HOMILY – 5^TH SUNDAY OF EASTER 2006

ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA CHURCH

GREENVILLE, SC  -  MAY 14, 2006 – MOTHER’S DAY

May our Risen Lord and His holy mother give us peace.

Osama and Warren Jeffs.  That little angel on our shoulder.  And fruit salad.

Osama and Warren Jeffs.  Osama Bin Laden is a terrorist who kills people to get his way.  Warren Jeffs is a cult leader who permanently hurts children and hypnotizes adults to break the law.  If you see either of them coming, run to save your life.   When Saul came to Jerusalem he was seen in the exact same way.  He was a murderer of Christians, attempting to eliminate people of the “The Way.”  Yet Barnabas had news, Saul had changed.  He had been touched by Jesus.  Believing him, believing he changed, wasn’t easy, and didn’t come quickly.

The power of God is like that.  When God decides it’s time our whole life can rhyme.  Believe me?  If this has happened to you raise your hand.  People can change and stay that way as they remain close to Jesus.  Paul spoke boldly to people about Jesus and went from being the number one killer to the number one recruiter.  God it seems, has a sense of humor.  Osama Bin Laden can become a champion for justice.  Problem with Osama and Warren Jeffs is they think they already are champions for justice, so did Saul.  But God hires and the old is fired.

That little angel on our shoulder.  The process of change usually starts with that little angel on our shoulder.  The voice gets louder, more frequent.  We shout, be quiet! But the angel seems deaf to us.  The angel won’t be silent until we are loving in deed and truth.  What am I hiding?  What weakness is so strong over me?  Looking into our hearts the angel sees our beauty and the weakness, the contrast is too much.  We hear the angel say, wouldn’t it be a much lighter load to be single-hearted?

The angel is a messenger.  God sends the angel to be with us.  It is God who wishes us this freedom and a new life closer to Him.  To be sure God understands us, there is no more compassionate voice than the voice of the good shepherd, but what kind of shepherd would He be to leave us untended?  Instead He comes, and instead of one angel there are many.  So many things calling us back home, calling us to let go of the beauty killers.  See your beauty, hear the angels – they sing of it.  We must believe that we can blossom again.

Fruit Salad.  Jesus speaks of vines and pruning – and that is what it feels like.  When we are in the Lord’s eyes, when His attention comes our way, we see the shears in His hand.  He says, “Every vine that bears fruit I will prune so it bears more fruit.”  We have given Jesus fruit here at St. Anthony’s.  We bolstered our school with a huge statement of confidence, we have fed, clothed, warmed, housed, given light, listened to and advocated for our neighbor and see no reason to stop. 

Now we grow food, establish a new relationship with project hope as our teens feed the poor, we have committed to eliminate our own debt in order to give more later when we express ourselves as a diocese.   See Black, White, Latino all hanging around after church getting to understand each other, share food, stories, laughs.  The black community has so many riches to share.  We are quite a fruit salad for the kingdom table.

Yet Jesus will prune us to create in us something even greater.  He comes with a smile on His face and shears in His hand.  How will we take the pains of growing?  Can we see God at work in the inconveniences, the changes?

“By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

We cannot forget how much our mothers have encouraged us to grow.  We watch as parents bring their children to the table of the Lord knowing the goodness that is on that table.  God speaks to us like an angel through our mother, our family, those who love us.  We remember our mothers today living here and living with God, and we pause in thankfulness.

-Watch for what God can do, BIG things as well as little ones, look at Saul!  And let God do it.

-Listen to the shepherd speak to your conscience and mine through that little angel on our shoulder.

-Then, continue to make one amazing fruit salad to place on the banquet table in heaven.  You can just taste it now.