May 10, 2026 Sixth Sunday of Easter

May 10, 2026

Sixth Sunday of Easter

In the beginning, he was a freelance window cleaner, paid by the pane. Then a client asked him to clean a vacant property, one that was an absolute mess. From there, he started a company that will tidy up anything, no matter how repulsive.

His name is Ben Giles. Along with the members of his team, he can clean everything from crime scenes to industrial accidents. According to The Guardian, he has become an expert in removing evidence of spillages, collisions, protests, explosions, fires and floods. He is “a self-taught stain savant, a walking database of remedies.”

Coffee spills. Easy.

Soot, smoke, grease and blood. Can do.

Roadkill. Check.

Overturned trash trucks. No problem.

A dead whale in a harbor. Been there, done that.

Giles often sends his trainees into filthy prison cells, where they learn good cleaning techniques. A person can learn a bit about everything in a prison, tackling stains from the outside in, to avoid spreading the mess. This is hard work, often done down on all fours, with workers moving slowly, inch by inch. In prison cleanups, students learn the Giles Method, which begins with an important first principle: “Everything in front of you is dirty. Everything behind you is clean.”

Giles is a religious man, and his work has a spiritual dimension. “If a stain or a mess is repulsive enough,” says The Guardian, “its removal is seen as a delivery of near-religious proportions.”

Life was messy for the followers of Christ in Asia Minor, a region that is now Turkey. They had made a mess of their lives through malice, insincerity, envy and slander, so the apostle Peter wrote a letter assuring them that the stain of their sin could be removed. Peter wanted them to know that Jesus had taken their sins on himself and paid their penalty for all time.

Jesus is a stain expert, a walking database of remedies for sin. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, everything in front of him was dirty. After his death, everything behind him was clean. He was a righteous man who sacrificed himself for unrighteous people, and his death continues to bring us forgiveness and new life. Jesus is God’s stain remover.

So, what is the Jesus Method? We have learned about the Giles Method for cleaning, but what technique does Jesus use? In his death on the cross, Jesus let go of any earthly limitations and entered into a new life of spiritual power to cleanse all of our sins.

In this new life, Peter tells us that Jesus “went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey” (vv. 19-20). While we do not know exactly who these “spirits in prison” were, they were probably people who had made a mess of their lives and the lives of others.

Peter makes a connection between Jesus and Noah because he remembers the story of the Great Flood. This story in Genesis is another example of divine stain removal, one in which God flooded the earth because “the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence” (Genesis 6:11). Peter says that “God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight lives, were saved through water” (1 Peter 3:20). In this story of wiping away sin, only eight lives were spared: Noah, his wife, their three sons and their wives.

Fortunately for us, God promised never again to use this ancient method of stain removal. Instead, God established the Jesus Method, one in which we are baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus. Once baptized, we become part of the body of Christ, the church. We die to sin and are raised to new life. Peter tells us that baptism is meant to remind us of the Great Flood. It is a washing that saves us “not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (v. 21).

Like the people who received Peter’s letter, we know that our sins can make a mess of our lives. Some of them can cause extremely stubborn stains. In fact the stain metaphor is a good one for describing moral failings. All of us fall in this category at some point (or points) in our lives.

When it comes to sin removal, Jesus is the most powerful of solvents.

The first step for any of us is to admit our sins and ask for forgiveness. We can do this with full confidence that Jesus removes the stain of sin by his sacrifice on the cross. None of us should ever despair, because in the world of stains, there is always a solution.

We should never be afraid to ask for forgiveness. Once we have been forgiven, we can join our brothers and sisters in doing Christ’s work in the world.

Forgiveness is designed not just to make us feel better, but to restore order to the world. Forgiveness is a gift we receive so that we can be a gift to Jesus and to the people around us.

Between birth and death, we have an opportunity to be forgiven and to forgive others. To receive cleansing and then do the work of cleaning in the world. Giles has found that it is important to sweep, scrub and share solutions to various stains. As an expert cleaner, Giles wrote he has discovered that almost any mess can be corrected. For streaks of mud, let it dry, then scrape it. For oil paint, use turpentine. On spilled coffee, try soap and sunshine.

