Homily 5th Sunday of Easter - May 7, 2023

 Today's readings can be found here.

            The early Church was growing quickly.  Many heard the preaching of the Apostles and believed in Jesus and the Gospel.  Acts chapter four tells us the community of believers was of one heart and mind, sharing everything in common.  New believers were selling their homes and property and giving the proceeds to the Apostles to distribute.  However, as the community grew larger, the Apostles could no longer keep up with everyone’s needs.  Some of the widows in the community were being neglected.  The Apostles realized they needed help.  They knew that their primary ministry was preaching the Gospel.  To meet the additional ministerial needs of the community, they ordained the first deacons.

            To a certain extent, things haven’t changed much since then.  We don’t have enough priests to meet needs of our parishes and communities.  Our deacons and religious do a great deal, but still there is more that can be done.  We see the effect of the shortage of priests at Nativity.  Soon we’ll have one priest to meet the sacramental needs of both our parish and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.  Our diocese needs more priests to meet the needs of our parishes.  I encourage all young men to pray, listen to God, and discern if you’re being called to this vocation.  I encourage parents to discuss vocations such as the priesthood or religious life with their children.  To our young adults, be open to the call of God to religious life or a life of service.

            For the older men in the parish, I ask you to be open to God’s call to the permanent diaconate.  Being a deacon may not be something you’ve ever considered. I know I didn’t before I discerned my call.  There’s so much more to being a deacon than serving at Mass and preaching.  It’s about service to the community, the workplace, friends, and family.  Being a deacon has blessed me and my family in ways I couldn’t have imagined before I began formation.  It’s deepened my relationship with my wife and children.  I’ve grown closer to Jesus and gained a desire to be more like Him in serving others.  My vocation has been a blessing that changed my life in ways I would never have imagined.

            There are other ways we can serve the community besides a vocation to priesthood, diaconate, or religious life.  Who in our community is being neglected, like the widows in our first reading?  How can we serve those people?  There are so many ways we can serve others.  Nativity is actively involved in supporting the less fortunate in Brockport.  We help with food and clothing shelves.  We support the students at SUNY Brockport.  The Human Concerns Committee recently helped provide food and snacks for students studying for exams.  These are opportunities to volunteer or to be generous.  We hear on the news every day of wars and disasters and the need for humanitarian aid.  Many organizations can use our help to serve those in need.

            If we’re not able to volunteer or assist financially, we can still pray for those in need.  The Apostles devoted themselves not only to the ministry of the Word, but to prayer.  Our second reading speaks of us becoming living stones for God.  We’re called to allow ourselves to be built into a spiritual house.  By doing so we can offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God.  Praying for others allows us to help build this spiritual house and the kingdom of God.

            However we serve others, we should ask Jesus for the faith to do God’s will.  In the Gospel, Jesus tells us not to let our hearts be troubled.  We should have faith in Jesus and believe in Him.  If we do so, we will not only do the works of Jesus, but greater ones besides.  We only need to be open to Jesus’ voice to guide us.  Who in our families, workplaces, or communities are being neglected?  How can we be like those first deacons and serve them?