OUR RELIGION
IS PERSONAL,
RELATIONAL
RELATIONAL
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “Our Religion Is Personal, Relational.”
It has a catechism. We have a Bible. We have rules and
regulations and all that, but the bottom line is this: our religion is all
about a personal relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy
Spirit.
Our religion is all about entering into communion - Holy
Communion - with Jesus who brings us into the Trinity.
So it’s not words. It’s the Word become flesh who lived
and walked amongst us.
It’s not prayers. It’s being with God - and God is often
quiet - silence - presence - keeping all the universe going and together with
all the more there is - especially with all we don’t even know about yet.
THE GOSPEL OF
JOHN
As we know there are 4 gospels. The first three, Matthew,
Mark and Luke, are filled with many of the teachings - sayings and parables of
Jesus.
The fourth gospel, John, is quite different than Matthew,
Mark and Luke.
The 4 gospels stress being in relationship with God, but I
see the gospel of John stressing having a relationship with Jesus more.
Let me simply run through the gospel of John - chapter by chapter - from the beginning - by mentioning
people - especially one to one moments Jesus had with different persons.
In the beginning was the word - and that word became flesh - and John the Baptist witnessed to that person called Jesus. He was not Jesus. Jesus was Jesus. [1:19]
Like Andrew we approach Jesus and ask, “Where do you
stay. Who are you?” [1:40]
And Jesus says, ‘Come and see!” Like Peter, someone comes
to us and says, “I think I have found the messiah, the one we are all looking
for.
Like the couple who have run out of wine, Jesus can fill
us to overflowing. [2:1]
Like Nicodemus, we can come to Jesus in the night. [3:1]
Like the Samaritan Woman, Jesus can give us living water. [4:1]
Like the sick, Jesus can wash us clean and heal us. [5:1]
Like those without bread, Jesus can feed us when we’re
empty.[6:1]
Like the adulterous woman, Jesus can get those who want
to condemn us to put down their rocks.[8:1]
Like the blind man Jesus can give us sight. [9:1]
When we feel like sheep without a shepherd, Jesus can recognize us. [10:1]
When we die like Lazarus, Jesus will raise us from the
dead.[11:1]
Like those who are hungry and thirsty, Jesus can take away
our thirsts and hungers. [13:1]
When we realize like everyone we are condemned to die at
some point - when we have to make our way of the cross, Jesus did it before us. [18:1]
And after we die there is resurrection. Like Thomas and
Mary Magdalen, Jesus will let us touch him the Risen One.[20:1]
Like the apostles Jesus will feed us with the Bread of
Life.[21:1]
Those, in general, are the people and situations Jesus
found himself in.
In today’s gospel from John [20:11-18] Mary meets Jesus - the Risen Christ -
and she wants to cling to him - hold onto him - to be in communion with him. So
too us - but she has to let go - so as to
go tell the rest of us - that she has seen the Lord - who is going to the
Father - our Father and your Father.
ST. ALPHONSUS
St. Alphonsus said all this in his classic book: The Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ.
Alphonsus at times floundered around in worry, dark
moods, scrupulosity, till he discovered
the whole secret of life, of sanctity, of happiness, is the practice of the
love of Jesus Christ.
How do we do that?
Answer: it’s the same answer as to how to get into Carnegie Hall:
Practice, practice, practice.
CONCLUSION
So here we are in church for morning mass - practicing,
practicing, practicing, being in communion with Jesus Christ.
We’re hugging, holding onto Jesus. We’re tying our
ligaments, realignments, our religion from which the word “ligaments” is
rooted, and we’re tightening ourselves to Christ, who brings us deeper into the
Trinity, who brings us deeper and deeper into the community called The Body of
Christ. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment