"Flywheel" movie
The other day I bought and watched a great movie called "Flywheel" that I highly recommend (http://www.flywheelthemovie.com). If you've seen it, or happen to see it soon let me know your thoughts on the movie.
Gospel Reflection 20070429
Help people who sin understand and live God's love.
Traditionally known as the Christian "work of mercy" titled "admonish the sinner," this can be a tough act to do. We all admit in our heads that we're sinners, but no one likes to be told that he or she really was one on a particular occasion.
Perhaps the most practical way of doing this work is by your own example, by refusing to take part in things you see are wrong. When others see your quiet refusals and also notice that your life is happier and less cluttered with guilt, the message will get across.
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Christ Knows His Sheep!
April 29, 2007
Fourth Sunday of Easter
Gospel
Jn 10:27-30
Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”
Today's Gospel was very brief. But the message of this Gospel is not trivial. The Good Shepherd speaks and the sheep hear His voice and obey. The Good Shepherd says, "Shake off the dust of evildoers." And we are to be like the obedient sheep. Obedience. That's not a very popular word today, is it? In fact, when it is mentioned it is usually spoken with sarcasm as "blind obedience". Let us be very clear here. God wants us to obey His Commandments. He wants mature, whole-hearted, loving obedience. But He does want obedience. True, He gave us free will. But Our God is honored when we use that free will to do only what is good. And for the good sheep, who choose to follow the example of the Good Shepherd, Jesus promises eternal life.
Before He died, Jesus told his disciples what to do when they were rejected or abused. He told them to "shake the dust of the town from their feet" and move on to the next place. Does this advice sound unusual? Jesus knew first hand how it felt to be mis-judged and persecuted. He knew how easy it is to take offense and hold a grudge. He knew that grudges can grow and eat away at goodness in a person's heart. So Jesus gave his disciples one of the hardest lessons of their lives: The only way to respond when we are wronged is to forgive. Shake the dirt of resentment and revenge from our feet, our heart, and our minds. And move on to the next town. Jesus knew we cannot serve two masters. We cannot serve some people with love while we hold hatred in our hearts for the wrongs of others.
Evil is such an insidious thing. We don't realize how easily it multiplies. Consider what happens when someone at work or school hurts our feelings. If we do not choose to forgive it immediately the hurt grows. Then we go out to the playground and say a careless or mean word to someone else. On the drive home, we lose our patience with all the traffic and construction, and we angrily refuse to let someone merge in front of our car. Before we realize it, we have 'passed along' the evil we experienced to others. And probably, the people we have hurt will likewise pass it on to others.
Jesus knew this. Jesus knew his disciples must have no part in passing on evil to others. We too must keep ourselves free of the "dust" of anger and revenge. Do not carry a grudge. Instead to be "filled with joy and the Holy Spirit." This is a very important point. We cannot do this on our own. Everything in our being cries out for fairness, getting even, making them pay. Jesus gave us His Heart, His Holy Spirit, because He knew that we could not forgive our enemies on our own. If your focus is revenge, being offended, being bitter, there is no peace and joy possible. But when we yield to the power of the Holy Spirit, when we choose to forgive and move on, the result is peace and joy.
This biblical message of not seeking revenge is the exact opposite of the message the world gives us, isn't it? The world says, "Get even". Popular thinking says, "make those who hurt you pay for it." But for the Christian, our triumph is the Cross. All evil stops at the foot of the Cross. Jesus absorbed and accepted all the evil that was done to Him and all of the evil of the whole world, and He refused to pass it on. Remember, as Christians, we are called to be like Christ. In other words, we must refuse to pass along evil. We must brush the dust of evildoers from our shoes so it cannot seep into our hearts and contaminate our lives. We must not allow evil to go any further.
I remember hearing the story of a woman who saw her son murdered by a gang. Many of her son's friends were nearby and saw the whole thing happen, but they ran away in fear and abandoned him. When it was all over, what do you think this mother did? Did she turn her back on all who had abandoned her beloved son? No. She comforted those friends who had behaved so cowardly. She grieved with them and encouraged them to become more courageous and fruitful in the future. Can we imagine the courage it must take to be able to shake off the dust of hurt and anger like that? This woman was Mary.
Now there will always be those who will tell us that only a coward would turn the other cheek, that people should stand up for themselves. They would advise the young person to get revenge, to "punch that kid out" who bothered them on the playground. They would advise the co-worker to "get even" with the person who hurt them. But in truth I tell you, the really courageous person is the person who chooses not to pass on evil.
In a few minutes we all will say the Our Father. Remember, this is the only prayer that Jesus gave us. In this prayer, we beg the Father to forgive us our faults, our wrongdoings, or sins as we forgive everyone else. Let us pause for a moment and consider our words. Do we choose this moment to forgive everyone or not? Do we want Jesus to forgive every one of our sins or not?
In the Gospel we learn that even when misfortune occurs, Jesus protects those who are faithful to Him. He says: "My sheep hear my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand.”
His words are very important in these times. After the death of Jesus, the apostles had great success in convincing the people of many nations to follow His teachings. However, each paid a price for their stewardship. History indicates that 10 of the remaining 11 apostles suffered martyrdom. Following Christ has it’s rewards but no one ever said it would be easy. It's not easy, today, ... in the year 2007. Do you realize that by being gathered here this morning you are all examples of individuals who have remained true to Christ’s teachings? You may say to yourself, “Well, what’s so difficult about coming to Church once a week?” Think about it. Just a few years ago, our nation could be considered a Christian nation. If we study our history, we learn the majority of the men signing our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were extremely religious. Is that true today? I would suggest it is not true.
In a recent American Bishop’s survey it was determined that of those who claim to be Catholic, only 40% say they attend Mass each week. You here today are in the minority among Catholics. Why is that important? For two reasons. First, what you do each week is not easy. But what does Jesus say to those who do listen to His words?
My sheep hear My voice; I know them and
they follow Me. I give them ETERNAL LIFE
AND THEY SHALL NEVER PERISH.
What a promise! We have remained true to Jesus and He has indicated we will be rewarded. The second reason our presence here, today, is important is because the society in which we now live seems intent on blotting out all reference to God, the Commandments and to Jesus Himself. If you turn on your television set, visit the movies, read the magazines and the books, the majority of the messages we receive is, “Forget religion. Forget the story about Jesus’ resurrection. That’s just a myth.”
That’s what the apostles were told by many of the people to whom they preached. Let me address the young people directly, those of you in grade school, high school, college or just getting started in your careers. Many huge corporations in our society, like the Jewish priests of old, are spending billions of dollars each year to woo you away from your faith. I know that your parents constantly remind you of this fact but often the young may be inclined to dismiss that advice, saying, “Mom and Dad are a little bit old fashioned.” No, they’re not. They are teaching you the same concepts that Jesus taught us in today’s Gospel.
Now, no one can deny that all through the past 2000 years, Christians have experienced many times of great distress. In fact, we are living in such a time right now, a time of darkness and sin, which Pope John Paul has so aptly named a “culture of death”; but that should not sop us from speaking and acting boldly about our Christian faith. Like Paul and so many others who have witnessed before us, It is now our turn to be instruments of salvation in the midst of hostility. Will we do it?
Well, one thing is for certain. NO one can give what he or she does not possess and that brings us to an examination of conscience. Before we try to shine the light of Christ into other people’s lives, we need to ask ourselves if we are ready to welcome that light into our own lives.
Would we, for example, welcome Jesus to sit with us as we tuned in our favorite TV shows or as we surfed the Internet? Would he be welcome to stand with us in the voting booth as we make our political choices? How welcome would he be on our next date? What would his light reveal if he tapped into our phone lines to hear our conversations?
Examples could go on and on because everyone of us would find some darkness, some sinfulness in our lives. Would that disqualify us from spreading the light of Christ? Do we have to wait until we are perfect? Certainly not. It has been truly said that, if sinners do not spread the Gospel, it will never be spread. On the other hand, we need to also realize that, since we are only reflecting the light of Christ, we are not its source, our lives are like any other reflector. The cleaner it is the better it works.
Have any of us gathered at the dinner table and discussed what a wonderful offer God makes to us? Have we ever discussed the reality of Heaven? Frankly, I have never had a discussion like that. I have had discussions about vacations. However, I've never had a discussion about Heaven. I've never talked with others about what it could be like ... what we would do, how we would interact with God, would our families and friends be there? It's almost as if you and I hear about Heaven but we really aren't sure whether we will be there.
Let's imagine that it was an advertisement for a free, wonderful vacation in, say, Hawaii, Florida, the Caribbean or the Isle of Capri. Wouldn't we probably rush to sign up? And wouldn't we gather our families around us and discuss what a wonderful time we would have. We would get all the details and plan visits to the beach, wonderful meals together, sightseeing trips, golf outings and just plain relaxation. All at no cost!!!
If Heaven were a vacation spot and if it was advertised on television and in the travel magazines, we'd all rush to make a reservation. It would all be free. "Hey ... sign me up for the rest of my life. Or, better still, for all eternity."
If I took a poll here this morning and asked, "after you die, who would like to sign up for this place they call Heaven?" I assume everyone would say, "Yes, include me! What's the charge?" There is no charge.
Well, there are some stipulations to the offer. There's no money involved but God does ask that we make some prior arrangements. Number 1, there are some guidelines which he calls the "commandments". He asks that we meet certain conditions to qualify. Well, that's reasonable. There are guidelines to every vacation we take.
However, his guidelines have a two fold benefit for us. Not only do they guide us to his eternal home but they also guide us to a happy life while we are here on earth. The commandments are not too difficult to understand if we think of each commandment and then ask the question, "Would I like someone taking that action against me or to someone I loved. Would I be happy is someone killed me, robbed me or lied to me. No I wouldn't. I wouldn't like it if anyone in my family or any of my friends was guilty of murder, robbery or sins against the 6th commandment. Expressed in those terms it seems the commandments are really quite reasonable.
