Homily Sixth Sunday in Easter 2020
Homily Sixth Sunday in Easter
In our second lesson today, St. Peter speaks of suffering. He says, “It is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.” The question that we ponder a lot, as human beings, is whether suffering has any meaning.
Many people are suffering right now. People are struggling because they have family members dying and they cannot be present with them. Either this is because hospitals and nursing homes are closed to visitors or travel is impossible. We have those that are sick from the COVID 19 virus. The illness is nasty and painful. A lot of people are facing uncertain futures (people have been laid off from their jobs or have been fired). We have individuals who are struggling with the social isolation. For the depressed, the addicted, those suffering from dementia, the present reality is most cruel.
The question we ask as Christian people is whether there is meaning in suffering. Does our faith have anything to teach us? We have a sense as modern people that all pain is to be avoided. But what does Jesus’ life teach us. His suffering was redemptive. He challenges us who follow him, to see our pain in light of his pain.
In the Gospel of Matthew 20:20 the mother of the Apostles James and John comes to Jesus to advocate for her sons. She wanted them to be the most influential apostles, Jesus’ left and right-hand men. Jesus asks her boys, “Can you drink of the cup I am to drink of? What is this cup? The cup is the cup of suffering.
We have some strange beliefs as Christian people. One belief is that if we follow Jesus this will inevitably lead to suffering. The other odd belief we have is that there will be no significant spiritual growth without suffering.
If we reflect on our own lives, considering the things that have made us more virtuous, we quite often think of life experiences that have been most distasteful. We admire the greatest generation. My parents and grandparents were part of that generation. When I would listen to them share about their lives, they often would dwell on two experiences. One thing they talked about was the Great Depression of the 1930’s. The other event they would talk about was WWII. In both instances they would discuss the difficulties. People who lived through these traumas worried that their world was collapsing. Sacrifice was needed. Sharing with each other was vital. Crisis made the people of the greatest generation who they were.
We are going through another world event that makes us wonder about the future. Will the adversity we face make us more compassionate people? Do we believe that there can be lessons in our present situation that will change us for the better?
Christopher Reeve was the actor who played Superman in the movies of the 1980’s. He was portrayed as more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, etc. But then in 1995 he fell off a horse, breaking his neck. Many were struck by the fact that superman was now physically helpless. The irony was there for all to see. Reeve was a quadriplegic. He could not even breath on his own. He was so despondent that he wondered if he should commit suicide. People questioned whether his life was worth living. Reeve decided to forge ahead. Reeve was not very religious, but still he still found spiritual meaning in his life. He died after struggling for 9 years. He advocated for those who were physically challenged
He said once, “Misfortune can force you into doing things you should be doing anyway. Lessons come from adversity. Anything can happen to anyone.” Another time he said, “We all have many more abilities and internal resources than we know about. My advice is that you don’t need to break your neck to find out about them.”
Can we drink of the cup that Jesus drank of? Do we drink precious blood? Or, do we only taste vinegar? Right now, those are questions we are all answering, each in our own way.
Questions for Reflection:
1. What is my biggest worry of the day? In what ways am I hurting? Do I believe there is value in the pain I feel?
2. Do I blame God? Or, do speak to God about my fears and difficulties. What do say to the Lord today?
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Dear Parishioners,
The bishops of the State of Illinois have developed a phased approach to reopening our parish. We are presently in what the call phase 1. This means that we can have religious gatherings for ten people. We can celebrate Baptisms. We can have funeral Masses. We can also have confessions, but only ten people can gather. We will be trying to implement the celebrations of these sacraments. Please keep up with my pastors comment each day for further information.
In the next phase of reopening there will be an opportunity for 50 people to gather. The bishops have not given us specifics on how we are to proceed with phase two. There will probably be more information this week. What I would suspect is that the Sunday Mass obligation will not be in force any time soon. This means that we will have to have small numbers of people at Mass spread out throughout the week. This will probably mean an adjustment of Mass schedules. We also will probably be asked to register people at Mass for the purpose of contact tracing if someone in attendance is found to have COVID 19.
Things change from day to day which makes things very challenging. Please be patient with all of this. We are trying to do our best.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints protect all of you today.
Fr. Mark
P.S. We received the joyful news that a new Coadjutor Bishop has been appointed for the Diocese of Peoria. His name is Fr. Louis Tylka and he is a parish priest in Tinley Park, Illinois. I sent him greetings from our parish this week and assured him that we will be praying for him. This is a challenging time to be beginning a ministry as bishop. Please include the Bishop elect in your prayers each day.