Homily: 5th Sunday of Easter – Cycle A
Beloved sons and daughters of God, over these weeks of Easter, we have been relishing in the joy and glory of Christ in his resurrection, and in all that his resurrection makes possible: the proclamation of this good news and the growth of Christ’s Body, the Church, through the addition of many members. We’ve heard about Jesus’ appearances to his disciples after he arose: to the disciples gathered in the upper room (including a second time, so as to appear to Thomas) and to the disciples on the road to Emmaus (and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread). Last week, we honored Jesus as the Good Shepherd, who through his life, death, resurrection, and ascension into glory has become the gate by which we, his sheep, enter into eternal life with God.
We heard also of the first proclamation of the Gospel by the Apostles after Pentecost, and how many of those who heard them proclaim this wondrous, yet mysterious news were converted and became members of the Church. In other words, we’ve reflected on how, through the bold and convincing proclamation of who Jesus is and of what he did (specifically, in rising from the dead), the Church grew rapidly as many Jews (and even non-Jews, that is, Gentiles) became convinced that Jesus is the Messiah and that, through him, we can be restored to communion with God (and, thus, find eternal peace and happiness).
I find it interesting, then, that this week we seem to move away from these joyful themes and start to focus on scenes of conflict and consternation: specifically, the conflict over the Greek widows who were not being served equally and consternation over Jesus’ proclamation of his pending departure. Interesting because we’re still in the Easter season, where rejoicing should remain the theme, instead of, say, in Ordinary Time, when we focus more on the day-to-day ups-and-downs of our Christian lives and the life of the Church. Nevertheless, if the Church has given us these themes today, within this season of joy, then we are certainly called to reflect on what they might say to us in these days, so let’s take a closer look. ///
First, it’s good to note that we are just past the halfway point of the Easter Season. Thus, the Church is inviting us to begin shifting our focus away from the event of the Resurrection and towards the celebration of the Ascension and Pentecost. (This in no way is meant to minimize the event of the Resurrection, of course, but rather to continue to guide us as we prepare for these celebrations.) Thus, in the Gospel reading, we reflect on the passage in which Jesus is preparing his disciples for his Ascension, which will happen 40 days after his resurrection. He’s encouraging them: “Do not let your hearts be troubled… if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.” In telling them that, “whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father”, Jesus is assuring them that their lives as apostles will not be diminished because of his Ascension, but rather enhanced by it.
The disciples, of course, couldn’t really comprehend what he meant at that time (Jesus was telling them this at the Last Supper, before his passion, death, and resurrection). This is evidenced by Thomas’ reply, when he says, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” However, they would certainly look back on this with greater insight once the events of the Ascension and Pentecost took place. This insight would strengthen them for the challenges that they would face in the first years of the Church, one of which we reflected on in the first reading.
This challenge arose because of the rapid growth of the Church, especially among the non-Jews (that is, the Gentiles). In spite of there being a lot of joy that God had made it known that salvation through Jesus is available to ALL people (not just those of Jewish descent), there still remained barriers between the Jews and the non-Jews. Things like language and customs, as well as simply not having intermingled with each other much, made it so that the Apostles struggled to balance the sharing in community life among these different groups within the rapidly growing body of believers.
The Apostles’ solution was novel. In other words, it wasn’t as if Jesus told them before the Ascension, “Hey, listen: one day, you’re going to run into this problem. Here’s how you should respond.” Rather, they conferred and prayed and discerned a solution that respected the needs of the particular portion of believers while not burdening everyone. In fact, they elevated that portion of the community by recognizing members from their own group as leaders. This has been an enduring lesson for the Church throughout the ages.
It seems that, in our current times, there continues to be a fair amount of challenge to balance the needs of the different communities that make up the body of believers. These challenges also demand novel solutions and those charged with the care of souls must follow the Apostle’s example: that is, to confer, to pray, and to discern solutions. If some still feel “neglected in the daily distribution”, it shouldn’t lead to despair. Remember that Jesus said, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?” In other words, Jesus has promised that there will be a place for his believers, even though he wasn’t specific about what that would look like.
Surely, Jesus is talking about the places he has prepared for each of us in heaven, but I don’t think it a stretch to think about it in terms of places for his believers here in this world. If we feel like we are losing our place, perhaps Jesus’ other words may be helpful: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.” Jesus has promised, and we give great witness to our faith when we trust in him to act.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, as we shift our focus now towards the renewal of our wonder and awe at Jesus’ Ascension and the renewal of our missionary mandate at Pentecost, let us take these weeks to renew our trust in Jesus and his promises. In doing so, we will be better prepared to experience the wonders he will work in and through us, for our good and the good of those around us; and, thus, make ourselves more ready to experience the fullness of joy when he returns to “take us to himself”, where we will live in communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit in peace for all eternity.
Given at St. Charles Borromeo Parish: Peru, IN – May 3rd, 2026
No comments:
Post a Comment