Homily Fourth Saturday of Easter (John 14:7-14) “What’s God Look Like?”
Fourth Saturday of Easter (John 14:7-14) “What’s God Look Like?”
“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” Perhaps this is the most revolutionary thing that Jesus ever said. It would have been blasphemy to Jewish religious authorities.
The Jews believed that no one could see God and live. No Jewish artist ever tried to depict God in any way. Moses, who was closer to God than anyone in the Old Testament, was told that he could only see God as the Lord passed by him on Mt. Sinai. (Exodus 34).
The Ark of the Covenant, which sat in the holy of holies in the Temple of Jerusalem was a golden throne on which God sat, but God was invisible. God could not be seen.
The question on all our minds is what is God like? Is God kind of cranky and mercurial? Does God hold a grudge? Does God smite us when we do something offensive? Is God concerned about the lives we live? Does God have really care about what we care about?
We might especially be asking questions like this as we go through the difficulties associated with our present pandemic. We might ask if this plague we are enduring has something to do with divine punishment. Is God mad at us? Do we need to appease the Lord? If this is the case, can I believe in such a God?
Jesus is the answer to all these questions. If we get to know the person of Jesus well, we will know God well. Jesus came into the world to become one of us. Jesus was thoroughly grounded in this world as well as the spiritual world. Jesus held a job. He struggled with poverty. Jesus got sick. Jesus was hungry at times. The Book of Genesis says we are made in the image and likeness of God. If so, we are made in the image and likeness of Jesus.
Jesus understands us which means God understands us. Jesus and the Father are one. When we look upon the face of our neighbor, we know what God looks like. When we experience compassion, we know what God is like. We can bet that Jesus did not enjoy his human struggles. Therefore, we can be sure he empathizes with us in this time of world crisis.
Questions for Reflection.
1. How do I picture God? Do think of God as cold and distant? Or do I see God in every event, person, and circumstance?
2. Where would Jesus be in our world at this moment? Would he be in the halls of power or would he be with those who are most vulnerable; the elderly, the migrant, the food service worker, the EMT? If we believe Jesus is with the powerless, where can we see Jesus?
Dear Parishioners,
We received more correspondence from the chancery office. We were informed that the six dioceses in Illinois will be working together to develop protocols for the gradual reopening of our churches. As one might expect this is no easy task. Church leaders want to honor the governors phased reopening plan and they want to keep parishioners safe. We can expect that nothing much is going to happen until June 1st.
It would seem wise that the different dioceses are trying to act with the same guidelines. We don’t need people migrating from diocese to diocese looking for liturgies. Let’s pray that those in leadership positions will have the wisdom they need.
Remember that we will be ringing the church bell Sunday at 9 a.m. for those who have died of COVID 19. We will be ringing our bell once for each thousand people who have died in our country. This takes a long time which reminds us that we have much to mourn about and we have much to pray about.
May Mother Mary and all the Angels and Saints watch over us today.
Fr. Mark