Jesus sees us and gives us joy – John 16:19b-25

Finishing off my Old College Lenten series on the Farewell Discourse, while we were hosting six young men and their parents for a discernment retreat.

They were scared.  The disciples had entrusted their lives to a man who was about to die.  In that upper room, Jesus had a shocking claim of good news for them: he would see them again, and they would rejoice.

God follows us, wherever we go – 1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12.

Preaching on the 2nd reading from yesterday's mass at Sunday Vespers at Moreau Seminary.

We hear a lot about the growing phenomenon of helicopter parents, parents who micro-manage their children’s lives, sometimes well into adulthood.  The caricature of the offspring they raise are dependent fully grown kids, 20-somethings who can’t pick what pair of socks to wear in the morning without phoning home.  The mirror-image we can imagine, or perhaps know, are laissez-faire carefree parents who, it seems, could care less, not providing the resources their children need to form themselves, raising kids with no direction or moral compass, not even the borrowed un-owned one of helicopter’s progeny.

God is in the details – John 14:1-13

Beginning a Lenten series (that will be rather short due to Break and a few other special weekends) on the Farewell Discourse from John's gospel for OC.  The central example of this homily is drawn from the process of requesting permission to become a lifelong vowed religious (petitioning for final or perpetual vows).

[Jesus said,] “Do not let your hearts be troubled: have faith in God, have faith also in me.

“In my father’s house, there are many dwelling places.  If there were not, would I have said to you that I am going to prepare a place for you?

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.

“And you know the way where I am going.”

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going.  How can we know the way?”

Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No-one comes to the Father except through me.

“If you have known me, you will know the Father.  And from now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.”

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

Jesus said to him, “I have been with you for this long, and you do not know me, Philip?  Whoever sees me is seeing the Father.  How can you say, ‘Show us the father?’

“Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?  The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own behalf, but the Father dwelling in me performs His works.

“Believe in me, since I am in the Father and the Father is in me.  Or if you can’t, believe through these works.

“Very truly I say to you: Whoever believes in me will do the works I do and will do greater than these, because I am going to the Father.

“And whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

~~

The hardest part of writing a petition is starting it.  Sitting down over Christmas break to write a petition for final vows, at first I was at a loss for how to begin.  How do I explain how perpetual profession makes sense for me, when such an extravagant gift of self is not in the least bit sensible?  Being at a loss gave way to frustration, when I read over the brief for the petition.  In five pages, we had to cover all five pillars, three vows and talk about our intercultural experience and willingness to serve overseas.  Where would there be space for this and the spiritual magnum opus I was at a loss for how to write?