, we have a chance to practice virtue more often, with greater humility and with greater holiness.” [Every Day with St. Francis de Sales,]

Offering small acts of love are part of the foundation of Christ’s transforming love, the love that is the foundation of the Kingdom.  The daughter-in-law in helped a person to live with dignity, the dignity – each one of us has as a child of God.   

For a few minutes reflect on how you are living as God’s child.

 

May God Be Praised.