Immaculate Conception

Father Mike’s Homiletter – May 9, 2021

Scripture:   Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48;  Psalm 98:1-4;  1 John 4:7-10;  John 15:9-17

Happy Mothers’ Day!  Today we celebrate those who nurture, train, feed, educate, praise, reprimand and love us into being our best selves.  Mothers do many unnoticed things to make their children’s lives happy, healthy and constructive.  They do them when they themselves are tired, sick, bored, sorrowful, or laughing.  Though I’m sure it feels like a very demanding job at times, motherhood is a vocation, not a job.  One that is also shared by many women who may not be biological mothers, but who bring a motherly mind-set to those who need it.  For all the mothering we have received over our lifetimes, today we give thanks.  Wish all the mothers you know a happy day today – and say thank you! 

Our first reading today brings Peter to the home of a Roman centurion.  Peter had been in Lydda, raising a woman named Dorcas from the dead.  He had a couple of disturbing visions, in which he saw something like a huge sheet lowered to earth, containing all the animals of the earth – some which Jews regarded as unclean.  Peter was invited to eat of this plenty.  Just after this, three men sent by a centurion, Cornelius, arrive and ask him to come to Joppa because Cornelius wanted to hear more about Jesus.  Now Cornelius was very good to the Jewish community and they held him in high regard.  He was described as a “god-fearer”: a term which the Jewish community used for those who were not Jews, but who respected the Jewish way of life.  These “god-fearing” people saw value in the monotheistic nature of Judaism, and the moral values that it held – essentially, the Ten Commandments.  They often went to the synagogue, though they might not observe Jewish dietary and other laws.  So, Cornelius was a good man.  And a confident one, because he expected Peter to accept his invitation and come – he had assembled all his family and even some friends. 

This is where our first reading brings us in:  Cornelius welcomes Peter, ready to honor him, but Peter reminds him that he, Peter, is just a human being, the same as Cornelius.  Peter begins sharing the good news, and the words are barely out of his mouth before the Holy Spirit comes upon the hearers – they begin speaking in tongues.  The Jews who had accompanied Peter were surprised – they hadn’t yet realized that the mission was also to non-Jews.  Yet, rather than treat the new way as an exclusive club, they recognize that they cannot overrule the Spirit.  All of Cornelius’ household was baptized, and Peter suddenly realized that the vision he had of all the animals in the sheet symbolized that all are welcome in Jesus’ fold. 

Our second reading has John explaining that God is love, and that we know this because He sent His only Son to give us life.  In our Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples that He loves them in the same way the Father loves Him.  That alone is a pretty tremendous statement!  But there is more - He urges them to remain in His love – as He remains in the Father’s love – and the way to do that is to keep His commandments, just as He has kept the Father’s commandments.  This might bring up images of a laundry list of do’s and don’ts, but the next instruction seems quite simple:  Love one another as I have loved you.  Jesus goes on to say He has appointed the disciples to go and bear lasting fruit.  (Remember, this is still part of the vine-and-branches lesson.) 

But digging a little deeper, we see that Jesus also says, “I…chose you.”  St. Paul says the love of God is revealed by the fact that God sent his only Son into the world so we might have life.  Jesus tells the disciples they are “appointed…to go and bear fruit that will remain….”  Jesus is entrusting His mission to the disciples – and ultimately, that’s supposed to be us!  A little more analysis, and we can recognize that we are being told that if God took the initiative in loving us and if we are supposed to love the way God loves, then we too should take the initiative in loving others.  We can’t wait to decide if we like them, if they share our tastes, if we think they are worthwhile – these are God’s people, and we are supposed to love them in the same unconditional way that God loves us. 

The messages this week are pretty powerful – we need to take the initiative to love as Jesus loved – without condition, with the open mind and heart Peter displayed in baptizing Cornelius and his household.  And the reward - this is how we remain in the love of the one who calls us “friends” – the God who is love. 

Peace be with you! 

Father Mike   

Sources which will enable you to hear Mass on-line or watch on television:

ABC7 – 12:00 Sunday – Cardinal Cupich – Mass at Holy Name Cathedral

Univision - 10:00 AM – Sunday – Mass in Spanish                 https://radiotv.archchicago.org/television/broadcast-masses - includes Mass in Polish

EWTN:                    Direct TV - Channel 370

                                Dish Network - Channel 261

                                Verizon Fios – Channel 285

                                Xfinity – Channel 33, 291, 1668

Online:  St. James Chapel [Archdiocesan Center] – anytime

                                Holy Name Cathedral – anytime       www.catholictv.org/masses/catholictv-mass     Daily at 9:30am

Relevant Radio:  The Relevant Radio app is available at www.relevantradio.com  Mass – 12 noon, rebroadcast at 7:30 pm - Also on the Father Rocky’s Facebook page

Word On Fire Ministry:  www.wordonfire.org                             

Resources for Scripture and Prayer:

Daily Mass readings are available on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops web site:    www.usccb.org  – choose the date on the calendar on the right or

• Go to http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings

Give Us This Day – a daily Mass and prayer book is making its content available for free during this time.  Go to Give Us This Day. Org

Living With Christ – another daily Mass and prayer book is also making its content available for free. Go to Living with Christ.us

Liturgy Training Publications, the publishing arm of the Archdiocese, also has on-line prayer resources, including daily reflections and a virtual retreat for the Triduum.  Go to www.ltp.org , look for the window offering resources during times of crisis, or the media events – current virtual workshops.  

For material needs or other assistance, we understand that you can find resources by going to http://211.org, a web site sponsored by the national United Way organization

Immaculate Conception Parish offers a very fine Religious Education Program (P.R.E.P.) to provide the very best in formation and education for our grade school parishioners.

Immaculate Conception Parish does not have a parochial school. For those who would like to consider the time honored option of a catholic school we are happy to provide the following links to the Catholic School options in association with the parish.