REMAIN

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for January 2^nd, 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.