Reflection on the Fifth Sunday of Easter

Loretto Sister Rita Bruegenhagen introduced me to the commentaries of David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart on PBS News every Friday evening. I have enjoyed their commentaries ever since but recently, in listening to a panel discussion at Georgetown University in which David Brooks was a participant, I saw another whole side of him, a side that truly surprised me. He related that he moved into Christianity in 2013 and though he claims, “I have never been a Catholic,” he is strongly guided by the principles of Catholic social teaching. 

Turning to John’s Gospel, we notice that he does not include the institution of the Eucharist in his account of the Last Supper. He places the emphasis on Jesus’ act of washing the feet of his disciples. That is his challenge to them and to us.

In today’s Gospel selection, Jesus continues telling his friends about his glorification through suffering, death and Resurrection. They have to grapple with what he is saying. Understandably, all they see is his impending suffering and death. How could that lead to glorification? They must have been very confused. It wouldn’t make sense to them. Only after witnessing the Resurrection would their eyes be open to understanding how Jesus and they themselves might be glorified through suffering and death.

After telling them all this, Jesus gives them a new commandment: to love one another:  “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Get out there and start washing feet.

This is a place and a time in our history where Catholic social teaching needs to be emphasized. Pope Leo XIII was pope from 1878 – 1903. He was politically astute and always emphasized justice issues. He published several encyclicals but the most memorable one is “Rerum Novarum” in which he emphasizes the needs and rights of ordinary workers, insisting on a suitable workplace and just wages. Out of his teaching grew the seven principles of Catholic social teaching. Little did I know that we would have a Pope Leo XIV when I wrote the first draft of this homily. I feel sure he will try to walk in the footsteps of his predecessor.

If you are like most Catholics, you either never heard of the principles of social justice or you have heard them, but have forgotten them. They have been referred to as the Church’s best kept secret. However, they are certainly intertwined  in our Loretto values and daily living.

To refresh your memory, they are:

1. Each person is sacred, made in the image of God.
2. Each person is social, called to participate in family and community.
3. All people have rights and responsibilities.
4. We are responsible to care for the poor and vulnerable.
5. Workers have rights and dignity.
6. We are called to solidarity.
7. It is our duty to care for creation.

Aren’t these good foot-washing rules? Isn’t this what it means to love your neighbor as yourself?

One of the questions asked of the participants in that panel discussion was the following: What are we called to do in this time in history? David Brooks’ answer was to live by these principles, to have and give hope, and especially, to trust in the goodness of others. He mentioned that in visiting various areas around the country, he frequently asks the question, “Who can you trust in this place?” He said the answers are not the political or religious leaders but rather someone in the area who is truly helping others like running a soup kitchen, offering legal or physical  assistance to immigrants, or providing shelter for the homeless.

Hope bubbles up when we see actions among ordinary people who truly live by the principles of social justice whether they know it or not. It doesn’t have to be announced or spelled out. When we see it, our own spirits are raised. When others are treated with dignity, compassion, love and justice, they are lifted up. So what is ours to do at this time in history? Jesus says we are to be foot-washers, good neighbors, joining in with others who are seeking justice, respecting the dignity of every person. We can be in solidarity with other humans, in prayer, even though we may never meet them in person. “This is how they will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”