6th Sunday of Easter, Cycle C - May 22, 2022

 Sixth Sunday of Easter – C 

May 22, 2022              5pm, 8:30 and 11am

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton

             

Fifty Years 

 

Fifty years ago yesterday/this past Friday, May 20^th, Cardinal Shehan, who was then the Archbishop of Baltimore, ordained me to the priesthood.

 

So, for me, this is a special year. Those of you who have celebrated 50^th wedding anniversaries, or those of you who have returned to your high school or college to celebrate your 50^th year of graduation – you also understand how significant these moments are.

 

Maybe in different ways, we can all relate to this. Given this anniversary, I have looked at today’s Scripture readings with this question. 

 

How do I see God speaking to me as a priest right now? Or, to state it differently, how do I as a priest for fifty years see these readings?

 

I am hoping that what I am seeing here will also relate to your life experience. Three messages are coming to me – one from each of the readings. 

 

1.    Remember God’s Presence 

 

First, remember that God is with us.

 

Jesus in today’s gospel talks about the Father and himself dwelling with us. If we look through John’s entire gospel, Jesus is consistently telling us of God being with us.

 

God abides, he is present, he is staying and not going away. God is with us.

 

This leads me as a priest to see the basic goodness of every person. Yes, sometimes we sin and do wrong.

 

I recently said to someone in my office: “You are imperfect, and you’re okay!” This person’s face lit up; she really needed to hear those “okay” words.

 

So, I see my role not as asserting our distance from God. Rather, I am to remind us of our closeness to God or God’s closeness to us.

 

I see my role not as preoccupied with our guilt. Rather, I am to remind us that we are God’s beloved – each one of us.

 

I see my role not as belittling us for unworthiness. Rather, I am to remind us of our worthiness and dignity because of Jesus Christ. 

 

Finally, I see my role not as being stuck on our sinfulness. Rather, I am to encourage us to become the kind of person we are called to be.

 

All of this is crucial, very important and very foundational for priesthood and for faith. It is based on remembering God’s presence.

 

2.    Lift up the Light 

 

The second message is: Lift up the light.

 

This really flows from the first message. Today’s reading from Revelation foresees the city of God as needing no artificial or even natural light. 

 

Why? Because God is its light or our light. And God in turn has commissioned us to be light for the world.

 

With this in mind, I see my role as a priest not as ranting and raving about the darkness of the world or of certain groups or individuals. My role is not one of condemning and judging people.

 

Rather, I see my role as lifting up the light wherever it is – in the care that an elderly couple give to one another or in the life-saving work of the Red Cross or wherever. My role is to lift up the experiences of light.

 

Jesus did not tell us: be a curser of the darkness. He said: be a light for the world. 

 

3.    Build Community

 

The third and final message today is: build community. 

 

Today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles is about a conflict or disagreement in the early days of the Church. The issue was whether Gentiles, non-Jewish converts to Christianity, whether they had to accept Jewish practices.

 

The basic answer ended up being: No! But, just as important as the decision was how they arrived at it.

 

The disagreeing parties met together and talked face to face. They listened to one another and understood both sides of the argument.

 

And they reached a consensus that they could all live with. It is a great example for us.

 

I see my role as a priest as doing whatever I can to bring community together. Creating forums for conversation, listening to differences, trying to arrive at a consensus or something that we can all pretty much live with – I see this as the role of a priest.   

 

It is a pattern of leadership that is appropriate for a faith community. It is a pattern that can be used to heal past hurts and create future direction.    

 

Conclusion

 

So, these are some of the ways that todays’ Scriptures speak to me as a priest on this anniversary weekend.

 

I feel very convinced of these messages. I believe that this is the way for a priest to minister and engage with people in the twenty-first century.

 

It is the way, I believe, that will lead our Church to some new flourishing.  It is the way that I commit myself to, God willing, in the years that lie ahead. 

 

Amen!   

 

 

 

 

Fourth Sunday of Easter, Cycle C - May 8, 2022

 Sunday Inbox Inspirations

4^th Sunday of Easter – C  

April 17, 2022

 

To “Follow” Jesus 

 

There is a lot we could say about what it means to follow Jesus.

 

In today’s gospel, Jesus says: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”We believe that one of the ways that we hear Jesus’ voice is through our Pope, the leader of our Church.

 

Whoever becomes Pope is given the title Vicar of Christ. That means that the Pope is seen as representing Christ to us.

 

Pope Francis is the 266th Pope. Six years ago, he wrote a letter to the entire Church titled On Care for Our Common Home.  

 

In the letter, Pope Francis reflects on our obligation to care for the earth and for all people who live on this earth. He sees these two callings – caring 1) for the earth and 2) for everyone on the earth – he sees these as a significant part of what it means to follow Jesus today. 

 

So, I want to share with you just two recommendations that Pope Francis makes in this letter. He proposes these as things that we can do and that are part of our following Jesus today.

 

1.    Live Simply 

 

The first is that Francis calls each of us to try to live more simply.

 

He recalls the saying: “Less is more.” He says that not filling our lives with so many things will allow us to appreciate much more the present moment and the things we already have. 

