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Mother's
Day and the Ascension
Fr.
George Smiga
May
8, 2005 Homily
Matthew
28:16-20
Today
we gather together to celebrate the Ascension of the Lord
and Mother's Day. It might seem that there is no connection
between these two events but the truth is that the connection
is rather strong. Both are about life, new life, and both
call us to hope and to responsibility.
There
is a principle in Catholic theology, which says that the supernatural
builds upon the natural. That is, spiritual realities, invisible
realities, build upon the visible realities of the material
world. This principle makes sense because it flows from our
conviction that the same God who worked on the supernatural
reign, saving us through Jesus Christ, is the same God who
created the natural world and everything in it. Therefore
we should not expect that the supernatural events of Jesus'
resurrection and ascension, are in anyway in conflict with
the natural world in which we live. They both flow from the
same God. In fact, the spiritual order builds upon the observable
visible world, which everyone recognizes and appreciates.
This is how Mother's Day and Jesus' Ascension are connected.
They both talk about life, new life, but on different levels:
mothers on the natural level and Jesus on the supernatural
level.
Why
is it that we honor mothers? Not because they are perfect;
not because they are always right. Mothers are weak and have
the same flaws as every other person. But they can make one
claim that no one else can: that new life comes through them,
through their very bodies—that through them the human race
continues. No man can make that claim. No one who is not a
mother can assume that accomplishment. Mothers are the ones
through whom life comes and new life is always a reason for
hope.
In
the 1970's there was a TV mini-series called Holocaust
. It chronicled the horrific events through which Hitler
tried to exterminate the Jewish people. The last scene in
that series was a powerful one, for it took place in a concentration
camp just before the camp was liberated. The Nazi guards had
already fled and the prisoners were sitting together in a
large barracks. The scene was one of desolation. Many were
dead, those who were still alive were malnourished and sick.
They sat without a sound: too weak to move, to sad to weep.
Then the silence was broken by the cry of a baby. One of the
prisoners in the camp, a young woman, had just given birth
to a child. The heads of the prisoners turned in that direction
and the young child was lifted up. The scene faded. That terrible
story of annihilation ended on a note of hope; because the
life of any child is always a sign of hope, a new beginning,
another chance, a fresh possibility. Every child who is born
is new hope for the world. That hope comes through mothers.
Now
what mothers are on the natural level, Jesus is on the supernatural
level; because through his resurrection and ascension, Jesus
is always a reason for hope. No matter where we find ourselves
in life, no matter what mistakes we have made, no matter what
doubts or fears we have to face, there is reason for hope
because Jesus has risen and has ascended and sits at the right
hand of the Father in power. Jesus knows us and cares for
us, we trust in him, we believe in him. He knows where our
life is going. He is not a bearer of death but, like a mother,
one who brings us new life, another chance, a fresh beginning.
Yes,
new life is always a sign of hope. But hope leads to responsibility.
Each one of us at our birth was a sign of hope for the world.
Are we still a sign of hope today? When people meet us are
they encouraged or are they intimidated; are the uplifted
or are they discouraged? Are we able to stand before God and
say, “I am still trying to be a sign of hope for the world,
a person of integrity, a person of compassion, a person of
service, a person of courage”? We who were born as a sign
of hope for the world have the responsibility to live as a
sign of hope for others. This is why on the supernatural level
in today's gospel Jesus sends out his disciples to all the
nations to teach them what he has commanded them. We who have
received new life from Christ have the responsibility to bring
that good news to others so that they can see in us a reflection
of God's love and find hope in a darkened world.
The
supernatural builds upon the natural. Both mothers and Jesus
are bearers of new life. Life is always a sign of hope, and
we have the responsibility to bring that hope to others. Live
then as the hope that you are. Christ is risen and ascended
so there is no reason to be afraid. He reigns in power and
he cares for you. Trust him. You have received new life from
Christ. Live then as hope for the world.
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