Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

The Supper at Emmaus, by Caravaggio 1601

“And they recognized the Lord in the breaking of the bread.”

(Lk. 24:35)

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ 

  June 2, 2013

Genesis: 14: 18-20   I Corinthian 11:23-26   Luke 9:11-17

1^st reading

In those days, Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine, and being a priest of God Most High, he blessed Abram with these words: "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, the creator of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who delivered your foes into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 

2^nd reading

Brothers and sisters: I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night He was handed over, took bread, and, after He had given thanks, broke it and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way he took the cup after the supper and said, "This cup is the new covenant, sealed with my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this as a memorial of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

The word of the Lord

Thanks be to God

Alleluia, alleluia.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

Glory to you, Lord.

 Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed to be cured. As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve approached him and said, "Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions; for we are in a deserted place here." He said to them, "Give them some food yourselves." They replied, "Five loaves and two fishes are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people." Now the men there numbered about five thousand. Then he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty." They did so and made them all sit down. Then taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.

 

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Introduction

Jesus’ promise to not leave us orphans

In his Ascension Jesus promised He would not leave us orphans but would be with us to the end of time. (Jn. 14:18). He kept his promise by sending us the Holy Spirit. We celebrated that last Sunday with the feast of Pentecost. He kept his promise to not leave us orphans also by giving us the Eucharist--his abiding presence under the form of bread and wine. We celebrate that this Sunday with the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

Jesus present in the bread

In the not too distant past the Eucharistic life of the Church emphasized Jesus present in the bread. We gazed upon the Eucharistic bread held on high at the elevation of the Mass. We even rang a bell at the moment of elevation to make sure everyone was looking at Jesus present in the bread.  On big feast days we climaxed Mass with benediction of the Blessed Sacrament; the Eucharist encased in a golden monstrance was held on high so all could gaze upon Jesus present in the bread. We crowned our gazing at Jesus present in the bread with the feast of Corpus Christi. Under a processional canopy the priest carried the Eucharist encased in a very elaborate and gem-studded monstrance held on high. The procession made its way over flower-strewn paths in villages in valleys and hamlets on hills, so that the faithful along the way could gaze upon Jesus present in the bread.

Jesus present in the breaking of the bread

In this new day the emphasis is not so much on Jesus present in the bread, but rather Jesus present in the breaking of the bread. That’s a notable difference, and it is quite scriptural. When two of the disciples were on the road to Emmaus, as they were walking along and talking, the risen Lord appeared and asked what they were discussing. They related to Him all the great events that had just happened that first Easter morning. The disciples, however, didn’t recognize that it was Jesus. As they drew near to Emmaus, they said to the stranger, “Sir, it’s getting dusk, why don’t you come and stay with us?” He stayed and had supper with them. At table, He took bread, said a blessing over it and then broke the bread and gave it to the disciples. Their eyes were opened, and they recognized the Lord in the breaking of the bread. (Lk. 24:13-35)

Bread broken by Pope Francis

This past Tuesday, May 21, 2013, Swiss theologian Hans Küng writes:

 

Who could have imagined what has happened in the last weeks? When I decided months ago to resign all of my official duties on the occasion of my 85^th birthday, I assumed I would never see fulfilled my dream that -- after all the setbacks following the Second Vatican Council -- the Catholic Church would once again experience the kind of rejuvenation that it did under Pope John XXIII.

Then my theological companion over so many decades, Joseph Ratzinger [Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI], also 85, suddenly announced his resignation from the papal office effective at the end of February. And on March 19, St. Joseph’s feast day and my birthday, a new pope with the surprising and programmatic name `Francis’ assumed this office.

Did Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio wonder why no pope has dared to choose the name of `Francis’ until now? At any rate, the Argentine was aware that with the name of `Francis’ he was connecting himself with Francis of Assisi, the world-famous 13^th century downshifter who had been the fun-loving, worldly son of a rich textile merchant in Assisi, until at the age of 24, he gave up his family, wealth and career, even giving his splendid clothes back to his father. It is astonishing how, from the first minute of his election, Pope Francis chose a new style: unlike his predecessor, no miter with gold and jewels, no ermine-trimmed cape, no made-to-measure red shoes and headwear, no magnificent throne.