Each of us will be tempted to forget our God and join the masses of people in our society who have are ignoring His teachings. One might say, "There seems to be so much evil in the world how can anyone be worthy to eventually be in Heaven? Well, we recently celebrated the reason why we can look forward to Heaven even though we have sinned during our lifetime. Jesus Christ Himself came to this earth to open the gates of Heaven for us. He suffered cruel tortures and He died for our sins. The movie, "The Passion of Christ" depicted in graphic detail just how much Jesus suffered for us.
And so, as we consider the concept of Heaven and the prospect of each of us someday being there, it sounds almost too good to be true... but it is true because Jesus made it possible for all of us.
So, today, as we come to communion, spend a few minutes seriously thinking of the promises God has made to each of us. He offers us a reward that is unbelievable, a reward for which His son Jesus has died so that we might be allowed to spend an eternity with our maker. Are most of us planning a vacation this summer? Will we spend time in preparation and will we make some sacrifices to make sure we have an enjoyable time? If the answer is "Yes" shouldn't we also spend time seriously considering whether are not we are making all the correct preparations to be sure we will someday be with God and enjoy the life He has promised us today? It really does make sense to do just that.
Here are links for the 10 Commandments (the 10 really boil down to just 2). After clicking on the links, click on the Article for each Commandment for a full description of how each Commandment applies to our daily lives. You may be surprised at how many decisions we each make on a daily basis that relate directly back to the Commandments:
The first three Commandments: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt3sect2chpt1ind.htm "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND"
Commandments 4 through 10: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt3sect2chpt2ind.htm "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF"
Gospel Reflection 20070422
Possessions can be a subtle trap.
St. Francis wanted no property because he felt it would keep him from loving God. He did not consider the problem to be money, houses or land, but rather attachment to things. Sometimes, you think you are in control but wake up to find that you are being controlled. By living poorly, Francis proved that happiness can be found in God's love, and is not dependent upon owning things.
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Third Sunday of Easter
The Fisher of Men Is Not Let Off the Hook
April 22, 2007
Gospel
Jn 21:1-19
At that time, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”
They said to him, “We also will come with you.”
So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore;
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”
They answered him, “No.”
So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something.”
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.”
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad,
and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat,
for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards,
dragging the net with the fish.
When they climbed out on shore,
they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore
full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.”
And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?”
because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples
after being raised from the dead.
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
He then said to Simon Peter a second time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
Jesus said to him the third time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was distressed that Jesus had said to him a third time,
“Do you love me?” and he said to him,
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,
you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted;
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,
and someone else will dress you
and lead you where you do not want to go.”
He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”
ONE
They recognized Him. Three years before this encounter with Jesus, the Apostles experienced another amazing catch of fish as a result of this new man they just met. The result was to change the course of their lives forever.
At first encounter, it was Jesus' charisma that made them drop everything they were doing and follow Him. Who was this guy who had answers for everything and who could make sense of the scriptures? What was the attraction?
Jesus had a power. He had a purpose. He had an agenda. His confidence was clear and it was contagious.
His apostles recognized that He was something special. Why? Because He stirred their hearts and challenged their minds.
In the three years that they walked with him they got to know His humanness. They were taken by His goodness. They were willing students who wanted to learn. They had the desire to imitate Him. Jesus fulfilled a need that you and I have as well: A will to make sense out of the non-sense of life. Jesus showed them the way. But, something went terribly wrong.
Suddenly the whole world seemed to drop out from under the feet of the Apostles. Their leader, this super-human person, seemed to be just like everyone else -- subject to suffering and death. What did they do? They scattered! It wasn't until they regrouped to gather their wits and gained new strength from one another that they would be in a position to accept the realities of what was still to happen.
Now, here we see Jesus revealing Himself to them in different ways. The Apostles realized that Jesus did, indeed, rise from the dead. The experience was so profound that the Apostle's lives would be changed forever. The confidence they gained was so powerful and so pervasive that fear would never again become a factor in their zeal to spread the gospel message. They knew that everything that Jesus said and did was absolute truth. And now they were willing to go to their deaths proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah.
That same zeal is what the Church needs today from its priests and from the laity. We haven't had the luxury of seeing the risen Christ first hand. Or, have we? Don't we see Christ working in His Church? How else could it be possibly have grown , even with all the difficulties it has faced right up to the present crisis, if the Holy Spirit wasn't there actively working? Why is it that for every person who exhibits evil and hatred there are countless others who try to live the Christian life?
The answer is that God IS with us. He never left. Like the apostles we are asked to carry Jesus' loving message to the world around us. We must carry the torch of faith in our hearts and in our minds. We, like Peter, must know that we will not always be in control; that believing can result in dying. Maybe not the kind of death Peter had to endure but rather a dying to self. Denying the bad and accepting the good to which only Jesus can lead us. And, like Peter, Jesus is asking you, today, "Follow me."
TWO
One way to draw a crowd is to have someone famous appear. Whether you are opening a business or trying to revive your attendance, having someone popular make an appearance seems to draw a crowd. Although the appearances of Jesus after his resurrection may not have drawn huge crowds, they happened with the people who needed them most.
In today's gospel, the appearance of Jesus focuses on Peter. After the multiplication of the fish in the nets, Jesus focuses his attention on Peter. He has something left over that must be taken care of with Jesus. Peter has betrayed Jesus, forsaking his friend in his time of need. He has a need for an encounter with the risen Jesus.
As Jesus questions Peter, Jesus uncovers the most important question. Do You Love Me? They could have spoken about many other things. They could have rehashed the betrayal and the hurt. They could have talked in detail about the consequences of his actions, but the most important question is brought to the surface. Do You Love Me?
Peter has a more realistic experience of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. It may have been easier in the past to say he was a disciple, when he believed that Jesus would be victorious and Peter would be able to be in charge. It might have looked and felt more appealing to be known as a follower of Jesus then than it did after the crucifixion. Jesus asks Peter if he loves him from the context of his new experiences. He says, "Peter, knowing what you know now, Do You Love Me?"
This is a reality check. It is almost as if Jesus would say to those of us who have been living this Christian life for some time now, "Knowing what you know now, Do You Love Me?" After many years of marriage or priesthood, many years of being faithful in relationship to friends and family, after many years of trying to feed the hungry and give shelter to the homeless, Do You Love Me?" Now that we know what is involved in being a disciple of Jesus, do we still want to be involved with our whole lives?
This is a perfect Easter Question. The Resurrection is certainly exciting, but what about the suffering and death of Jesus. It is one thing to embrace the Resurrection, but can we get our arms around the suffering and death, as well as the Resurrection?
Many of us were given the gift of Baptism at infancy. Some have chosen it later in life. Inevitably, we learn more of the details of what it means to be Jesus' disciple as we try to be faithful to the call. All of us have been unfaithful. We have abandoned Jesus when he most needed us. His face is the face of the hungry and thirsty, the naked and the homeless, the sick and imprisoned. We have abandoned them and him for our own comfort. Rather than making us go through all the details and making us feel even more guilty than we do already, Jesus asks us today a simple question. Knowing what you know now, as you sit in this church this morning, are you willing to feed my sheep? Do you love me? If you do, will you be attentive to me and not betray me? Before you say yes, please think of the consequences.
If we say yes, then we commit ourselves to relinquish the final control of our lives. We decide that we are not the center of our universe. This is a step of faith. It has real and lasting consequences. It will change how we live. And Jesus will take us on our word.
What are the consequences in your life? Where have you been betraying Jesus in your personal discipleship? Toward yourself, in your family, in your neighborhood, at work, in your encounter with strangers, in your uses of your worldly resources? How must we shift our attention away from ourselves and make our attention more inclusive?
Look to the fringes, the outskirts of your family, your neighborhood, your community, your world. Who are the ones who are often betrayed? We may betray them with our judgments. We might decide they are unworthy of our attention and kindness? They may appear to be ungrateful toward our generosity. Is that a reason to turn our back on them? We may betray them with our lack of forgiveness and compassion. How many times must we forgive, seventy times seven? How generous and giving must we be? Do I betray you when I choose what I want? Knowing what you know now, Do You Love Me?
This direct Easter question was given by Jesus to Peter and is given to us today. It is ours to answer Yes or No, not with our words but with our lives.
THREE
It is hard to know who was more nostalgic: Peter or Jesus. Given all that had happened to Peter, it seems almost banal that he would still want to go fishing. But deep in his consciousness, he, and the others who went with him, wanted perhaps to recapture, not so much the big number of fish, as the experience of that unforgettable morning, some three years earlier, when the man from Nazareth had first preached from the fisherman’s boat. The Carpenter had then given Peter the strange command to put out into deep water for a catch. Overwhelmed by the catch and by Jesus, Peter had asked the Lord to leave him, for he was a sinful man. Indeed, he was! And Jesus did not deny it; but, alas, it would only be on the night Jesus was arrested that Peter’s sinfulness would become all too painfully clear. Now, after the “Jesus matter” seemed all over, Peter still feels guilty about his denials. He wanted to relive the experience of Christ’s forgiveness: “Do not be afraid! I will make you a fisher of men.” Peter felt a stinging nostalgia for that most personal presence and compassionate gaze of the Master, and for those words of mercy which had lifted his very soul from depths deeper than the waters of any ocean. With the memory of thrice betraying Jesus still fresh in his mind, Peter was again in those depths; he felt the dark of the night and its emptiness as he now went to fish again, and again catch nothing. He longed for Jesus to come near once more and preach from his boat.
For His part, the Risen Jesus knew of Peter’s plight. Both as man and as God, Jesus too would feel some manner of nostalgia for His friends; their unfaithfulness did not make Him unfaithful. So, He does come again to Peter, to renew His call to him, in a way, in a place and at a time that Peter would understand and that would fill his heart. Jesus does not revoke His call, or His friendship, or His love. No, He remembers, revisits and restores. He comes again to those He had called at the beginning of His public ministry, especially to Peter, and, now free from death, He reinstates them with the power and authority of His Resurrection. How goodly and considerate Jesus is in the way He draws them back to Himself! He comes unobtrusively and fraternally, measuring the manifestation of His power in a degree which enabled them to recognize Him: He eats with them, in a manner and in words which would remind them of the Last Supper, the banquet of charity, the ultimate gift of His love. Jesus thus shows His own fond memories of when He first called them and of when He last left them to die freely for their eternal happiness. They were bound together in the memory of His love.
