I preached at the "Children's Church" Mass this Sunday, so I have notes for you rather than the full text of a homily...
Fourth Sunday of Easter C
Why
do people hold hands?
1.
A man and a woman: to show their love
2.
A parent and child, teacher and student: for
safety
(That’s
why we don’t hold a stranger’s hand)
3.
A family around the supper table: to pray
One
of the ways Jesus talks about himself
is
as a shepherd—the Good Shepherd
What
does that make us? His sheep
In
this Sunday’s Gospel:
“No
one can take [my sheep] out of my hand”
The
way Jesus takes and holds our hands
is
connected with the three reasons we hold each other’s hands
1.
Love: “The Father and I are one”
Jesus’
love for God his Father is so strong
that
it’s almost like they’re the same
That’s
what he wants for us, too
Jesus
loves us so much
that
he wants us to be one with him
2.
Safety: “I know them, and they follow me”
Jesus
loves us so much
that
he wants to protect us, to always keep us safe
He
knows us—
what
we need, what we’re scared of, what could hurt us
We
need to follow him—to listen to his voice
3.
Prayer: “My sheep hear my voice”
How
do we hear Jesus’ voice? When we
pray
A
lot of the time, our prayer is talking to Jesus
But
we also need to listen,
so
he can tell us he loves us and show us the right way
(Have
you ever noticed, even when we pray alone,
how
we hold our hands together?)
2nd
reading: St. John has a vision of heaven
Filled
with lots and lots of people
From
different countries and cultures
Different
colors and speaking different languages
So
many people they can’t be counted!
How
did all those people get to heaven?
By
holding each other’s hand on earth
We
have to stick together
Not
just during good and happy times
Especially
during hard and sad times
We
need to love each other
We
need to protect each other
We
need to pray together and for each other
Just
the way Jesus loves us, protects us,
and
speaks to us when we pray
What
do we call the people who do that?
The Church
We
want everybody to know that Jesus loves them,
cares
for them, and is ready to speak to them, right?
So
we need to reach out to take other people by the hand
We
need to lead them to Jesus so they can be sheep in his flock, too
To the adults…
4th
Sunday of Easter: “Good Shepherd Sunday”
World
Day of Prayer for Vocations
Usually
think: a day for recruiting new priests and nuns!
Want
you to think about it a little differently
When
we hear vocation,
we
think “a calling”—a call reserved for a select few
We’re
right about the calling part
But
we’re wrong with the other half: everybody
has one!
Vocation
is about taking Jesus by the hand
and
letting him lead the way
And
at the bottom of it,
whether
you’re married or single, a priest or a deacon,
a
religious brother or sister, a monk or a nun,
the
call is pretty much the same:
When
we’ve taken Jesus by the hand,
we
reach out to take somebody else by the hand
It’s
a lesson we learn early in childhood…
…but
somehow think we’ve outgrown it as adults
This
Sunday: two concrete ways
to
take the Good Shepherd by the hand
and
help others do likewise
(1)
2nd collection today for “Inspire,” the Vocations Summit
Sunday,
September 25, in Lake Placid
Support
it generously now
Make
plans to participate later
(2)
Reach out to the “lost sheep”
[Kids
pass our prayer cards now]
Pray
it for someone who’s wandered away
Even
more: reach out to take somebody by the hand
Packets
by church doors with brochures and prayer cards
Take
one and give it to a family member or friend
Hang
it on a neighbor’s doorknob
Show
them your love, lead them to safety, pray for their souls
Holy
Year: Jubilee of Mercy
Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica: image of Jesus the Good Shepherd
Reaching
out his hand “to save what was being lost”
Grab
Jesus by the hand
Help somebody else to do the same
No comments:
Post a Comment