 

And to Hans Küng’s list we add: no plush papal living quarters – just a very simple apartment in the Casa Santa Marta.

Pope Francis’ breaking of the bread

One evening Pope Francis felt sorry for the poor Swiss Guard who stood at attention every night until dawn at the door of his simple apartment in the Casa Santa Marta. So he went and got the poor man a chair, and told him, “At least sit down and rest." The guard rolled his eyes and answered: “Santo Padre, forgive me, but I may not sit down! The regulations don’t allow that." The Pope smiled, "Oh, really? Well, I'm the Pope and I tell you to sit down." Then Francis went back to his apartment, and minutes later returned to the Swiss Guard who was still obediently seated in the chair.  Pope Francis was carrying a panino con marmallata (a little Italian bread spread with jam) which he had prepared for the guard. The Swiss Guard’s eyes were opened, and he recognized the Lord in Pope Francis’ breaking of the bread.

Conclusion

Present in both

Is Jesus present in the bread, or is He present in the breaking of the bread? Catholic faith says He’s present in both. He’s present in the bread reserved in the tabernacle. He is present in the bread of the monstrance, as it processes through villages in valleys and hamlets on hills. And He is present in the breaking of the bread. He was present when good Pope Francis broke bread - panino con marmallata - with an utterly surprised Swiss Guard on the nightshift.

Trinity Sunday

Three in one

Trinity Sunday

Feast of the Holy Trinity, May 26, 2013

Proverbs 8:22-31     Romans 5:1-5    John 16:12-15

2^nd reading from Romans

Brothers and sisters: Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

The word of the Lord

Thanks be to God

Alleluia, alleluia.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

Glory to you, Lord.

Jesus said to his disciples: "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but He will speak what He hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because He will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that He will take from what is mine and declare it to you."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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Introduction

Memorial Day

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. For many of us it’s an eagerly anticipated three day weekend when we, freed finally from the austerity of winter, head for city parks to celebrate. In the nation’s history, however, Memorial Day is much more than that. The more senior citizens among us remember the Memorial Day parades which marched through town and ended up in the town’s cemetery. There city officials on a platform gave speeches about how glorious it was to die for your country. Then to enhance the solemn feeling of the occasion living soldiers shot over the graves of dead soldiers. Memorial Day used to be called Decoration Day; it was the day people decorated the graves of their beloved dead, especially the graves of fallen soldiers.

Trinity: the only feast that celebrates a doctrine

The Church’s liturgical cycle begins with the Father sending his Son in the Advent-Christmas season. It continues with the Son returning to the Father in the Easter-Ascension season. The cycle peaks with the Father and the Son sending the Holy Spirit on the feast of Pentecost (last Sunday).  So the theological feast of Trinity (of Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is well positioned here at the end of the liturgical cycle. Feasts like Christmas and Easter celebrate an event. The Feast of the Trinity, however, is the only feast of the church year that celebrates not an event but a doctrine. 

Theology: man’s attempt to fathom God

On the one hand, God is mystery; that is to say, God is more than the human mind can fathom. On the other hand, theology is man’s attempt to fathom God. So there is Jewish theology, Islamic theology and Christian theology - the attempt of Jews, Muslims and Christians to fathom God.  There is, however, a tension between mystery and theology. On the one hand, mystery says God cannot be fathomed. On the other hand, theology says that might be true, but let’s try anyway. 

In the 13^th century St. Thomas Aquinas (the Church’s most renowned theologian) wrote volume after volume of theology. But at the sunset of his life, he looked upon his pretentious Summa Theologica and exclaimed: “Nihil est!" “It is nothing!” And the Protestant theologian Karl Barth (1886 –1968) spoke of God as totaliter aliter, as “totally other” than what we think, say or write about Him. Then he proceeded to write volume after volume about the ineffable God. And he, too, at the sunset of his life, looked upon his pretentious writings and quipped: "The angels are laughing at old Karl Barth.”

A war over the Trinity!

In the 11^th century there raged a great theological dispute over the Trinity. Theologians of the Western Church claimed that Holy Spirit proceeds equally immediately from the Father and the Son. But theologians of the Eastern Church claimed that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father through the Son. In 1054 that silly dispute resulted in a definitive break which tore the seamless robe of Christ into two pieces: the Western Church (Rome) and the Eastern Orthodox Church. To this very day the two are not in communion with each other. Imagine! A war over the Trinity--that family of Father, Son and Holy Spirit who are always in loving communion with each other!