Peter’s response to this is both typical of the man and yet filled with that strength and energy which come from knowing that someone who loves you, literally “to death”, is near at hand. Peter probably just cannot believe that his nostalgic hopes would be so, so wonderfully fulfilled by Jesus. Had Jesus asked Peter to stand on his head, there is no doubt he would have done so!
However, both Jesus and Peter knew that there was still some “unfinished business” to be taken care of. The other apostles present needed to know how things now stood between the Lord and Peter, in part, at least, that they might be able to put their full trust again in the one who had denied Jesus. As regards the one-on-one relationship between Peter and Jesus, it is possible that the two were already fully reconciled before this scene. In St. Luke’s Gospel, and also in First Corinthians 15, mention is made of an appearance of Jesus to Peter by himself. Indeed, Jesus knows just how much Peter is hurting, and needs to confess, and so comes to comfort him, and above all to reassure him that the look Jesus had given him, on that fateful night at the house of Caiaphas, was indeed a look of total forgiveness. In that private encounter, one can only imagine how Peter wept and how Jesus wept, for joy.
In this collective encounter, however, Jesus seems to want to restore and deepen the bonds between Peter and the others, as well as to show them that Peter is truly repentant and forgiven. Note that Jesus does not begin the conversation with any manner of remonstration. His approach is always amiable and generous, never scary and mean. Only after breakfast, after sharing together, does He ask Peter to speak up with courage. His opener is a question directed to the intensity of Peter’s love for Him, not to the misery of his denials. It is the perennial question of God to every human being: do you love me more than these others? Do you love me more than they love me, more than you love anything or anyone else, including yourself, more than you used to love me? Peter was already first in faith; Jesus now offers to him to be first also in love. But the word “more” itself suggests … more! It suggests a conscious choice, and a constant growth; it stimulates renewed effort and perseverance; it fires a holy restlessness for Jesus; it is the stuff of holiness, of surrender and sacrifice, indeed of martyrdom. It is also a question which instills great hope in the sinner: here am I, says the sinner, so bad, so low, so sinful, so unworthy, but here is Jesus asking me if I will love Him more than all others! With this question, Jesus seems to promise the sinner: it is because you have been so low, and yet have turned to me out of those depths, that I will raise you on high in the power of my love. When you were low, you remembered Peter, not Judas. Because of Jesus’ question to Peter, all love for Jesus is now Petrine. The truth of Peter’s faith and of Peter’s love is now the matrix of our own.
Yet this question is also unsettling, distressing, as Peter plainly showed. He could not fail to make the link between it and his own triple denial, and it was precisely the third time Jesus asked him the question that Peter felt the pain. The pain of repentance, deep and anguishing, is the pain of giving birth to love. It is a pain Peter would rather have avoided, because it makes the memory of the sin all the more acute. But Jesus, in His infinite knowledge of the heart, knows that unless the memory is faced, accepted and confessed, it cannot be healed. Sin is not to be glossed over, but flushed out. The distress is not for distress’ sake, but because the very nature of sin, in its lying secrecy, needs to be purged by truthful openness. Jesus wins Peter over to this, but at the same time, encourages him to reach out for that “more”, that greater love; effectively, Jesus reveals to Peter that, by divine mercy, his ability to love is greater than his ability to sin. Jesus is repeating to Peter what He had said to him when first they met: “Do not be afraid of your sins! Follow me, and I will make you a fisher of men.”
In response to Peter’s triple confession of “more” love, Jesus entrusts to him the task of feeding and caring for the flock. Indeed, unless an apostle loves Christ “more”, he will be unable to feed the flock with the food it needs. Pastoral ministry, the task of the shepherd, is essentially to love Christ more than all else. It is to call all others to love Him, to be lifted up from their depths, called back from their wandering. The more the shepherd loves Christ, the more he will feel empowered and fired to feed others with that love, and, like the Good Shepherd, to lay down his life for his sheep, the act of supreme love. This “greatest” love is precisely the promise Jesus makes to Peter once his “greater” love has been confessed: when you were young, in those days of self-assertion and self-fulfillment, you did your own thing; but, because you love me, you will, when you are older, be taken as was I, and give your life for me and for the sheep. When love for Christ has become the reason for one’s life, nothing can be more logical than to give it up for His sake. His love is greater than death, because it is better than life. When death is still on the stage of human life, what can there be in this life that can merit the unique treasure of our hearts? This does not mean that we do not love the other gifts Christ has given us, but it does mean that nothing and no-one beyond Him can claim to be our alpha and omega, our all. In the words of Jesus Himself, “If anyone prefers father or mother, son or daughter, to me, he is not worthy of me.” To prefer is precisely to “love more than”, as Jesus puts it in His question to Peter. To cling to the realities of this life, in a way which denies Christ, implicitly or explicitly, is to return with the old Peter to the house of Caiaphas. All who prefer Christ to absolutely all else, will and must also return to the house of Caiaphas, but with Christ. Most of us will not stand trial for our faith and love of Christ, but no-one should doubt, even today, that the power of Christ, on the one hand, and the hatred of the world, on the other, will draw some to offer the ultimate sacrifice. When Jesus first called Peter, He made no mention of martyrdom. Now, however, in renewing that call, Jesus makes it plain to Peter that the gift of martyrdom will be given to him and asked of him. Towards the end of our Gospel scene, when Jesus says to Peter, “follow me”, Peter at last understands that the glory of Jesus is not to sit on the political throne of an earthly kingdom, but to be crucified in loving sacrifice to the Father and to die for our redemption. To glory through the Cross, Peter must follow Jesus.
Our nostalgia for Christ is hopefully great, and He surely knows it. But His nostalgia for us, for the earth He walked and for the human race He so, so loves, is even greater, and is manifest nowhere more completely than in the Eucharist. As we partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, Jesus asks each of us, not for the third, but for the “nth” time, “Do you love me more than these others?” No matter how distressful that may be for each of us to hear and to answer, it is surely breathtaking and inspiring that “humble we” can satisfy the divine nostalgia by crying out from our depths, “Yes, Lord, you know everything. You know I love you.”
Gospel Reflection 20070415
"Forgive people who cause pain" and "deal kindly with people who do thoughtless things."
Traditionally known as two of the Christian "works of mercy"— "forgive injuries" and "bear wrongs patiently"—these two similar works go against what we see (and sometimes cheer for) in life and in the movies. The bad guy does something nasty on-screen in the first half hour, then is hunted down and made to pay.
Forgiving injuries and bearing wrongs does not mean we stand by and allow truly evil things to keep on happening. It means we don't enter into the cycle of revenge and keep hatred breeding by adding our own.
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Divine Mercy Sunday
The Feast of the Divine Mercy or Divine Mercy Sunday falls on the Octave of Easter (the Sunday immediately following Easter). It is dedicated to the devotion to the Divine Mercy promoted by St. Faustina (Faustyna Kowalska), and is based upon an entry in St. Faustina's diary stating that anyone who participates in the Mass and receives the sacraments of confession and Eucharist on this day is assured by Jesus of full remission of sins. On April 30, 2000 (Divine Mercy Sunday of that year), Pope John Paul II canonized St. Faustina and designated the Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday in the General Roman Calendar, with effect from the following year. He also decreed a plenary indulgence associated with this devotion.
The Promise.
According to St. Faustina, Our Lord promises to those who go to confession and communion on this day, the remission of the guilt and the punishment of sins.
On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. (Diary of Sr. Faustina, 699)
Many take this to mean that they must go to Confession ON Mercy Sunday. This is not true. To receive the benefits of the Promise one must be in the state of grace. The Lord does not promise the absolution of grave sin on Mercy Sunday, but points us to the Sacrament of Penance. To receive the grace we should be disposed. This is done by a confession near the time of Mercy Sunday. According to the Cardinal of Krakow, the confession which a Catholic makes during Lent in preparation for Easter is sufficient. Priests do not have to provide confession on Mercy Sunday so that Catholics can satisfy this condition. Since it is a Sunday the condition of Communion can be easily satisfied (including at the Saturday Vigil Mass). Our Communion, as our Confession, should be especially devout.
Some refer to this grace as a Plenary Indulgence. While the effect is the same, complete remission of sin and the punishment due to it, it is not granted by the Church but by a promise of the Lord. Also, the conditions are fewer, only Confession and Communion. While the Lord also asks for veneration of His Image on Mercy Sunday, as well as acts of mercy, these do not appear to be essential to the Promise, though they certainly could manifest the disposition, or lack of disposition, of the person seeking it. The receipt of the grace is not magic, but necessarily involves the opening of our hearts to mercy. This is best done by deeds, words and thoughts of mercy towards others. That, too, takes God's grace, but we can surely expect the actual graces to be merciful available to us on Mercy Sunday, if we but trust. The message clearly states the Lord's willingness for the greatest generosity on this day. We do what our circumstances permit us, and trust in God. This is true also of those whose circumstances do not permit them to get to Communion on that day, such as the infirm and the home-bound. God does not ask the impossible.
Second Sunday of Easter
Gospel
Jn 20:19-31
On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
1. Open Wide Your Doors to Christ. The disciples hid in a locked room out of fear, but Christ knows how to knock down any door and remove any obstacle we put in his way.
2. Peace Be with You. We hear these words during each Mass. Christ gives his own inner peace and consolation to all. For his disciples, this greeting was an introduction to the gift and power he was about to give them to absolve sins. God has entrusted to each person his special gifts, meant to bring others to know and love Christ. Do I recognize and cherish the gifts God has given me? Do I use them to bring others to Christ?
3. As the Father Has Sent Me, So I Send You. We are all sent as missionaries into this world. The Catholic Church is a missionary Church. Have I heard and heeded the missionary call from Christ? We cannot put our mission on hold out of doubts like those of Thomas. We are called to believe with the eyes of faith even though we have not physically seen Christ. We are called to be the blessed that believe and put their faith into practice. If we believe we will have life in his name and so bring others to believe through the humble testimony of our lives.
