Fr Kevin Kilgore

There’s an old saying, “The true test of an army is how it fights when it’s tired.”

When the troop morale is low, when the supplies have run out, when the weather has turned against you and the mud is cold, when blood drips down your face and the enemy seems to be winning, when your muscles ache and your heart is faint, how do you fight?

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History tells us some soldiers have dropped their weapons. They deserted their brothers and “returned to their former way of life” (John 6:65).

Others fought to their death.

We see this clearly happening in today’s Gospel. Jesus’ army is being depleted. At the beginning of this chapter he started with 5,000 men – not including the women and children. They were all ready to follow him.

Now he is down to 12.

The crowds simply will not accept his teaching that we must “eat his flesh and drink his blood,” a future reference to the Eucharist (John 6:56).

So Jesus turns to his disciples to see what kind of soldiers they are, asking them, “Do you also want to leave?”(John 6:66).

Though they do not understand Jesus’ teaching just yet, they trust him and remain by his side. As Peter says, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,” (John 6:67).

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What type of soldier are we?

When temptation strikes, do we fight? 

When our prayers go unanswered, do we fight?

 When we struggle to understand Christ’s teachings, do we fight?

 When living out our faith demands humility and patience, do we fight?

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“The true test of an army is how it fights when it’s tired.” How well do we fight for Christ, especially when we’re tired or when we struggle to understand his teachings?

The good news is this: even if we drop our weapons – even if our faith fails us – Jesus will never stop fighting on our behalf.

To him be the glory now and forever.

 

How many horror films begin with someone left alone on a deserted island or locked inside a room while someone creepy lurks in the dark?

One example that comes to mind is Buffalo Bill in “Silence of the Lambs.” Do you remember that scene when he turns on his night vision goggles and pursues Clarice in his basement? Chilling.

Such movies play on a fear we all have – that fear of insecurity, of doors being closed, of not knowing where to go next or how to get out.

It’s a fear that plays itself out in our lives all the time.

For example, some of us may have just gotten a pink slip at work – a door closed. Maybe an important relationship just ended– a door closed. Or maybe we didn’t get in to our college of choice – a door closed.

It’s times like this when we can feel lost, unsure of what to do next.

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Think of the disciples in today’s Gospel.

They have locked themselves inside a room in Jerusalem out of fear of being caught. They just cannot move beyond the idea that Jesus is gone, and their futures – their hopes and dreams – have been buried with him.

Every door seems closed. There is nowhere to go from here.

But all of a sudden, Jesus appears to them inside that locked upper room, saying, “Peace be with you.” … In other words, do not be afraid. Take a deep breath. God has a plan.

Jesus wants them to walk through the door in front of them, a door that leads into the streets of Jerusalem, where they must face their peers and preach the Good News.

This isn’t the door the disciples wanted to be opened, nor is it the door they expected, but they know that God is with them. So they take it.

This is why we hear Peter preaching in our first reading about Jesus being raised from the dead, because Peter has moved out of that upper room into the streets of Jerusalem, where he knows that God is with him.

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This is one of the most important lessons the disciples learn from the Risen Jesus: that when one door closes, another one opens.

On Good Friday, a door was closed. Jesus was buried. And the disciples’ future was buried with him. But on Easter Sunday, another door was opened. Jesus was raised from the dead.

Thus whenever the disciples seem to hit a wall, they must turn to Jesus and ask him to open another door.

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How many of us need a door to be opened, a way out?

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Keep in mind that the door which God opens may not be the one we want to walk through. But take a deep breath. God has a plan.

Are we open to an adventure with Jesus? Like Peter and the other disciples, will we follow Jesus wherever he leads us?

To our young people, that may mean a door open to priesthood or religious life! Will you follow Jesus if he opens that door for you? Or are you making your own plans without asking God what he wants for your life?

Similarly,  to all of us gathered here: Do we ask Jesus to open doors for us, or do we try to manage life on our own?

Jesus stands ready to guide us if we’ll let him, which works out better for everyone in the end.

***

Remember what happened to the disciples. Little did they know that by walking through that door into the streets of Jerusalem, they would change the world.

Jesus opened doors through them from Jerusalem to Athens to Rome, and even now into Garfield.

So the next chapter begins.

Think about what God can do through us. When the next door opens, are we willing to walk it? If so, then we will never find ourselves trapped, as God is with us and he has a plan for our lives.

 

I love watching Disney movies, even as adult, because the writers know that young people are only part of their audience. They must entertain the adults, too.

Perhaps the best thing about them is the fact that every movie has a lesson to be learned, even for the older ones among us. For example, how many of us have seen the movie, Frozen?

You may remember I preached on the theme song Let It Go a few weeks ago. Today I’d like to revisit that movie, but make a different point.

Do you remember what happened to Queen Elsa? After she discovers that she has uncontrollable super powers, she runs away from home and builds herself a castle of ice, where she remains in isolation for many, many years.

Sadly, Elsa’s village of Arendelle remains in an eternal winter until she returns home and allows herself to be loved.

***
In today’s Gospel, the Apostle Thomas acts a bit like Queen Elsa. He withdraws himself from the Christian community because he’s distraught over the death of Jesus. Thomas wants to wrestle with his feelings and his future alone.

This proves to be a big mistake.

Meanwhile, the other disciples are just as heartbroken as Thomas is. But their sorrow does not tear them apart; rather, they share their feelings and their pain with one another.

As it says in our first reading, this “community of believers was of one heart and mind” (Acts 4:32). This is why Jesus appears to them – and not to Thomas – because they remained together.

Thus Jesus teaches them a very important lesson: they should not live in isolation. When pain or sorrow strikes, the worst thing they can do is run away from their community; rather, being together is always better than being alone.

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So what does this mean for us?

Jesus is not present in the isolation. He does not want us to build walls or separate ourselves from those whom we should trust, especially our family and our closest friends.

Teenagers can do this just as much as adults. Think of those times when we put on our headphones and lock ourselves in our room, shutting our family out.

We may feel connected to other people online or through video games in a “virtual world,” but Jesus wants us to stay connected – above all else – to those who live under our roof. Family, our own flesh and blood, comes first.

And to we adults: how often do we put up walls against our spouse, our friends, our co-workers, or even our own parents when we’re frustrated, stressed out, or when things don’t go our way?

Whenever there is a breakdown in communication, we, too, can metaphorically put on our “headphones” and block others out.

But Jesus reminds us today that he is not present in that self-imposed isolation. Rather, he wants us to live in harmony. As he himself says, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).

To be “gathered in his name” means to be of one mind and one heart. In a word, it means to communicate.

***

Think of Queen Elsa. She can only be healed by true love, which she can’t find on her own. She has to leave her frozen castle and rejoin her village. She needs her friends, and above all, her sister, Anna.

In the same way, Thomas needs the other disciples. He needs to share his doubts and his pain with them. They, too, are sad. But they shouldn’t mourn alone.

Similarly, we need one another. We need our parish, our family, and our friends for love, for support, and ultimately, for human happiness.

What burdens, or hopes, or feelings, or dreams do I need to share with others??

How might we grow together as one community of faith?