As Jesus prepares his disciples for his impending return to the Father, he
continues to remind them about the core of their discipleship and vocation: “If you love me, you will keep my commandment…whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me.” This is where the core of Christianity is found: keeping the word of God as the manifestation of love, the love which is also our own identity. Obedience to the Gospel and the virtue of love go hand in hand. One only loves genuinely if the Gospel is the one that guides one’s path, one’s moral decisions and lifestyle. And when I speak of the Gospel, I do not refer to the kind of “gospel” that one just wants to follow out of personal convenience but, rather, the totality of our faith. That’s why cafeteria Catholicism doesn’t make sense, where one picks and chooses what to believe and what to follow, considering faith solely as a private affair with God without any connection to those people around us. The God Incarnate, whom we adore, specifically reminded us in the Gospel today that we can only love if we keep his word. His “word” or teaching has a context—it has a tradition; it is not a matter of personal opinion, but of revealed truths.
In any kind of endeavor, especially when it comes to important offices and responsibilities, we place huge regard on the value of credibility and accountability. We see this, for example, with people holding public office. If they lie or have done something that tarnish’s their office, one would hear a clamor for resignation. The point is: credibility and accountability are important values that we hold highly. The same seriousness and accountability should be applied to our spiritual life. It is our witnessing to faith, our seriousness to live the Gospel values even in the midst of opposition and inconvenience, that makes faith truly alive and strong. In my practice of faith, what is the most valuable thing for me? Does the Gospel inform my important decisions in life? What is the role of my faith in my moral decisions? Ultimately, the litmus test, if we are indeed keeping the word of God, meaning we are loving genuinely, is if we are transformed by the faith that we embrace and become agents of transformation as well. Would it be easy, would it be perfect? Of course not. But, we trust in the promise of Christ to the disciples: “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” We have received this same Spirit by virtue of our baptism and more vividly in the sacrament of confirmation, but the Spirit needs our collaboration, because we can only remain in God and abide in him if we do it freely, consciously and joyfully. How good are we in keeping God’s word?
Last weekend, we started integrating into the bulletin the readings, responses, and music for some of our Masses. This is intended to make it easier for us to follow and participate actively in the Eucharistic celebration. This is especially helpful for our elderly parishioners and for those who are new to the celebration of the Eucharist. Our current pew missals can be difficult to navigate; it can be a challenge sometimes to look for the right page for the major sections of the Mass as well as the songs. Integrating them into the bulletin will hopefully make our
worship experience smoother. It’s a work in progress, so we will continue to seek ways to improve them through your helpful suggestions and recommendations. It’s currently just an “experiment,” and we will evaluate in a few weeks whether it’s worth pursuing.
I would like to express my profoundest gratitude to the Men’s Club, Knights of Columbus and the other volunteers who worked so hard for the Mother’s Day Brunch last Sunday. As usual, they all outdid themselves in putting together this wonderful annual tradition. The food was terrific, and the conversations and “community building” were wonderful. What a special event, honoring one of the key cornerstones of our lives: our mothers. Thanks again for all the hard work!– Fr. Cary