“Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. I glorified youon earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.” (John 17)

This quote from today’s Gospel of John for our Seventh Sunday in Easter “describes” Eternal Life for us. Perhaps it’s not our “picture” of heaven—might we have been expecting a cloud-filled, blue-skied, harp-filled locale complete with winged, celestial beings and all our family and friends, frozen at the age 29, and with perfect bodies—cancer free, no bum hip or leg, no illness and everyone getting along happily for all eternity...and don’t forget the banquet table bedecked with unending foods, desserts and buckets of champagne. A Downton Abbey-like life on steroids.

Whatever your personal vision of heavenly life, err—eternal life—is, today’s description of Eternal Life is one less of a physical locale—empyrean, or Camelot-like—and more of a “knowing” of who God and His Son, Jesus Christ, are—through the Work Christ accomplished and by what He stands for and of His expectations for our lives—and our part in accepting His Will made one with our lives.

Today’s Gospel of John, chapter 17, has been called the “High Priestly Prayer of Jesus.” It speaks of Christ as the word of God made flesh and then Christ as the revealed Word of God’s Love made present in our world. Christ is the ultimate gift of Love—in His death and Resurrection—a love of the Father for the Son and then the Son passes that love on to us. The great news here is that we are part of the ultimate gift giving, this is no “Yankee Swap.” But rather, this is the gifteveryone desires, whether they know it or not.

How do we interpret this reading and its meaning for us today, some 2000-plus years after the Last Supper when the disciples ate their last meal with their teacher, and fearfully heard Him say that He would leave them, at least for a while? How are we to interpret this ultimate gift giving for today, with all our fears and anxieties?

God’s Love is from all eternity and it includes us as part of His original gift: His Love, the Word made flesh, that was realized on the day of and the days after Christ’s death and Resurrection—we are part of that eternal gift giving (and so shall everyone who has yet to be created in His likeness and image.) That sacrificial love was seen raised on the Cross, placed in the tomb, and then raised from the dead—has our individual name tags already inscribed on it; we are called to be part of that gift of love and to use that love to extend His gift in new times, new places and in new ways—to extend the Kingdom of Heave here on earth.

A simple question or two to ask ourselves today and every day: Shall I open His gift and wear His Love in my life, allowing it to transform and conform me to His Eternal Will? Or shall I ask for a gift receipt and seek some other gift or gifts—another form of belief or just unbelief or indifference or something even less life-giving?

In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic I have seen and heard much sadness and fear—from news reports being repeated day-after-day as if they were breaking news, creating unnecessary anxiety; to misinformation pitting various sides against each other, to the point of clouding the real issue at hand. But I have also—and more often than not—seen people doing amazingly unselfish, beautiful acts of charity and kindnesses. Locally, I have seen our parish food pantry explode with new sources of support—parishioners shopping for additional items for those in need; I have had untold numbers of parishioners call and offer help to shop for or run errands for the elderly or the frail, and I have received unsolicited financial resources to assist families, who might have lost their jobs.

Our Ministries like Pantry Partner, Feed the Hungry, St. Elizabeth’s House, Street Sandwich Ministry, Manny’s Meals Curbside have transformed themselves to meet the CDC requirements for safety without being asked (it’s called leadership!); our Faith Formation, Youth Ministry and Music Ministry have stepped up to the plate and made the parish more virtually visible in this time of need; and, our Facility Manager sees to it that our church is cleaned and open for individual prayer—something more necessary than ever—in this time of need. Goodness is out there, if we just use our eyes of faith to see it. Fear—is the weapon of choice of the evil one, the devil.

Fear makes us worry and doubt, causing us not to trust others and spread confusion; Faith in God calls us to Trust and it demands that we Hope and act for the future; as we just celebrated the Holy Day of Obligation last Thursday—Ascension Thursday—we looked to heaven as the Lord was taken up in glory. The future is made anew and Christ will not abandon us; that Hope and Trust are the antidote to fear, anxiety and being overwhelmed—for we now share in that ultimate gift exchange between the Father and the Son, our names are already on the gift tags—we just have to accept the gift, open it and try it on. Shall we? Believe it, Live it, Share it!

Right around the corner is Pentecost Sunday—the “Birthday of the Church” and the giving of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, sent from God, as the gifts of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear (Awe) of the Lord. Look for your name tag and go for the gift—“spend” it wisely