REMEMBER WHAT 
I TOLD YOU

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 6^th Monday after Easter  is, “Remember What I Told You!”

I’m taking that from the last sentence in today’s gospel. “I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you.” [John 16:4]

In my title I changed  the “that” to “what” - mainly because if we don’t remember what someone told us - how can it be helpful? Okay, we might remember they told us something - and we knew it was important at the time - so we know their motive was concern for us. But! But the what is what will help us.  To me that’s the key.

JESUS TOLD HIS DISCIPLES A LOT

Jesus told his disciples a lot of things.  Lucky for us - people remembered some of what he told them and some folks wrote his words down - or told others what he said.

So we have the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - to be thankful - for gathering the words of Jesus - and putting them down on papyrus or vellum - or animal skin.

Some people love the Red Letter editions of the gospels where what Jesus said is written in red ink.

What I love is the Greek Editions of the New Testament - because they get me closer to what Jesus said in Aramaic than the English translations.

Last September 13^th, 2012, I had a great moment to savor. It was a Thursday. I was with some folks from the parish. We were on a trip. We were in London. However, that morning, a group went to Paris on the fast train under the English Channel. Others went elsewhere in London. That morning I went with George one of the group. We saw St. Paul's and a few other famous London sights. That Thursday afternoon, I left George and headed for the British Library. George had some other stuff he wanted to see. Moreover, I didn’t think he or anyone else would want to go to the British Library.

I’ve always wanted to see with my own eyes some tiny, tiny scraps - remains of a copy of the Gospel of John that are dated to around the 2^nd century. I went looking for them in the British Museum in London a few years earlier - but a guide there told me they were in the British Library. Never got there - because of time - but here was another chance to get there - finally - on September 13^th 2012. I found the room I was looking for. There I stood looking at these tiny scraps - under heavy glass. I was looking at something much more important to me than the London Bridge or Westminster Cathedral.

They also had under glass the Codex Sinaiticus which I also always wanted to see. It’s dated to some time in the 300’s.

Before I die - it's on my Bucket List - I’d love to see in the John Rylands Library in Manchester, England, Papyrus 457. It is dated to the 2^nd century - that’s the 100’s. It’s a tiny scrap of papyrus which has on it, John 18:31-33. It’s the oldest surviving fragment of the entire NT. 

It was found in an a key town in Egypt - along the Nile. Specialists tell us that indicates that copies of the Gospel of John,  some 40 to 45 years after John wrote his gospel that it had made its way to far away Egypt.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Remember What I Told You!”

Writers were remembering what Jesus told us - and we are doing just what Jesus told us to do. Use these words - use what I told you - to hold together your life in me.

For homework, dig deep into the soil along rivers of your life - and find fragments of Jesus’ words that you have preserved - that you use to hold together your life - your favorite sayings of Jesus - texts - precious words that captivate who you are.

In that last statement in today’s gospel Jesus says just that. Listen again to his motive why he told us what he told us,  “I have told you this so that you may not fall away.”

Get your own pen and paper and write down the words of Jesus that are key to you - words that more important than seeing the London Bridge or the Brooklyn Bridge, Westminster Cathedral or St. Patricks’ Cathedral - the Pope or Elvis Presley - if he’s still around. 

OOOOOOO

Painting on top: The Lord's Supper by Gail Meyer