Sunday, May 1, 2022

 THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER

(Acts 5:27-32.40b-41; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19)

Fishing for cod in the North Atlantic was once easy. All you had to do was lower a basket into the water to catch the fish. According to one report, no doubt exaggerated, the cod formed a pathway on the surface of the sea from Newfoundland to Europe. Due to its overabundance, codfish, as well as rabbits, could serve as a symbol of Easter. In fact, in the gospel today the abundance of fish indicates the presence of the risen Jesus.

The Gospel can be divided into three parts: the great catch under the instructions of the Risen One, the recognition of the Risen One in the sharing of bread, and Peter's commission to lead the flock of Christ. Each part has a lesson for us Christians.

The resurrection of Jesus brings life in its fullness. Victorious over death, Jesus will share the fruits of new life with his disciples. This abundance of life is indicated by the catch so huge that it almost breaks the fishermen’s net. We can see this kind of abundance in the lives of committed people in our midst. Two years ago, a farmer named Andrew Carr died in the delta region of the state of Mississippi. He was not famous in the sense that his name was a household word in the state and much less in the country. However, his obituary drew attention. He had an abundance of friends and admirers in addition to a wife of seventy years, five children, fourteen grandchildren, and nineteen great-grandchildren.

Mr. Carr served his parish as extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, bible teacher, president of the construction committee, and member of the choir among other offices. But perhaps his relationship with Christ can best be appreciated in his participation in Perpetual Adoration. For years Andrew got up in the middle of the night on Tuesday to spend an hour before the Blessed Sacrament. Like the disciples in today’s gospel, he knew the risen Lord in the sharing of bread.

Christ asks for commitment from his acquaintances. In the reading he takes Peter aside to draw from him a declaration of love. Only then does Jesus entrust him with the care of his sheep. For such a great responsibility as the direction of the Church requires a love without limit. Mr. Carr demonstrated this type of leadership. He was the first to develop agriculture by starting to irrigate his fields and reclaiming the land from the waters. More representative of his commitment to Christ was his involvement in the struggle for civil rights. Andrew Carr was president of the federal program to end poverty for six years. He thus initiated services such as education of children before going to school, legal aid, education of adults, and training of agricultural workers.

In the first reading the apostles provide a primary principle of faith. Peter and the others tell the Jewish council of the need to obey God first. Only then could they heed the orders of other men. It is worth reflecting a little on what this proverb means in our lives. Where men say we should secure our own comfort, Jesus tells us, "Follow me."  Where men say that we should only care about the welfare of our family and friends, Christ says to us, "Feed (all) my sheep." Where men want us to be as carefree as twenty-year-olds, the voice of the Lord tells us: “…when you are old,…another will gird you and lead you where you do not want to go”.  Where we may not want to go, but where we must go, is to always do God’s will.

Friday, April 29, 2022

 Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, virgin and Doctor of the Church

(Acts 5:34-42; John 6:1-15)

St. Catherine of Siena saw herself as married to Christ.  Undoubtedly for this reason she worked so hard for the Church, Christ’s body.  Catherine was instrumental in bringing the Bishop of Rome back to the eternal city.  Pope Gregory XI had been comfortably situated in Avignon when Catherine urged him to fulfill his episcopal duty.  She also had a major role in reconciling the city of Florence with the pope.

Catherine evidently never went to school.  Some biographers say she never learned to write.  Yet she left behind a legacy of letters and a brilliant spiritual memoir called the Dialogues.  She also had a large following of both lay people and clergy.  She was vaulted into prominence by mystical experiences together with a zeal to work for the love of the Lord.  Her work was both prophetic and social.  She spoke out for truth and assisted the in greatest need.

As a youth Catherine joined the Dominican Order.  At one point, accused of being a fake, she was brought before the Dominican leadership.  The charges, however, were dropped, and Catherine was allowed to continue her wide-ranging ministries.  We might hear the wisdom of Gamaliel from the first reading today applied to Catherine’s life. Such an extraordinarily ambitious person is bound to cause dissension.  But being from God, no one could stop her.  Catherine is co-patroness of Italy and Europe.  She is also the model of anyone who relies on a strong relationship with Christ to combat injustice.

Thursday, April 28, 2022

 Thursday of the Second Week of Easter

 (Acts 5:27-33; John 3:31-36)

 A couple of years ago a florist in Seattle was sued by a patron.  The florist refused to provide flowers for her patron’s “marriage” to another man.  She did not harbor personal dislike for the man.  Rather she believed that homosexual marriage violates God’s law.  Furthermore, she thought providing flowers would make her an accomplice in an evil act.  In a letter to the Seattle Times the florist wrote: “Rob (the patron) was asking me to choose between my affection for him and my commitment to Christ.  As deeply fond as I am of Rob, my relationship with Jesus is everything to me.”  The florist expresses the same sentiment as the apostles in today’s first reading.

