Most people like to get gifts. In today’s Gospel Jesus says that he’ll ask the Father and the Father will give us a gift, something called a paraclete. You are now the proud owner of a paraclete. However, sometimes you get a gift from a friend and you’re not sure of what it is, even after you open it, one might rightly wonder (what this paraclete is).
Breaking the word down into its parts helps. “Paraclete” is a Greek word and the “clete” part of it means to call out or yell. The “para” means vigorously. So “paraclete” means to call out vigorously. Now in some Bibles the word paraclete is translated into advocate or consoler. Those words are good, but somewhat churchy and really not earthy, the way that paraclete is in the original language. I think the closest English word we have for paraclete is “cheerleader.”
If you’ve ever played on a basketball or football team, you know that there’s such a thing as home field or court advantage – when you are on your home turf and when the stands are full of your fans cheering and screaming for you, you’re much more likely to play your best game and give it your best shot.
Today’s Gospel presents a stunning and delicious picture of God – God the cheerleader. Your biggest fan, according to scripture, is God. God shouting for you; God standing up and cheering when you do something well; God going into agony when you fall into the mud or get beaten; God calling and pushing onward; God telling you – you can do it – God the cheerleader.
There’s an important difference between God the cheerleader and human cheerleaders. When you and I are cheering for people form the stands, we might get so caught up in the excitement of the game we wish we could go right down there on the field and do something concrete to help. When I’m at a 49’er game and the 49’ers are behind I sometimes get carried away and would love a chance to stand next to whatever quarterback they have (Alex Smith) and help him throw the football. Well, you and I can’t do that, but God can. God does not remain an impassive observer in the stands while you and I make our way through the game of life. God gets so carried away that in a fit of enthusiasm he leaves the stands and becomes a member of the team. That’s the mystery of Jesus – Jesus our brother, Jesus a member of the human race, Jesus walking with us toward eternal life.
And as if that weren’t enough, Jesus says that he’s going to ask the Father and we’ll be given still another paraclete, still another cheerleader –the Holy Spirit, a little energy, something inside us that urges us on. Imagine it! Three cheerleaders totally full of love and concern for you, cheering you onward—God the Creator, cheering you from the distance, calling you forward; God the Son, cheering you as your brother; walking next to you; and God the Holy Spirit, cheering you from inside, kicking you in the rear when you need it, pulling you, pushing you, tugging you, congratulating you, forgiving you, telling you to keep on going and you can do it.
And if we believe in this cheerleading God, there’s only one thing for us to do – and that is to become cheerleaders ourselves. The vision of Jesus is for husbands to cheer wives and wives to cheer husbands; for old people to cheer young people and young people to cheer old people; for single people to cheer their friends and friends to cheer single people; for parishioners to sometimes cheer their Pastor, for all of us to cheer each other and forgive each other and lift each other up into new life.
I close. Today the scripture invites you to consider the delicious picture of God the cheerleader, God who is your best fan, God who is the one urging you onward. There are already enough boo s in this world – that’s the voice of the world telling you, you can’t be any better, you’re just you. You’re stuck in that rut and that’s it. The world telling you to lie down and die. But stronger than the voice of the world, strong enough to bounce from one side of the galaxy to the other, is the strong and silent word of God coming to you from the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The voice of the cheerleader that says “You’re Terrific. I know you can do it. Get up – you’ll make it. HALLELUJHA!!”
Archive for the ‘6th Sunday’ Category
God the Cheerleader 5-29-2011
Sunday, May 29th, 2011Respect 2-13-2011
Sunday, February 13th, 2011Not very long ago, I was having dinner at some friend’s house, and got a chance to sit next to….Billy. Billy is somewhere between one and two, probably closer to two, and has strong opinions about what he likes and what he doesn’t like. No matter if mamma is telling him in a sweet voice how nummy-nummy the mashed peas are, no matter if dad ends up eating half of the loathsome vegetables himself in order to show him how mmm-mmm good they are—if he doesn’t like them, he starts throwing. He threw the spoon, he threw the cup, he threw the bow…and finally, in an unguarded moment, he threw the Gerber’s jar and the peas…right at me.
Billy is young. He hasn’t had a chance to learn yet how to respect things. He doesn’t know that when you throw things, they sometimes get dinged or cracked or broken. He’ll learn. In fact, that is one of life’s great accomplishments…learning respect. It’s a life-long process. I remember comparing how my cousins and I used to do dishes, compared to the way my grandmother did, for instance. As teenagers we tore into those dishes as quickly as we could, they went flying. There was always at least one fatality, quite often an old cup or plate. We were a little better than Billy, but we had a way to go. Things still got dinged and cracked and broken.
And then there was Grandma. Perhaps she was like most old people. She handled the dishes slowly, with a sort of reverence. Her wrinkled old hands took hold of each platter and glass as if it were a special old friend. I don’t remember her ever breaking anything. She had learned respect. She knew how easily things can get dinged and cracked and broken. She knew how to respect food and clothes, and pencils and pens….and people.
Because if unimportant things get dinged and cracked and broken when they are not respected enough, so can people. If people are abused or roughed up or overlooked and banged around often enough…they get dinged and cracked and broken.
It isn’t enough, Jesus says, not to murder. You have to show respect to everyone. Not harbor anger against them. Not use abusive language against them or hold them in contempt.
It isn’t enough, Jesus says, to avoid the actual act of adultery with someone. What is needed, is respect for someone else and their relationship, and respect for yourself, that you don’t even entertain the thought.
It isn’t enough, Jesus says, to avoid swearing to things that are false. What is needed is so much respect for the people around you that you don’t swear at all, you just say yes when its yes and no when its no.
We Americans are just now learning how important it is to respect things instead of wasting them; respecting the environment, the rivers and streams, the soil and air, instead of abusing them.