The one who loves knows God.

In his first letter John writes, “The one who loves is a child of God, and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (I Jn. 4:7-8). Who is the one who knows God? Is it the one who professes that the Holy Spirit proceeds equally immediately from the Father and the Son? Or is it the one who professes that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father through the Son?” It is neither! It is the one who loves who knows God.

A hateful Reverend

Matt Shepard, a gay student from the University of Wyoming, was beaten to a pulp by two skinheads and was tied to a wooden fence out in the country. There he died soaked in his blood and tears. At Shepard’s funeral the Reverend Phelps, filled with a `religious hate,’ demonstrated with a sign that read, “God hates fags and buries them in hell! Rom. 3:13” Phelps quotes the Bible and even recites the Nicene Creed which confesses that “the Holy Spirit proceeds equally immediately from the Father and the Son.” But the poor reverend doesn’t know God, for “The one who does not love [but hates] does not know God, for God is love” (I Jn. 4:8). 

A loving Samaritan

One day a man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho and was waylaid by robbers who beat him to a pulp and left him half-dead. Along came a Jewish priest who had a doctorate in theology from the University of Jerusalem. He was hurrying to deliver a paper at the Theological Seminary in Jericho. With a ton of theology in his head but not an ounce of love and compassion in his heart he glanced at the poor man lying there and passed him by. Then along came a Samaritan who (in Jewish eyes) didn’t know the one true God. He was an infidel and heretic because he worshipped God on Mt. Gerizim instead of in the Temple in Jerusalem. (Jn. 4:20) What’s more, back in Jerusalem this Samaritan had a reputation for being a rounder. But he also was known for having a very generous and kind heart. When he came upon the poor man dying by the wayside, he slammed on the breaks of his busyness and stopped to pour the oil of compassion into the poor man’s wounds. Then he hoisted him unto his beast of burden and hurried him off to the nearest inn where he provided for his care and cure. (Luke 10:25-37)

Now which of the two knew God? Certainly not the Jewish priest who had a ton of theology in his head but not an ounce of love in his heart, for Scripture says, “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (I Jn. 4:8). It was the Samaritan (rounder though he might be) who knew God, for Scripture says, “The one who loves is a child of God and knows God.” (I Jn. 4:7).

A loving CEO

Jewish Aaron Fuerenstein was the CEO of a fabric mill in Methuen, Mass. which burned down some years ago just before Christmas He didn’t take the insurance money and run. Instead, he held on to all his 2000 employees (the majority of them Christians), gave them all a Christmas bonus and kept paying their health insurance and weekly salaries until the mill was rebuilt. This modern-day saint who is still in the Old Testament quotes his prophet Micah who calls him "to act justly, with loving kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God." (Micah 6:8) Aaron Fuerenstein never ever heard about “the procession of the Holy Spirit equally immediately from the Father and the Son.” But he does, indeed, know God, for “the one who loves is a child of God and knows God” (I Jn.4:7). 

A loving Pope

Journalist Pino Corrias writes that the surprising greatness of Pope Francis lies in a lot of little things. Like his ability to say, “Brothers and sisters, good evening!” Like his wearing an iron cross instead of a gold one. Like his washing the feet of prisoners on Holy Thursday.  

 Or like his caring for the Swiss Guard who guards the door of his very simple apartment in Casa Santa Marta every night until dawn. A few days ago at dawn (the time Pope Francis gets up), he came out to the corridor of Casa Santa Marta and found a Swiss guard standing at attention in front of his door. He asked him: “What are you doing here? Have you been up all night?” "Yes," replied the guard who was a bit surprised. "Aren’t you tired?" asked Pope Francis" The guard replied, "It’s my duty Your Holiness; I must watch out for your safety."

Pope Francis looked at him again with kindness, went back to his apartment and soon returned carrying a chair. Then Frances said to the guard: "At least sit down and rest." The guard rolled his eyes and answered: “Santo Padre, forgive me, but I may not! The regulations don’t allow that." The Pope smiled, "Oh, really? Well, I'm the Pope and I order you to sit down."

