Homily Feast of John Neumann (1 John 4:7-10)
Homily Feast of John Neumann (1 John 4:7-10)
St. Ignatius Loyola wrote the spiritual exercises. The exercises are, in theory, meant to take 30 days. Ignatius speaks of four weeks. Each week has a certain theme to it. When Ignatius began his exercises he always started with a meditation on God’s love.
The readings that we have during the Christmas season from the First Letter of John could be used by St. Ignatius as a starting point for his retreat. We are reminded that God is love.
How do we know that God is a loving God? We have been reflecting on proof of that since December 25th. The proof of God’s love is that he sent his son into the world to dwell with us. God did remain aloof and distant, but he came to the earth.
Jesus set aside his divine power and became a weak, helpless, human being that had to be taken care of by his parents. Jesus struck up relationships. He had affectionate relationships with his relatives. Jesus had many friends that we meet in the Gospel accounts.
The implication is that Jesus wants a relationship with us. Our Lord wants to walk with us in our lives. Our problem is that we constantly choose to put Jesus back into heaven. We are a little afraid of what getting close to Jesus might mean in our lives. Intimacy is an intimidating thing. We let down the walls we have constructed to keep people away.
In the back of our mind, we always have the concern that Jesus cannot like us because we just have too many flaws. We know those flaws all to well. But if someone truly loves us, they love us warts and all.
Whenever St. Ignatius saw someone struggling as they deepened their commitment to Christ. If he saw hesitation, he would immediately steer them to a meditation on God’s love. He trusted in the Holy Spirit to do the rest.
Reflection Questions
- How do I feel about my relationship to Christ? Can I be open and let the Spirit lead me in my life?
- What is the biggest fault I have? Do I believe Jesus can love me even if he knows about my sin?
Dear Parishioners,
In ten days, we will have had seven funerals in our parish. Several of these people have died of COVID 19. Many people have asked if they can still have services in church. The answer is that people can still have a funeral Mass. But there are certain protocols that we still must follow.
We ask everyone to wear a mask. There is no congregational singing. We ask people to spread out in church. We also maintain safe communion practices. Despite the limitations the funerals are a comfort for people.
I am glad that people are able to have closure when there is a death. We must keep our guard up, however. We continue to pray as safely as we can.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you.
Fr. Mark