Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Acts: 16:11-15

We set sail from Troas, making a straight run for Samothrace,
and on the next day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi,
a leading city in that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony.
We spent some time in that city.
On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river
where we thought there would be a place of prayer.
We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there.
One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth,
from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened,
and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention
to what Paul was saying.
After she and her household had been baptized,
she offered us an invitation,
“If you consider me a believer in the Lord,
come and stay at my home,” and she prevailed on us.

The Word of the Lord.

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Europe is home to some of the oldest and greatest cathedrals in the world, including Saint Peter’s in Rome; Chartres in France; Westminster Abbey in London; and Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

But Europe’s Christian roots are humble in nature. In fact, the first Masses were likely celebrated inside homes, not in sprawling cathedrals.

When did Christianity in Europe in begin? Our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles gives us a likely answer.

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Saint Paul is traveling with some of his companions throughout Greece, where they encounter a group of women, including someone named Lydia.

We don’t know much about her, other than the fact that she traded fine purple linen – a sign she came from some wealth – and she made Paul an offer he couldn’t refuse:

“If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” Lydia says to him, “then come and stay at my home.” Paul accepted the invitation as Lydia allowed him to stay with her for as long as he needed, likely several weeks or months.

While there, Paul not only baptized her entire household, it’s believed that he also celebrated Mass there. This where some of the first Christians came to believe – and, perhaps, where the earliest Masses in Europe were celebrated – inside someone’s home. 

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So, what can Lydia’s story say to us today?

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God’s will often starts with humble beginnings. Think of Christ lying in a manger. Who would’ve thought that child would redeem the world?

Or the calling of the Twelve Apostles. Who would’ve imagined that the Church would grow from twelve ordinary men to nearly 1.4 billion believers? 

Or a few baptisms and Masses celebrated inside Lydia’s home. Who could’ve imagined the fruit those seeds would bear, not only leading to the construction of towering cathedrals, but also the conversion of nations.

Never underestimate the power of seeds of faith. God uses them to transform the world.

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Image credits: (1) 4GIVEN (2) Heralds of the Gospel Magazine (3) Hutto Bible Church

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Gospel: John 14: 15-21

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,
because it neither sees nor knows him.
But you know him, because he remains with you,
and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
In a little while the world will no longer see me,
but you will see me, because I live and you will live.
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father
and you are in me and I in you.
Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Abraham Lincoln once said, “All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my mother.”

Isn’t that true for many of us? So much of our faith, our morality, and the wisdom we’ve gained in life started with our mother. 

It was she who first welcomed us into this world. She who comforted us when nightmares woke us up, who held us in her arms when our hearts first broke, who dared us to dream.

The same could be said of Mary and Jesus. 

God not only understood the unique bond a mother shares with her child; but he also desired it, so much so that he became a child himself. Mary was the only person to be with Jesus, from his conception in her womb to his being laid in a tomb. 

On this Mother’s Day, we honor the love and sacrifices made by our mothers – those who are still with us, and those who’ve gone before us. May those who’ve gone before us rest from their labors, and intercede for us alongside Mary, the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, and our Blessed Mother.

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Curious to gain different perspectives, I asked a few moms about the struggles, joys, and rewards of motherhood. 

One mom said, “The greatest joy is watching my children make good choices, becoming who God created them to be.”

Another said, “Watching them grow and discover their talents. Each stage of their life is precious and a wonder to watch.”

When asked about the challenges of motherhood, one said, “Worrying about their safety… letting them learn from their mistakes… and wondering what kind of people they’ll become once they leave the nest.”

All of them said the most difficult struggle was witnessing their child experience pain.

Every mom has been there – you know that helpless feeling of watching your child weep from a fractured bone, from the ache of disappointment, even from a broken heart. You’d do anything to take their pain away, desperate to bear it yourself.

But all you can do is hold them in your arms, assuring them that everything will be okay because, “Mommy’s here.” I still remember being that child, feeling absorbed, safe, and protected by Mom’s warmth and soft embrace.

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My Mom went to heaven twelve years ago. Physically speaking, I lost that safe space. But I also recognize how blessed I am to have known it in the first place. 

Sadly, some children grow up without knowing the warmth of their mother’s embrace. Perhaps their mom was emotionally absent, or she bore some hidden pain in her heart, or she left this world too soon. 

Maybe this is why today’s Gospel is providentially paired with Mother’s Day. Jesus seeks to comfort all of us when he says, “I will not leave you orphans.” God assures us that we will never be deprived of love.

As I’ve grown in my relationship with Jesus, I’ve found his words to be true. Everything that is holy, good, and beautiful in motherhood we can also find in the Lord. 

Like a mother, Jesus has the ability to nurture, to calm, and to feed… He nurtures us with his grace, calms us with his peace, and feeds us with his very Self in the Eucharist.

Like a mother, Jesus willingly sacrifices himself for us, seeking to shoulder our burdens, to protect us from evil, to heal us from our sorrows, and to reconcile us with our heavenly Father whenever we go astray.

As the prophet Isaiah foretold nearly 800 years prior, “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.”

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That is what we celebrate today – not only the love of our mothers, but also the unconditional love of God, who is always tender and will never forget us. Taking Abraham Lincoln’s words a little deeper, we could say, “All that I am or hope to be, I owe to Jesus.”

May the Lord and his Blessed Mother intercede for us as we pray:

“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

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Image credits: (1) Thera-Mom (2) Relief Society Women (3) The Virgin with Angels, William-Adolphe Bougeareau

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Gospel: John 15: 12-17

Jesus said to his disciples:
“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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In his final testament at the Last Supper, Jesus looks at his disciples and says, “I no longer call you slaves, but friends.”

Both words – “slaves” and “friends” – carry significant meaning.

In the Old Testament, to be considered a slave, or servant, of God was considered to be the highest honor. For example, Moses – one of the greatest prophets – is referred to as the servant of the Lord. So is his direct successor, Joshua. 

Even King David, the greatest of Old Testament kings, referred to himself as God’s servant.

Saint Paul uses the same term to introduce himself to the Christians in Rome. “I, Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the Gospel of God.”

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And yet, the Lord says to us today, “I no longer call you slaves (or servants), but friends.”

Roman emperors assigned this title, “friend,” to a few select individuals who ranked higher than their servants, advisors, even their generals.

“Friends” of the emperor were granted unlimited access to him. They were even allowed to enter his bedchamber before sunrise, when the emperor was considered to be most vulnerable. They were his trusted inner circle who had unguarded access to his heart.

This is the type of intimacy that Jesus offers us – direct access to God.

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More than Moses, Joshua, even King David, we who call upon the name of the Lord in faith at any hour of the day will be heard, “for whatever you ask in my name,” Jesus says, “I will do it.”

More than servants, we are his friends.

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Image credits: (1) Come and Reason Ministries (2) Marcus Aurelius and the Jews, Aish.com (3) Soaking in God’s Word