I would like to talk with the kids. But I would encourage the rest of you to ease drop:
The girl asked the family’s dinner guest, “Do you like dolls?”
The guest said, “Of course, sweetheart, I love dolls.”
“Would you like to see mine?”
“That would be wonderful.”
The little girl leads her guest to her room where she brought out all her dolls.
The guest asked, “Which doll is your favorite?”
The little girl hesitated a moment, and then picked up a well-worn, tattered rag doll. It was missing a button eye, its seams had obviously been sewn up many times, and its dress was faded and frayed. She hugged the doll close and showed it to the guest.
“This is Annie. I love her most of all.”
The guest was surprised that, out of all the beautiful dolls she had, the little girl would pick up this old, tattered rag doll.
“Why do you love this one so much?”
The little girl said, “Well, if I didn’t love her, no one else would.”
When we have lost faith in ourselves, when we are feeling especially unlovable, when we are feeling wiped out by all the demands placed on us and our inability to make everyone happy, the image of the Good Shepherd should restore us to hope and confidence. In Christ the Good Shepherd, God’s limitless, unconditional love takes on a human face, becomes real in human history. In God’s eyes, love is never absent; in God’s heart, forgiveness is never impossible; in God’s embrace, no one is ever alone or forgotten.
Archive for the ‘Easter’ Category
Resurrection First Communion 5-5-2013
Sunday, May 5th, 2013The Good Shepard 4-21-2013
Sunday, April 21st, 2013For most of us I think it is safe to say this image of the Shepherd is not something we see very much everyday. It was a very common scene in the early Church: – it is a common scene in the Middle East. People in the early Church could really understand what was involved in being a shepherd. It was very real and earthy to them. The Biblical figure of the Shepherd – has been romanticized a lot in paintings, pictures, Holy Cards, “rosy cheeked young men – among pure white fluffy sheep on beautiful green hillsides – very serene and peaceful.”
I did a little research into what Shepherds were like in the Time of Jesus. It was a very lonely, dirty, dangerous job – that could not be managed from a distance. Shepherds lived among the sheep in the filth and stench – the lives of the sheep were their primary concern. A sheep sometimes wandered far off from the others – when it got lost and could not find it’s way back, it would simply lie down where it was and refuse to budge – the shepherd would search out for the lost sheep – carefully pick it up and carry it home. There was a personal relationship between the Shepherd and each individual sheep. They were not just numbers.
I believe this image of the Shepherd points us to God. God is not squeamish; God will not run away when things get messy in our lives; – God’s hands are dirty (not lily white); God’s clothes are stained with waste, mud and blood – the waste, mud and blood of our roller coaster lives. This God gets in the middle of the mess with us.
Does the mess magically disappear? Not most of the time; but there is a sense we are not alone and that helps us get through it. A key question for us; Are we afraid to share our messes with God?
How does this shepherding image of God come alive? Become real to people – Today –
I believe most of the time thru people – we are called to be shepherds for each other. We are responsible to pick each other up when we are down.
“I thought just priests and ministers were shepherds – no we all are if we call ourselves Christian and mean it.”
“Don’t we need special skill and talents – training to do this? No! We need a caring heart, a little common sense and a few less excuses.
“What about when you don’t have the answers or solutions to people’s problems? You don’t know what to say or do. Just listen and just be there for them.
I close with a story I am sure we all have heard;
A man dreamed he died and went to heaven and there was met by Jesus. The man had lived a long Christian life, but it had not been without some time of great trial and tribulation as well as those times of joy and victory. As he met with Christ, the man was given a panoramic review of his life – all the highlights and low periods. In the review of his life one of the things that continued throughout were his footsteps along the sands of time.
The man noticed that at those times in his life when it had really been rough there was only one set of footprints – not two as in the good times. The man turned to the Lord and said, “Lord, I don’t understand. You promised to be with me always. But when I look back now, I see that in those really rough times there was only one set of footprints. Lord, why did you leave me then?”
The Lord looked at him, smiled and said, ‘Leave you? I didn’t leave you at all. Dear friend, if you look at the one set of footprints carefully, you’ll notice they are a little deeper than the others. Those were the time I was carrying you.”
Do You Love Me? 4-14-2013
Sunday, April 14th, 2013Our Gospel this Sunday reminds us again of some powerful good news. It’s what I call the episode of the second chance. Now it is important that you remember who was there in those boats. Jesus’ disciples. You know, the ones who fled when he was arrested. The ones who, when he needed a bit of comfort, fell asleep on him. The ones who, when the going got tough, abandoned him. And there, too, was Peter, the leader, who figures so prominently in this story. He was there. Remember, he denied even knowing Jesus.
It is to these that Jesus appears. And he has a question. And it is urgently important that we realize what the question is not. His question is not “What have you done?” His question is not “Who were you in the past?” His question is not “Have you reformed?” His question is not “Do you remember your sins?” His question has nothing to do with the past and everything to do with the present. His question is simply “Here and now, do you love me?”
“Do you love me?” That’s all Jesus is interested in. Let bygones be bygones. Let sins be forgotten. Let mistakes be put aside. Let stupidities be buried. Let hurts be unrecorded. Let betrayals be unmentioned. All that matters is, “Right here, right now, do you love me?”
Can you sense the drama of this very personal gospel, the absolute forgiveness implied in the question, the total love of the Questioner? Can’t you sense that this gospel lives? That on this Sunday morning, at this liturgy, here and now, Someone is asking the only question that matters in your life and mine. He is asking, “Do you love me?” It’s the gift of the second chance. Never mind the past. “Today, do you love me?” This is why this gospel was saved by the faith community. It was saved for people like ourselves who also needed to know the Stranger is on the shore of our lives as we toil with empty nets and that, above all, the Stranger comes with a question and a challenge.
“Do you love me?” If you do, go forth from this church and love others. Start with your family first. Give someone a second chance. Is there someone you know who needs to be reminded that our God does not say – Why did you? How could you? Our God says here – start over. Try again. Try again.
