Sixth Sunday of Easter

Forty of us, mostly parishioners, returned last Tuesday from an enjoyable pilgrimage to Ireland where we had sunny cool days.  I didn't even have to open my umbrella!
And our Irish guide had a blessing for us at the end:
May the sun always shine on your face;
may the wind be always at your back;
and as you slide down the banister of life,
may the splinters be always pointing down.
Now that's an imaginative Irish blessing!!!

This Memorial Day weekend, we honor again the men and women who died in the wars of our country.  The total number slain is staggering: some 1.2 million killed during America’s eleven major conflicts.

I invite all of us to pause to pray for these brave men and women who gave the last full measure of devotion, per Lincoln's Gettysburg address, to the cause of our freedoms that Norman Rockwell illustrated so splendidly: Freedom of speech, freedom to worship God, freedom from want, freedom from fear. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.  Let perpetual light shine upon them.

For many, this is the season of school reunions. I read in a “Dear Abby” column about a couple getting ready for such a college reunion. The husband looked into the mirror and said, “Honey, I weigh too much, I have a double chin, a pot belly, a bald head and a wrinkled face. I don’t feel good about myself.  Please,pay me a compliment.”

The wife replied, “Your eyesight is perfect.”  Now, that’s a backhanded compliment!

The word of God takes us back to the beginnings of Christianity. Many then regarded Christianity simply as a new way of being Jewish. And so the burning  question was: do Christian non-Jews have to observe Jewish practices? Paul and Barnabas discuss this with Peter and the other apostles. And together they came to a compromise to avoid scandal. Yes, Gentile Christians should observe some Jewish practices, but they don’t have to observe all Jewish practices to be disciples of Jesus. Why? Because Jesus alone through his dying and rising reestablished our relationship with God. Jesus is indeed our way, our truth, and our life.

The author may be asking how we resolve tensions or conflicts in our lives. Love can only emerge if we forgive, work out compromises (i. e., be flexible), agree to disagree without being disagreeable, seek and compliment the good in one another, clarify our core values, accept differences (our way isn’t the only way), and communicate regularly. Above all, we have to distinguish between behavior and negative judgments about behavior. For example, you’re late (behavior) versus you’re the most inconsiderate person I know (negative judgment about behavior). Maybe there was an accident, or another reason. Always focus on the behavior and avoid negative judgments about people in our relationships.

Like most things in life, we have to work at good relationships, sticking together especially through rough patches, trusting that times will change and we’ll reemerge closer.

The book of Revelation describes a mystical experience in which the author sees an awesome, dazzling new vision of reality, depicted as the new Jerusalem, built on the foundation of the apostles and radiating the glory or presence of God. The all mighty God and the slain Lamb, Jesus Christ, illuminate this vision. The author may be asking whether we recognize God’s presence in our daily lives.

The Gospel according to John takes us back to the farewell address of Jesus at his Last Supper. In saying goodbye, Jesus considers how his community of disciples will continue after his departure. The disciples should be faithful to his words, especially his new commandment—to love one another. But this community will need guidance. So, Jesus promises to send the Spirit, who will energize and guide this community of disciples into the fullness of God’s kingdom.

This Easter season, we have met different biblical personalities: the questioning Thomas, the repentent Peter, the purpose-driven Paul and the faith-filled Mary of Magdala. Today I would like to introduce the first Christian martyr, Stephen.

Who was Stephen? A Spirit-filled leader in the Jerusalem church, a Greek-speaking Jewish Christian, appointed with six others to help needy widows. Stephen worked signs and wonders and proclaimed courageously that Jesus is the fulfillment of the messianic promises made to ancient Israel.  Stephen had a visionary experience of the glory of God, outraged Jewish authorities with his claims about Jesus as gloriously alive, and was dragged outside Jerusalem by a mob and stoned to death.

Stephen is the proto martyr of Christianity. His death was like that of Jesus. He forgave his executioners and cried out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Would that all of us could make that cry ours at the end of life.

I like to think Stephen had an intense relationship with God, nurtured through prayer. Now, what is prayer? C.S. Lewis, author, professor and theologian, wrote a series of letters titled The Screwtape Letters, between a senior devil, Screwtape, and an apprentice devil, Wormwood. Screwtape advises Wormwood how to win a soul for the devil. One way, he explains, is to create so much noise that people can no longer hear the voice of God. Does this ring true? We wake up to clock radios, watch TV at breakfast, listen to the car radio; check Facebook, Instagram, iPhones, e-mail, and so forth, all of which distract us from hearing God’s voice in our lives. There’s so much noise we can’t hear ourselves think. The devil’s strategy works.

For Jesus and the heroes and heroines of Christianity, prayer was their top priority. They not only participated in the celebration of mass or Eucharist, the source and summit of the Christian life, but prayed as well quietly and alone to nurture their relationship with God. As Mother Teresa put it, “God speaks to us; we listen. We speak to God; He listens.” Prayer is a two-way street.

And does God answer our prayers? Put simply: Yes, but not always as we like. The following prayer shows how inventive God can be:

I asked for strength, and God gave me difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for wisdom, and God gave me problems to solve.
I asked for prosperity, and God gave me a brain and the energy to work.
I asked for courage, and God gave me dangers to overcome.
I asked for love, and God gave me troubled people to help.
I received nothing I wanted, but I received everything I needed.

Today the Spirit-filled Stephen invites us to pray, to converse with God as we would with a true friend, a friendship based on God's unconditional love for us. May we nurture our friendship with God through daily prayer. Amen.