Francis returned to his apartment. After a couple of minutes, he came back to the Swiss Guard who was still obediently seated on the chair. Pope Francis was carrying a `panino con marmallata’ (a little Italian bread roll spread with jam) which the Pope had prepared for the guard. Before the guard could say anything, the Holy Father, exhibiting his Argentinean smile, wished the Swiss Guard "Buon appetito."

Conclusion

Who loves knows God

On Trinity Sunday we recite the creed with its profession of belief in `Three Persons in one God.’ And it must be admitted that we really don’t know what the words means. And that’s OK, for as long as we strive to be loving human beings, like the Good Samaritan or the Jewish CEO or Good Pope Francis, we do, indeed, know God, for “the one who loves is a child of God and knows God.” (I Jn. 4:7)

Pentecost Sunday

“Then what looked like tongues of fire

appeared and settled on their heads.” Acts 2:3

Pentecost 2013

Pentecost Sunday May 19, 2013

Acts 2:1-11     I Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13      John 20:19-23

First reading from Acts

When the day of Pentecost arrived, all the believers were gathered together in one place. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong blowing wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then what looked like tongues of fire appeared and settled on their heads. And all were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven visiting Jerusalem. When they heard the roaring in the sky above the house, they gathered in a large crowd, and were stunned to hear their own language being spoken by the disciples. “How can this be,” they exclaimed. For these men are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native language! Here we are -- Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabians. And yet we all hear these men speaking of the mighty acts of God in our own languages”

 The word of the Lord

Thanks be to God

Alleluia, alleluia.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

Glory to you, Lord

It was late that Sunday evening, and the disciples were gathered together behind doors locked out of fear of the Jewish authorities. Then Jesus suddenly appeared in their midst and greeted them saying, “Peace be with you!” When He had said this, He showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you!  As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you refuse to forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Introduction

Pentecost: the summit of the liturgical cycle

Pentecost is the summit of the liturgical cycle which begins with the Son’s descent to earth in the Christmas season. It continues with the Son’s ascent back to the Father in the Ascension. Now it peaks with the descent of the Holy Spirit of Pentecost which concludes the Easter Season. The Paschal candle is not lighted during Sunday Mass anymore. But neither is it relegated to some dark corner in the sacristy for another year (as was done in years past). Now the Paschal candle is moved to a privileged spot near the baptismal font. There it will be lighted whenever we baptize our little ones into Christ. Tomorrow, May 20, we will return to Ordinary Time with its color green. Ordinary Time will continue through the warm summer months into late fall. Then we will start the liturgical cycle all over again with the first Sunday of Advent (this year Dec. 1) in preparation for Christmas 2013.

Pope John’s Pentecost

The gospel says that the disciples were gathered together “behind doors locked out of fear of the Jewish authorities.” (Jn. 20:19) That’s what fear does: it locks everything up. In the 16^th century, the Church fearing the Protestant Reformation summoned the Council of Trent (1545-1563). Trent wrote for us a theology which locked everything up in prisons of certainty, and which put everything into deep freeze. That freeze lasted for four hundred long years, and some of us senior citizens were soundly reared in that deep freeze.

 Then, at long last, there suddenly appeared in our midst a man - or rather an angel - Angelo Roncalli. He was called by God to put an end to the deep freeze, and to open up a Church whose doors and windows were locked out of fear for 400 years. On Oct. 28, 1958, Cardinal Angelo Roncalli was elected Pope, and he took the name of John XXIII. Then on Jan. 25, 1959, while speaking to a group of Rome-based cardinals in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, the new pope announced his intention to summon an Ecumenical Council which he hoped would cause “a new Pentecost with fiery tongues to alight upon the Church.” The announcement was greeted, however, with stony silence by some cardinals who feared “a new Pentecost.” In his diary (The Journal of a Soul) John writes jocularly that his announcement of an Ecumenical Council was greeted with “impressive, devout silence.”

 After three years of preparation Vatican II opened on the 11^th of October 1962.  With Vatican II a great theological thaw set in the Church. “A new Pentecost” was indeed enkindled. Tongues of fire were ignited everywhere. A driving wind swept through the Church, blowing open doors and windows slammed shut by fear for four centuries. John guided the Council through its first session (Oct. 11 - Dec. 8, 1962).But he died of stomach cancer before the second session opened.  As he lay dying he said to a friend, “At least I have launched this big ship -- others will have to bring it into port.” When Pope John died on June 3, 1963 (50 years ago this year!), the whole world was anxiously kneeling at his bedside. No pope in history was so beloved, nor had such a positive impact on the present and future Church as did the man who came to be called “Good Pope John.”  