Yes, our messes can be corrected. For the stain of sin, we can apply the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Then we can allow him to work through us, to restore order to the world.

Let us pray.

In today’s Gospel Jesus tells us that if we truly love him, we will keep his commandments.  We pray for the grace and wisdom to resist all temptations and to show the love to others that we would aspire to bestow on Christ himself. We pray to the Lord.               

We pray for more love and respect among the peoples of the world, so that all can live in peace and that developed nations generously help the less well-off to be free from the oppression of hunger and poverty. We pray to the Lord.

We pray for those families who at this time are without homes, that the security and sanctity of a real family life be quickly restored to them. We pray to the Lord.                       

We pray for all those families who have lost loved ones through warfare and violence. We ask, Lord, that you touch all hearts with your love, heal our world’s brokenness and inspire world leaders to seek understanding and peace rather than hate and warfare. We pray to the Lord.            

In this Mother’s day, we turn to our Mother Mary and ask that she bless all mothers and fill them with peace and comfort. We Our Lady to be with them especially and shower them with the love of her Son. We pray to the Lord.  

This Wednesday, we ask Our Lady of Fatima, to fill us with the same love that she gave the three children during her visitations. We pray to the Lord.

We pray for an increase of priests, deacons and religious. We pray to the Lord.

We pray that those with generous hearts may be led to our small church and give generously to our mission so that we may continue to be a church open to all peoples . We pray to the Lord.

For those on our parish prayer list, that they may receive swift answers to their needs and that they may find consolation through Christ’s healing presence. We pray to the Lord.

We bow our heads and remember in silence our own personal intentions and the intentions of those who have asked for our prayers (pause). We pray to the Lord.        

We confess, Lord, that we need an inner cleansing. We have allowed our spirits to be darkened by the plaque of sin. We need our desires altered that they might more closely align with your will. We need purity of heart, and for your

love to flood over us and in us.

Open the eyes of our hearts that we may see more nearly as you see. Open our spiritual ears that we may hear your voice more clearly.

Then stir up our spirits that we may rise up with faith and move out into the world to be true servants of Christ our Lord. Hear our confession, Lord, and make us righteous in your sight.

In this month of May, we give veneration to the Mother of your Son, Our Lady Mary.

 At the foot of the cross of your Son, Jesus Christ, we see many women, especially among them are mentioned in the Gospels as, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, the mother of the sons of Zebedee, your Mother’s sister Mary - the wife of Clopas, and especially, your Mother. And through these women, you give them an honored elevation above that which was common at that time. And so, at the foot of the cross, you speak to your Mother and your beloved disciple John you speak to the two of them saying, “Woman, behold, your son.”  Then to John, “Behold, your mother.” Starting with these women, with your Mother having a venerated post on earth and later in heaven, you give life and care for your Church.

This day we acknowledge those women who have children and become Mothers who gives life and nourishment to her children, bless these women, as we celebrate this day in their honor. May they be strengthened as Christian mothers. Let the example of their faith and love shine forth. Grant that we, their sons and daughters, may honor and appreciate them with a spirit of profound respect.

Because we know that Jesus was the second person of the Trinity, we therefore know that Jesus is God. And thus, because of this, we honor Mary with the title of “Mother of God.”May the example of Mary, Mother of Jesus, inspire women to live their vocation as Christian mothers and call their children to faith; whether said children are their biological children or those of others. Guide and protect them in challenging times and help them to continue to trust in you all the days of their life.

We ask all these things, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

God Love You +++

The Most Rev. Robert Winzens

Pastor – St. Francis Chapel

San Diego, CA.

As a small parish, we come to you all as beggars! Share with us this Christmas, a little sacrifice for the Christ Child. Your generous support also allows us to continue these important projects that fuel the movement of progressive Christianity. Thank you and God bless you! +++

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