 The Jewish authorities have told the apostles that they are not to preach the name of Jesus.  But they cannot not do it.  They have been commissioned by Jesus and charged by the Holy Spirit to witness to him as the world’s salvation.  Obeying the authorities would be defying God’s will.

 We need to ask ourselves whether our relationship with Jesus means as much to us.  Do we love him above all because of who he is and what he has done for us?  He is God who became human.  He created us, shared our struggles, and then died to free us from sin’s tenacious grasp.  More than anyone or anything, he is worthy of our allegiance.

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

 

Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter

(Acts 5:17-26; John 3:16-21)

Leonard Bernstein’s Mass features a song that corresponds to today’s first reading.  Written in the late sixties and early seventies “The Word of the Lord” protests the Vietnam war.  A conscientious objector speaks of his experience in prison while the chorus sings, “… you cannot imprison the Word of the Lord.”

In the reading from Acts the Sanhedrin tries to do just that.  The apostles are put in jail for preaching how Jesus’ death and resurrection fulfilled the Scriptures.  The Sanhedrin’s action, however, is hardly the final word. God sends an angel to free the apostles.  Soon they are found back in the temple area again preaching about Jesus.

The Word of God tells us how to live and what to look for when we die.  We should read it, study it, and contemplate it.  But its truth is not always easy to discern.  We should also consult the authority of the Church about aspects that seem to contradict regular teaching.  Approached in this way, the Word of God will be liberating and life-sustaining.

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

 

Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter

 (Acts 4:32-37; John 3:7b-15)

 The idyllic scene described in today’s first reading makes some people despair.  “We could never have this kind of self-sacrifice in today’s world,” they say to themselves.  But the spirit of total sharing does not necessarily last long, even in the Acts of the Apostles.  The very next chapter narrates how a couple tried to deceive the community with their gift.

Today’s gospel suggests an explanation.  “The wind blows where it wills,” it says, “…but you do not know where it comes or where it goes.”  Like the wind, the Holy Spirit works in its own ways.  One cannot possess it so that it obeys one’s will.  Rather, it takes hold of the person who must strive to keep it.  Of course, it is worth the effort.

We become docile to the Holy Spirit when we keep away from people and things that can lead us awry.  One mother became alarmed that her daughter was starting to behave crudely.  Noticing that her new friends were a negative influence, the mother demanded that she not go out with them.  The girl obeyed, found new friends, and grew up responsible and caring.

Moday, April 25, 2022

 

Feast of Saint Mark, evangelist

I Peter 5:5b-14; Mark 16:15-20)

Very few people will claim the Gospel of Mark as their favorite.  It lacks the beautiful parables of Luke, the structured teaching of Matthew, and the personal encounters of John.  Nevertheless, Scripture scholars tend to favor this gospel.  It was most probably the first written and therefore possibly has better historical accuracy.  More than that, it presents Jesus with a variety of emotions which underscore his humanness.

Today’s passage comes at the very end of the gospel.  Most biblical interpreters say that it was attached to the original story to include the tradition of Jesus’ appearances.  After scolding his apostles for not believing Mary Magdalene, he here sends them off to proclaim the gospel.  The commission is interesting.  Throughout Mark’s story, the apostles exhibit severe character flaws.  They don’t understand what Jesus teaches.  They vie for prominence.  Most pitifully, they run away as Jesus’ captors seize him in the garden. 

We can take some solace in Mark’s treatment of the apostles.  We may be as wanting as they are.  Yet Jesus also commissions us to proclaim the gospel.  We should not be afraid to tells others of our belief in Jesus’ promise of eternal life. As the passage declares, we will find signs accompanying our proclamation.  We may not want to pick up snakes, but perhaps we will experience other wonders.  We might learn a new language or see sick people’s health improving after we pray for them.

Sunday, April 24, 2022

 

SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER (DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY), April 24, 2022

(Acts 5:12-16; Revelation 1:9-11.12-13.17-19; John 20:19-31)

Every now and then a person comes to confession who wants to confess a past sin. She says that she had never confessed, although it could have been serious. Obviously, the person feels guilty for the sin buried in the recesses of his conscience. She just remembered it and wants to get rid of it so it doesn't disturb her more. The resurrection of Jesus provides us with the instrument to receive forgiveness for such a sin.

