My friends, first of all today, I want to lift up for our appreciation and blessings, all mothers – grands and great-grands, seeing that I wasn’t with you last Sunday to do this.  And as you who have been with us for more than a year have come to realize, and for those who have more recently joined us – this will be new, whenever I speak of “mothers,” or “fathers,” for that matter, I mean more than just the physical mothering, giving physical birth.  There are many in our world who while never having had the privilege of bearing a child, have “mothered” others, emotionally and spiritually into adulthood and beyond – and we applaud them all! 

   And unfortunately, there are those who have given birth to children who have never been able to “mother” in the other ways, emotionally and spiritually that are so important. And then there are those moms and grammas who have had the privilege of physically bearing children who have been able to mother in the other two ways as well. For all these mothers, in all the ways that they have tried, we send our thanks and gratitude. 

   Additionally,  I want to thank each one of you, all those who have supported our parish, All Are One Catholic church, both those alive now, and those who have gone on to God.  As of May 10^th, we have supported each other, guided by the Spirit of Jesus for 18 years! And here, special thanks goes out to Shannon Hanzel – gone home to God, who always advocated wholeheartedly for our parish from its beginnings.   I am continually humbled to be your pastor, and in saying that, I need to publicly thank Robert as well for his steadfast love and support, which, without, this little experiment in Winona wouldn’t have been possible. 

   And with that we are led right into the theme of today’s liturgy which is to carry on what our brother Jesus started and entrusted to his followers.  Today, as you know, we are celebrating both his ascension from the physical world, and the end of the Easter Season, as we prepare for the coming of his Spirit, in a special way at Pentecost, next Sunday. 

   With each of these events, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, totaling 50 days from beginning to end, we are called, as Jesus’ followers, to believe what we can’t logically explain – that’s called faith – head versus heart stuff.  And in the realm of the heart, it is basically, and simply about a God who has loved creation, us and all life in an “over-the-top” way as Episcopalian Bishop John Shelby Spong was fond of saying.

   “Theologian-types” over the centuries have tried to “box-in” God’s love for creation, saying that Jesus’ coming was all about making reparation for our sinful humanity, and only the “death of God,” in a sense could make us “right” with God again.  John Shelby Spong, who left us in 2021, was all about saying, “No, our God’s love is so much bigger than that!”  Jesus said when with us, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” – follow me.  That’s what this Easter Season has been about – preparing us, once again to take the life of our brother Jesus, into the world, in all the many ways that we engage our world. 

   You will have noticed that I combined the Ascension and the last Sunday of Easter in the readings today, being that we didn’t meet specifically this past Thursday for the Ascension.  Our 1^st reading then from Acts was used in this past Thursday’s liturgy.  The apostles are understandably afraid as they experienced, in some way, Jesus’ physical parting from them, after three years with him in a very special way.  He has assured them that they will be baptized in the Spirit in the coming days, and that baptism will give them the strength to, as he said, “be my witnesses.” “Apostle” in the Greek, literally means, “one who is sent out.” 

   My friends, on this Sunday, as we conclude the Easter Season, I believe it is important to “sit with” the purely human emotions these first apostles were experiencing.  I think sometimes we have heard this story so many times that we simply take it as fact, and don’t try to imagine or put ourselves into the story and ask, how we would have acted. 

   In the 2^nd reading today from 1^st Peter, he lets new converts know that in following Jesus, there will be suffering  – in other words, it won’t always be easy.  And, he goes on to say, that the only suffering we should take on in life is in “following Jesus.”  He continues, don’t bring suffering upon yourself by choosing evil in your life, only the suffering that can come from following the “ways” of Jesus.

   While in Ireland, from time to time, in visiting with Irish relatives of our daughter-in-law, Lauren, we would hear the term, “chalk and cheese.”  After a few times, we inquired, just what, “chalk and cheese” meant.  The explanation they gave was like saying, “black and white,” or the difference between “night and day.” 

   As I was preparing this homily, it came to me that claiming to be a “Christian,” a follower of our brother, Jesus, has to be about “chalk versus cheese” – are we Christians in name only, (chalk) or do we prove it by how we act? (cheese). If we are truly Jesus’ followers, we have to act as he would, if we believe, we must follow even when it is hard. For any Star Wars fans out there, you will recall Yoda’s famous words, “Do, or do not, there is no try.”

   Then my friends, we come to the lovely gospel from John that speaks to the beginnings and the continued life of our parish.  John’s gospel for today includes our brother Jesus’ words for us and all who would “try and hopefully do,” in his footsteps, “Protect those you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.”  This prayer, for each of us, is a blessing that should give us strength to welcome any and all to our table, and community here.  Amen? Amen!

My friends, we continue this week celebrating Jesus’ life among us, which led to his death, because, as we know, he advocated that all of us, in this life, be treated justly, with care – ultimately, with love, and finally, his resurrection which gives us all hope that one day, the same will be true for us. 

   In the meantime, we are called to be the change we want to see in our world, in our brother Jesus’ footsteps. With this in mind, I would like to share the following story from six years ago – if you were with us then, you may recall this story – if not, it will be new, and at any rate, it’s a story worth hearing twice, as it is a fine example of what we are called to be as Jesus’ followers.

   The story:  A person stopped for the yellow light, and the driver who was tailgating, furiously honked because they missed their chance to get through the intersection.  Still in mid-rant, this person heard a tap on the window. A police officer ordered the person to exit the car with hands up, was ultimately taken to the station, searched, finger-printed, photographed and placed in a holding cell.  After a couple of hours, a police officer escorted the “would-be criminal” back to the booking desk and the arresting officer who said, “I am very sorry for the mistake, but I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, and giving the person in front of you the finger.  I noticed the “What Would Jesus Do?” bumper sticker, the “Choose Life” license plate holder, “Follow Me to Sunday School” bumper sticker and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk, so naturally I assumed you had stolen the car.  It is always good to remember that people are watching!

   This is Good Shepherd Sunday and John’s gospel lays out for us what a “good” shepherd is.  Now being that most of us have no notion of what being a physical shepherd of sheep is all about, a bit of explanation for us 21^st Century Christians as to how 1^st Century Christians would have heard Jesus’ words is in order.

   Large sheepfolds were generally constructed outside of town, and several flocks would be kept in one sheepfold.  Someone would be hired to look after the sheep. There was one gate to enter the enclosure. Those who were about the good—the welfare of the flock entered through the gate. Anyone else, a thief, would sneak in another way.  When the owner of a particular flock came to retrieve their sheep, the owner would call them in a distinctive way that only their sheep would recognize, and come. Many shepherds knew their sheep as individuals and called them by name.  It is this same kind of care and attention that each of us is promised by our God and that Jesus had in mind when he said, “I came that you might have life and have it to the full.” You will recall how Jesus, after his resurrection, was known to Mary Magdala by the way he said her name. 

   This “good shepherd story” is a very telling one for us to keep in mind in these post-Easter days.  Jesus truly meant his words to those first disciples that “he would never [totally] leave them,” and by extension, us – he would go, yes, physically, but through his Spirit, he would always be near, and that should give us “the peace” he spoke of often in those post-Easter days when he appeared to them. 

   I think you will agree with me that there is much in our present days that cause us to feel less than, “peaceful,” but we must truly trust, and believe in Jesus’ words, that we will not be left alone.  Our relationship with our loving God, and experienced more tangibly, we might say, through Jesus, began at our baptisms, when through water and faith, we each became part of a spiritual family of care.  In our 1^st reading today, Luke writes in the Acts of the Apostles about how God gave us Jesus, the Messiah, to show us the way. 

   Peter continues in this reading telling “all of Israel,” that, “to save themselves,” they must “be baptized.”  Peter and all the apostles would come to see that following in Jesus’ footsteps would not be so “black and white,” a one-time event, but that baptism was just the beginning, and that they would  need to say “yes” again and again throughout their lives, through many ups and downs. 

   This is true for us as well.  Loving those who we may find hard to love, because of not understanding how, on the one hand, someone can claim to be a Christian, and on the other, commit actions that speak only of meanness, selfishness and greed.

   Truthfulness – truth-telling, is another action that seems in short supply in our present day, and it is an action that we long for in our day-to-day lives, especially from our so-called leaders.  Following in Jesus’ footsteps tells us that we humans are capable of so much, more good than the daily news speaks of.  Why is it seemingly so easy to drop bombs on the innocent rather than to come to the negotiation table with open, peace-filled hands?  I don’t have the answer to that question any more than you probably do, my friends, but my hope springs eternal that “good” wins out in the end!

   Robert reminded me recently to see that since our blessed state of Minnesota fought back against the ICE surge here, we haven’t seen that same kind of thing taken up in any other state!

     I began this homily with a story that asked us to consider if we merely “proclaim” our Christianity or actually “show it” through our actions, being the change we wish to see – others are depending on us and watching, as in the opening story, to be who we say we are! Only we can determine if we will live, as Jesus did—trying to understand, giving a response and action that is reflective of justice, mercy and love for each other, or not.  So, keep writing, keep demonstrating, keep being the change – it all matters!  Amen? Amen!

My friends, in these troubling times when “babies in the faith” are challenging those schooled for years in Christian teaching and practice, “to be careful when speaking theologically,” we as Jesus’ followers find ourselves, at times, at loose ends!  And, if that is the case, during this Easter Season of faith, hope, love and promise of life eternal, the readings for this 3^rd Sunday of Easter should give us comfort. 

   The Acts of the Apostles, thought to have been written by the physician, Luke, for the Gentiles, is basically an instruction for those who didn’t physically know Jesus, and that includes us, about how our loving God has worked throughout history, culminating in the wonderful life – ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus, letting us all know how mightily we are loved. 

   In today’s 1^st reading then, from the Acts, Luke picks up on a piece of that history, through the Old Testament figure of David, with his words, “You have shown me the paths of life – you will fill me with joy in your presence.”  Yes, this should give us comfort in these troubling times of war and strife, meanness and power-over-actions, rather than power “with and for.”

   The fact that we are never alone to contend with what life brings, is continued in the psalm choices from #16 today – “You will show me the path that leads to life.”  From time to time, I include in the Prayers of the Faithful, an ask that we try each day, or at least often, to be in contact with this God who loves us, in an over-the-top way, and to do that in whatever way works best for us.  I recall a former Hospice patient of mine telling me he found God best when out in is boat, fishing. 

   If we do make it a habit to be in contact often with our God, in the ways that are meaningful to us; in quiet prayer, walking outdoors – appreciating the beauty all around us, in people, animals, in nature, we will be able to hear God’s words, “showing us the path,” through the people given for that purpose, such as the pope in recent days, as he preaches the gospel. 

   We might wonder at times, in the milieu of so many words, which ones we should listen to, which ones can be considered from God.  I have always believed, and through time realized, that the truth lies in goodness, in peace, in works of love and caring for others.  If these attributes are present, then yes, this is of God.  But, we must realize, acting on these messages of love and peace will not always be easy, as Pope Leo has become aware of lately.

   The psalmist continues today, “You [God] give me all that I need…my life is in your hands.”  In other words, in our faith, God, Jesus our brother, is always near. 

   In the 2^nd reading from Peter today, we are assured of Jesus’ nearness, and encouraged, “to conduct [o]urselves reverently during our sojourn [here]…[because] “it is through Christ that [we] became believers…[and our] faith and hope are centered in God.” 

   I believe we, my friends, are like the first believers in Jesus, who, even though willing, are afraid, and feel unable to speak the truth in our world, as Pope Leo has recently, and our prayer, like theirs so long ago, is the same, “stay with us” [God!]

   The beautiful gospel today, again from Luke, who serves now in his other capacity, relaying the conversation between Jesus and the believers, on the way to Emmaus, assures us of the fact that indeed, we are not alone.  We learn though, that we must have eyes, ears, and hearts open, if like those post-Easter travelers, we are to recognize Jesus when he is present.

   Again, with this story, we come to see that Jesus won’t be recognized necessarily in “human flesh and blood,” in a static way, but through action.”  The Scripture tells us today, “They came to know him, in the breaking of the bread” – an action that he had done with them many times before.  In other words, the “Eucharist,”  something that we do together, each time we meet here, is reverential of an action Jesus, our brother, first did, to prepare us, not to worship him, but to become his “body, his blood,” through us, acting in our world. 

   This gospel, probably more than any other in our Scriptures should tell us in no uncertain terms, that to spend time in Eucharistic sojourns across our country, worshipping mere elements, which seem to be the trend, these last few years, while ignoring the “real presence” in immigrants, LGBTQ sisters and brothers, Trans people, original natives in our country, anyone without a white complexion, seems, somehow, just plain wrong!   “Eucharist,” I believe, was always meant to be a “verb,” not a noun! 

   So, my friends, the message seems clear, we are Easter people, called to action, in the footsteps of our brother Jesus.  Amen? Amen!  Alleluia!