“Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”
ALL: “Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”
Among the early
Assembly of disciples of Jesus, “the Greeks complained against the
Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of
food.” Life sucks sometimes, and we have good reason to
complain. How is your life these days, and for your family? You may very well
have reason to complain. The solution devised by the apostles was to have the
people select from among themselves men whom they would appoint deacons for the
service of food. It was a labour of charity, hospitality, and fraternal
service. To this day, our deacons continue this service, which takes many forms
in accord with changing needs.
In those early
days, there were no church buildings, and the disciples met in homes big enough
to accommodate all those who wanted to come to the assemblies. We have church
buildings now, but the Church is not the buildings; it is the people who
assemble in the name of the Lord. Many of you have been called and have
responded to the call to serve. In these ways, you become an instrument in the
hands of the Lord for Him to manifest his power to save.
“Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”
ALL: “Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”
The same Saint
Peter, who served as leader of the Twelve Apostles who ordained the first 7
deacons, now calls all of us to serve “like living stones; let
yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” We are free to choose to become a living stone in the hands of the Lord
Jesus. How? Jesus is the corner stone. The architects took great care to carve
the corner stone and took all their measurements for the walls from that stone,
extending the lines from the very angles of that corner stone. Jesus is our
Corner Stone. We look at Him and take our direction, our angles, from Him. We
contemplate Jesus: his words, his attitudes, his daily prayer to the Father,
his silent time in the peace of his heart, and we follow in his steps and
imitate Him.
“Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”
ALL: “Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”
Jesus’ entire life
was a spiritual sacrifice to his Father, not just his passion and death. At
every moment, Jesus paid attention to his Father and the communion he enjoyed
with Him in his mind, heart, body, and soul. We can also do this. We can learn
to pay attention to God the Father always present to us and who loves us.
Beginning at our Baptism, we began to be filled with the Holy Spirit, the
Divine Breath of the Love between the Father and the Son. Jesus told us that
the Holy Spirit would remind us of all that He said and did, and help us to
understand what is the will of the Father and help us to do it. We can make
every situation, every word we say, and every task we perform, a spiritual
sacrifice agreeable to God the Father.
“Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”
ALL: “Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”
Our Lord Jesus, our
Teacher and Saviour, says also to us, “I am the way, and the truth, and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you
will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him….
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” Yes, we are still human, still sinners, still weak, but we are living
stones in a living Temple, and God, the Most Holy Trinity, dwells within each
of us.
“Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”
ALL: “Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”
Today, Jesus says to us
who are in our world “his disciples: “Do not
let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.” We are not to allow
ourselves to be discouraged by our weakness or faults. Do not let the enemy,
the devil – God’s adversary – who is called Satan, the accuser; do not let him
discourage you with dark thoughts. When dark thoughts rise within you to discourage
you, turn your eyes, ears, and spirit to Jesus; contemplate Jesus, and see in
Jesus the Father’s love for all of us, and for you. Say: “O my Jesus, I trust in You!”
“Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”
ALL: “Let your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”
“Lord Jesus, we are sinners, we are poor, and we are
weak. You, our Good Shepherd, in your great and divine mercy, forgive our sins,
repair our defects, heal our wounds, strengthen our weaknesses, and fill us
with your Holy Spirit. Send us out and accompany us as we go to the people of
our time; help us to share with them the Good News that You rose from the dead;
You are the Son of God; You love them and You offer them a new life which will
lead them and us into eternal life. Come, Lord Jesus. O my Jesus, I trust in
You.”
“Let
your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”
ALL: “Let
your love be upon us, Lord, even as we hope in you. Alleluia!”
“Mary
Mother of God, St. Joseph, walk with us in
the steps of Jesus. O my
Jesus, I trust in You! Thank You; You who are God, the
Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
In silence now, the Holy
Spirit helps us to lay down our offering together with that of Jesus….
https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com https://homeliesabbegilles.blogspot.com
