Homily — 5^th Sunday of Easter, Year C (2004)

Fr. Timothy W. Castor

Is there any love greater than a mother’s love?

Today, we celebrate Mother’s Day and we honor our mothers, living and deceased as we remember their love for us. Many of you have seen the film, The Passion of the Christ, and you know how beautifully that film depicts the love between Mary and her divine son, Jesus Christ. I’ve now seen the film three times, and there’s one scene in particular which never fails to tear at my heart. It is the scene of Jesus struggling on his way of the cross while his mother watches from a distance. Mary and John stand in a narrow side street as Jesus passes by. They see him fall to the ground under the weight of the cross and, for a moment, Mary hesitates. Then, in a flash-back, she recalls an episode from many years before when her son was just a small child. She’s working outside and sees her little boy trip and fall as he runs along the street. She drops everything, flies to his side and gathers him into her arms saying, "I am here, I am here." It is a marvelous image of a mother’s love, and the memory gives Mary the courage and strength once again to run to her son, to hold him in her arms, and to reassure him, "I am here, I am here."

Is there any love greater than a mother’s love?

As the scene unfolds in the movie, the filmmakers chose to do a rather surprising thing. They place on Jesus’ lips a phrase which is found in today’s second reading from the book of Revelation. As Mary comforts her son, Jesus looks steadily into her eyes and says, "Behold, I make all things new."

Now, Scripture scholars have protested at this. These words don’t belong here, they say. The phrase refers to the renewal of heaven and earth after the final judgment and are spoken by Jesus enthroned in glory at the end of time. But I think that having Jesus say these words to Mary at this point is a stroke of genius. You see, it is through his suffering and death that our Lord truly does make all things new. The Cross was the most complete and perfect outpouring of God’s love. "God proves his love for us," St. Paul tells the Romans, "in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us."

Is there any love greater than a mother’s love? The love of God for us in Christ Jesus is infinitely greater. It has the power to make all things new—to transform the world through the forgiveness of sin, turning the human race back to God. Christ’s love reconciles enemies and heals ancient divisions. Christ’s love for us is so great that the tomb could not hold him—he rose from the dead and is now preparing an eternal dwelling place for us.

Even in the midst of Easter joy, today’s Gospel presents us with another scene from our Lord’s passion. We are in the upper room at the Last Supper, and Judas the betrayer has just departed to carry out his evil plan. The Master gives his disciples a new commandment, "Love one another." In itself, this is not new at all—Moses had told people of Israel many centuries before, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," and Jesus had previously referred to this as one of the two great commandments. But what Jesus says to his disciples today, "Love one another," is radically new in the way in which it is to be carried out: "As I have loved you, so you also should love one another." We have already seen how Jesus has loved us: he loved us by dying for us—he loved us by going to the Cross for sinners who did not deserve a savior. And this is how we are to love one another: with a love that is total, unconditional, self-sacrificing, and seeking nothing in return. This love is not just a warm, fuzzy feeling we get when we're with someone we like. It is a decisive act of the will. Christ chose to lay down his life for us—we must choose to lay down our lives for others.

Is this possible? Certainly not by ourselves. But with God’s grace all things are possible. And this is why he has given us Sacraments—especially the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. As a mother nourishes her infant with her own substance, Jesus feeds us with his most precious Body and Blood so that we might grow in virtue and live the love which he infuses into our hearts. And what difference does this make? This love will make all things new—it will transform the world because it is a sign and a witness to the love of Christ.

Currently, lawmakers in Europe and the United States are discussing the possibility of banning the public use of religious symbols. This would mean that Christians with no longer be allowed to wear a cross or a medal around their necks. T-shirts with religious slogans or symbols would be outlawed. Even making the sign of the cross in public or hanging a rosary from your rear view mirror would make you liable to prosecution. But Christ himself has given us a sign and symbol of our identity as his disciples which can never be taken away from us and which is far more powerful than any article of jewelry or piece of clothing.

"This is how all will know that you are my disciples," Jesus tells us, "if you have love for one another."

© 2004, The Rev. Timothy W. Castor