05.17.2020 Homily

The 12th to the 17th chapter of St. John's gospel records. The not only the events, but more than that, the words spoken by Jesus on the occasion of the last supper. And we need to put ourselves in that context, in order to, to hear those words, the way the disciples heard them, the disciples were confused. Some of them were afraid. Some of them were afraid for Jesus. And some of them were afraid from themselves and Jesus wanted to make it very sure that they understood how deeply he loved them. It was his, if you will last Will and Testament, he wanted to simply say in so many different ways, I truly love you. And I invite you to love me.

By the end of the meal, he and those disciples leave. And we, we barely hear a word out of Jesus' mouth after that.  He had done enough of the speaking. Now he had to do the, the acting he had to play out that commitment of love. 

I am sure that what most people say, if they have the opportunity to those around them at the end of time. And if life is simply, I love you. Those few words in a sense, embrace all that there is that one can acknowledge to another.  You know, so many years ago at nine 11, when those planes went down and those towers went down, we're told by any number of people, how they received a final telephone call from their loved one, their husband, wife, child, parent, friend, no one called their broker that afternoon, they did what was important. They called those whom they loved,   Well, you and I are experiencing a very different kind of, of Lent and Easter season. We've been kept away from each other. We've been asked to respect our neighbor and to keep our neighbor in our, in our mind and heart, as we try to, preserve health for everyone. 

But we miss each other. And maybe in the course of these past two months, maybe we've had a time to think about what's really important. You see our lives have really slowed down a lot. There isn't the kind of that frenetic energy for most of us that usually fills up our days. We do have perhaps a little bit more opportunity to do some searching of soul. Some of us are adapting to different styles of living. We're trying to focus on what is important. Well, I would suggest that during this week, we, we think about those persons who are, if you will distant from us, we pray for them. You might acknowledge in some way, your love or your care for them, a telephone call or a note or a letter or an email, Jesus summed up all that he was. And he is by simply saying, I love you. And I invite you to love me.