ONE
Have you ever seen children wearing one of those T-shirts that say, "My parents went to the Bahamas and all I got was this crummy T-shirt"? Or, maybe you received a post card from friends who were on vacation that said, "Having a wonderful time. Wish you were here". You would have wanted to have been there but you did not the money to go on some fancy vacation. Now, your friends have a lifetime memory to share and all you have is a post card. And then, when your friends come home, you have to look at their photos and listen to them telling you about how exciting everything was.
It is difficult to really become excited about an experience, even a great experience, that you only know about second hand, isn't it? Oh, you can listen politely and smile at the appropriate times, but the experiences of other people are just that-their experiences. We've all been there, haven't we?
And so it was with St. Thomas, when the other disciples told him that they had seen the risen lord. For whatever reason, Thomas was not with them on Easter Sunday. Who knows why? But, when he heard their news, he was incredulous. He thought that they were pulling his leg and doubted their entire story. Thomas wanted proof. This does not mean that Thomas was a bad person. In fact, perhaps many of us, too, have had doubts about some things that we have been taught about Jesus and his church. And, that does not make us bad people either. The story of Jesus rising from the dead after a horrible crucifixion sounds too good to be true.
It is OK to doubt. After all, by human standards, Christianity does not make sense. By human standards, it does not make sense that God would become a man; that he would die so that we, you and I, might have eternal life; that we can eat his flesh and drink his blood at every Mass; that we can share in his life right now and that we can live in peace, joy and love-forever.
And, with doubt, comes hope. And, Christian hope is not just some sort of wishful thinking like, "I hope that the Cardinals will win the World Series". Christian hope, on the other hand, is clear, precise and unwavering. Christian hope tells us that we can truly trust and expect that God will give us all we need to live like Christ, to die in the peace of Christ and to enjoy God with all of our loved ones-forever. That, my friends, is the hope that Christ gives us. And, it is not just wishful thinking.
Maybe, Thomas wanted to believe the other disciples, but he just could not. And, maybe that is why Jesus appeared to the disciples one week later-this time with Thomas in the room.
Jesus did not want any of his disciples to believe in his resurrection with a second hand faith. You can die from second hand smoke and you can get the flu from a second hand virus but, you cannot be a second hand Christian. True Christianity is not something that you can "catch" from hanging around other Christians or by simply attending a Christinan school. So, how do we get this true faith, since we were not there to actually see and touch Jesus?
Well, to begin, faith does not come from absolute proof or it would not be faith-it would be 'fact'. In addition, faith does not require actual seeing or touching or anything else for evidence. No, faith is the personal choice that we make to completely trust in God. We do have excellent evidence, however, to trust in God. After all, not many people can predict their own death and resurrection 3 days later.
We have to make a choice and the choices are simple-yes or no. There is no middle ground. You cannot hedge your bets. By not making a choice, you have already made a choice and the answer to God is 'no'.
To make this choice reminds me of a man I once sat next to on an airplane trip. The flight attendant came over to him and asked him if he would like to eat dinner. "What are my choices"?, he asked her. She replied, "Yes or no".
Those are our choices too with God. It is one or the other-yes or no. Make the correct one. You eternity depends on it.
TWO
Experience Jesus through Word and Community
My first grandchild, Thomas Patrick, was born in January. I have not met him; I have not been able to put a finger on him or put my hand on his side. Does he really exist? I have second-hand evidence that he does through my wife who visited him for two weeks and from photos and video clips e-mailed by my daughter and son-in-law. I have so much faith that Tommy is alive that I have planned to baptize him in the back of church next weekend after the 10:30 Mass! But, what if I had to wait for many years to see and hear Tommy? I would probably begin to have doubts about him.
The Gospel writer, John, knew that his contemporaries had this same kind of doubt about Jesus near the end of the first century. Most of them had never seen or heard Jesus in the flesh. Most of them had been born after Jesus had died, so the stories they heard came second or third hand.
John’s problem, which is a continuing problem for the church, was how to encourage people in the faith when Jesus was no longer around to be seen or touched. The story about Thomas gave him a way to do that. By detailing that reluctant disciple’s doubt, John took the words right out of our mouths and put them in Thomas’ instead, so that each of us has the opportunity to think about how we do (or do not) come to believe.
So where are we 20 centuries later, so far removed from being able to see or hear Jesus in the flesh? Our doubts have to be greater than that of Thomas. One way we experience Jesus is through the Scriptures provided to us by our ancestors who wanted us to experience Jesus in the word. Our Church teaches us that “[Christ] is present in his word since it is he himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in church.” (GIRM 29)
Christians sometimes seek their own experience of God, not being content to take the word of others. However, the story of Thomas shows both the patient understanding of Christ and the humble acknowledgment of error on the part of Thomas. It also shows that it was actually in the midst of the community, the place Thomas least expected to meet the Lord, that the personal experience occurred.
Any one of us can be invited into a deep personal encounter when we least expect it, in the most unlikely places, with effects that overwhelm us. In fact, the risen Christ is always just around the next corner, eager to enter our lives with the transforming power of the resurrection.
Some people say that they experience Jesus in the quiet of the golf course, or walking a long a beach, or gazing at a beautiful sunset. I experience him more powerfully through his word read in church and through others in community inside and outside of church. When we work together in community, we see and hear the risen Christ in our neighbor. We are the body of Christ!
Blessed are you who have not seen and yet have come to believe.
THREE
MORE ON DEVINE MERCY SUNDAY
Pope John Paul II was shot by Mehmet Ali Agca on 5/13/81. While still in intensive care, the Pope said, "I pray for the brother who shot me, and I pardon him sincerely." On 12/27/83, he visited the assassin in jail, spoke with him and embraced him. The Pope was following the teachings of mercy and forgiveness taught by Jesus. Pope John Paul II forgave and prayed for his assailant from his heart. He had complete trust in Jesus. Ten years ago, two young sisters were raped and forced to jump to their deaths off the Chain of Rocks Bridge in St. Louis. A month ago, their mother asked the governor to commute the execution of one of those involved since he was only sixteen years old and of border-line intelligence when the murders took place. She said, "It was the Christian thing to do." She, like the Pope, believed and trusted in the teachings of mercy and forgiveness of Jesus. Real trust is acting on what we believe.
The apostles were fearful after Jesus was crucified. Their faith probably was shaken until Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. He breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit, if you forgive men's sins, they are forgiven them; if you hold them bound, they are held bound." These words from Jesus established the Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation, the great sacrament of mercy.
The 20th century has been more sinful than any before. Too many people in the Western World think that with their discoveries, they can preempt God. Too many deny the existence of God. The result is a "culture of death". Divine Mercy offers a "culture of life." Jesus revealed to Sister Maria Faustina that His mercy is available to the greatest sinner, even to those in despair. The depth of Divine Mercy is shown in the complete forgiveness of punishment. This is awesome. Jesus will pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of His Divine Mercy. No sin is beyond forgiveness. The graces of Divine Mercy are dependent upon trust in Jesus.
Jesus offers us either His Divine Mercy or His just judgment for the reparation of our sins. It is a slam dunk choice to take His divine mercy.
However, Divine Mercy is more than just another devotion. It's a way of life to gain the fruit of peace that comes from unity and love of God and our neighbor. Jesus offers us marvelous graces in His Divine Mercy but He also demands of us deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Him.
Let's be more concrete. Have any of the young people here ever been angry with your parents? Occasionally they don't understand you? Well, if you stop and think about it, they've probably treated you very well. You have great meals but never pay the super market bills; a comfortable home but you never pay the mortgage. You also probably are receiving a fine education but you never pay tuition or the taxes that pay for that education. When you feel your parents don't understand you, stop, think ...... think of the times they have forgiven you and don't be afraid to say to your them, "Mom, Dad I just want you to know I really appreciate all you've done for me." That's an act of mercy ... that requires a decision on your part.
Marriage is another area in which forgiveness and mercy are very important. Husbands and wives, do you ever get aggravated with your spouse? Do you carry a grudge? Maybe you're not speaking. God's grace comes to those who, at that time, have the courage to say, "Honey, I'm sorry" and for the other partner to say, "Thanks dear but I was probably a bit at fault myself
Mercy and forgiveness usually require action. Jesus had mercy on the entire human race. His action? He died on the cross and He showed His mercy and His love just as a married couple or a child can show their love for one another by following His example. We are to show mercy to our neighbors always and everywhere. Mercy is a profound manifestation of love, and love is the very essence of God. In forgiving, we participate in an act of divinity. Jesus, on the cross, prayed for forgiveness for His persecutors, "Forgive them, they know not what they do." This was Mercy-love that came from His heart. Pope John Paul II forgave and prayed for his assailant from his heart. He had complete trust in Jesus. So did the woman whose daughters were murdered. Real trust is acting on what Jesus lived and taught. The graces of Divine Mercy are dependent upon real trust in Jesus. Let us pray daily, "Jesus, I Trust in You."
FOUR
Like Thomas, each of us is asked to make a decision today. Do we believe that Jesus Christ is God? Our immediate answer might be, “Of course I believe. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here.” Well, there may be more to it than that. If we believe Jesus was God and that He rose from the dead then, like the apostles, we agree to follow Him and keep His commandments and that’s a decision that’s difficult to embrace.
Recently, this same question was asked by Peter Jennings, the news anchorman for ABC television. He hosted a documentary that explored the topic, “Was Jesus Christ God?” He interviewed a number of so-called experts and they all gave opinions. Some rather famous experts on this topic weren’t invited. The Pope wasn’t there. No one mentioned any of the comments made by Mother Teresa while she was alive. Finally, while many agreed Jesus was a holy man and a fine individual, they decided He was not God. The conclusions arrived at by Jennings panel are not unique. Consider the society in which we live. A large percentage of the population in our country could be called “doubting Thomas’s”. They do not believe. Some are our friends and they can have a strong influence on our belief that Jesus is God.
