Weekly HOMILY for May 2, 2010: 3 Steps in Loving As We Have Been Loved

5th Sunday of Easter, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
May 2, 2010

3 Steps in Loving As We Have Been Loved
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato


The Heifer Project

This past Christmas, I received three very special gifts from three different friends.

The first gift was a sheep. No, it didn’t come by UPS or FedEx. The second was a flock of baby chicks and again, the pen didn’t show up on my doorstep. The third was a goat and no, I didn’t find it on my front lawn munching grass.

What each of these folks did was to donate the sheep, chicks and goat to a very poor family in Uganda. They gave the animals in my name and did this as part of what is called the Heifer Project.

The Heifer Project is a not-for-profit organization aimed at helping very poor families in Third World countries and in rural America. The plan is to give a specific animal or animals to a specific family.

The animal might be a water buffalo, a hive of honeybees, a sheep, a goat, a heifer, a flock of geese or ducks, a trio of rabbits, and on it goes. The family is taught how to care for the animal and then the animal becomes a source of income for that family.

For example, the family might sell the eggs from the chickens or the wool from the sheep.

In some Third World countries, this money enables the parents to send their children to school, since they do not have free public education as we do.


“By Your Love For One Another…”

The Heifer Project helps to break open Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel.

Jesus says, “Such as my love has been for you, so must your love be for one another. This is how people will know you as my disciples: by your love for one another.”

The Heifer Project is a very clear example of living out Jesus’ words.

I see three traits, or maybe we would call them steps, that are part of our loving others as Jesus has loved us.


Step 1: Looking Beyond Myself

First, we need to look beyond ourselves.

I need to look beyond just what I need or what I want or what is in my best interest. We need to look at the needs and wellbeing of others.

This is exactly what God does for us when he sends his Son to the earth for our salvation. It is what Jesus does for us in the Eucharist in giving himself to us.

This is what we also are to do, in something like the Heifer project, and definitely with those who are part of our everyday lives, like our parents or spouse or children or best friend.

Looking beyond ourselves to the needs of others is Step 1 in loving as Jesus has loved.


Step 2: Feeling Compassion

Then, Step 2 is to allow the needs of others to touch our hearts.

This means that we feel compassion for others. It means that we feel concern and care and want to ease the burden of others.

Jesus repeatedly feels compassion – for the hungry, the sick, the grieving, and the rejected. He shows his compassion for us in the Eucharist – by actually remaining with us in this way.

And again, we are to feel compassion for those struggling just to survive in Third World countries or for the co-worker who has just lost her spouse or the neighbor who’s lost his job.

Allowing the needs of others to touch our hearts is Step 2 in loving as Jesus has loved.

Step 3: Committing Something

Finally, Step 3 is to do something – that is, to commit something of ourselves to assist others.

We might donate some of our money or give some of our time. The point is that we actually do something positive and concrete here-and-now.

Jesus repeatedly does this – making time to listen or changing his plans to go and heal someone.

At the Last supper he literally gives us himself in the form of bread and wine to nourish and strengthen us.

We can do this by giving a sheep to a Third World family or by baking a casserole for Our Daily Bread. Committing something of ourselves to assist others is Step 3 in loving as Jesus has loved.


Conclusion

We end as we began. Jesus says, “such as my love has been for you, so must your love be for one another.”

(1) Looking beyond ourselves to the needs of others
(2) Allowing their needs to touch our hearts, and
(3) Committing something of ourselves to help…

this is loving as Jesus has loved.

And as Jesus says, “This is how people will know you are my disciples: by your love for one another.”

What do our actions or lack of them tell others about our belief in the Lord?