 

Fr. Boulad’s Pentecost

Fr. Henri Boulad (b. 1931) like Pope Francis is a Jesuit, and he has a very impressive resume behind his name. In a very a lengthy letter[1] to former Pope Benedict XVI he complains:

 

Vatican II tried to make up for four lost centuries, but one now has the impression that the Church today is in the process of once more locking the doors that have been opened, and is tempted to turn back to Trent and Vatican I rather than Vatican II.

 
Then Fr. Boulad courageously enumerates a long litany of sober realities afflicting the Church today, which cry to be addressed. One small paragraph of his very long litany reads:

In the matter of morality and ethics, the injunctions of the Magisterium, repeated ad nauseam on marriage, contraception, abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, clerical celibacy, divorce and remarriage, etc. touch nobody and only engender weariness and indifference.  Adult Europe today refuses to be treated like a child. Our Christian people have learned to think for themselves and are not about to swallow whatever comes along.

 

Then Boulad calls for a new Pentecost. He suggests the convocation of a general synod which, like Vatican II (1962-1965), would last for three years.

Pope Francis’ Pentecost

Will the new man sitting on the Chair of Peter be able to win back the some 20 million disenchanted Catholics who have fallen away from the Church? Teachings about abortion, homosexuality, birth control and the role of women in the Church are often cited as the reasons for this exodus. If you throw the sex abuse scandal into the mix, then you have a Church in crisis; membership in the pews grows older while the young stay away. But one writer says that Pope Francis, who is doctrinally conservative, shows no inclination at all that he is willing to change or reverse any of the Church’s stances on these key issues.

 However, Pope Francis’ attitude concerning papal extravagance and his tenderness toward the poor are winning attributes which might just cause wayward Catholics to take a second look at their Church. When he was the

Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, he was seen daily taking the bus to work, to the surprise and the great edification of many. Upon his election to the papacy he personally paid his hotel bill where he had been staying during the conclave. Pope Francis now shirks the papal palace, as he chooses to live in a Spartan apartment. On Holy Thursday, he washed the feet of several incarcerated youths as a sign of service to society’s forgotten members. On his first Easter Sunday as pope he preached the Gospel `to the City of Rome and to the World’ (Urbi et Orbi) when he stopped the pope mobile in St. Peter’s Square so that he could embrace and kiss eight year old Dominic Gondreau who has cerebral palsy. A photo of that extraordinary moment went viral, and it seems to speak a volume about what the upcoming papacy of Pope Francis is going to look like.

Could Pope Francis be opening the way for a new Pentecost in the Church? His papacy is still in its infancy and there are many challenges yet to be confronted, but as one commentator writes “Francis’ simple ways might just be the elixir for a Church that has lost its way.”

Conclusion

The many form of Pentecost

Pentecost takes on many forms. Pope John’s Pentecost blew open doors and windows slammed shut by fear for four centuries. Fr. Boulad’s Pentecost would courageously address many controversial issues, like contraception, abortion, euthanasia, clerical celibacy, homosexuality, divorce and remarriage, etc.  Pope Francis’ Pentecost has its own very unique style, as it shirks the papal palace, chooses to live in a Spartan apartment, and washes the feet of incarcerated youths.

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[1] The letter can be found in its entirety on the internet.

Mother's Day 2013



A red carnation for a living mom,

 and a white one for a mom in heaven

Mother’s Day 2013

7^th Sunday of Easter, May 12, 2013
Acts 7: 55-60    Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20     John 17:20-26

First reading from Acts

Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him together. They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them;” and when he said this, he fell asleep.

The word of the Lord

Thanks be to God

 

Alleluia, alleluia.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

Glory to you, Lord.

