God wants us to be one … with Him and one another!
Homily preached May 22, 2022
by Monsignor Michael Deering
I once heard an intriguing bit of information regarding unity and power.
I heard it from Dave Ramsey, the great teacher of Financial Planning,
in his Financial Peace University course.
Dave said this:
One Belgium Horse (a mighty big animal) can pull 8,000 lbs.
And he asked, “So, how much weight do you think 2 Belgium horses can pull?”
You would guess that if one horse can pull 8,000 lbs.
then 2 horses working together could pull 16,000 lbs.
But no,
Dave said that 2 untrained Belgium Horses pulling together can pull 24,000 lbs.!
That’s 3 times what 1 horse can pull!
And Dave said that 2 trained Belgium Horses pulling together can pull 32,000 lbs.!
Wow! That’s 4 times what 1 horse can pull!
What a dramatic example that is ... to there being ... strength in numbers.
Here the result was not linear ... it was logarithmic!
Dave Ramsey used this example in his course to emphasize the increased benefit that 2 Spouses would realize if they worked together ... on their Family Budget.
But think about that ... if 2 dumb horses ... working together ...
are able to do 4 times more than they could by themselves ...
how much more would we humans be capable of doing ...
if we worked together!
Yes, we are way more than Beasts of Burden ... in addition to our mind and muscle
we have intelligence and willpower that enable us to generate
even more remarkable accomplishments than those of strong horses.
We see the results of this all around us ... with:
- sophisticated means of transportation and communication
- marvelous medical advancements for health and healing
- abundant food supplies to feed ourselves and other countries too.
How powerful we humans are ... when we pull together!
And that power jumps to a whole new level ...
when we unite ourselves not just with other people ... but with God ...
because then we’re uniting ourselves with the highest source of power!
God demonstrates ... “the effect”... of ... “united power” ... just by who He is!
God is “the Union”... of Father... Son...and Holy Spirit. He is 3 Persons in 1 God.
And how powerful is this 3-in-1 union? God is All -Powerful!
Yes, God, in His Oneness ... is All-Powerful!
Now God made us Human Beings in his Image and Likeness ...
so it’s His Plan that we also be One ...
one with Him ...
and one with one another.
Having both of those unions will dramatically increase our power.
Jesus spoke of this clearly in our Gospel today taken from John 17.
It’s here that John records what is know as:
Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer ...
that He prayed to the Father... at the Last Supper.
John writes:
“Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying:
‘Holy Father, I pray not only for them,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
so that they may all be one, as you Father are in me and I in you
that they also may be in us.’”
He goes on:
“I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me,
that they may be brought to perfection as one.”
We hear an example of this in our First Reading from Acts where, the early Church was faced with the question of defining exactly how Gentiles become Christians.
Did they need to be circumcised first and become Jews...
before they were baptized to become Christians?
Or, could they simply profess their faith in Jesus and be baptized?
So the Church leaders, the Apostles and Presbyters, got together in the year 50 ...
holding the very first Church Council in Jerusalem.
It was there that the Church, in union with Peter, the Pope, did two things:
- They prepared a letter declaring their decision, and
- They selected representatives to deliver the letter to the Churches.
Both actions were done as one body of believers acting in union with God.
Their Letter to the churches said:
“We have with one accord decided to choose representatives & to send them to you.” And they explained the foundation of their decision in their letter saying,
“It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden.”
From this early experience, we see the power of oneness … where the Church leaders gathered together and united themselves with the Holy Spirit.
All of this is definitely the will of Jesus who spoke clearly and passionately
about His desire for oneness in our Gospel passage today.
His final words in His High Priestly Prayer were:
“Father, ... I made known to them your name and I will make it known,
that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.”
Yes, Jesus wants us to be one with Him, and one with the Father ...
and not just in a spiritual way ... but in a physical way too ...
as He declares today saying ... “I in them.”
Given this desire, it’s easy to see why Jesus instituted the Eucharist!
It’s because He literally wants to become one with us!
And so He established Holy Communion as the way that we can actually do that
this side of Heaven … for when we receive Him into our Bodies … He is in us.
In this way, not only do our bodies become one with Him, but our Spirits as well.
That’s because we receive His Body and Blood ... and... His Soul and Divinity.
If it were just bread, our bodies would metabolize it and it would become us.
But the Eucharist is Divine Bread that transforms us to become like Him.
So, the more often we receive Him worthily in Holy Communion ...
the more we will grow in unity with Him.
And as we do, His Spirit will move and empower us to grow in unity with others!
That’s what Jesus wants … He wants us to be united as a people … united in Him.
It’s one of the reasons that God commands us to keep holy the Lord’s Day ...
Because when we gather in His House each week ...
we are reminded of our connectedness …
our oneness as a people … and our oneness in Jesus Christ.
Sunday is the day when many Catholics receive Jesus in Holy Communion!
This is a union that is second to none this side of Heaven.
Our prayer is that everyone would desire and partake of Holy Communion.
And there’s an urgency to doing this …
In our Second Reading from the Book of Revelation,
John records Jesus saying twice, “ behold, I am coming soon.”
Are you ready? Do you have oneness with God and others?
God is Trinity … He is the mysterious oneness of 3 Divine persons.
And in His great love for us, He wants to draw us into that union with Him …
so we can experience his supernatural power.
Sadly, this world is not about love and union …
But, rather is focused on anger and division.
There’s a lot of work to be done to have everyone pulling the same way.
As we continue into the 6th week of Easter Season,
we continue to celebrate the Risen Lord and His great love for us.
Let’s seriously and urgently seek the oneness
He wants us to have with Him and others here on earth ...
so that we merit to be one with Him and others forever in Heaven.
Come do this in Memory of Me.
This is my body that’s broken for you
Come do this in Memory of Me.
This is my blood that’s been given for you
Come do this in Memory of Me.
To my table you will come and share this meal that makes us one
This gift of love I leave always with you.
In the blessing of this bread
In the blessing of this wine
Remember me, my life poured out for you.
Listen to my word and then you will hear
Come do this in Memory of Me.
Gather as one and remember I’m near
Come do this in Memory of Me.
To my table you will come and share this meal that makes us one
This gift of love I leave always with you
In the blessing of this bread
In the blessing of this wine
Remember me, my life poured out for you.
Carry the Good News to all of the Earth
Come do this in Memory of Me.
Shine as my light so that others will see
Come do this in Memory of Me.
To my table you will come and share this meal that makes us one
This gift of love I leave always with you
In the blessing of this bread
In the blessing of this wine
Remember me, my life poured out for you.
This my Body that’s broken for you
Comments
There are no comments yet - be the first one to comment: