|
Being
God's Children
May 11, 2003 Homily
Fr. George Smiga
John
10:11-18
There
is an ancient legend told in the mountains of the Andes, about
two mountain tribes. One lived at the foot of the mountains
in the lowlands and the other lived at the mountain's top.
These two tribes were enemies and constantly at war with one
another. One day the tribe from the top of the mountain came
down to attack the lowlander's village. In the course of their
plunder they kidnapped a young boy and took him with them
back up the mountain. The lowlanders immediately responded
by selecting fifty of their strongest and most capable warriors
and sending them on a mission to rescue the boy. The problem
was that the lowlanders did not know how to climb mountains.
They did not know the paths that should be used. So these
fifty soldiers tried path after path and climbing method after
climbing method. All to no avail. After three or four days
of futile efforts, hopeless and helpless, they decided to
give up and return to their village. But as they were packing
their gear, they looked up and they saw the mother of the
child who had been kidnapped coming down from the mountain
that they were unable to climb. She had her son strapped to
her back. One of the soldiers went up to greet her and said,
"You succeeded where fifty of the most capable people
of our village, failed. How is this possible?" The woman
shrugged and said, "He was not your child."
Whenever
we give life to anyone, we can do things that others cannot
do and that others cannot understand. Whenever we give life
to another person, we are connected to that person forever.
For the giving of life forms a bond that time does not break.
Mothers know this because, in the most fundamental sense,
they give life to another. But every one of us here who is
connected to anyone knows this as well, because if we are
connected deeply to anyone, that connection came about because
life was given. Life can be given in an unequal way, like
the life that parents give to children or the life teachers
give to students or the life that the wise give to the young.
Or life can be given in a mutual manner like the way that
spouses give life to one another or the way that close friends
share life together and deepen their experience of living.
But however it is done, whenever life is given, connections
are formed and those connections are essential for us. Because
when life is given and connections are formed, two things
invariably emerge: worth and sacrifice.
It is
only when we give life to one another that we really understand
our own worth. It is in the process of being connected to
others that we see who we are and what our true value is.
The person who lives in isolation does not even know who she
or he is. But when we are connected, our life has meaning.
A life without connections is empty and purposeless. So the
connections we have to others allow us to claim our own worth.
They also lead us to sacrifice. If we are connected to others,
we feel their pain. When others to whom we are connected make
bad decisions or are in danger, we suffer with them. This
is why mothers worry and why friends mourn. Because once we
begin to love someone, it is only a matter of time before
we suffer with them. Once we are connected to someone, we
will, in time, also be hurt. Whenever we give life to someone,
we must be willing to lay down our life time and again. Both
worth and sacrifice flow from the connections that support
us, the connections that come from life that is shared. This
is nothing new. It is our experience. It is simply the way
things are.
But the
good news found in the gospel we have just heard is this:
this giving of life that leads to a connection out of which
worth and sacrifice flow, is not limited simply to us. It
also applies to God. God is the one who gave us life and so
God is bound to us by bonds that cannot be broken. Just as
the Good Shepherd cares for the sheep and is willing to lay
down his life for the sheep; God cares for us and is willing
to do all that is necessary to help us. Because of this, we
should never doubt our value in God's eyes. Because of this
we should never think that God has forgotten us, no matter
how difficult our life becomes. God has given life to us and
like a mother, can never stop caring for us, can never fail
to save us.
We can
doubt our own value but we should never doubt that God cares
for us. . Others can look at us and see us as expendable or
worthless. They can point to us and ask God, "How could
you love these people? They are so selfish, so judgmental,
so wounded. How could you care for them? How could you be
willing to lay down your life for them? We could never do
it." But to that question, God would simply shrug and
say, "They are not your children."
|
