SIXTH SUNDAY EASTER
Sixth Sunday of Easter A 12:15 John 14: 15-21 2008
Joyce Schowalter tells this story:
My Aunt, Mildred Dungan, was born in 1898 on a farm near Sedan, Kansas.
Her family believed in hard work, education, honesty, and service to
one's community. To attend high school, she "boarded out" in a nearby
town -- it was too far to travel daily on horseback.
When Mildred retired after a career in Colorado, she moved back to
Kansas, to a duplex next to an orphanage. She volunteered to
tutor children needing help in reading or math. At first she was sent
sixth-graders. She solved kids' problems backwards through the grades,
until at last she tutored first-graders.
When one of her Black students arrived upset over being called racist
names, she held her own hand up to a white page, pointing out that it was
pink, not white. She then held his hand up to a black object, pointing
out that it was brown, not black. Her message: "Those silly names are not
reality. NEVER let them distract you from your potential!"
One morning a girl from the orphanage came crying to Mildred's door. The
little girl had fallen and ripped the leaf for her school clay project.
My aunt showed her how the leaf could fit together again, and the child
left for school smiling. The finished clay leaf came back to Mildred, and
was displayed in her living room.
For her nieces and nephews, she was a magical figure. She discussed the
most complicated ideas with us at length. She always said, "I'm so
impressed with how you're growing up!" She gave the impression that our
parents and teachers were perhaps a bit addled if they hadn't noticed we
were growing into "such fine young people."
When Mildred's life ended at age 86, her family gathered at her
funeral, exchanging stories of how she had inspired us. But the last was
yet to be told.
After the service, a young man came up whom none of us knew. He had been in
the front row. He told us Mildred and his father had worked together in Colorado. After both his parents were killed in an accident, he was sent to live in the orphanage next to Mildred’s home. Mildred became an ongoing presence in his life.
She told him he needed to be strong, to have courage, that he could
overcome this tragedy and build a positive future. And there he was,
living proof of her inspiration.
If Mildred could give you one message today, she would say, "There IS a
child near you who needs a hand. When you find him or her, don't look back,
or wonder for a second why someone else isn't helping. Be present in that
child's life, help that child to have courage, and inspire that child to face the
future with a desire to learn, work hard, be honest, and be of service to
their community."
In our gospel story, Jesus promises with eternal fidelity that he would never leave you orphans.
In other words, he would never allow an emptiness like a huge crater in your life. Rather he would always be a presence to you and within you, filling you with himself.
What a wonderful consolation! Jesus lives where you live and you live to celebrate it.
The message of Easter is this: Jesus, who rose out of death into new life, is not a dead memory but a living presence – a living presence within you.
And because Jesus lives within you, you are empowered to reach out with a loving hand of affirmation to others, especially, for example, like Mildred in our story, children who are in any kind of need.
As far as you are concerned, when, for example, you are feeling suffocating loneliness or abandoned even within your family or among people you know or, for example, when you feel shattered by the disappointment in the way your life has turned out, you are not alone, you are not orphaned. You have Jesus always present within you, closer to you than you are to yourself. This is what he meant when he said, I will not leave you orphans.
This is the consolation of our gospel story today. What a magnificent gift!
HUMOR about gifts:
On the last day of kindergarten, all the children brought presents for their
teacher. The florist’s son handed the teacher a gift. She shook it, held it up
and said, “I bet I know what it is - it’s some flowers!”
“That’s right!” shouted the little boy.
Then the candy store owner’s daughter handed the teacher a gift She held it up, shook it and said. “I bet I know what it is - it’s a box of candy!”
“That’s right!” shouted the little girl.
The next gift was from the liquor store owner’s son. The teacher held it up and saw that it was leaking. She touched a drop with her finger and tasted it. “Is it wine?” she asked.
“No,” the boy answered.
The teacher touched another drop to her tongue. “Is it champagne?” she asked.
“No,” the boy answered.
Finally, the teacher said, “I give up. What is it?”
The little boy replied, “A puppy!”