By saying “peace” in his appearance to the disciples, Jesus is not imparting an ordinary greeting. He said at the Last Supper that he gives a peace that the world cannot give. It is the peace that frees the person from all fear and fills the person with love for all. After showing them the wounds from the nails and the spear, he repeats “peace”. This second time indicates that the disciples receive a double portion peace to share with others. Then Jesus gives them the Holy Spirit to forgive sins.

Because of this peace of Christ, we can experience relief from guilt by confessing our sins to a priest. It is not necessary to sacrifice a calf as the Jews did or wonder if we are really forgiven. We just have to find a priest. This is a big part of Divine Mercy. We do not have to go about burdened by sins because God has sent us his Son. Jesus gave his life to take away the sin of the world. He also sent his disciples to reconcile individual Christians.

However, we know that relatively few are taking advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation today. Sixty years ago, there were lines outside every confessional for two hours every Saturday afternoon. Today you can usually count on the fingers of two hands all the penitents in an hour of confession. What happened and how can we remedy the situation?

Many do not come to be reconciled because they do not see themselves as sinners. They don't count lies, absence of Sunday mass, even, sometimes. fornication as sins. They are more concerned with offending other people's feelings than with breaking a commandment of God!

Others are hesitant to confess to a priest because they see priests as sinners as great as themselves. Unfortunately, some priests have lost the impulse to live as perfect as Christ. But this corruption does not diminish their authority to forgive other people's sins. Like Thomas in the gospel, we must recognize the presence of something supernatural in reconciliation. Jesus really has risen from the dead. He has really given priests the authority to remove the guilt of another.

One of the most prevalent symbols for Easter is the chick breaking the shell of the egg. It obviously represents Jesus coming out of the tomb. But we can attach another meaning. It can represent us breaking the hardness of our heads. Instead of burying sins in the recesses of our conscience, let us confess them regularly. In this way we show the impulse to live as perfect as Christ. In this way we show the impulse to live like Christ.

Friday, Apil 22, 2022

 Friday within the Octave of Easter

 (Acts 4:1-12; John 21:1-14)

 In every mass this week – actually from Monday to Sunday – the gospel tells of an appearance of the risen Jesus.  Although the accounts bear marks of editorial expansion, they assure readers of the resurrection as a fact of history.  The resurrection is a trans-historical event.  This means that it has never been duplicated in history.  But reliable witnesses testify that Jesus appeared to them in the flesh.  Their stories, especially when considered in total, explain the empty tomb.  Thus the stories go beyond circumstantial evidence for the resurrection.

 Today’s gospel appearance takes place on the Sea of Tiberius.  It may seem strange that Jesus’ disciples would return to their former occupations after seeing Jesus.  After all, he equipped them with the Holy Spirit to forgive sins.  Yet many people who have had profound religious experiences begin to question their beliefs.  Sometimes they become almost indifferent to what happened to them.  Jesus, true to his promise, does not abandon his disciples in their questioning.  Rather, he appears to them again and reissues the mandate to go forth and preach forgiveness.  This is expressed symbolically in today’s passage when he says, “’Cast your net over the right side…’”

 Many people dismiss the gospel accounts of the resurrection appearances.  They see them as fishing stories; that is, exaggerations of wonderful experiences.  These skeptics challenge us believers to explain the possibility of the stories’ ever taking place.  We should respond to the challenge in at least two ways.  First, we need to study the gospel accounts with the help of faithful commentators so that we may provide explanation of their plausibility.  Second, we want to testify to their veracity by living truly changed and holy lives.

 

Thursday, April 21, 2022

 Thursday in the Octave of Easter

(Acts 3:11-26; Luke 24:35-48)

“Ignorance of Scriptures is ignorance of Christ,” St. Jerome wrote.  Jesus verifies this bold statement in today’s gospel.

The disciples have returned from Emmaus to share what happened to them.  When they meet the eleven apostles, they are told that Peter has also seen the risen Lord.  Then Jesus appears among them.  He eats some food to show that his body has truly risen from the dead.  Then he explains how the Scriptures foretold all that happened to him.  He indicates as well that the Scriptures have given his disciples a role in his story.  The Scriptures say that repentance for the forgiveness of sins must be preached in Jesus’ name.

As Jesus’ disciples, we are to preach repentance in his name.  We may ask ourselves what repentance looks like today.  A popular prayer attributed to St. Francis provides a preliminary answer. Repentance is to seek not to be consoled but to console, not to be understood but to understand, not to be loved but to love. 

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

 Wednesday in the Octave of Easter

(Acts 3:1-10; Luke 24:13-35)

Ask people who work daily with the poor about giving money to a street beggar.  They will probably tell you it is not a good idea and advise you to contribute to a charity.  In today’s first reading Peter suggests something more.  He would have you share Jesus Christ with the person.

