6th Sunday after Easter “C”
May 13, 2007
PIGEONS, STATUES, AND VALUES
by Paul Rooney
[1st Rdg: Acts 15:1-2,22-29; Gospel: John 14:23-29]
Have you ever felt that on
some days you’re the Pigeon, and on
other days you’re the Statue? (Pause…) I don’t think it will take very long for you to picture that
image in your mind! But we’ve all been
there, haven’t we? We don’t like stress, and some “burdens” in
life are just too stressful for us. But
stress and burdens are things we all have to cope with; they are part of life. We just have to learn how to deal with them,
and not carry them around with us all the time. This is the practical side of life that even the apostles had to
deal with, as we saw in the First Reading today.
Today, and for the next two
weeks, we will be hearing more and more about the activity of the Holy Spirit,
as we head for Pentecost Sunday. One of
the first things we learn about today from the First Reading is the gentleness
of the Holy Spirit. Did you hear that
wonderful line that said this: “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit, and
ours too, not to lay on you any burden beyond that which is strictly
necessary…” No unnecessary
burdens! That is peaceful and
refreshing news today, just as it was 2000 years ago to the early Christians. They were under great stress, trying to
“wean” themselves away from the unnecessary dietary and ritual practices of their
Jewish brothers and sisters.
We hear the same gentleness
and “easy burden” from Jesus in the
gospels. Last week the apostles were
gathered around the Dinner table, and Jesus told them (and us) simply to “love
one another.” Today they are
still at that Dinner table, and we hear Jesus say that it will be easy to
identify the ones who love Him,
because they will be true to His word.
Now, that’s really an easy burden.
It’s really not hard to accept the teaching of Jesus, and accept the
direction of his chosen apostles, and later on their successor-bishops. The sad news is that there are always those
people who don’t want to See the truth, Hear the truth, or Speak the truth –
and by “truth” I mean those actions and beliefs that are in accord with the
Will of God. Here is what Jesus says about that: “He
who does not love me does not keep my words.”
I remember so vividly Pope
John Paul II’s teaching in the Encyclical Veritatis
Splendor, the Splendor of Truth. He
used Pontius Pilate as his example, describing a man who “often no longer knows who he
is, whence he comes and where he
is going” [VS, 84]. He
said that when we see this happen today, we are witnessing the gradual
self-destruction of a person. He has
strayed from the truth.
This “straying” from the
truth begins when a person does not acknowledge the “enduring absoluteness” of any moral value [VS, 84]. Another
way to describe that is when a person picks and chooses which moral value they
want to accept, one that doesn’t interfere with their lifestyle.
I’m reminded of a famous
saying from a famous TV Media mogul, who has earned the nickname “The Mouth of the South” because of his
statements that display the world’s values, not Christian values. For example, he reportedly joked that the
Pope should step on a landmine; and he is quoted as saying that “Christianity is for losers.” He apparently blamed his third divorce on
the fact that his wife decided to become a practicing Christian. Another well-known former governor, whose name
you would instantly recognize, is quoted as saying “Organized
religion is a sham and a crutch for weak-minded people who need strength in
numbers. It tells people to go out and stick their noses in other
people's business." It strikes me that
those two famous men are perhaps eligible for the Award called “Oblivious to the Truth.” It seems clear to me, based on those quotes,
that they did not make the right choices.
I won’t even name any of our current Politicians who hold anti-Life
values. You know who they are, and what
to do about it in November!
Now, I don’t want to focus on
those who made Wrong moral choices, because today is a special day when we
honor our Mothers. Isn’t it wonderful,
for those of you who are here, that your
Mother did not choose to accept the world’s immoral values, such as
Abortion? She could have treated you
like a Pigeon treats a Statue; but instead, she chose to uphold the most-sacred
value of Life, and the Dignity of the Human Person! In today’s environment it would have been so easy just to avoid
responsibility for the Truth. But you
are here; so you know the correct and only moral choice was made.
That means that our Mothers
are living examples of people who responded properly to Jesus’ gospel
description - - “Anyone who loves me will keep my words.” Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the
Life. And we thank God that our Mothers have chosen (gesture to Crucifix) This Way, This Truth, and This
Life.
- The Truth is under attack today.
- Christian moral values, the values of Jesus Christ, are
under attack today.
- Mothers, motherhood, marriage, and Life itself are under
attack today.
So each one of us needs to
follow the example of the apostles and evangelists, and our Mothers, and stand
up for the fundamental moral truths that our Church proclaims in the name of
Jesus. This is what Christian living is
all about!
References:
1. You
can find the allusions here:
http://www.renewyourmind.org/Apologetics%20101.htm
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Turner.
2. Veritatis
Splendor: see
mailto:
deaconpaul@cox.net
Mary Our Queen Parish, Omaha