Homily for Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter, Year II

First Reading: Acts 20:28–38

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 68:29–30, 33–35a, 35bc–36ab

Gospel: Jn 17:11b–19

St. Imelda Convent, Ft. Worth, TX.

The Gospel reading today continues the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane we heard proclaimed yesterday. He continues to pray for the Church. Jesus prays that all may be one, just as he and the Father are one (Jn 17:11). His prayer for unity in the Church calls us to conversion of our hearts.

St. Pope John Paul the Great used this prayer as the name of his apostolic letter ‘Ut Unum sint” in 1995. In it the Pope was addressing the need for unity among Christians. But contained within that letter, as within the Gospel today is strong exhortation for us today. St. John Paul wrote “To believe in Christ means to desire unity; to desire unity means to desire the Church; to desire the Church means to desire the communion of grace that corresponds to the Father’s plan from all eternity. Such is the meaning of Christ’s prayer: ‘Ut unum sint.’”[1] The phrase “Communion of grace” causes us to recall what the foundational principle of institutional unity in the Church is. It is the very source and summit of our faith – the Holy Eucharist. As our diocese has been celebrating our 50^th anniversary this year, our theme has been “The Eucharist Makes the Church.” And so it does. It is in the bond of the Eucharist, the real, true, and substantially present body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ that holds us all together as the Mystical Body of Christ.

But Jesus is not praying only for the institutional unity of the Church. He also prays for a visible manifestation of unity among his disciples that reflects their sharing in the divine communion.[2] A unity that reflects the unity of the Holy Trinity. A unity that flows from the Eucharistic Presence. A unity of truth and charity. A Jesus reminds us again that we called out of this world and consecrated in the truth. The truth that Jesus has revealed the name of the Father to us. The truth that because we know the Father, we are different from the world.  Truth leads us to charity and care for our neighbor, especially those most vulnerable and in need. Our conversion as Christians must be manifest in the world in order to be the light of the world. We cannot act as the pagans and heathens do. We cannot be selfish in this time of pandemic. I read things on social media posted by some of the ‘faithful’ that do not reflect this unity in truth and charity for which Christ prayed in the garden. Just as in his day some of his disciples murmured against Jesus because they did not agree with his teachings or direction, so now some murmur about the adaptations we have been obliged to make to keep our most vulnerable safe. I find myself disappointed by some of the vitriol levelled against those who are doing their best to bring the sacraments to the faithful and protect the vulnerable.

But, we are called to virtue in this time of crisis. We are summoned by the Creator to heroic Christian service to our fellow man. Our Church history is filled with martyrs who willingly gave their lives to be united with Christ and their fellow Christians in truth and in love. Sometimes that means being led where one does not want to go (cf. Jn 21:18). I hate wearing a mask. It is uncomfortable and hot. But I do it to mitigate risk to others in case I am unknowingly carrying pathogens. I desire to receive my Eucharistic Lord on the tongue, because it is an ancient and venerable tradition of the Church. But I receive in the hand for now as a sacrifice for charity toward my neighbor to keep them safe by not breathing on the hands of the priest. I even shaved my beard for the first time since 1996 so that should I need to make a sick call, my N95 mask will fit tightly and I will not endanger myself, the person I am visiting, nor my brother seminarians with whom I live. It is easy for one to say “I will die for Christ and his Church!.” It is not so easy to make temporary adjustments about which we feel strongly or even disagree. But Jesus prayed that we may all be one, as he and the Father are one. One in truth and one in charity.

C.S. Lewis when reflecting on how closely Jesus wishes to reside in the hearts of his disciples reminded us that it takes effort and conversion. “No net less wide than a man’s whole heart, nor less fine mesh of love, will hold the sacred Fish.”[3] To make the necessary sacrifices during this time of pandemic requires conversion. We must work diligently to hold this prayer of Jesus in our hearts. To hold our Eucharistic Lord in our hearts. To hold our most vulnerable in our hearts in truth and charity. Let us be one as Our God is one.

St. Joseph, Most Obedient – Pray for us!

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[1] John Paul II, Ut unam sint. (Vatican City: Vatican Press, 1995), no. 9.

[2] Francis Martin and William M. Wright IV, The Gospel of John, ed. Peter S. Williamson and Mary Healy, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2015), 285.

[3] C. S. Lewis. Reflections on the Psalms. (New York: Harper One, 1958), 139