It is not a pious put-off.  In a poem called “Eucharist” the narrator speaks of a ragman, a prostitute, a lonely widow he meets.  To each he responds as a caring neighbor.  He greets the ragman, kindly refuses the prostitute’s offer, and listens to the lonely woman.  These actions were giving Christ.

After the Lenten exercise we should find less trouble in living as new women and men.  Discernment should easier.  Doing good should be more of a joy.  We have experienced the risen Christ in the liturgies of Holy Week.  Now we share him with others.

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

 Tuesday in the Octave of Easter

(Acts 2:36-41; John 20:11-18)

In today’s gospel Mary Magdalene is looking for Jesus – at least Jesus’ body.  She is heartbroken that it is not in his tomb where it was left two days before.  Suddenly she turns and sees Jesus in disguise.  It turns out that Jesus has been looking for her.  Often it is the case.  We think we have difficulty finding God.  But God is the one who is chasing us.

A priest, Fr. John Bartunek, grew up unchurched.  As a young man, he was attracted to evangelical Protestantism and then, in the university, to Catholicism.  Upon graduation he felt called to the priesthood.  Fr. Bartunek’s own father was not pleased with the religious trajectory.  He did not attend Fr. John’s ordination.  However, with more years he accepted his son’s vocation.  At the end of his life, the old man admitted that he had been raised a Catholic.  He longed to receive the sacraments again which Fr. John was happy to provide.  Soon afterwards his father died in grace, another example of God finding someone.

We should not worry when we feel frustrated in our quest for God.  It is time for us to reconsider our lives.  We will probably find ourselves blessed many times over.  It is God who has been pursuing us all along, like Jesus coming to Mary Magdalene.  We must acknowledge his presence.  Like Mary also, we should announce that presence to others.

Monday, April 18, 2022

 

Monday within the Octave of Easter

(Acts 2:24.22-23; Matthew 28:8-15)

For Vladimir Putin the war in Ukraine is not a war or an invasion; it is a “military operation.”  Most Russians believe him.  There is resistance to the party line, but the people are largely supporting their troops.  In today’s gospel the chief priests and elders try to foist such propaganda regarding the resurrection of Jesus.

Matthew recounts how the Jewish leaders bribe the Roman guard of Jesus’ tomb.  They tell the soldiers to say that Jesus’ disciples stole his body while they were sleeping.  Thinking about this version of the story, one should see its implausibility.  If the soldiers were sleeping, how could they know what happened.  Also with such a story, they would be opening themselves to ridicule if not punishment for neglect of duty. 

What is more lamentable here than covering up the truth is the truth that is being covered up.  Jesus’ resurrection opens to us a new way of living.  We no longer have to count as success accumulating wealth or achieving fame.  Success is now staying close to the Lord who has promised eternal life to his friends.  Like it did for him, our self-sacrifice for others will bring us the happiness that we seek.

 

Sunday, April 17, 2022

 First Sunday of Easter

(Acts 10:34a.37-43; Colossians 3:1-4 [or I Corinthians 5:6b-8]; Luke 24:1-12)

Americans like to make verbs out of nouns. They talk about “googling” a word on the Internet to learn its significance. To “photoshop” a person is to set her image into another photo by means of the “Photoshop” application. Most everyone understands what these new verbs mean. The experience of using the Google search engine or the Photoshop application is so wonderful that it is recorded in memory. Something similar can be done with the noun "Easter."

We can talk about eastering a person. It is giving the person the experience of Easter in its fullness. It is to fill her or him with joy, hope, and the desire to tell others about the risen Christ. Eastered people are seen throughout the resurrection narratives in the New Testament.

Peter is an eastered person. He shows it in the encounter with Jesus on the shore of the lake. He and other disciples have returned to Galilee after Jesus' resurrection. They are fishing when the disciple that Jesus loves recognizes him on the shore. Peter immediately jumps into the water to be the first to welcome him. It seems that sheer joy drives Peter forward.

Once this kind of Easter joy was seen in our society. On Easter Sunday everyone wore new clothes to church. Then they went out into the streets to share the spirit of Easter. Unfortunately, these customs have been lost. Perhaps it is because people have lost the hope that the Lord's resurrection offers. They say, like the disciples when they hear the women's report, that it is “nonsense.”

However, the disciples are not closed to the resurrection for long. With the appearances of Jesus they become firm believers. Saint Paul is the best example. In his letters he writes of the “new self” that is born as a result of the resurrection of Jesus. The “new self” is a person reconstituted to truly love. Paul says that this new person carries within himself or herself the hope of eternal life. There she or he will meet God “face to face”. The meeting is personalized in the Letter to the Philippians: "... I consider everything as rubbish, as long as I win Christ and be united to him..." Without a doubt, Saint Paul is an eastered person.

