HOMILY: Saturday, 21 April 2012

2^nd Week of Easter

Acts 6:1-7; Jn 6:16-21

A. INTRODUCTION

First Reading: The Apostles solve a problem of the ethnic conflict among the early Christians.

Gospel: The Disciples are sailing on a boat and Jesus is not with them. There is a storm and the disciples are struggling. Lo and behold they see Jesus walking on the water. They are afraid thinking it is a ghost! Jesus tells them, "It is I"!

B. HOMILY : Learning from Early christians

In the Acts we see how the apostles healed a major division in the Christian community by a wise compromise and common sense.

The issue in today's reading is that the Greek-speaking Jewish members began complaining that their needs were being neglected by the Hebrew-speaking Palestinian members.At this stage of its development, the Church was still entirely Jewish in its membership.  However, they were divided into two distinct groups:

- There were the Hebraic Jews, who spoke the Aramaic and/or Hebrew languages of Palestine and kept strictly to Jewish culture and customs.

- The Greek speakers (or Hellenists) were "overseas Jews", scattered over the Mediterranean lands and had often largely become culturally and linguistically Greek.

The Greek speakers were to some extent looked down on by Aramaic/Hebrew speakers. 

It is like, in the past, the Goans looking down upon the Mangaloreans though both speak Konkani.

Even at this early stage in the life of the Church, we can see the ugly head of ethnic-cultural divisions surfacing.

From its very beginnings, the Church is consisted of flawed human beings. It should never cause us any surprise and it does not weaken the central message of the Good News.

I think there is an important message for us today from the early Christian Community. When there is a conflict in the Church we need to look for solution as a community – look for a solution within, not break away from the community.  It is a sad thing happening today. Whenever, there is a conflict the Church is breaking apart. Before coming to Chennai, I was working in Kandhamal, Orissa. In that one district, I am told, there are 40 denominations of Christianity. Indeed a bad message!

We need to, in all humility, accept that the Church has not been open to correction and changes over the centuries… The procedure in the early Church suggests much that is relevant for today's tensions in our Church.

Today the Church is going through difficult times in India and different parts of the world. The sea is rough and the wind is blowing against the boat! We need Jesus to walk towards us to calm the sea! Or may be Jesus is walking with us and we are not able to recognize him! Let ask the Lord to open our eyes to his presence.

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Vally Mendonca, S.J.
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Reference:

-- http://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/E1027R/

-- http://www.associationofcatholicpriests.ie/2012/04/april-21st-saturday-of-2nd-week-of-easter/

HOMILY: Sunday, 15 April 2012

EASTER SUNDAY - 2
Acts 4:32-35; 1 Jn 5:1-6; Jn 20:19-31

Introduction:

Today we celebrate the Feast of Divine Mercy and so we usually call today Divine Mercy Sunday. St. Faustina was privileged to receive apparitions from Jesus emphasizing his mercy, and especially his mercy today.

How do we celebrate the Feast of Mercy

It was clarified by the words of Our Lord to Saint Faustina:

1. We are to prepare with a novena of chaplets starting on Good Friday.

2. We are to be purified by the "Tribunal of mercy," the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

3. We are to venerate the sacred image of the merciful Savior by gazing upon it as a reminder to trust Jesus and be merciful.

4. We are to perform some works of mercy to others.

5. We are to seal and ratify the covenant of mercy by receiving Holy Communion!

This day we cry out with St. Thomas: "My Lord and My God" (Jn 20:28).

How are we to remember the message of Mercy? By the ABC's.

A. Ask for His mercy. 

B. Be merciful. 

C. Completely trust in Jesus.

HOMILY:

1. Story

An elderly pastor looks over his large congregation on Easter morning and startles them with this announcement: "My friends, realizing that I will not see many of you until next Easter, may I take this opportunity to wish all of you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!" The difference in the size of the congregation on Easter Sunday and on the other Sundays of the year is very noticeable. Many of our Christians, as far as church attendance is concerned, have indeed become Holy Week Christians: you see them in church only during the Holy Week.

Like a certain man who was criticizing his pastor. "I have attended this church for three years," he says, "and each time the homily is always on the same topic. Doesn't he have something else to talk about?" Yes, this man has been attending the church for three years alright; but he only attends on Easter Sunday and he always hears a homily on the resurrection of Christ.

2. Crisis in Faith?

Why are many well-meaning Christians so uncommited to attending regular, Sunday church services? The answer can be given in one word: doubt or crisis of faith. People today, like people of all times, do have a hunger for God. They are in search for the meaning of life. But they doubt whether the answer to these existential questions can be found within the four walls of the church.

Today's gospel gives us an example of a man who felt exactly like that. His name is Thomas.

All the disciples are gathered for Sunday service and what do we notice. Thomas is not there. Where is Thomas? You can see that Thomas is like one of these modern-day Christians who do not go to church regularly on Sundays.

As a result he misses something. The experience of the Lord. But Thomas wants to believe. So he is demanding for proofs. He wants to believe by rational proofs.

3. Faith Crisis – after study of Philosophy

I hope none of you (specially second years) have lost your faith after two years of studies in philosophy. Two of my companions left the Society after Philosophy, because they said they had lost their faith. Because they said they doubted the existence of God. (Don't get scandalized. Later I came to know the issue was something else. After philosophy their head was full and heart was empty – probably experience of the Lord was missing – which was filled in by somebody else!)

4. Basis for faith – not reason alone but experience.

Do we all believe because we have well established reasons to believe? Brothers will agree with me, all the proofs for God's existence we have studied are actually no proofs at all. They are only popinters. Moreover, these proofs make sense only to those who already believe.

Is then our faith irrational, without any reasons? Of course many times our faith becomes superficial, if it is not confirmed or supported by experience.

5. Pedro Arrupe – Conversion thru experience

Our previous General Fr. Arrupe was studying medicine. He went to France – to Lourdes – to study the cases that claim miraculous healing. He saw a healing taking place. But that did not convert him. It is not proofs that changed Arrupe. It is the experience that he felt within him when he was at Lourdes that changed Arrupe.

6. Experience in a Community

And where or how do we get this religious experience? It is only in a community. Thomas was not with the community, not with the other ten. And he missed this experience. Jesus did not meet Thomas alone to confirm his faith. He met him in a community.

Today's first reading is the example of that community experiencing the Lord. The experience of the Lord in the community was so deep that they did not want anything else. And the experience they got was in sharing and caring for each other.

Christian Faith is neither one-way nor two-way. It is three-way or three dimensional (3D).  I-God-neighbour!

Let us ask for that experience. To experience the Lord in serving the community – serving my neighbor!

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References

1. http://www.munachi.com/b/easterb2.htm

2. http://www.frtommylane.com/homilies/years_abc/divine_mercy_sunday.htm

3. http://www.divinemercysunday.com/homily_starter.htm

 

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Vally Mendonca, S.J.
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