THOUGHT: Always reach out to help all children.
Joyce Schowalter tells this story:
My Aunt, Mildred Dungan, was born in 1898 on a farm near Sedan, Kansas.
Her family believed in hard work, education, honesty, and service to
one's community. To attend high school, she "boarded out" in a nearby
town -- it was too far to travel daily on horseback.
When Mildred retired after a career in Colorado, she moved back to
Kansas, to a duplex next to an orphanage. She volunteered to
tutor children needing help in reading or math. At first she was sent
sixth-graders. She solved kids' problems backwards through the grades,
until at last she tutored first-graders.
When one of her Black students arrived upset over being called racist
names, she held her own hand up to a white page, pointing out that it was
pink, not white. She then held his hand up to a black object, pointing
out that it was brown, not black. Her message: "Those silly names are not
reality. NEVER let them distract you from your potential!"
One morning a girl from the orphanage came crying to Mildred's door. The
little girl had fallen and ripped the leaf for her school clay project.
My aunt showed her how the leaf could fit together again, and the child
left for school smiling. The finished clay leaf came back to Mildred, and
was displayed in her living room.
For her nieces and nephews, she was a magical figure. She discussed the
most complicated ideas with us at length. She always said, "I'm so
impressed with how you're growing up!" She gave the impression that our
parents and teachers were perhaps a bit addled if they hadn't noticed we
were growing into "such fine young people."
When Mildred's life ended at age 86, her family gathered at her
funeral, exchanging stories of how she had inspired us. But the last was
yet to be told.
After the service, a young man came up whom none of us knew. He had been in
the front row. He told us Mildred and his father had worked together in Colorado. After both his parents were killed in an accident, he was sent to live in the orphanage next to Mildred’s home. Mildred became an ongoing presence in his life.
She told him he needed to be strong, to have courage, that he could
overcome this tragedy and build a positive future. And there he was,
living proof of her inspiration.
If Mildred could give you one message today, she would say, "There IS a
child near you who needs a hand. When you find him or her, don't look back,
or wonder for a second why someone else isn't helping. Be present in that
child's life, help that child to have courage, and inspire that child to face the
future with a desire to learn, work hard, be honest, and be of service to
their community."
In our gospel story, Jesus promises with eternal fidelity that he would never leave you orphans.
In other words, he would never allow an emptiness like a huge crater in your life. Rather he would always be a presence to you and within you, filling you with himself.
What a wonderful consolation! Jesus lives where you live and you live to celebrate it.
The message of Easter is this: Jesus, who rose out of death into new life, is not a dead memory but a living presence – a living presence within you.
And because Jesus lives within you, you are empowered to reach out with a loving hand of affirmation to others, especially, for example, like Mildred in our story, children who are in any kind of need.
As far as you are concerned, when, for example, you are feeling suffocating loneliness or abandoned even within your family or among people you know or, for example, when you feel shattered by the disappointment in the way your life has turned out, you are not alone, you are not orphaned. You have Jesus always present within you, closer to you than you are to yourself. This is what he meant when he said, I will not leave you orphans.
This is the consolation of our gospel story today. What a magnificent gift!
HUMOR about gifts:
On the last day of kindergarten, all the children brought presents for their
teacher. The florist’s son handed the teacher a gift. She shook it, held it up
and said, “I bet I know what it is - it’s some flowers!”
“That’s right!” shouted the little boy.
Then the candy store owner’s daughter handed the teacher a gift She held it up, shook it and said. “I bet I know what it is - it’s a box of candy!”
“That’s right!” shouted the little girl.
The next gift was from the liquor store owner’s son. The teacher held it up and saw that it was leaking. She touched a drop with her finger and tasted it. “Is it wine?” she asked.
“No,” the boy answered.
The teacher touched another drop to her tongue. “Is it champagne?” she asked.
“No,” the boy answered.
Finally, the teacher said, “I give up. What is it?”
The little boy replied, “A puppy!”
THOUGHT: Always reach out to help all children.
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