So too are Mary Magdalene and the other women eastered people. They prove it when they report the resurrection “to the Eleven and to all the others." It is such wonderful news that they cannot contain it within themselves.  They have to share them with each and everyone. The resurrection has opened up a new possibility for humanity. In the end we are not going to be judged by other humans according to our fortune or our fame. We will be judged by God according to our likeness to Jesus. If we conform to him, we will be judged worthy of the resurrection. If we ignore him to follow our own whims, we will not deserve eternal life.

They say that on Saint Patrick's Day everyone is Irish. For this day only everyone wears green and eats stewed meat with cabbage. We are eastered people -- not just for one day but always. Let us be joyful each and every day. Let us not lose hope of eternal life in the midst of a world inclined to fortune, fame and whims. Above all, let us tell others, particularly our children, of the Lord's resurrection. Eastered people don't close themselves off from the world because of its nonsense. Rather, as Jesus Christ, they  show the world what true love is.

Friday, April 15, 2022

 Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion

(Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42)

Only the Gospel of John pictures Jesus’ beloved disciple and his mother at the cross.  Jesus tells his mother that the disciple is her son.  He likewise tells his disciple that Mary is his mother.  This action assures that Jesus’ (presumably) widowed mother will be cared for.  More than that, by the dual presentation Jesus makes the church – the community of his disciples -- into a family.  At the same time he turns his family into a church.

The Church is a family in the sense that its members deeply love and support one another.  For this reason, “going to mass on television” – as we did during the height of the pandemic -- could never be the norm.  By sharing of faith and cooperating on mutual concerns, church relations become more supportive than blood relatives.

Once a professor asked his students how many of them said grace before family meals.  He was surprised to hear that few of the students ate regularly with their families.  When families become church, they do more than pray together at meals.  They share deeply and often about how the Lord affects their lives.  They also support one another in living the values Jesus taught. 

In the passion Pilate asks Jesus, “What is truth?”  This is ironic because he is looking truth in the face.  Jesus -- the way, the truth, and the life – shows us how we are to sacrifice ourselves for the good of others.  For our families we forsake independence so that children, parents and siblings may become more caring and responsible.  For our church community we give support and encouragement so that it might reflect Christ’s love for the world.

Thursday, April 14, 2022

 

Holy Thursday – Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper

(Exodus 12:1-8.11-14; I Corinthians 15:23-26; John 13:1-15)

War brings out the best and worst of human beings.  The present war in Ukraine reflects this principle.  In the city of Bucha the Russian military tied, tortured and shot Ukrainian civilians.  On the other hand, in the city of Chortikiv parish priests opened their rectory to a refugee family.  This kind of communal love has been multiplied thousands of times over.  In Ukraine, its neighboring countries, and now faraway places people are harboring in their homes strangers from the beleaguered warzone.  In doing so, they fulfill the mandate Jesus gives after washing his disciples’ feet: “’…as I have done for you, you should also do.’”

In the Gospel of John, the foot washing replaces Jesus’ offering of bread and wine found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.  Although the actions are very different, they have the same meaning: Jesus sacrifices himself for the sake of others.  In all the gospels he tells participants to repeat what he has done.  Both actions are symbolic of the total sacrifice Jesus will make the following day.  On Friday he will allow himself to be crucified for the redemption of the world from sin.  This sacrifice will save the people who repeat what he has done from everlasting death.  As assuredly as the blood on the lintels saved the Israelites from death in Egypt, they will experience eternal life.

We come together this evening to carry out Jesus’ command.  Shortly we will take the bread and wine that has become Jesus’ body and blood.  When we leave church, we should have on our minds how we will serve one another.  We might also think of ways we can wash the feet of Ukrainian refugees.

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

 Wednesday of Holy Week

 (Isaiah 50:4-9a; Matthew 26:14-25)

 Of the four gospels Matthew’s gives the most complete report of Judas’ betrayal.  As a matter of fact, he is the only witness of much of the chilling story.  Matthew shows Jesus bargaining with the chief priests for thirty pieces of silver in exchange for Jesus.  He pictures Judas defying Jesus during the Last Supper and in Gethsemane by calling anyone “Rabbi.”  Matthew shows Judas’ treachery reaching a low point when he uses a kiss as a signal to capture Jesus.  Then Matthew concludes his account of Judas by showing him returning the money to the high priests and hanging himself.