And we need to grow in respect for ourselves and for each other. This means, not having to dominate every conversation. Not having our own way. Not inflicting our moods so freely on each other. Respect is one of the most basic types of love.
And why should we show ourselves and each other so much respect? Because God has shown complete respect to us!
1. Do I show respect to myself?
2. Is there someone close to me that I am disrespecting?
Mothers Day and Catholic Charities 5-9-2010 Deacon Patrick Conway
Sunday, May 9th, 2010Happy Mother’s Day to all of you mothers here today. You know, there are two kinds of mothers, those who have given birth and those who have not, but both kinds are mothers indeed. As the great philosopher Oprah Winfrey said, “Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother.”
I came across a wonderful poem written by a mother about being a mother, and so I’ve asked a mother to read it. It’s called “Before I was a Mom.”
Before I was a Mom
I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed.
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn’t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
Before I was a Mom
I never thought about immunizations.
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Spit on.
Chewed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
Before I was a Mom
I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn’t want to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn’t stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
Before I was a Mom
I didn’t know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn’t know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn’t know that bond between a mother and her child.
Before I was a Mom
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom
I never knew I would love being a Mom so much.
The love of a mother for her child is something very special and unique. It’s one of the most powerful things in the universe, a force of nature. It is, for many of us, the closest thing to God’s love. The English novelist Thackeray wrote: “Mother is the name for God on the lips and in the hearts of little children.” An old Jewish proverb says, “God couldn’t be everywhere, so he created mothers.”
This is also Catholic Charities weekend, part 1. Next weekend we’ll be taking up a collection for Catholic Charities, but we wanted to talk about it this weekend so that when the collection basket comes around next weekend, we’ll have had a chance to reflect on what it means, because it’s that important.
I think it is fitting to talk about Catholic Charities on this Mother’s Day weekend, because Catholic Charities has everything to do with a mother’s love, that most powerful of human forces on earth, that closest experience of God’s love. Because what Catholic Charities is all about is what all mothers want for their children.
As most of you know, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Monterey is how our bishop leads us, the Church of Monterey, in reaching out to the poor and to those struggling in the four counties that make up our diocese. It is the way that we together as the Catholic Church of Monterey make sure that we are doing all of the motherly things – feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, welcoming the stranger, caring for all of God’s children.
We call our Church “Mother Church” because “mother” is the best word that we have to express the compassion and caring love that flows through us from God to all people, to all people. And so, I’d like to ask you to think of everything that Catholic Charities does as the expression of a mother’s love for her children.
Catholic Charities served over 32,000 people last year. It has four main programs: family supportive services, mental health counseling, immigration and citizenship program, and the tattoo removal program. Let me give you a few examples of how lives are being served and saved with your support and prayers.
Linda has four children, abandoned by their father. She earns just under $11 an hour and can only work part time because she must care for her children in the afternoon. Even at full time, she would not earn enough to pay for child care. One of her children has a heart problem. But because Linda is not working full time, she has no health benefits. Without those benefits, she cannot afford the medical treatment her child needs, as she is barely making ends meet.
Linda is working, trying to care for her children, and is caught in a real bind. Catholic Charities stepped in to help with emergency funds, guidance in budgeting and seeking other sources of help, referrals to medical treatment for her daughter, and counseling to help Linda deal effectively with the difficulties of her life. Linda, giving a mother’s love to her children. Linda, a child of God, receiving Mother Church’s encouraging love.
Elena is an immigrant from Romania who married a US citizen. Her husband became abusive and threatened her with deportation, since she did not yet have permanent resident status. A friend brought her to Catholic Charities to seek sanctuary and help. Immigration and mental health counselors, provided by your support, explained her legal rights, based on the protection offered by the Violence Against Women Act. Catholic Charities helped her find shelter and then began petitioning her case with immigration. Elena, with broken dreams of becoming a mother. Elena, a child of God, receiving Mother Church’s comforting and protective love.
Joel is a young father with a beautiful wife and daughter. His daughter is receiving her First Communion this month in the Catholic Church. I visited with them at their home a couple of weeks ago. Joel shared that he would like to be baptized and share fully in Catholic life with his wife and daughter. I welcomed him into our RCIA process. But Joel was in the grip of fear. He also shared with me that he got involved in gang life when he was fifteen, and that he did many bad things which eventually led him to prison. He came to his senses and decided to turn away from the gang life and to turn to God. He got out of prison six months ago and is leading a new life. But he is scared to death. The pull of the old gang life is strong, and his gang tattoos make him a marked man in public. I was so happy to be able to tell him about Catholic Charities tattoo removal program. The look on his face when I told him that we would be able to help him get his tattoos removed was priceless. I gathered his family around him in prayer, and we claimed him for Jesus Christ, a beloved son of God and of Mother Church. The next day I called Maria at Catholic Charities and told her about Joel. She said that she would get him into the program right away. Joel, a child of God, receiving a Mother Church’s merciful love, a love full of second chances.
In today’s bulletin there is more information about how you can continue to support this wonderful work. For most of us, the best way to do that is through a monthly pledge. It works for us and it works for Catholic Charities. Our income is monthly and their expenses are monthly. I ask you to pray about what you would like to give. And remember, sacrificial giving is the best, most powerful, most Christ-like kind of giving. Sacrificial giving is where we give up something of what we want or need so that someone else can have what they need. It’s what mothers do all the time.
With your prayers and with your money, and in your name, Catholic Charities is not only serving over 32,000 people, it is literally saving lives. It is giving God’s children and our children what they need to pull their lives together so that they can become healthy, independent and contributing members of our communities. Catholic Charities is how we as Mother Church give a mother’s love to all God’s children.
Mother Church: Happy Mother’s Day!