Thomas needed conclusive proof before believing that Jesus had risen. Do we have doubts ... are we looking for conclusive proof or, like the others assembled in the upper room, do we have the true faith in our God? That’s a decision we must all make. It doesn’t matter if we are in our teens, are young adults, middle aged or senior citizens. The answer we give will have a definite effect on our present lives and our future ... even our everlasting future.
The apostles had advantages we do not have. They knew Jesus, they witnessed His miracles and they heard His teachings. Still, Thomas did not believe He had risen until he saw Him with his own eyes. Only then did he say, “My Lord and my God.”
Listen again to what Jesus said to Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” He’s talking about those of us in this church this morning. We have not seen ... and yet we are here.... we believe. Since that belief can be influenced by the many others in our society who are like Thomas, we should use the examples of the other apostles as the cornerstone of our faith.
Because of their faith they devoted their lives to spreading the word about the Messiah and His saving message. That’s what will happen in our lives if we, too, develop the depth of faith practiced by the apostles. It will also give us the strength to ignore the temptations of our modern society and emulate the apostles.
Listen to what resulted from their deep faith.
Many signs and wonders were done among the people at the hands of the apostles. The sick and those disturbed by evil spirits (were brought to them) and they were all cured. All of them were cured!!
Because of their faith in Jesus, they were able to work miracles. Our faith in Jesus may not equip us to cure the sick and drive out evil spirits but it will give us the strength to be strong in our belief as we live in a society that does not allow the name of God to be mentioned in our public schools, that bombards us with inappropriate things in television shows, in movies and with the music to which we are subjected.
That’s why the lesson we learn from Thomas is so important, particularly to the young people here this morning. You are the targets of those who would attempt to woo you away from your faith in the risen Lord. It’s true, you have not seen Jesus but you have seen the example of others and you do know what is right and what is wrong. You are living 2000 years after the miracles of Jesus were so awesome that the apostles and hundreds of thousands of others were convinced of His divinity. Through the ages billions of people have believed. But, it’s because of our “doubting” nature that we need proof to bolster our faith.
That proof comes from the apostles, themselves. Everyone needs role models when shaping their personal lifestyles. We have many false role models today. Many in the movie industry have won Academy Awards, have wealth and fame but they cannot find happiness in their marriages. They seek love but do not give love. The parents here today are richer, by far, than many of those famous individuals. Your families prove that God’s plan works.
We have also observed what has happened to powerful politicians who have seen the luster of their terms in office fade because their beliefs were centered on self rather than on God.
On the other hand, those men who were with Jesus, including Thomas, spread throughout the world to bring to everyone the message of Jesus Christ. They knew the truth, they had lived with Jesus and had seen His miracles. Tradition tells us that many of the apostles eventually suffered martyrdom ... they died for their beliefs. Some, possibly including Peter Jennings, would say they were foolish. However, even when faced with death because of their belief in Jesus, they would not deny Him. Actually, they could not deny Him ... they were there ... they know the truth. ..... they knew the answer to the question: “Is Jesus Christ God?” .
The apostles answered with a resounding “YES!!!” They are true role models. We must have the same faith. As our Lord gave Thomas the opportunity to fully appreciate His divinity He also gives us the grace to defy the temptations that our society puts in front of us. And so, as we come to communion, today, let our minds and hearts drift back 2000 years to the scene of a repentant Thomas, kneeling before his God and let us say, in our hearts:
“Alleluia, Christ IS the Risen God.”
FIVE
When Jesus was nailed to the Cross and pierced with the lance, Thomas was most likely absent also then. Nor is there any mention of him “hanging around” the tomb of Jesus, either at His burial or after His Resurrection. So, he probably had seen neither the marks the nails made, nor the wound of the lance, in the mortal body of Jesus. Yet, from what he himself affirms, he obviously had believed those who had told him about it all. It is thus not totally inappropriate to say that, after the Resurrection, he is being somewhat “inconsistent” when he says that he refuses to believe those who told him they had seen the Lord. He demands to put his finger in the wounds which he did not have the loyalty or the courage to see being inflicted. Thomas does not detect his own inconsistency, probably because, as for us all, it is strangely easier to accept the truth of suffering and death than that of the Resurrection. Everyone knows about death; it is part of our mortal experience, however much we would deny it. So total and definitive does death seem to us, that Resurrection sounds like a cruel hoax or a mad man’s hallucination. Indeed, when St. Paul spoke of the Resurrection of Jesus to the Athenians, they laughed at him. Thomas did not laugh, but voiced our natural skepticism in the face of something so incredible: where is the proof?
Just as Thomas was absent when Jesus first appeared to the rest of the Eleven, so Jesus was absent when Thomas rejoined them… or was He? When Jesus reappears, he addresses Thomas directly in order to respond to his doubts. But how did Jesus know the exact terms of Thomas’s doubt? The most likely answer is that, although seeming to be absent from the Apostles, the Risen Jesus was actually always present among them. That is one significant aspect of the reference to the “eighth day” in our Gospel text, the eternal Day, the omnipresence of the Risen Christ. His departure in death was only for the “little while”, of which St. John’s Gospel also speaks a few times. Jesus knew He would return, not in some mythical “reincarnation”, but in the ultimate reality of the Resurrection. To reassure the Apostles, however, that He was indeed the same Jesus, the first thing He did when appearing to them was to show them His hands and His side. In other words, He was saying, “I am the same Jesus who was crucified, who died and was buried.” Now, having risen, the tomb remains empty, and all tombs shall be, and shall remain, emptied. He will depart no more; and we shall depart no more, from Him or from one another. He remains for ever present with His community, found in seed form in the Apostles. They need doubt no longer, but only believe. By showing His wounds to them, Jesus witnesses before the Apostles to the destruction of death and to the carnal reality of the Resurrection. He then commissions them to go forth as the community that will carry that witness to the ends of the earth. The witness of the Apostles is thus not only the witness to Jesus (“He is risen”), but the witness of Jesus (“I am risen”). They are not just telling us about what they have seen and heard, as if recounting some interesting personal experience. They are, in fact, telling, actually communicating to us the very presence and life of the Risen Lord, so that we might be in living communion with Him and with them. The Word of the Apostles is the Word of Christ Himself: it gives life, it gives Christ to those who believe and obey it. They proclaim the Word of Life, the Word who is Life, the Word who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
But what is that apostolic community if not the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church? The mission of the Church, in the midst of any doubt, is therefore to live in the power of the presence of the Risen Lord and to proclaim His victory over death to all creation. It is a mission entrusted by Christ first of all to the Apostles and, in equal degree and manner, to those who succeed the Apostles, those we call bishops: on them has been conferred by Christ the power and the authority to bind and to loose, to lead, to teach and to sanctify. Yet, to all who likewise believe in Christ and remain in communion with Him through the Apostles, there is also given a share in the grace and in the command to transmit the life of the Risen Lord. This, all the baptized do in their witness of word and deed, and especially in their witness of worship in the Mass and the sacraments, and in remaining faithful to the fullness of Truth as it is given to us in the apostolic Church, built on the faith of Peter.
In its essence, the Church’s message is not therefore a human philosophy, not even a Christian philosophy. It is not in the first place a philosophy at all, or a system of thought or a vision of reality. All of this is good, useful and, at times, even necessary. In fact, however, the message of the Church is not firstly a mere message! It is the transmission of a life, of the life of the Risen Son of God, the eternal life of the Resurrection.
Herein lies something of the lesson of Thomas. The transmission of the life of the Risen Jesus is not achieved by seeing with the eyes of the body, nor even those of the mind. The Gospel cannot satisfy the limited demands of science or of the arts, no matter how unlimited they consider themselves to be. It is neither an objet d’art nor an objet de curiosité. Philosophers may come to the Gospel through reason, scientists through science, artists through art. But they can only do so when, in the intimacy of their souls, they walk stark naked through the door of faith into the Heart of the Risen Christ. Christ cannot be reached in His life-giving truth, except by the unveiled eyes of the human soul, i.e. by faith. Science, art and philosophy can lead us to the river-bank of faith, but that river cannot be crossed unless the soul cries out to the living God: “My Lord and my God! Save me, bring me to yourself, O Lord of all mysteries and truth, of all beauty and life!” True bliss is inner vision, namely the believing soul: and that bliss is not a concept, however vivid, nor a feeling, however strong – it is the infusion by grace, and the inner acceptance by faith, of the life of the Risen Christ. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe!
When Christ breathes upon His apostles, He signifies the coming of the Holy Spirit, which will take place fully at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is the breath of the life of God. The Risen Jesus imparts that life, breathes that breath, but He has chosen to do so only in and through His apostolic Church. That is His disposition; it has nothing to do with the Apostles; it is neither their choice nor merit, but Christ’s will. Let’s face it: the Apostles were a sorry lot of quivering cowards - Peter’s betrayals, Thomas’s arrogance, the presumptuousness of James and John, and so forth. We certainly would not have voted for them! But Christ chose them: are we really going to say to the Lord: “Couldn’t You have done it better”? When it comes to us human beings, was there, is there or will there really ever be, a better or best, yea even just a good, choice? Christ does not call on the basis of our merit, but of His mercy, a mercy both for the one called and, though they may not perceive it, for the ones to whom the called is sent. The Apostles are the foundation of the Church of Christ, but their strength is Christ alone, their raison d’être is Christ alone, their mission is Christ’s mission, their destiny is Christ’s Kingdom. All they have that is truly their own is their personal misery, and by the mercy of God, that too will eventually be transformed into Christ’s love.
Today, perhaps more than ever, we all need to have a living faith in the presence of the Risen Lord in His Church. Realities within the Church as well as in society and in the world weaken our hopes and increase our fears. There is doubt in everyone’s heart about where humanity is heading. Understandably, many have reason to doubt even where the Church is heading; one hears people say of the Church, “there is no leadership, no clarity, no courage, no vision, too much compromise, too much unhealthy concern for worldly affairs, etc..”