 Judas betrays Jesus out of greed.  The thirty pieces of silver comprise one hundred twenty days of wages for a skilled laborer.  In the end Judas appears remorseful when he goes back to the chief priests.  But he is not really expressing contrition for his sin. He offended Jesus, not the chief priests.  If he were truly repentant, he would have sought Jesus’ forgiveness. 

Judas was greedy, defiant, and disloyal.  We may possess these or similar character flaws.  Hopefully, we pray every day that God will correct them.  We never want them to cause us to betray our friends.  Most of all, let them never move us to betray Jesus, the best of our friends.

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

 Tuesday of Holy Week

(Isaiah 49:1-6; John 13:21-33.36-38)

Few prophecies foreshadow Jesus’ experience better than the four “Servant Songs” of Isaiah.  Found in the second part of the Book of the Prophet, they are relayed systematically in the liturgies of Holy Week.  The first song or oracle, read yesterday, echoes the voice of God. It says that his servant will bring justice to the whole world by mercy, not by violence.  In the second, proclaimed today, the prophet himself relates how he once felt discouraged.  Then God’s voice lifted his spirits.  It declared that through him not only Israel but all nations will be reconciled with God.

In the third song, read in Palm Sunday’s mass, the prophet again speaks.  He describes how he endured trials to proclaim the will of God.  The final song is reserved for Good Friday’s service.  It summarizes the work of the prophet: of humble origins, the prophet took on the sins of the world by his suffering and death. Certainly, all four evangelists had the “Servant Songs” in mind when composed the story of Jesus Christ.  They emphasized how the events of Jesus’ life and especially his death correspond to the experiences of this prophet.

Who is the person of whom the Book of the Prophet Isaiah speaks?  Scholars have different theories.  Some say Jeremiah; others. the author of the second part of Isaiah’s book; still others, the suffering people of Israel, a composite person.  Although each of these positions can be defended with ample texts, for us the question is mostly academic.  For us Jesus, better than anyone else possibly could, personifies God’s Servant.

Monday, April 11, 2022

 Monday of Holy Week

(Isaiah 42:1-7; John 12:1-11)

Everyone is familiar with Martha and Mary.  In Luke’s gospel Jesus famously visits their home.  Martha complains to him that Mary has left her with the work.  Meanwhile Mary listens attentively to Jesus.  Today’s gospel shows what appears to be another visit to Martha and Mary’s home.  Martha is characteristically serving while Mary shows that she has probed at least part of the mystery of Jesus.

John’s gospel is supremely aware that Jesus’ death literally crowns his life.  His offering of self, much more than sacrificial bulls on the altar, atones for human sin.  Without it the world is condemned.  Mary acknowledges the awesomeness of Jesus’ death before it happens.  She anoints Jesus with an immense amount of precious oil to recognize the value of Jesus’ self-giving. 

We are aware of the debate over the question: do we do good works because we are saved or are we saved by our good works?  Mary’s anointing of Jesus and, indeed, the Gospel of John leave no doubt that we can do good works because of Jesus’ salvific death.  it sets us free from evil’s tenacious grasp so that we can truly love.  Like Mary does in today’s gospel, we will recognize this mystery in the reading of the Passion on Friday.

Sunday, April 10. 2022

 PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD’S PASSION

(Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Luke 22:14-23:56)

Sixty years ago, a university researcher published a study that astonished the world. Dr. Stanley Milgram tested people from various backgrounds for their willingness to carry out orders contrary to their consciences. Test takers were instructed to give "learners" electric shocks when they made mistakes. In reality, the "trainees" were actors, and the shocks were faked. But still the results were worrying. The vast majority of those tested would shock the "learners" enough to kill them. in other words, they would sin rather than disobey authority. We see something similar in the reading from the passion of Christ today.

At Jesus' trial before Pilate, the Jewish leaders insist that Jesus is guilty of a capital crime. Soon all the Jews present demand his death. Although both Pilate and Herod find no offense, the mob calls for Jesus' execution. Under the authority of the high priests and the scribes the people are willing to ignore their own reasoning. These people are not evil by nature but easily led to do evil. We are inclined to make the same mistake.

We are influenced by cultural leaders to sin. These leaders can be politicians, athletes, actors, priests or others. Our sins can be lies or theft, sexual offenses or blasphemy. We see people whom in one way or another we admire and imitate their vices. As a grace, the voice of God calls us in our conscience to repent. The appeal to conscience takes places in the gospel but in a different way. After seeing Jesus die on the cross the people return beating their chests in contrition. They acknowledge that they have shared in the death of an innocent man.

