To begin, a few words on the Feast of the Dedication of The Basilica of St. John Lateran: it was dedicated in 324 CE and was the residence of the Pope, Pope Sylvester I….and, still remains the seat of the Pope, as the Bishop of Rome, it even outranks St. Peter’s Basilica. It is the Catholic Cathedral of the Diocese of Rome. It is considered to be the mother of all churches, the highest ranking church in the world, the only Archbasilica in the world. And as it is so revered it is given a special feast day and remembered and celebrated each year throughout the world. So today we celebrate this holy place of pilgrimage where the faithful have gathered for centuries to pray and to celebrate Eucharist and to join in with all of the untold masses of faithful who have done so before them.
I would like to focus on Paul’s words in today’s second reading, reminding us that the Spirit of God dwells within each one of us. And that we are holy beings as the temples of God.
And in John’s Gospel, Jesus, having just finished the Last Supper, tells them that they are intimately connected to him, like vines to a branch; that it is from him that they draw their sustenance, their very life. They have life in and through him. He shares with them that they have already been pruned and will bear great fruit.
Jesus wants them to remain in him as he remains in them! What a wonderful image for us to ponder, this indwelling of
Christ. Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love”.
These are amazing images of love and intimacy being shared between Jesus and his disciples, as he knows his life with them is about to change dramatically. He tells them that they will be able to continue on, and they are ready to produce great fruit and that they are connected to one another and to him, and will always remain so.
We read in the Acts of the Apostles how the nascent church was rapidly spreading and growing, filled with the Holy Spirit. But we also know that there were great struggles as well, even in the midst of the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit.
The disciples were human: they argued and disagreed, and still they produced great fruit. Even in the midst of human and failures, Christ’s indwelling presence has the power to save us from ourselves, and help us to do amazing things!
Today we find ourselves in scary, strange and difficult times. So much of the world seems angry and to have lost its way, seemingly bent on regressing to former less just and more selfish and cruel times. We find ourselves in a cycle of unbelievable violence and hatred. Ongoing law enforcement using uncalled for uses of deadly force on our black and brown sisters and brothers and shocking violence towards our immigrants and refugees as well as other minorities and women.
And we are witnessing a shocking rise in White Christian Nationalism, which threatens our national values to the very core, and certainly does not reflect Gospel values nor the words and actions of Jesus Christ!
There is so much discord in our world, in our country and in our personal and familial lives. For many of us, we ask ourselves, how do we hold it together?
I believe that the way we hold it together is through maintaining a conscious connection and awareness of the presence of the risen Christ within us and with us at all times, even when we can’t seem to feel that divine presence and we feel like we are running out of hope. Even in the midst of the chaos swirling around us, Christ is still there, still loving us through our darkest moments. This is at the heart of the Gospel message -- we are never abandoned by God.
Our discipleship calls us to stand up and speak out against the discord and injustices of the world, to speak out on behalf of the abused, those denied justice and those whose voices are ignored or silenced. We are able to do this through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Risen Christ, who has promised to remain with us for all time.
How or when have I let the power of the Holy Spirit’s presence within me shine through, guiding my thoughts and actions? Jesus spoke of pruning…what pruning might I need to allow Jesus to do, to make my life more Christ centered that I might abide in his love more fully and share that love with others through my daily decisions and actions?
Fr. Tim
I would like to focus on Paul’s words in today’s second reading, reminding us that the Spirit of God dwells within each one of us. And that we are holy beings as the temples of God.
And in John’s Gospel, Jesus, having just finished the Last Supper, tells them that they are intimately connected to him, like vines to a branch; that it is from him that they draw their sustenance, their very life. They have life in and through him. He shares with them that they have already been pruned and will bear great fruit.
Jesus wants them to remain in him as he remains in them! What a wonderful image for us to ponder, this indwelling of
Christ. Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love”.
These are amazing images of love and intimacy being shared between Jesus and his disciples, as he knows his life with them is about to change dramatically. He tells them that they will be able to continue on, and they are ready to produce great fruit and that they are connected to one another and to him, and will always remain so.
We read in the Acts of the Apostles how the nascent church was rapidly spreading and growing, filled with the Holy Spirit. But we also know that there were great struggles as well, even in the midst of the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit.
The disciples were human: they argued and disagreed, and still they produced great fruit. Even in the midst of human and failures, Christ’s indwelling presence has the power to save us from ourselves, and help us to do amazing things!
Today we find ourselves in scary, strange and difficult times. So much of the world seems angry and to have lost its way, seemingly bent on regressing to former less just and more selfish and cruel times. We find ourselves in a cycle of unbelievable violence and hatred. Ongoing law enforcement using uncalled for uses of deadly force on our black and brown sisters and brothers and shocking violence towards our immigrants and refugees as well as other minorities and women.
And we are witnessing a shocking rise in White Christian Nationalism, which threatens our national values to the very core, and certainly does not reflect Gospel values nor the words and actions of Jesus Christ!
There is so much discord in our world, in our country and in our personal and familial lives. For many of us, we ask ourselves, how do we hold it together?
I believe that the way we hold it together is through maintaining a conscious connection and awareness of the presence of the risen Christ within us and with us at all times, even when we can’t seem to feel that divine presence and we feel like we are running out of hope. Even in the midst of the chaos swirling around us, Christ is still there, still loving us through our darkest moments. This is at the heart of the Gospel message -- we are never abandoned by God.
Our discipleship calls us to stand up and speak out against the discord and injustices of the world, to speak out on behalf of the abused, those denied justice and those whose voices are ignored or silenced. We are able to do this through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Risen Christ, who has promised to remain with us for all time.
How or when have I let the power of the Holy Spirit’s presence within me shine through, guiding my thoughts and actions? Jesus spoke of pruning…what pruning might I need to allow Jesus to do, to make my life more Christ centered that I might abide in his love more fully and share that love with others through my daily decisions and actions?
Fr. Tim
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