These are surely challenging times to believe, to hope and to love as Christ wills. But we must cut to the quick. Either Christ is still with us, or He is not. If He is not, then He is not the Christ in whom we have believed. Indeed, if He is not, then He never was, and we really are collectively living a lengthy, elaborate and cruel hoax. St. Paul puts it this way: If Christ is not risen, our faith is vain. .. if our hope in Christ is for this life only, we are the most wretched of people. Alternatively, Christ is still with us, He sees our doubts as He saw those of Thomas, He marks our hesitations and our discouragements, and He feels them deeply with us. Yet it is to us, locked in the upper room with fear and doubt, that He comes and says: “Peace be with you!” He shows us His hands and His side. He breathes His Spirit of life and forgiveness upon us. He sends us forth to give life and forgiveness. His life is still our life. He is still transmitting it to us, to you. Why else would a sinner like me dare to stand before you at His bidding to tell you unapologetically and unhesitatingly: Christ is Risen as He said, alleluia! Yes, happy are you who have not seen and yet believe! As the blood blinded Him in the midst of His own agony, Christ had more reason than we will ever have to doubt, to feel crushed, forsaken and desperate. He did not see, but He trusted. His victory over death is the basis of our certainty that our present woes will also one day vanish. Cardinal McCarrick, in the midst of the worst days of the clerical sex abuse crisis a couple of years ago, wrote to you a Pastoral Letter called, “The Passion of the Church”, and I encourage you to read it. Evil makes no exceptions for the Church; as we have seen all too tragically, it is precisely because She is the Mystical Body of Christ that evil seeks to make Her suffer, to doubt, to question God and His faithfulness. Is it then evil to doubt? Only if you do not heed Christ’s call to turn to your faith and let it strengthen you, and be itself further strengthened in you, in the face of that trial. Evil would have you believe that Christ has abandoned the Church, abandoned you. But evil is a liar and a bad counselor in the midst of distress. When you feel the waves of doubt and desolation pull you down-stream, you must flex the muscles of faith, resolutely renounce Satan once again, and swim up-stream with the rest of the Body of the Church to the consolation of the Risen One. Sensing His direction, remain firm, cry out and He will give you strength to reach calm waters and to rise onto His bank of the river.
Do net let your hearts be afraid or troubled. Trust in God, trust in Christ, remain faithful to His beloved Church. Be of good courage, for with Christ death itself has lost its victory. Therefore, of whom, or of what shall we be afraid?
Gospel Reflection 20070408
Giving sin and evil no room in your life is essential to being Catholic.
When you renew your baptismal promises, you are asked to reject Satan and sin. Rejecting Satan sounds very dramatic, but if you take a good look at the questions, they really ask you to reflect on how you reject invitations that trick you to focus on things that don't really matter: money instead of friendship, casual sex instead of a loving commitment, fame and career highlights instead of spiritual progress and family loyalty. By eliminating the place of sin and evil in your life, you are doing the necessary preparation to make plenty of room for doing good.
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Easter Sunday
The Resurrection of the Lord
Gospel
Jn 20:1-9
On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.
Today is the great feast that makes everything in our faith suddenly make sense. Those philosophers who go by the name of existentialists are actually right in a way, when they say there is no meaning at all to human existence. There wouldn't be, if there were not a resurrection. What an awful thing it must be to go through life with an unshakable conviction that when our last breath is taken, that is the end. We often call the resurrection the feast of hope, because it gives hope to you and me that we will follow our leader, not only through a painful experience of suffering, but through a joyful experience of new life.
The gospel reading tells how the several of the first Christians learned the news of Jesus' resurrection from the dead. First, Mary Magdalene discovers that the stone closing the entrance of Jesus' tomb had been removed. She runs to Peter and John (who is referred to here as elsewhere in his gospel as a "disciple", to call attention to his role as disciple under the cross) and tells them that someone has removed "the Lord" from the tomb. Thus she gives a natural explanation for the empty tomb, implying that she has not yet believed in the resurrection. Peter and John run to the tomb, with John arriving first. He defers to Peter with regard to entering, thus showing that he thought Peter had some right to precede him. First Peter enters and then John, and they see the burial cloths of Jesus. No mention of Peter's reaction is given, but John is mentioned as seeing and believing. Thus he presents himself as the first Christian believer. And since neither he nor Peter was prepared for the resurrection of Jesus on the basis of Scripture (v. 9), John presents himself as believing on the basis of what he has seen, not on the basis of any biblical text. Christian faith in the resurrection of Jesus is thus born, and it is a faith based on the testimony of an eyewitness of what actually had taken place, and not on any prophecy contained in the Bible.
Initial blindness to the reality of Jesus’ resurrection is seen especially in Mary Magdalene. She is sentimentally and emotionally attached to her memory of Jesus. Such is the sense of her words: “They have taken the Lord from the tomb.” At this instant she cannot look beyond and see that her master has moved on to a new life. Are we immune to falling in this rut? We too have to look beyond the trials, disappointments, and hard knocks of daily life to know that Jesus always wants us to look higher toward the everlasting joy and peace that he promises will be ours one day.
This Easter morning we journey with Mary Magdalene to the tomb in search of Jesus. What does she find? The stone moved away, an empty tomb, and her Lord has been taken away. What to do? She makes haste to tell Peter and the Beloved Disciple what has occurred. They run to the tomb in order to see for themselves. The Beloved Disciple reaches the tomb first. At last Peter arrives. Peter enters the tomb and finds the burial wrappings of Jesus. Finally the Beloved Disciple enters. The Fourth Gospel tells us: "He saw and believed."
This is the essence of what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus. The ability to see with faith opens one up to understand the real meaning of situations. The true disciple is able to see and understand the real meaning of the empty tomb. The body of Jesus has not been stolen. The crucified Jesus is now the Risen Lord. A true disciple of Jesus is one who can discern the presence of Jesus in every situation. Even in the midst of death, the Beloved Disciple of Jesus is able to see and believe. Our Easter celebration requires more of us than a mere journey to the empty tomb. It requires more of us than a mere repeating of the words of faith. Paul writing to the Colossians puts it this way: "Since you have been raised up in company with Christ, set our heart on what pertains to the higher realms where Christ is seated at God's right hand."
Notice that the Apostle places resurrection in the present moment. We are now raised up with Christ. The death and resurrection of Jesus affects the whole of creation and humankind in this very moment of our existence. Each day we are to live, celebrate, and share the joys and blessings of the new creation affected by the resurrection of Jesus.
Paul is calling us to live in the present moment the reality of new life. We are not to wait until he comes again at the end of time for new life. We are already called to live in such a way. We set our hearts on heaven and life with Christ. Yet we do not avoid living as a people of the resurrection in the here and now.
Naturally there is a gap, a tension, between our present experience of the resurrection and the fullness of glory at the end of time. There is a significant part of our lives which remains hidden, mysterious, and obscured. We still look through a glass darkly. The reality of sin and the weakness of our human condition are very evident.
However, we are to live each day in hopeful anticipation of his return in glory. Each day is that gift to be used so as to set our hearts on the things above but also living faithful with the things of today. Through connecting our everyday living with our blessed hope of resurrection we are those wise stewards ready to meet Jesus. In the words of Paul: "When Christ our life appears, then you shall appear with him in glory."
In the gospel of St. John this morning three characters play a part: Mary Magdalene, the beloved apostle John (by the way he is not named, he is called simply "the other disciple, the one Jesus loved." Everyone knows that John was so ashamed of how he acted at the crucifixion that he wouldn't even use his name). The third character is Peter.
Reading last Sunday’s Passion and today's Gospel, which of the three would you have picked to become the head of the new church?
Mary Magdalene is a likely candidate. No one was more devoted to Jesus; no one repented more for her misdeeds; all four gospels report the fact that she was the first to see Jesus after his resurrection--not even his mother saw him before Magdalene.
John is a likely candidate. Younger than both Peter and Magdalene, he was in the courtyard of Pilate with Jesus and did not disown him. He was the only apostle to stand under the cross while the others fled. Jesus sat next to him at the last supper. He was call the disciple Jesus loved. He outran Peter to the tomb and was the first to look inside.
Peter is not a very likely candidate. He denied Jesus 3 times; he fled from the scene, and did not stand with Mary and John and Mary Magdalene under the cross; he was always making foolish statements denying that he would ever let Jesus suffer. He was the last, save for Thomas, to see the risen Christ. And look what he did when the apostles, fishing after the resurrection, saw Jesus on the shore of Galilee. He put on his clothes and jumped into the lake. Anyone who knows anything about swimming knows that you do not put on clothes, then jump into the water, unless you want to drown.
Yet Peter had his good points. It was he who made the first act of faith in Jesus; "you are Christ, the son of god". He was the one who tried to defend him in the garden. And he did his penance for his denials when Jesus asked whether he loved him more than the others.
Peter is a curious mixture of doubt and faith, dreams and practical decisions, a mixture of cowardice and courage. He was, in a way, a replica of many of us. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, in his book "The Gulag Archipelago" wrote that the dividing line between good and evil courses through every human being. At times he is close to being a devil, at times close to sainthood.
Such a man was Peter. And Jesus was able to penetrate behind his peccadilloes and to see in Peter the kind of simple faith, loyalty and basic courage that made him, in spite of his failings, the perfect man to head up his church. Perhaps he will judge us in the same way. And because Jesus chose Peter, not someone else, we still today in the year 2007 have the mass and the sacraments, we still have the church which Jesus founded on a rock, the rock of Peter.
Today we celebrate the greatest mystery in our faith ... the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Do you understand how anyone could rise from the dead? I don’t. I could quote passages from the old and New Testament but even then we wouldn’t understand how such an event could happen. It remains a mystery.
So, let me ask you a question. Don’t answer aloud but answer in your mind and your heart. "Do you really believe that Jesus rose from the dead?" Be careful because your answer carries profound implications.
Other than Jesus raising Lazarus, the widow's son, and the Jewish official’s daughter from the dead, have you ever heard of anyone else who was raised from the dead? I have discussed this question with a few Catholic experts and there doesn’t seem to be any record of it happening. Moses didn’t rise from the dead, Julius Caesar didn’t, Muhammad didn’t, Gandhi didn’t and Mother Teresa didn’t. The simple truth is that Jesus, and the other two individuals I mentioned, were the only people in history to rise from the dead. Therefore, the significance of our presence here today is that we believe He rose from the dead and proved that He was God. And so our answer to the question would be, "Yes, I believe Jesus rose from the dead."