What exactly did they see? They saw Jesus showing God's mercy at every turn. On the way to Calvary he comforts the women of Jerusalem. He tells them that it is not necessary to cry for him but to cry for their own children. When he is nailed to the cross, he asks God to forgive the executioners of him. Finally, he promises the criminal who recognizes his crime a place in paradise. We too can count on Jesus to show us mercy. Jesus shows himself as the true Son of God. He will get us the Father's forgiveness when we acknowledge our sins.

We sin by insisting on putting our will before the will of God. We seek first of all pleasure, power, prestige, and money. Although God has always been good to us, we still want more to satisfy our every desire. However, the passion of Christ shows that God's mercy is greater than our sins. We just have to acknowledge them – whether they are deadly like abortion or small like “white lies.” God will forgive them because of Christ.

 

Friday, March 8, 2022

 

Friday of the Fifth Week in Lent

 (Jeremiah 20:10-13; John 10:31-42)

 Both Jeremiah and Jesus in today’s readings find themselves in litigation.  Jewish authorities want to silence Jeremiah for denouncing idolatry.  Rather than trust in God, they seek favors from idols.  Jeremiah, of course, will have none of their faithlessness. Jesus is being drilled as if he were a defendant facing prosecutors.  The Jews want to prove that he is an imposter claiming to be God.

Jesus deftly cites Scripture to show how he can be considered a son of God.  More than that, he points to the evidence of his powerful works.  They manifest a divine relationship.  He also calls a notable witness.  John the Baptist publicly testified on his behalf.  The Jews are not convinced, yet they cannot arrest Jesus.  His time has still not come. 

We may suffer, like Jeremiah and Jesus, for saying what is true.  Having the right intentions and doing virtuous works does not free us from accusation.  Like Jeremiah and Jesus again, we should make every effort to persevere.  We can turn to God in prayer for the grace to do so.  We might also pray for those who persecute us.  We want them to accept the truth and to live it. 

Thursday, April 7, 2022

 Thursday of the Fifth Week in Lent

 (Genesis 17:3-9; John 8:51-59)

 Today’s gospel is part of a longer passage that used to be read on “Passion Sunday.” This was the Sunday before Palm Sunday before the Vatican II renewal. The gospel passage became the source of the custom of covering sacred images during the last two weeks of Lent.  The statement that Jesus hid from the Jews was taken as a cue to veil all statutes.  Today covering images is optional.  In any case, it is external to the meaning of the passage which is very significant in itself.

 In the dialogue with the Jews, Jesus asserts that he existed before Abraham.  He also says that he has intimate knowledge of the Father.  From these statements the Church has reasoned that He is God like the Father in all things except their mutual relationship.  This conclusion is given added testimony when Jesus says later in the gospel, “’I and the Father are one.’”  Christian theologians have argued that the identity of Jesus as God is crucial for the atonement of sin.  If he were not God, then his sacrifice could not have made up for the sins of humanity. Only the sacrifice of a human of infinite greatness – a God-man – could restore the justice that is taken away through sin.

 Atonement may sound remote even unimportant as we consider Jesus’ cruel death.  But we have to ask why that death was more consequential than any other in history.  Certainly other good people have sacrificed themselves for the good of others.  Certainly, again, other innocent people have undergone similarly brutal deaths as Jesus.  But because Jesus’ death made up, or atoned for, all the sins of the world, we take a week every to contemplate its meaning.  

 

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

 Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

(Daniel 3:14-20.91-92.95; John 8:31-42)

George Weigel wrote a well-regarded biography of St. John Paul II.  He probably knows as much about the revered pope as anyone.  Recently, Weigel commented that once St. John Paul was asked which biblical verse had affected him the most.  Weigel said the saint did not have to stop and think.  Immediately, John Paul II answered, John 8:31: “’And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”  Jesus proclaims these words in today’s gospel.

A basic truth of human life is that men and women are sexual beings who are made to unify with one person of the other sex. People cannot choose their gender, nor can they have multiple unions.  Making the most of these truths by choosing wisely one’s spouse leads to fulfilling love.  The couple can have a family, pursue careers, and enjoy the variety of possibilities that life offers.

We live in an age when many have forsaken the truth in order to live life in their own way.  Some seek pleasure above all; others, power or adventure.  We must resist these temptations.  Living virtuously as people with an eternal destiny, we will have wonderful experiences.  If we seek him, we will come to know the Lord.  Then we will be ready to enjoy his gracious love forever.

