Hi everyone, here’s my homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter – May 2, 2010. The readings for today’s Mass can be found at https://www.usccb.org/nab/050210.shtml. Thanks as always for reading and your feedback – It’s always much appreciated! God Bless, Father Jim
HOMILY:
So how many of you know who Kip Drordy is?
Kip is one of the newest characters introduced on a recent episode of South Park, the rather crude cartoon that for over 14 years has been parodying almost anything and everything. It seems the boys of South Park are about five years behind the rest of the world; because in this episode they have just discovered Facebook. At the start of the episode you see Cartman, on his blackberry Kyle on a desktop, even Kenny who is often ridiculed for being poor (again, South Park is a CRUDE cartoon) somehow has a laptop as all three of these guys sit in a room together, busily adding friends and tending to their “virtual farms.” Their other friend Stan not only doesn’t “get” Facebook – he isn’t interested in it at all… He asks “why are you guys in here on facebook when we should be out there playing video games?”
In the face of such blasphemy, they try to explain the importance of Facebook, Cartman warns Stan that he doesn’t want to end up like poor third grader Kip Drordy. We then see Kip who is sitting, staring blankly at a computer screen, obviously waiting, looking for something. There’s a closeup to what it is he’s transfixed by on his monitor – He’s staring at his Facebook profile. You soon learn the extent of excitement in Kip’s life, his Facebook status says, “There was a bee in my room.” And very quickly we realize that the thing he is waiting for is for someone, anyone to add him as a friend- because, as you get a look on his web page you can’t help but notice that it says “Kip has Zero friends.” Kyle cannot believe that there are people in the world without any facebook friends so out of pity, he decides to add him.
As the pop-up box pops up notifying him that “Kyle Broflovski has added you as a friend” on his computer screen, Kip rubs his eyes in disbelief, unsure of what has happened. He nervously, tentatively moves his mouse to the confirm button. Cautiously he clicks it and watches the friend box instantly change to “YOU HAVE 1 FRIENDS.” Instantly Kip is transformed, he jumps out of his chair at his desk, runs out of his bedroom screaming in excitement, running to share the incredible news with his parents“Mom, Dad -I MADE A FRIEND TODAY…” The parents seem just as dumbfounded (and never realize he’s talking about on facebook) “You did???? REALLY??? What’s his name????” As Kip jumps around the kitchen table in excitement “His Name is Kyle Broflovski…He’s a student and his interests include video games and reading!!!” The parents overjoyed at this breakthrough moment for their sad-sack, lonely son Kip ask -“Is he a nice boy?” “OH HE’S THE BEST MOM! He has a green hat and wants the world to stop talking about ninjas!!!” Suddenly he realizes “Oooh – I need to go tell him what I’m currently thinking about! WHAT AM I CURRENTLY THINKING ABOUT???? as he runs back to his bedroom to try to come up with something witty to share.
One of the things that made the episode such a classic was that it wasn’t just poking fun at all of us who are on Facebook,(just for the record, currently I have 1,395 friends) but that it kind of pointed out how trivial a thing like friendship has become. A “friend” used to be someone who was more than just a fan of the same thing you were; was more than someone who had some of the same interests that you held.. Friendship used to be based on something greater than coming from the same town or University. Friendship was based on love.
But you see – that’s another problem too. Love, is another thing people seem to have the wrong idea about. “I’m Loving it” Mc Donald’s tells us about all the things we can purchase off their value menu. Can you really Love McDonalds Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Large Fries and Vanilla Shake? I’ll grant you that it sounds really good right now- but that’s not love… Or people will say “I LOVE watching ‘South Park’” – no you laugh at it, you enjoy it, but that’s not love either. Sometimes you might here an individual say “I Love this person” when what they really mean is I’m lusting after that person… or “this person is someone who does things for me that I’m glad there here to do….” The word “Love” has been mis-used so much that people forget that Love requires sacrifice, Love requires determination; Love exists when I am selfless… Love is the opposite of all that it is so often is characterized as; the opposite of focusing on my enjoyment, my pleasure, my wants, my needs all being fulfilled…
The reason all of this is important is because if we don’t look at how messed up some our notions of these things are, how can we even begin to wrap our minds around the invitation that is being extended to us? How do we react to the realization that Jesus Christ wants friendship with us? True friendship based on true love.
Tonight’s Gospel comes from the Last Supper in the Gospel of John. Here Jesus is speaking to the Apostles, men who have seen and heard a lot from Jesus over these years. They’ve had many different images of Him, titles that they called Him like Messiah; Teacher; Master; Rabbi just to name a few. They’ve had different perceptions of who Jesus was and why they continued to follow Him throughout the three years of his ministry. Yet in this special place, in that Upper Room, when Jesus knows the Passion and Cross await him – when He knows the failures, the weaknesses, the shortcomings of those around the table will be on display in a matter of hours, in that sacred moment, Jesus extends his heart as He extends this invitation. How does Jesus want to relate to them, to us? He says plainly towards the end of the Last Supper Sermon“You are my friends.”
If we are stuck in our present day notions of friendship, than what would that even mean? Like for me, Is Jesus a Yankee fan (I’d assume so, but…) Does he like Coldplay, or U2 or neither or both? Does he simply want to “add me” because he feels pity for me or because we have a lot of mutual friends? No – Jesus, is clear what friendship with him is based on “You are my friends if you do what I command you…” Which brings us to tonight’s Gospel passage – Jesus’ expectation of friendship is to: Love one another – As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another…
True friendship based on true love.
That means we are being called to “persevere in the faith” and “undergo many hardships” as our ancestors in the faith did in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. We do that not because it’s enjoyable or convenient – but because we Love our friend Jesus. That means we fight against the temptation to give into jealousy or anger or spitefulness or selfishness, or greed or sensuality or praise or any other principle that we find is ruling our lives. We do that not because it’s easy for us to do (in fact it can be very hard) – but we do it because we Love our friend Jesus.
We don’t have to be perfect at that. Again, look at those Jesus was first saying this to. At the Last Supper He knows that some of them are going to abandon him, and each other at the moment when their presence, their support, their love would be the most necessary. We might find ourselves in that same position. Struggling with the same sins, holding on to hurts and angers, failing to really open ourselves to the Lord to really listen to Him- what he’s asking us to do… We may do these and a lot of things and just feel like this is too hard . Which is why Jesus gave us the essential piece for this Love to become real. One of the first things Jesus does after the Resurrection, to those same Apostles who failed him was to give the gift of His Forgiveness, with the command to share that forgiveness with one another. That’s not just the basis for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or Confession, that’s essential in our relationships with one another if we ever hope to love one another as He did.
Yeah, it’s true to enter into that kind of friendship is a bit harder than clicking an invite button on a computer screen. Jesus made us his friends through his life, his passion, his death and resurrection and he was not motivated by some trite, shallow reason but rather his amazing love. Are we willing to confirm our friendship with him by sharing that true love with one another?