In saying that, however, we must recognize there is another fact that we must believe. If He rose from the dead then everything he taught during His life was TRUE!!! Before He rose from the dead He said, "I am the way..... the truth ......and the light". He indicated that His teachings are what we must follow to gain Heaven. Now we might say, "Wait a minute, I didn’t think His resurrection meant all that." Yes, it does. That’s why He rose. Nothing could be more convincing.
What is the most important implication as far as we are concerned? The answer to that is simple.... WE ARE RIGHT ... being here this morning to worship Jesus and His Father.
A large section of our society here in the United States and throughout the world constantly tells us, "Jesus Christ was not God and I don’t have to follow His commandments or His teachings." Well, whose teachings should we follow? Is there any other individual who has given such proof that his or her teachings are authentic? Has any one else ever risen from the dead? The answer is "No".
I don’t mean to be judgmental or mean spirited when I say that everyone must follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. In today’s society many say, "Don’t bother me with facts. You believe in Jesus if you want to but don’t impose your views on me!"
Well, that’s fine except that if we have this discussion with someone, we both can’t be right, can we? So, therefore, we need not chastise others for their beliefs but we know, in our minds and in our hearts, that the way we have chosen is the right way.
But are we really convinced? I’ll ask the young people here this morning? Do you believe that by His resurrection Jesus proved, beyond any doubt, that He is God and we should abide by His teachings? Do we as young adults, middle-aged individuals or senior citizens really believe that He rose from the dead?
That’s the basic decision every individual on this earth must make and there’s a strong indication that everyone here this morning has made that decision. But it’s not something we can celebrate just on Easter Sunday or on Christmas. If Jesus is God, then we must recognize that fact every day of our lives. We recognize it because of the joyful message He brings us.
There is a second implication in His resurrection. He also said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." Is it easy to keep His commandments? No! Is it easy to love others as He loved us and share our time, treasure and talent with those in need? Was it easy for His disciples to accept the proof of His resurrection? No. They spent three years with Him, they heard Him say He would rise but still, after His crucifixion, they huddled together in the upper room, afraid to go out among the Jews for fear they too would be martyred. Today’s gospel indicates they couldn’t understand what was happening.
True, there are conditions we must fulfill to join Him for eternity. The fact that Jesus rose from the dead proves, beyond any reasonable doubt, that everything He asks of us in perfectly reasonable.
But as we consider what He asks that we do let us also consider the rewards He promises. "The mind of man cannot even comprehend what My Father has prepared for those who love Him." This is why Jesus came to earth, was crucified and rose from the dead.
Listen to the words of His Father, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life." Eternal life!!!! That’s the promise Jesus gives to us.
And that’s not all. Later this morning we will experience another great miracle. We will receive His body and blood. We may not fully understand how this miracle happens at each Mass but we remember His words. He said, very clearly, "This is My body and this is My blood." He didn’t say, "This REPRESENTS my body and my blood," and then He added, "Do this in memory of Me." I don’t understand how He could rise from the dead and I also don’t understand how bread and wine can become His body and blood. However, because of His resurrection, I do believe that He is God. When I contemplate that many in our modern culture look upon us as misguided zealots, I know we are not. We can be confident we really have been given the way, the truth and the light.
We know this because JESUS CHRIST HAS RISEN. ALLELUIA!!!!
Each of us must ask ourselves, "Do I believe He rose from the dead?
That's the tough question!!! If I say, "No, I don't believe it ever happened.", then I may have a problem if it really did happen. If I answer "Yes", it means that I admit Jesus was Divine and therefore I will live a life that indicates I believe in all of His teachings.
We may think that's too difficult. But, what if I asked myself and all of us here, "Do I believe that other people should follow His teachings?" Do I believe others should love me? Do I believe others should not steal from me, lie to me, kill me or harm anyone in my family? I think all of us would answer that question by saying, "Of course, no should treat me that way!"
Because Jesus rose from the dead He is divine and His words apply to each of us. And that's wonderful because that's the way He wanted everyone to live. Keep my commandments, love one another as I have loved you, do not commit sin.
His resurrection also confirms the reason we are all alive. The reason is simple. We are here to KNOW GOD, LOVE GOD and to SERVE GOD so that someday WE MAY ALL BE WITH HIM IN HEAVEN.
If we believe Jesus died and then rose from the dead, then today we are celebrating the anniversary of the most important event the world has ever known.
No one else has done it, not one else will ever do it. We rejoice and our lives have meaning because we do believe that JESUS HAS RISEN!!!!!
This Easter season has been much different than many in the past. Usually the feast is only a religious event but this year, because of Mel Gibson's controversial film, Because of the Passion of the Christ, the Lenten season has received more attention than usual. As is the case when a religious film is popular, there has been criticism of the producer and those responsible for the authenticity of the story line. Some critics have accused Gibson of emphasizing the violence of Christ's passion. Others have indicated the film blames the Jewish people for Christ's death.
There are a couple of points to be made here. First, Christ gave His life and willingly suffered for the sins of all mankind. Second, He did suffer a great deal of pain. When you stop and consider the event, Christ's suffering only lasted a relatively short period of time. He was arrested on Thursday night, possibly about 9 to 10 o'clock and He died Friday at 3 p.m. Obviously, the exact times may not be totally accurate but, it they are, that's a span of only 17 hours. So, if He were suffering for the sins of all mankind, it would be logical that His suffering be extremely intense.
Did the Jews kill Jesus? No, they didn't. Only the Romans had the power to do that. Furthermore, He died for our sins, everyone's sins. And finally, He is not dead ... He rose on Easter Sunday.
The controversies about the details of His suffering and crucifixion also tend to draw our attention away from the central fact of His death, resurrection and eventual ascension into Heaven. The central fact is that His example was given so that each of us would understand that we, too, can share in His suffering, His death and also in His final victory over sin.
Think about it. Don't all of us go through this same process from time to time?
Of course, it is not as violent a sequence as Christ endured but aren't we all battling against the forces of evil? Christ died to redeem us and give us the opportunity to save our immortal soul. Aren't we involved in a similar struggle every day of our lives? Don't we suffer as we walk our path to Calvary?
Let's consider a few examples. I believe the young people here, possibly from the ages of 12 to 25, are undergoing a type of suffering that compares, not physically but certainly spiritually, to the same struggle that Christ faced. Christ died because of our sinfulness. As I think of the young struggling against the forces of pornography, pre marital sex, drugs, alcohol and a host of other sinful activities, I believe can be compared to the mental stress Christ underwent. Was it easy for Jesus to feel His skin torn apart by the scourging at the pillar? Was it easy for Him to carry a cross for a 3-hour period? Did the nails tear at the flesh in His hands and feet? There is no doubt ... it was unbelievably painful. But, remember, He accepted that pain willingly. Finally, in the end, He conquered the forces of evil, he washed away our sins because He went through those terrible hours of torment. And then, He rose from the dead to prove al the words He had spoken and all of His teachings were true. He did not die but after 40 days He rose to Heaven and, as He told us,
He is there to help each of us as we travel our journey to that same destination.
Is it easy growing up in our society today? Not at all! The young must battle constantly to keep His commandments and many will probably suffer in many ways to obey His teachings. It won't only be the young. Aren't we all tempted and aren't we all bombarded by the enticements of our modern society and told that in order to really live life to the fullest we must accept concepts that are diametrically opposed to what Christ taught us as He painfully made His way to his final destination ... death on Calvary.
If we ignore Christ's teaching and use less that honest tactics, couldn't we possibly make more money? Must we endue the slings and arrows of others because we believe abortion is wrong? As parents, do we enjoy disciplining our children or constantly warning them of the dangers they face believing in the morals taught by the music they hear? Wouldn't it be better if they were all "little angels"? Of course it would be better. However, we all have our crosses to bear and that's the lessen of this Easter Sunday. Christ suffered for us, died for us so that by His example we would realize we too must walk the walk to Calvary.
I, as a (priest/deacon) must share in Christ's suffering. The recent scandals in our Church have an effect on all of us. Being a priest is more difficult now. Many Catholics in some areas of the country do not attend Mass or support their parish any longer. So, we are all together in the fact there are difficulties when we choose to follow Christ's example.
However, the rewards are worth the difficulties we face. He has promised us eternal salvation ... and Jesus Christ keeps His promises. Therefore, today is a day of rejoicing. We rejoice as we read of His Resurrection. We should also rejoice in the knowledge that by His birth, death and resurrection each of us has been given the strength to face our own "crucifixion" and someday join Him in His glory.
Somebody once defined religion as “the unshakable conviction, despite all evidence to the contrary, that life is not absurd.”
Today Mary makes a most unpleasant discovery: the stone has been moved! Her sense of how things have been going leads her to conclude that the body has been stolen away. Now she is deprived even of the cold comfort of paying her respects properly. Absurd!
Is this how the story of her beloved Jesus would end? All that promise, all that power for good, all that energy for transforming people’s lives simply vanished, without even his body left as a reminder? Could the situation have been more hopeless?
The Easter story is essentially about how Mary and the other disciples, despite all evidence to the contrary, continued to hope and believe. What else can explain the way they chose to interpret the “evidence” that was before them without some glimmer of hope in their hearts, the only conclusion they could have drawn from the empty tomb was Mary’s initial reaction: grave robbing.
To say that hopelessness precludes hope is a bit of a paradox, but it’s true that the disciples had to have at least a little hope that the empty tomb meant something more promising than the theft of Jesus’ body.
The great hope of Easter is found in an empty tomb that promises new life.
That’s the Easter message! We have faith because of Easter. We have faith because Jesus Christ rose from the dead. And we believe – you believe and I believe – that for a good person, we know that no death – even a tragic death – is really and truly a loss. Our grief is real, but because of Easter, we know that death is not our enemy, and death doesn’t have the final word.
