INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for January 2nd, is,
“Remain.”
The word “remain” appears 6 times in today’s first
reading from the First Letter of John
2: 22-28 - so I took that as a hint to preach something about the theme “remain”.
Now I’ve preached on this theme - “Remain” at various times - and I don’t want to repeat
sermons. Themes yes. However, we’re
being asked - according to surveys - to speak about spirituality - and schools
of spirituality. Well, “Remain” is a key
theme in John’s School of Theology in the New Testament - that is, the gospel
of John and the First Letter of John.
I think it’s a theme worth reflecting upon.
Remain … stay … be with … lodge … abide …be present …
stand with ….
The Greek word for remain is “meno”. It sounds like the English word “remain”. You can also hear the Greek word “meno” in the Latin word “remanere”. The English word - “remain’ - as in mansion - is dated from around
1400.
The Greek verb for
remain - “meno" - is used 40
times in John’s gospel but only 12 times in the synoptic gospels - that is Matthew,
Mark and Luke. So it’s a key theme in
Johannine Theology.
TO REMAIN IS A LIFE
ISSUE AS WELL AS A DAILY ISSUE
To remain or not to remain is a life issue.
Do I stay or do I go?
That’s a daily question.
How much time do we spend with another?
How long do we remain on the phone?
Yesterday afternoon I visited two people - both of whom
were in nursing homes.
The first was a guy in Somerford Place - on Riva Road. His
wife and a son and I figured his daughter-in-law were there as well. He was out
of it - failing a lot lately - and about to enter into hospice. I chatted, talked, connected with them. We
prayed. I anointed him. At some point, I asked myself, “How long do I remain?”
The second was a lady in the Annapolitan Assisted Living. That’s a
nursing home off Route 50, off Bay Dale Drive, off Old Mill Bottom Road. She
was much more out of it. I anointed her. She knew the Our Father. I have found
out those with memory loss know the words of the Our Father and the words of
Happy Birthday. Once more I inwardly was
wondering, “How long do I remain?” I
spent more time with her - mainly because she was all alone. I heard that her daughters come to see her
most every night.
LOVE OF GOD AND
LOVE OF NEIGHBOR
How to love God and to love our neighbor? One way is to
remain with them.
The gospel of John has in Chapter 1 the story of Andrew
asking Jesus: “Where do you stay?”
Jesus said, “Come and see.”
Jesus will say in the gospels, “Abide with me.”
Live with me. Abide in me.
Be like the apostles abiding in the Upper Room - as well
as being with the Lord Jesus.
Be like the grapes on the vine - connected - remaining
alive on the vine.
ONE OF MY
FAVORITE STORIES
One of my favorite stories was told by a psychiatrist.
I think all of us can connect with this story.
There was this old lady in a dementia ward. When the
psychiatrist would see her, he would first get a cup of tea for himself and a
cup of tea for the old lady. He would go into this big room. It had a great
window view - looking out to a big lawn and then the woods. He would sit with her and enjoy the tea. Now a
word was spoken in return for a couple of years.
Well on this one visit, the psychiatrist was sitting
there in the silence. He slowly drifted off into thinking and talking to
himself about where he would be that evening. The old lady - who hadn’t spoken to this psychiatrist in years suddenly
spoke up and said to the doctor, “Don’t leave me.”
She was saying: Remain with me.
Do we all know it when another is physically present -
but they have left us and left us alone in the room.
Is our conscious down deep aware of whether another is
really present or not.
I don’t know about you, but when I’m listening to a
boring or complicated sermon - I drift elsewhere.
CONCLUSION
The title of my homily is, “Remain.”
Prayer is sitting in the presence of God - and remaining
with God.
So too friendships.
