Catholic
Community of Jeffersonville St. Augustine
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Catholic Community of Jeffersonville St. Augustine & Sacred Heart
Homily
by
Father Thomas E. Clegg
4th Sunday Easter A St. Augustine/Sacred Heart 2008
For Holy Humor this week I’d like to share with you some actual signs
that have appeared on Church sign boards
A singing group called "The Resurrection" was
scheduled to sing at a church. When a big snowstorm postponed the
performance, the pastor fixed the outside sign to read, "The
Resurrection is postponed."
"Come in and pray today. Beat the Christmas rush!"
"People are like tea bags-you have to put them in hot
water before you know how strong they are."
"God so loved the world that He did not send a
committee."
"How will you spend eternity-Smoking or Non-smoking?"
"Have trouble sleeping? We have sermons-come hear
one!"
"If you can't sleep, don't count sheep. Talk to the Shepherd."
Today’s Gospel reading contains one of my all time favorite scripture verse,
John 10:10 has Jesus saying, “I came that they might have life
and have it more abundantly.”
I found it interesting that the Church puts that passage on the same weekend
that we hear St. Peter tell us how to deal with suffering.
But as I reflected on that this week, it began to make sense to me…
God doesn’t promise us a worry free life.
God doesn’t promise us a life free from suffering.
What God promises us is an abundant life.
And St. Peter tells us how we garner that abundant life.
We get that abundant life when we are patient through suffering.
We get that abundant life when we follow the example of Christ.
We get that abundant life when we refuse to return insult with insult;
We get that abundant life when we respond to suffering without threats,
We get that abundant life
when we trust the shepherd to be guardian of our souls.
You see, I think too often in our lives we think
that an abundant life means a happy life…but God doesn’t say that…
An abundant life I think is a life that has meaning and purpose.
I further believe that meaning and purpose come often through suffering.
There is a story told of a young boy who carried a butterfly cocoon
into his house to watch it come to life.
After a couple of days the butterfly began to break through the cocoon.
The boy watched in fascination as the butterfly struggled.
Realizing the butterfly was struggling, the boy reached down
and opened the hole the butterfly was trying to break through.
Soon the butterfly was free.
But as the boy watched the butterflies wings remained shriveled.
Something was wrong.
What the boy hadn’t realized is that the struggle to get out of the cocoon
was essential for the butterflies struggle.
It is in the struggle
that the butterfly’s wings gain the strength they need to fly.
I think the same is true for us.
Trials are necessary for growth.
Struggles are needed to make us strong in life.
But it is not just struggle for the sake of struggle.
It’s struggling knowing that the shepherd is with us.
Knowing that the shepherd cares for us and loves us.
Knowing that the shepherd wishes for us an abundant life.
Another story bears this truth.
A mother was shopping with her young daughter at the grocery store.
Each of them was carrying a basket.
The mother started putting items in the young girl’s basket…
After a while, another shopper who had watched the two of them said,
“That’s an awfully big load for a little girl, isn’t it!”
The girl turned to her and said,
“Don’t worry, my mom knows how much I can carry.”
And so it is with God.
God promises us an abundant life…
Many times that comes through struggle…
But we have a God who knows exactly how much we can carry!
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Catholic Community of Sacred Heart | 1840 East Eighth Street, Jeffersonville, Indiana | 47130
812-282-0423 (Church) | 812-283-3123 (School) |
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