Easter is more than a day – Easter is a way of life for us who believe. Because of Easter, our whole lives are changed! Because of Easter, we don’t fear death! We know that because of Easter, our lives here are preparation for something bigger and better. As the Scriptures say, “Eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor has it entered into our hearts what God has prepared for us who love God.” Because of Easter, our whole lives are filled with hope. We are a people of the promise, and we are a people of hope.
And yet, at so many funerals, it’s as if something terrible has happened. Even when an elderly person dies, someone who has led a beautiful and holy life, sometimes there is almost despair. We even go to pay “our last respects.” “Last respects -- now that’s hopeful! Although funerals are often marked by sorrow and pity for the deceased, the deceased is in no pain at all. Remember that the priest wears white vestments for funerals. We call it “The Mass of the Resurrection” because we are a people of hope.
Father Edward Steiner of Nashville is a writer and a preacher. In one of his homilies he tells the story of an eleven-year-old boy named Tim, who had lost a childhood friend. In this story, Tim was not grieving “properly”; he wasn’t crying. So someone went up to him and said, “Are you OK? Do you know what’s going on here, Tim?” And he replied, “Why are we so sorry when someone gets to heaven so soon?” From the mouths of babes! And then he asked, “Are we sorry that he got there before us?” You know, the kid understood! Indeed, “a little child will lead us!” Children understand. They believe us when we tell them about heaven. But it often seems as if we adults don’t believe.
St. Paul said much in one sentence: “Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?” No, death is not our enemy. Not if we love God. God is stronger than death. St. Francis of Assisi said he loved death. He called death “sister death.” He said, from the Canticle of the Sun, “Blessed are those who endure in peace, for by You, Most High, they shall be crowned. Praise to you, my Lord, through our sister, bodily death, from whom no living man can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin! Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will, for the second death shall have no power over them.”
At the Mass of Christian Burial, the opening prayer says that the person at Baptism died with Christ and rose with Him to new life. That is what today is all about. Just as Christ died for our sins, we also die to sin. But just as He rose from the death of sin, we also rise with Him to a newness of life in Him. He has earned salvation for each one of us, if only we ask for it. If only we reach out to Him and accept His love and life. He embraces each of us in love and care. He is a God that pursues us and, just like the lost sheep, He goes in search of us until He finds us and brings us home. Perhaps He has brought some of us here home today.
Today is a day of great rejoicing. Today in this Church and at this Mass, Jesus reaches out to each of us and offers us eternal life and happiness with God. Let each of us respond to that invitation. Let each of us respond today and every day, "Here I am Lord, I come to do Your will."
In all honesty, I find it difficult to preach on the Resurrection of Jesus. Not because I don’t believe it – it’s the only reason I am here!
Making doctrinal statements about the Resurrection is easy enough, even if it is just to say, “the Lord is truly risen.” Hopefully you already know these statements, and although it does no harm to repeat them frequently, I am always left with some uneasiness when it comes to trying to “explain” the Resurrection.
It is like trying to grasp a square circle: He is truly dead, yet He truly lives!
I don’t think I am alone in this.
Mary of Magdala, Peter, and later, Thomas and probably others were somewhat bamboozled by the notion.
The Magdalene was sure the body had been stolen. Peter was initially silent. Thomas and the others were, to put it mildly, a little skeptical.
Later on, in the mission of St. Paul, the Greeks would burst out laughing when he talked of Resurrection. Some of the Jews dismissed the whole “Jesus-thing” as sacrilegious.
Philosophers throughout history have baulked at the notion. I have even heard of one Anglican bishop who does not believe in the Resurrection! Now there is a square circle!
Hopefully, all of us here believe without hesitation in the Resurrection. The Lord is indeed truly risen! But do we really understand it?
Suffering and death: now there’s something we understand - in a sense. We don’t like them, and we certainly don’t want them, but somehow they form part of our experience.
But Resurrection is quite different. We do like the idea and we probably want to experience it, but it is frankly a great unknown and perhaps, therefore, even a little frightening.
Could this explain why people seem to love Good Friday, but find the Easter Vigil and Sunday a little less attractive?
The dead Christ we can hold in our arms; but the risen Christ ...?
In the Gospel, Jesus raises three people we know of: the daughter of Jairus, the son of the widow of Naim and Lazarus. All three of these, however, are restored to the mortal life they had before dying. It’s a turning the clock back.
And there is not one of us here who would not want to have back a close relative or friend who has died. That’s the kind of resurrection we like. But we would want them back as we knew them. We would want them back almost in a selfish sort of way.
Jesus understands this. He restored those three people to life, partly to assuage the grief of those left behind, but partly, and more importantly, as a sign of his own Resurrection.
I say a sign, because their resurrection was only a pale shadow of that of Jesus.
Jesus’ Resurrection was the real thing.
Jesus is not restored to the Apostles in the same way as Lazarus was restored to Martha and Mary. He does not rise only to die again, as did Lazarus.
We must try to understand that Jesus rose to a kind of life which is deathless – immortal. His very body, though the body in which he was born and crucified, no longer breathes the air of this planet or of any planet in order to live.
The risen Jesus breathes the “air of God”, the Holy Spirit.
His risen body contains within itself no seed, root or cause of decay. It is subject neither to space nor to time as we know them. That is why it can be bread and wine; that is why, somehow, we can eat his body and become his body, the Church!
This is something beyond our experience, which defies our microscopes and our science and technology. Immortality is not a gene as yet undiscovered in our DNA. It is not some supreme version of the molecules which make up our mortal body.
The Resurrection “busts” all our categories. It implodes and explodes them. It is the bursting into creation of an absolutely new beginning. It is the new “big bang.” It is, in effect, the birth of the new creation.
My friends, the Risen Body of Christ belongs to a completely different order of reality from the one perceptible to our senses. This may explain why the Risen Jesus did not, as it were, “stay with us” in the kind of visible form we are used to.
In those brief forty days after Easter Sunday, as St. Peter says in the Acts of the Apostles, it was “granted that he be visible, not to all the people, but to us, the witnesses chosen by God in advance.”
Those forty days were a kind of divine pedagogy, “classes” which God gave, if you like, to ensure that the Apostles would gradually grasp the astounding truth that the God-man Jesus had conquered death in his flesh.
Why did the Apostles get this special treatment? Certainly not for themselves only, but for our sakes, for the sake of humanity, so that in believing in the risen Jesus we, too, would be able to share in his risen life, provided we try to share also in his freedom from sin and in his suffering and death.
We believe in the Resurrection of the body!
Perhaps you noticed that, in our Gospel reading from John today, the risen Jesus does not even appear! Reading beyond that passage Jesus does gradually appear to his chosen witnesses, as if respecting their weakness in grasping that he was risen.
Jesus also gradually renews to them their vocation to follow him and their mission to preach the Gospel to all nations before leaving them. And once he has gone, he sends forth (in a different manner and degree) that same Holy Spirit in which he lives upon them and upon all who would believe in Jesus because of their words.
The text I quoted a moment ago is also instructive.
It reads, “This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible, not to all the people, but to us, the witnesses chosen by God in advance.”
What does it mean that “God granted that he be visible”?
It means quite simply that our mortal eyes are not of themselves able to see the risen Lord. They are blind to that dimension of reality, heaven, in which Jesus now lives.
In fact, in the Gospel, the evangelists use two verbs for “to see”: one verb is used of the Apostles when they see Jesus before the Resurrection, as it is used for all other references to people seeing; but the other verb is used only of those who see the risen Jesus.
This was the evangelists’ way of conveying the truth that the eyes of the apostles had to be enabled by a special grace to see the risen Lord.
We might say that, during the time they see him as risen, Jesus draws them momentarily into his own risen milieu. This grace, this gift is among the core graces which qualify the apostles as witnesses of the resurrection.
Our faith, rooted in the Resurrection, is the gift which enables our mortality to see the immortal Christ, but only through a dark glass. That dark glass will be broken when we die and our faith will give way to clear unadulterated vision of the beauty of the Risen Lord.
All our friends who have died and have been pleasing to Jesus now share in that glorious vision. Even if they could, they would not want to come back to us.
Their mortality has been swallowed up in immortality.
If our love for them is not selfish, we should rejoice that they see God face to face.
They will not return to us, but we will go to them, and one day the Christ this world does not, cannot, see will emerge from his invisible presence for every eye to see.
Those who have loved him in this life will be reunited and immortalized in their bodies and, from their risen flesh, all redeemed humanity will gaze upon God.
The Resurrection will be complete; the circle will be squared.
Brothers and sisters, we are the people of the Resurrection! If we would rouse our faith to believe it, there is ultimately nothing to fear. Our fear, however understandable, shows that we lay greater stock by death than by the Risen Jesus. Today is the day for faith to be strengthened, never again to be weakened. Today is the day to allow the reality of Christ’s victory to smash the tombstones we erect around our ways of thinking, feeling and loving. The last place Christ wants us to be today is in the caves of our false values and priorities, of our small-minded and petty attitudes. Our moral graves will be burst open only if we listen to the powerful voice of Jesus speaking the life-giving word of forgiveness. He challenges us to have great desires for good and holiness, to entrust to him without fear or reserve all that is in us. What use will our worldly trappings be in the face of death and judgment? “What use would life have been to us if Christ had not risen from the dead?” What, indeed, is the glory of the world in comparison with the glory of the Resurrection? Yet, we are not to abandon the world, but to bring it to Christ, to be purified of death, sin and sickness!
As Easter day passes, then, do not fall asleep again in spiritual and moral mediocrity. Because the truth is that Easter never passes. Victory over all and any shadow of death in your life is possible every day, because every day of human history has been swallowed up by the eternal day of Christ’s victory. So, take great courage, and be resolved! Pray with all your might, believe with all your heart! Even if man could eliminate all sickness, all sin and all death by some global panacea, his life can never be fulfilled until it is invaded by the Spirit of the Risen Jesus. Death, disappointment, failure and decay, painful though they may be, are but stepping stones to the empty tomb, your empty tomb. Live now in the certain knowledge that the Resurrection is your destiny, and be forever comforted and exultant with joy in proclaiming: the Lord is truly risen, alleluia!