 

Francis admits that simplicity is a challenge. We live in an economy that is built on consumption.  

 

We are always being encouraged to purchase more and more things. Francis says, and I really like these words, that we can live on a little and still have a lot.

 

This is especially true when we look for our fullness in family, friendships, and community relationships. It is true when we seek inner peace through prayer and when we just appreciate the part of nature that is right before our eyes.

 

I wonder if a way to live more simply is to make a habit of asking the “need” question. Do I really need this new T-shirt or the latest running shoes or different furniture or whatever it is?

 

The “need” question will probably lead us to live more simply. It will also be good for the earth’s resources and, ultimately, for everyone on the planet.

 

2.    Pray Grace 

 

The second recommendation I take from Pope Francis’ encyclical sounds simple: he urges us to pray Grace before meals.  

 

Francis says that a prayer before eating first reminds us of our dependence on God. It makes us aware that all of life and all that is comes from God.

 

And then, this Grace also reminds us of our dependence on nature. We rely on nature for the grain that makes our cereals, for the plants that become our vegetables, and for the pastures that feed our cows.

 

And this Grace before meals also reminds us of our interdependence with everyone on this earth. We share an interdependence with those who pick coffee beans in Brazil, with workers in the meat-packing plants in the Midwest, with the fishermen who catch tuna, and with the truckers who deliver food to local markets.

 

So, the Grace before meals is a simple but very rich idea. It puts us in touch with God, with the earth, and with all others on the earth.  

 

I did not have time to get this ready for today, but in next week’s bulletin, I will give you three sample Graces before Meals. One of these will be our traditional Catholic Grace. 

 

I hope that this will remind us to offer a prayer before we eat. That will be one way of listening to the shepherd’s voice and following him.  

 

 

Fr. Michael Schleupner

Third Sunday of Easter, Cycle C - May 1, 2022

 Third Sunday of Easter – C 

May 1, 2022       5pm, 8:30 and 11am 

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton    

 

Why Food? 

 

This past week, I went onto my Internet browser and typed in the question: Why do we need food?

 

Immediately, a number of entries appeared. From what I read, I have picked out four main reasons why we need food, and they may seem pretty obvious.

 

First, we need food for life. We can go without food for a while.

 

Sometimes we fast from food and eat little or nothing for a day or so. But sooner or later, we need food just to live.

 

Second, we need food for energy. When I have the 8:30am Sunday Mass, I have to make sure I eat something before I come here.

 

I usually have an orange and a bowl of cereal and some peanut butter. And that gives me the energy I need for at least the first part of Sunday morning.

 

Then, third, we need food to grow. If children, like our second graders who are receiving First Communion this weekend, if they are going to grow, they need food.

 

If they are going to grow from 4 feet tall to 5 or 6 feet tall and grow from weighing 60 pounds to weighing 160 or whatever, they need proteins and carbs and fats and vitamins and minerals and all of that. Good food is necessary for each of us to grow. 

 

And a fourth reason I found for why we need food is for social interaction. I was at first surprised to see this listed, but then I understood.

 

A meal brings us together as a family or friends or co-workers. It serves an important purpose in creating bondedness or community. 

 

Jesus as Food 

 

I am focused on food today because of the gospel passage.

 

Jesus has some food for his disciples – bread and fish. This is one of a number of times when Jesus has a meal with his friends.

 

And some of the wording in this passage, Scripture specialists tell us, is almost identical to the wording at the Last Supper. Jesus “took the bread and gave it to them.”  

 

The idea is that this incident is a way for Jesus to remind the disciples of the food he gave them at the Last Supper. There, the bread and wine become Jesus – his body and blood.

 

So, this leads me today to think about the Eucharist. I ask the same question that I typed into my Internet browser.

 

Why do we need this food – the Eucharist? And I think the answer is the same four reasons for why we need regular food. 

 

Why Eucharistic Food? 

 

First, we need the Eucharist to live in Christ. We are given the life of Christ at Baptism, but that life can become weak.

 

The Eucharist nourishes the life of Christ within us. It brings us alive in the way that God wants for each of us.

 

Second, we need the Eucharist for energy. It helps us to do what is good and right even when others around us are doing something else. 

 

It helps us to keep on going when we feel lonely or down. It gives us energy to do whatever it is that God is calling us to do. 

 

Third, we need the Eucharist to grow. We all need to keep growing spiritually. 

 

Very different from our physical growth, spiritual growth never ends. The Eucharist helps us to keep on growing to become the best possible person we can be.  

 

And fourth, we need the Eucharist for community. It brings us together as God’s people here on earth.

 

It keeps us from being isolated and alone in our search for understanding who God is and what God expects of us. And with the Eucharist, we can do so many things together that we cannot do alone just by ourselves. 

 

Conclusion 

 

So, there is nothing like the Eucharist, the sacrament of Jesus’ body and blood, Holy Communion.

 

We need this. We need to be here and to receive this sacred food regularly.

 

That is why Sunday Mass and Communion has been a trademark of Catholicism. Let’s resolve today to continue making this central to our life and faith.