Stay in His Draft!
Homily originally presented May 2, 2021
by Monsignor Deering

What would you think of ... if I were to say,     “the draft”?

Let’s see ... it could be one of many things!

If you’re a mother of young children, you might think of how you protect them when they’re sick or sweaty by keeping them away from any breeze of air coming through a open window or air conditioner vent. You keep them out of the draft.

If you enjoy beer, you might think of how you like to order a mug of your favorite beer at a restaurant or party that is drawn from a keg. That would be a draft beer.

If you follow Pro sports, you’ll likely think of the system in place by which college players are selected to play on professional teams. Like the NFL or NBA draft.

If you served our country in the Vietnam War, you might think of the days when this country had compulsory enlistment of young men into the armed forces. That was known as the Draft.

If you’re an architect or designer, you might think of a preliminary outline of a plan, such as putting together the first or final draft of a drawing or a proposal.

If you’re a banker you’ll probably think of customer withdrawal slips that are enable them to pull money from a bank account. That’s a draft of funds.

Did I leave any out?    Are there any other possible definitions of “the draft”

Well, for those of you who are NASCAR fans, you’re probably saying, yeah, there’s one more definition of “the draft”. Race fans know how stock car drivers drive real close behind one another in order to take advantage of reduced air pressure. That’s known as staying in “the Draft!”

It’s this particular definition, that I’d like you to reflect on our readings today.

Now for those of you who are not familiar with NASCAR stock car racing, just know that those drivers are trying to drive their cars as fast as possible and be the first one to take the checkered flag after completing a given number of laps.

Now in order for them to win when the speeds are routinely around 200 mph, their cars must be designed so that they create as little wind drag as possible. And not only must each individual car be as aerodynamic as possible, but  the drivers must also use their position on the racetrack to maximize their aerodynamics as well.

When these racecars run bumper to bumper, all the cars benefit from what is called, “the Draft”. There’s a phenomenon that takes place in this arrangement where the air flows so smoothly over cars that are following in line ... that they’re able to run faster as a pack than they can run individually on the track.

Now it seems to me that this idea of “the draft”, which plays such an important part in the game of racing, similarly plays an important role in the game of life,  

  specifically as it pertains to how each of us roll along the road to Eternal Life.

Are we rolling along by ourselves ... or are we rolling with the lead pack?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus refers to Himself as a vine.

He says, “I am the vine, you are the branches”.

And He says that in order for us to bear fruit, we must stay connected to Him.

In the language of auto racing ... Jesus is saying, “We must stay in His draft!”

It’s only by staying in the draft of Jesus that we can live better lives than we ever could by ourselves. It’s only there that we will bear the fruit that He wants us to.

 It’s only there that we’ll be able to make it into the Winner’s Circle in Heaven.

Today’s television coverage makes it very easy to see what happens when a racecar falls “out of the draft”. Aerial cameras frequently show how drivers who make mistakes or have car trouble can quickly find themselves falling back in position alongside a long string of cars ... because they’re outside the draft!

The pack is moving at 200 mph; but now they’re only moving at 190 mph,

and they steadily lose position until they wind up … at the back of the pack!

It’s the same for each of us. When we get disconnected from Jesus,

life becomes much harder for us. That’s because we’re running on our own power;

we’re running outside Jesus’ draft.

The whole idea is to stay connected! We get a glimpse of how this looks when we see those married couples who are so connected with each other that one spouse  

   would never think of making a plan or a commitment without checking with

the other person.     They kiddingly say, “They need to check with the tower!”

It’s funny but it’s also powerful. When husbands and wives check with each other, it demonstrates a real freedom that they’re willing to do what’s best for the team.

It shows that they are open to the best plan and they don’t have to have their way.

It shows that the other person’s input matters.    It shows that they’re connected!

Are we that connected to God?  Do we check with “the Tower” on every decision we make? Do we hold up our thoughts and dreams to God in all freedom and ask,

“Lord, what do You want me to do?”

Can you see how we’d be much more closely connected to God ...

if we decided to hold up every decision to Him and decide nothing on our own?

One way to stay connected to God is to start everything we do with a little prayer asking for God’s grace and guidance?   You know what ... it works!

In seminary we’re taught to pray before everything we do. I pray in the sacristy before every Mass. I pray before I enter the Confessional. I pray before I get on the phone to counsel someone. I pray before I write my homilies, or the Pastor’s Desk. 

