Seventh Sunday of Easter

Fr Dominic’s homily

Today is the 7th Sunday of Easter. There are 7 weeks during Easter season which ends on the feast of Pentecost which is next weekend. Pentecost meaning 50 days because there are 7 weeks plus 1 day between Easter and Pentecost.

Today we hear this discourse that Jesus gives on the night of the last supper before his death. It’s one of the rare times that you actually hear Jesus truly praying to his Father. Plus, also he speaks clearly and openly without using parables or metaphors.

Jesus emphasises his relationship with the Father. Remember that God is a trinity composed of God the Father, the son and Holy Spirit which is a community of love.

So, we are reminded of the loving relationship within the trinity. Because God is a gathering force. He wants us to all be one just as he is one.

And God wants to draw the world into that unity. He says: “Keep those you have given me true to your name so that they may be one like us”

So, God’s purpose is to bring the world into his unity. He is a bit like a magnet- we are all drawn to the person of Jesus because that’s the ultimate purpose of our lives. And the closer we are drawn to Jesus the closer we are drawn to each other. Like the spokes of a wheel leading to the central hub.

Where there is division in the world or community or even in a parish there is sin. And it needs healing.

Ultimately anything opposed to God is sin and so sin is always divisive. God wants us to live. The devil wants the opposite. Remember the word live in reverse is evil.

We see in the readings that there is a kind of paradox. On the one hand God wants to save the world because he loves it. What he created in Genesis was indeed very good.

But then the world is referred to as something negative. Jesus says my kingdom is not of this world. As we know the devil is the prince of this world. So it seems to be good and bad at the same time. So, we must not be surprised that we who follow Jesus will be hated by the world.

It is said that in the measure that you follow Christ you will be hated by the world. Unless you are hated by the world you cannot follow Jesus. Following Jesus leads to the cross because that is where he is going.

Don’t forget Fr James Mallon from Divine Renovation who says that how do you measure if a Priest is effective in his parish? There is always someone who wants his head on a plate – like John the Baptist.

Ultimately the whole point of the church is to transform the very world we live in by bringing it all back to Christ in a supernatural unity.

But this is challenging. And it’s difficult to transform the world whilst it clings so tightly to its own truths which are getting more wayward…

What does truth even mean in this world of today? Today anyone’s truth carries equal measure. The world tells us that I can be or do whatever I want if I want freedom. And look at the damage that does…

The world of today struggles to embrace The one objective and definitive truth that is God himself.

It needs to listen to The truth that is the person of Jesus. As Jesus said I am the way and the truth and the life.

Remember our lives are actually not about ourselves. They are about a bigger picture that involves God which we get drawn in to.

As soon as we leave him out of the equation things go wrong. When we keep him central things work out. Maybe not in the way we expected – but we have peace.

So, when we spread the message of God’s truth to the world this then helps to draw all people to God through the person of Jesus Christ and his truth. This is the kind of unity that is needed.

And this is the ultimate way to achieve peace and joy in our hearts which is what Jesus so earnestly desires for us in his prayers to the Father.