:Do not let your hearts be troubled. Have faith in God; have faith also in me."

 

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER  2023  A

 

 

There is the story of a grandfather and his four-year-old granddaughter Emily.  As a way of blessing his granddaughter Emily, he gave her a jar filled with dirt.  He simply told her to put a bit of water on the dirt each day, and you will discover life in hidden and unexpected places, but you must be faithful to the practice of putting a bit of water on the dirt each day. 

 

After the first week, Emily told her grandfather nothing is happening.  He again encouraged her to be faithful to the practice of putting a bit of water in the jar each week.  The second week passed, and nothing happened.  Then in the third week, a couple of tiny sprouts began to emerge out of the dirt.  Emily was so excited and rushed to her grandpa to tell him the good news.

 

Grandpa then asked Emily how did this happen?  Emily said I put water on the dirt.  Her grandfather more precisely said that Emily was faithful to the practice of putting water in the jar.  Life happens in hidden and unknown places, in fact, life happens everywhere when there is faithfulness.

 

Listen again to the Gospel:

 

 Jesus said: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You have faith in God; have faith also in me.”  To calm our troubled hearts, we are to have faith in God and in Jesus.   Indeed, our troubled hearts will be calmed insofar as we are able to trust that Jesus goes with us in all experiences of life.

 

The message of the grandfather to his granddaughter was a message of the need for faithfulness.  The message of Jesus to us in today’s Gospel is also one of faithfulness.  Ultimately, more than any medication or any other quick fix, our trust in God’s faithfulness to us is the way we experience a calming of our troubled hearts.

 

The Gospel proclamation of Jesus:  DO NOT LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED is valid for all times and under any circumstances.  Every beating human heart knows what it means to be troubled.  Given the reality of the human condition, the struggle to live in an imperfect world, the conflicts that arise from different political viewpoints and clashing cultural values, there is much that can certainly trouble a human heart.

 

In preparing the funeral liturgy for a loved family member, this passage from John’s Gospel is often chosen.  There is a longing in the human heart to experience the words of Jesus:  Do not let your hearts be troubled.

 

Does this mean we will not mourn the losses of our lives?  Of course not!  Are we to sweep under the rug the pain of our lives?  Absolutely not!  We all need to play the deck that we are dealt.  As painful as any situation that we experience, the Word of God is proclaimed to us:  Do not let your hearts be troubled.

 

A cynic might say:  You’re not smelling the coffee, or the tire isn’t hitting the road if you are not overcome with the pain of life.

 

Jesus continues:  Have faith in God.  Have faith also in me.  The invitation to trust in Jesus is the profound truth of our lives.

 

The word of Jesus is not a shield that protects us from the problems of life like a mother would want to protect her child from any pain in life.  That shield does not exist.

 

What Jesus promises us is an inner resource that cannot be taken away.  What Jesus promises is that when we are in touch with the Spirit of Christ Jesus that is within us, we have an inner resource that enables us to mourn, to grieve, endure the crosses of our lives in ways that our hearts are not troubled.  Our hearts are not troubled because we do not face the cross alone, because we have a strength that we receive in Christ Jesus that enable us to affirm that our future is always full of hope.

 

 This Sunday’s Gospel, as is true for the following two Sundays, is taken from the Last Supper discourse of Jesus recorded in John’s Gospel.  The mood of the Easter season is shifting, and our Gospel reflections turn toward unpacking the resurrection in such a way that it leads to Pentecost, the coming of the Spirit, and our discipleship.  Yes, we continue to be challenged in the Easter Season to encounter the Risen Christ.  The Scriptures today invite us to do the works of Christ and to recognize Christ in the other.  The very practical challenge here is that our baptism plunges us not to only into a relationship with the Triune God but also with each other.  Yes, in encountering the Risen Lord, we are to treat others in justice, mercy, forgiveness, and love.

 

In the first Scripture reading from the Acts of the Apostles:  As the number of disciples continued to grow, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.  So, the Twelve called together the communion of the disciples and said we need to appoint others to respond to this need.  The point being it was not enough to say their prayers in a pious fashion to God.  The early Church found its identity and the meaning of the grace of baptism not just in belonging to God.  By belonging to God, we also belong to one another.  Their union as baptized believers superseded all their other differences whether of language, ethnicity, economic or social status.  In Christ, all had become Church and as Church we are to care for and serve one another without distinction.

 

In our parish life, may we have ministries that emphasize our service and care for one another.  As the community of the baptized, all of us, without exception, enter relationship with one another.  We are to serve the needs of one another.

 

As we reflect on the Scriptures, we express gratitude in the presence of the Risen Christ that is within us.  This inner resource enables us to live a life that is full of hope.  As we affirm the presence of the risen Christ that is within us, we are gifted with the vision to recognize Christ’s presence in the face of our neighbor.