I simply pray,

“Dear Jesus help me to prepare & preach, pray & preside for you and your people. Send me your Holy Spirit to know and do what you want me to do.

Let my words be your words!

May my actions give you glory and best serve your people.     Help me!

Jesus, I ask this of the Father in your Holy Name.   Amen.

You can do it too. You can get into the habit of praying throughout the day. Pray before a business meeting; pray before making a sales call. Pray before disciplining your kids. Pray before taking a test in school. Pray before planning your vacation or taking the family on a road trip. Prayer keeps you connected to the Vine ...

 it keeps in the Draft … the Draft of Jesus!

Now realize that there’s a difference between telling God what you want in prayer

        and asking God what He wants in prayer!

It’s the difference between praying, “God help me to win the lottery!”

 and praying,      “God, do you want me to win the lottery?”

Do you say Bedtime prayers? Many people think that bedtime prayers are just for little kids. They tuck in their kids and help them whisper their prayers, but then they’ll fall into their own bed without taking a minute to speak to God themselves!

Bedtime prayers aren’t just for kids; they’re for everyone. They’re for you and me.

   They’re especially for you and me!

Jesus wants us to stay connected to Him. He’s out front parting the way. He’s leading the pack of His followers. Our goal is to stay in line so that we stay in Him.

St. John told us in our Second Reading that,

 “Those who keep his commandments remain in Him, and He in them.”

Years ago, I had a business associate tell me that he didn’t feel it was

     necessary to go to Church on Sunday as long as he kept the Commandments.

 I felt like asking him, “Do you even know the Commandments?”

There’s 10 of them!

The 3^rd Commandment clearly says that we must keep holy the Lord’s Day. So how could a person not go to Church and say that they’re keeping the Commandments?

God wants us to come to Church for many reasons; but 2 stand out!

God wants to feed us with His word!   And ...

God wants to feed us with His Son!

In our Gospel, Jesus says to his disciples,

“You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.”

This is happens at every Mass ... where we hear the word of God ....

and we get pruned so that we bear more fruit.

Jesus also says to his disciples, “Remain in me as I remain in you.”

This too happens at every Mass,

if we worthily receive Jesus, The Word made Flesh in Holy Communion.

Yes, receiving Jesus into our bodies makes us one with Him ...

enabling us to remain in Him ... as He remains in us.

Is keeping this union with Jesus important for our salvation?

Jesus certainly thinks so! In fact in the 8 verses of our Gospel passage today ...

Jesus says , “remain in me” ... 8 Times!

Notice He didn’t say remain with me ... he said remain in me! a holy Connection!

Mortal Sin ruins this; it breaks our connection with God. It drops us out of the draft.

If you ever feel scattered, drained, alone, it’s because you’ve fallen out of the draft

       yeah; you’ve separated yourself from the Pack and are running on your own.

But Jesus will never leave you out there alone. He constantly invites us to get reconnected. That’s why He left us the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It’s the way we draw upon His infinite mercy. It’s the way we pick ourselves up when we stumble and fall.     It’s the way we get back in His draft.

You know, this faith community is capable of creating its own draft in Christ.  When everyone starts moving along, united with Jesus, everyone feels the effect.

The load is lighter for us all, and we find ourselves moving in a way that we could never move by ourselves.

This is no surprise.

God created us as social human beings.

He made us to live in community and to be saved in community.

We do this by looking out for one another,

by reaching out to them and helping them stay in the draft.

How do we stay in the draft?    We begin by attending Mass every Sunday.

Going to Mass is not an option ... it is the #1 Precept of the Catholic Church.

It’s the #1 way we stay connected. Jesus said, “Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.”

Just as in a NASCAR race, the leader of the “Pack” pulls the other guys behind him with the draft, in the race of life ...

Jesus, the Lord of all, pulls us along with His Draft, which is His Holy Spirit.

In our First Reading from Acts we heard how,

“the Church with the consolation of the Holy Spirit, grew in numbers.”

That’s what Jesus wants. He wants us to follow Him so that we bear fruit and win.

Jesus is leading the way to victory.

His constant call is for us to fall in line and follow Him.

Over and over He says, “Follow Me!”

It’s as if He’s saying, hey get behind me and let me lead the way. Catch my draft!

Let’s do just that and allow Jesus to lead us to the Winners Circle in Heaven.