* 11th Ordinary (A), June 15, 2008
* Theme: Images of a Compassionate God
* Father’s Day

* I must admit that my image of God undoubtedly has very much been formed by my relationship with my father who passed away 28 years ago.
* His presence is still very much with me.
* The way he cared for my mom, my brother and me was wonderful.
* I can remember how thoughtful he was of people, and how often he helped people who needed a helping hand.
* My dad has very much shaped, I believe, my appreciation of a loving God.
* Not all of us have been quite as lucky.
* Some of us have lost their fathers early either through death or absence.
* Some of us have never really had good relationships with their fathers.
* All we can do for each other in these cases is pray that forgiveness and reconciliation will come with time.

* The scripture readings we heard today,
* While not talking directly about Father’s Day, do present images of God as a loving and compassionate parent – father and mother – who cares about us without limit.
* I would like to explore some of these words and images with you.

* While we did not hear it in today’s readings, it is interesting, that Jesus chose to call God, “Abba” the equivalent of Dad or Daddy.
* This choice of words reveals something about his relationship not only with God, but also his relationship with Joseph who by his intimacy, strength, and goodness provided Jesus with his favorite image of God.
* As a matter of fact, that Jesus called God, “Abba,” is one of very few historically significant facts that we have about Jesus
* Obviously the image of God that Jesus conveyed shaped the way he dealt with the people and situations in his life.
* The Compassion of God was incarnated in Jesus in his compassion for the poor and the outcast.
* Jesus did not often challenge political realities, but he tore down barrier that existed between people taking no regard of social and economic and religious distinctions.

* In today’s Gospel from the 11th chapter of Mathew, Jesus proposes an image of people as “Sheep without a Shepherd”.
* Jesus sees the “troubled and abandoned” crowds, and he has a compassion for them.
* (Compassion here is a deep visceral feeling – the Hebrew word is related to a woman’s womb - a mother’s deep feelings for her child are felt within her womb)
* Jesus’ deep compassion is manifested in his immediate response—he “summons the twelve disciples” and sends them as ministers of his compassion, authorized to preach and heal in his name.
* (Cf. Joyce Ann Zimmerman, C.PP.S, SLU.edu)

* Jesus did not chose like minded people to be his followers but the image of the disciples is that of an unlikely group of people
* We know that this was a disparate group from the list and brief descriptions Matthew gives of the first disciples.
* Simon and Andrew were brothers.
* They probably got along, but what did their families think of their dropping their fishing nets to go off with the itinerant preacher?
* James and John were also brothers. Mark says Jesus gave them the nickname, “sons of thunder”
* It doesn’t take much imagination to deduce how they got that name!
* Then there was Matthew himself, a tax-collector,
* A traitor to the cause of Israel because he collected taxes for the Romans
* Simon was of the Zealot party.
* Zealots were super-nationalists, burning with zeal for the liberation of Israel.
* Some were terrorists against the Romans.
* Then there was even Judas Iscariot who would betray him.
* There are moments in the gospel when the apostles’ diverging personalities flared and Jesus had to rein them in.
* How did he do that?
* With the patience and compassion of a loving parent
* He said that if they wanted to follow him they would have to make personal sacrifices, put aside their differences and focus instead on the needs of others.
* (Cf. Jude Siciliano, O.P.)

* In the First reading from the book of Exodus, the author uses the image of the mighty Eagle and the young birds
* The image of “eagles’ wings” is multi-faceted:
* Eagles sometimes bear their young aloft to test their metal and to teach them to exercise their wings and to learn to be self-sufficient
* Eagles at other times protect their very young under the shadow of their wings – an image that reflects both tenderness and care.

* The images of God in today’s reading are rich and evocative
* They invite us all, Fathers and Mothers, Priests and Teachers, Laborers and Office Workers to share in the compassionate work of God.
* As members of the Body of Christ, we share the responsibility for the welfare of human beings and of the human community.
* (Cf. Corbin Eddy, “Living with Christ”)
* Thank you especially to those fathers of families who have given us an example of how to live life with the Compassion of God.

* Happy Father’s Day
* Amen

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