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

 Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Lent

(Numbers 21:4-9; John 8:21-30)

The Gospel of John is quite heady.  Its many plays on words require help to decipher.  In today’s passage Jesus says that when he is lifted the Jews will realize who he is.  Does he mean lifted up on the cross like Moses mounts lifts up a snake on a pole in the reading from the Book of Numbers? Or is he referring to the resurrection?  He means both.  In John’s gospel Jesus’ crucifixion is triumphal.  He has drawn everybody to himself – friends and foes; Romans and Jews.  He founds his church when he gives his mother to beloved disciple.  And, most importantly, he completes the work of salvation with his death.

Jesus’ odd-sounding self-reference “I AM” also needs explaining.  It is the Gospel of John’s cryptic way of referring to Jesus as God, the great “I am who am” in the Book of Exodus.  The gospel is declaring that people have to believe in Jesus as God to have their sins forgiven.  If they do not believe, they cannot be Jesus’ brothers and sisters.  Only in close relationship with Jesus can they have access to eternal life with the Father.

We might want to ask ourselves if it is correct that one must believe in Jesus as God to be saved.  But there is a more important question for us as we prepare to enter Holy Week.  How fully do we embrace Jesus as the Son of God?  We want to learn from him, to pray to him, and to follow with his help what he has told us.

 

Monday, April 4, 2022

 Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent

(Daniel 13:1-9.15-17.19-30.33-62; John 8:12-20)

Late last year a man was released from prison after forty-three years of incarceration.  He was exonerated because of a lack of evidence linking him to the crime he allegedly committed.  It seems that he was judged by appearances as Susanna in today’s first reading.

Susanna did not have adulterous relations.  She only appeared to do so.  She was about to be found guilty of the false accusation when the wise Daniel intervened.  He was able to sort out truth from falsehood, the innocent from the guilty.  In the gospel Jesus claims to bring such a discerning light into the world.  He does not judge, but by him people judge themselves.  If they stand with him, they are innocent.  If they oppose him, they prove themselves guilty.  Standing with him, of course, means doing his will, loving God and neighbor.

The time to show ourselves as followers of Jesus is drawing close.  Participating in the paschal liturgy we recommit ourselves to “the light of the world.”  He brings us together in peace.  Despite what we have done in the past, he restores our peace with the Father.

Sunday, April 3, 2022

 

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT

(Isaiah 43:16-21; Philippians 3:7-14; John 8:1-11)

Once a holy man was traveling on foot through the forest. When he stopped for the night, an assailant came upon him. The ruffian demanded the most valuable thing the holy man was carrying. Without delay the holy man opened his bag, took out a diamond as big as a grapefruit, and presented it to the assailant. The assailant took the diamond and left. In a short time he returned to the holy man. He told him, "Now give me the thing that made you part with this diamond." In the second reading Saint Paul shows us such a valuable thing.

Paul has had the experience of knowing Christ on several occasions. On the road to Damascus Christ appeared to him asking why he was persecuting them. The Acts of the Apostles recalls other meetings and also II Corinthians. We have similar experiences in prayer. We can sense the presence of Jesus urging us to be less inclined to anger and more kind and loving. He assures us that he will be with us come what may.

The story told in today’s gospel reinforces our trust in Jesus. He controls the situation with all the skill of a surgeon in the operating room. He first outwits the Pharisees who uses the adulteress to trap him. Their strategy is if Jesus says that the woman should be stoned, he would be violating Roman law. But if he says that she does not deserve death, he would be ignoring Jewish law. Jesus outsmarts them with the demand that the sinless person cast the first stone.

His treatment of the woman seems even more praiseworthy. Only the two remain, as Saint Augustine says, "misery and mercy". Jesus does not condemn the woman; neither does he scold her. He just corrects her. He tells her to go and sin no more. She will be so grateful to Jesus that she cannot ignore his mandate. He treats us the same way.

Not only does Jesus forgive us; he also helps us to sin no more. He teaches us how to live with our hearts set on the good of our neighbor, not on desire for his or her belongings. In addition to teaching, he shares with us the Holy Spirit that strengthens us spiritually. By receiving Holy Communion, we realize that we are not alone in the struggle. Rather we are part of a great family that includes the angels, the saints, even Christ as well as the other communicants.

Now we should better understand the first reading. Through the prophet God says that he is going to do something new. It will be as refreshing as a river in the desert. The new, the refreshing thing is Jesus Christ. He has not come to judge us but to justify us. He does not make excuses for our faults but corrects them. We will live as upright as oak trees giving nuts to the squirrels and shelter to the birds.

The discovery of a "new" star was recently reported. In addition to not being really "new," this star attracted attention because it does not conform to astronomers' theories. It is so with Jesus. He lived two thousand years ago, but to many, even us, he is new. He does not conform to the old models of judging and scolding. He simply corrects us and justifies us. We will see this process take place in the liturgies of the next two weeks.