We Belong

Homily for the Seventh Sunday of Easter

1 June 2014

My brothers and sisters, deeply rooted in the very core of our humanity is the need to belong. We belong to families, circles of friends, schools, parishes, clubs, movements and organizations because we want to belong to something that is greater than ourselves.

Yet there is someone who has claimed us as His own for the majority of our lives.

When you and I were presented for baptism, the priest or deacon, along with our parents and Godparents, traced the Cross on our foreheads, claiming us for Christ. From that moment to this, we belong to Jesus Christ.

And now He prays to the Father for us.

He prays to the Father because, ultimately, we belong to the Father who gave us life.

Christ prays for us so that, through our lives, our God may be glorified. Saint Peter reminds us that in all things - including our sufferings - God is to be glorified.

And so, if we belong to Christ, we're going to do that which intensifies our bond with Him: We're going to spend time with Him and His friends. If we truly want to commit ourselves to something that we belong to, we're going to give some time to that organization, club, circle of friends or family so to get to know said group better.

The same with Jesus Christ and His Body, the Church.

Christ prayed to the Father so that He would remain close to the Father. Mary and the Apostles prayed in the Upper Room not only to prepare their hearts, minds and lives for the coming of the Holy Spirit, but so they would draw ever closer to the Heart and mind of God. So, too, must we spend time in prayer, contemplation, and conversation if we truly believe that we belong to Christ.

To prepare for the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit with the celebration of Pentecost, the Church is spending these next days in intensive prayer. The Body of Christ comes together to wait for the coming of the Paraclete, the Advocate, the Consolation of the Truth. The Church spends this time in prayer so that, as the Holy Spirit once again is poured out upon the world, we may know how to give glory to our God through our lives.

My friends, if we truly believe - heart and soul - that we belong to Jesus Christ, our lives will reflect His glory in all of our thoughts, words and actions. If we truly believe that we belong to Jesus Christ, then we will spend time in intensive prayer, searching in our hearts where the union with the Sacred Heart takes place. If we truly believe that we belong to Jesus Christ, His Spirit will become our own, bringing an overflowing source of new life to our souls, and convicting us to dive deeper in our living out of the Paschal Mystery.

And so, if we belong to Jesus, and if we truly BELIEVE that we belong to Jesus, we'll do what Mary and the Apostles did: Wait and pray for the coming of the Holy Spirit, so that, through His Presence, our lives will glorify God and help to renew the face of the Earth.

Enjoy the journey . . .