May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for
us.
In the Easter season the Lord Jesus has shared many things
with us. On Easter Sunday the Lord Jesus
shared with us the joy of the empty tomb.
The Lord Jesus shared with us the great mercy that the loving Father
bestows upon his repentant children. The
Lord Jesus shared with us the journey to the city of Emmaus and shares himself
with us in the breaking of the bread.
Last week the Lord Jesus shared with us the promise of his protection as
members of the flock of the Good Shepherd.
Today, as we continue this season of divine sharing, the Lord Jesus
shares with us his priesthood and a place in the house of the Heavenly Father.
In our reading from the first letter of Saint Peter we are
invited to come to the living stone that is Lord Jesus. Coming to him who is the living stone we
become living stones in him. He is
building the kingdom in us. The Kingdom
of the Son is to be an offering to the Father.
The Kingdom of the Son, he who is the eternal priest, is a sacrifice of
love to the Eternal Father. The Lord
Jesus shares with each of us his priesthood in the waters of baptism. We are chosen and precious and beloved. We are chosen to be an offering to the Father
with the Son and in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus shares his priesthood with us
so that we can share with the Lord Jesus in the love of the Father. The Lord Jesus makes us an offering so that
we can share in the offering of the Lord Jesus.
He is the High Priest of the heavenly sanctuary. He has shared his priesthood with us so that
we can enter the heavenly sanctuary with him.
On the night before he died for our salvation, the Lord Jesus
shared words of consolation and promise with his disciples. Our Gospel reading today is from the Last
Supper. He tells his disciples and he
tells us to not allow our hearts to be troubled. He promises a place in the house of his
Father to those who are faithful. The
Lord Jesus shares with the disciples that he himself is the way to the
Kingdom. Through him and with him and in
him we enter into the house of the Father.
Through him and with him and in him we see the face of the Father. And through him and with him and in him we
present our prayers and offerings and sacrifices, we present our lives, to the
Father. Our lives are received in the
presence of the Father because we enter his presence through the sacrifice of
the Son. We enter the house of the
Father through the pierced heart of the Son of God.
From the pierced heart of the Son of God flows the life of
the Church. The Lord Jesus shared the
fullness of his office and ministry with the Apostles. To their stewardship, guided by the Holy
Spirit, the Lord Jesus entrusted the Church.
The Lord Jesus shared his ministry.
The Apostles shared their ministry.
With grace that flows from the Heart of Christ and through apostolic
hands, the Church and her ministers are built up in every age so that the
praises of the Father can be sung. In
every age and every place living stones are chosen and carved to be the
foundation stone of the next expansion of the Kingdom. Through the sharing of his priesthood and the
sharing of the word of consolation, the Lord Jesus builds his Church in the
world and his Church in Monroe.
And so, dear brothers and sisters, this
building, this holy ground consecrated by apostolic hands, and shepherded by
apostolic preaching and authority, becomes the room of welcome for the house of
the Father in heaven. Amen.
Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes
Catholic Church, Monroe, NC