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying: “Holy Father, I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you,  that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you  loved them even as you loved me. Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

----------------

Introduction

More about peace than about mothers

Today is not only the 7^th Sunday of Easter, it’s also the 2^nd Sunday of May and therefore Mother’s Day. The commercial spirit puts its stamp on all our national and religious holidays, and in the process we lose sight of their original intent and inspiration. That’s certainly true for Christmas. It’s also true for Mother’s Day which was invented not by the Florists’ Association or by the Telephone Co. but by mothers protesting the killing of their sons in war. Originally Mother’s Day was more about peace than about mothers. Originally it was an anti-war movement by mothers protesting the killing of their sons in war.

The two mothers of Mother’s Day

Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910), a Boston poet and author of the lyrics to the Battle Hymn of the Republic, would yearly organize Mother’s Day meetings in Boston, Mass., and encourage mothers to rally for peace, for she believed that mothers bore the loss of human life more painfully than anyone else.

It was, however, Anna Marie Jarvis (1864-1948) who succeeded in getting Mother’s Day inscribed on the Nation’s calendar. During the Civil War, Jarvis’ mother organized women to tend to the needs of wounded soldiers on both sides. And after the war her mother promoted a Mother’s Day’ dedicated to pacifism and social activism. Two years after her mother’s death on the 2^nd Sunday of May, Jarvis held a memorial for her mother on May 12, 1907. Then she went on a mission to make Mother's Day a recognized holiday. Following an act of Congress in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the 2^nd Sunday of May as Mother's Day. And that’s the story of Mother’s Day.

Celebrating both

Originally Mother’s Day was dedicated not to honoring mothers themselves, but to honoring their wishes and prayers that the killing of their sons in war be stopped. Originally it was more about peace than about mothers. That original intent and inspiration has been lost over the years. Mother’s Day now honors the mothers themselves, whether they are pacifists or just simply mothers. On Mother’s Day, however, we don’t have to choose between honoring the wishes and prayers of mothers that the killing of their sons in war be stopped, or honoring the mothers themselves. We can choose to celebrate both – peace and mothers – on Mother’s Day.

A great Mother’s Day story

Mother’s Day always puts me in mind of a great mother who begot a great son. Years ago I had to put down my dog Tina, which for many years filled in the lonely spaces of my celibate life. A few days after this painful event, I had to shop for groceries, and at the checkout counter was a young Afro-American whom everyone knew and liked a lot. He immediately noticed my sadness, and when I told him I had just put down my dog Tina, he suddenly reached for his wallet, opened the cash register, and did a transaction. Not knowing what he had done, I handed him my money which he refused saying, "I've taken care of it!” Think of it! Here was a young black man, a blue-collar worker, who didn’t make fifty dollars an hour, and he was paying for a white man’s groceries!

The son’s gift to his mother

At the end of the day, that’s a great Mother’s Day story. No doubt, every year this young man wonders what he should give his mom on Mother’s Day. What greater gift could he possibly give her than what he has already given? In his very person he has given her an unselfish and compassionate son who pours the oil of compassion upon someone in great need, and who will surely pour the oil of compassion upon her as well in her hour of need. The red carnations or the chocolates which he gives his mom on Mother’s Day (if he can afford them) won’t be a substitute for the real thing; they’ll be truly sacramental - a sign of the real thing.

The mother’s gift to her son

On the other side of the coin, what greater gift could the mother of this checkout clerk possibly give her son than what she has already given him?  An old saying says “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Good fruit that he is, he has come from a good tree. (Mt. 7:17) Mother’s Day cries out to this checkout clerk what the woman in the crowd cried out to Jesus one day: “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that nursed you.” (Lk. 11:27)

Conclusion

Only single individual mothers

`Mother,’ as a general idea, does not exist. Only single individual mothers exist. There are mothers who are battling cancer, and still have children to rear. There are mothers who have mentally challenged children, and who face a daunting task with the dawn of every day. There are mothers whose sons and daughters are estranged from each other. There are mothers whose sons or daughters are estranged from them. There are mothers who wonder where they went wrong, for parenting is painful and precarious, and only a few mothers do it perfectly. There are a few mothers who do an almost perfect job of parenting, and who feel very blessed and fulfilled in their children. There are mothers in heaven, who left earth before their work was done, and who from the Throne of Grace and power now do for their sons and daughters what they wanted to do here on earth but couldn’t.

Today, on this 2^nd Sunday of May and Mother’s Day we wear a red carnation for a living mom, and a white one for a mom in heaven