Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
(John 3)
Beholding jeweled crosses and hearing how perfect the cross is as geometric design, we have difficulty contemplating its scandal for early Christians. It is said that people mocked the first followers of Jesus when they found out that he was nailed to a cross. We might as easily chide a teenager today for idolizing a rock star. In Jesus’ day crucifixion was the basest of punishments the state imposed because it entailed the most gruesome suffering. We do not consider it an alternative form of execution today precisely because it comprises “cruel and unusual punishment.” Yet the cross is the instrument by which Christ won our salvation.
The gospel today curiously does not mention the cross. It merely states that those who believe in Jesus “lifted up” will be saved. In the Gospel of John Jesus is lifted up twice – first on the cross and then in the resurrection. Either time when we look on him with faith, we find ourselves in the magnetic field of salvation.
However, faith is more than paying lip service that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead. Faith indicates our willingness to make sacrifices for his sake. But the cross in its utter barbarity, as much as the resurrection in its sheer magnificence, indicates that faith in Christ, and not in the quality or quantity of our works, brings salvation. As when we were little children with nothing to repay our relatives for the gifts they brought us at Christmas, we cannot earn eternal life. We can only say, “Thank you, thank you, thank you” for his death on the cross.
Showing posts with label John 3. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John 3. Show all posts
Homilette for Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Wednesday, II Easter
(John3)
Why did it happen? Most everyone today wants to know how such a massacre as that at Virginia Tech could take place in America today. There will be no shortage of predictable answers.
Many have already pointed their fingers at school administrators. They criticize the failure to close down the school and send out a warning after the first shots were fired.
Moralizers will have their say. From the left they will charge that permissive gun laws make every meeting place in the country a potential blood bath. From the right they will argue as forcefully that sex and violence in music and movies start time bombs ticking in many individuals.
God certainly will be accused for not intervening. Some will come to his defense noting that Virginia Tech is a classic case of free will running amok. Others will rebut, “Whose will is really free?” And, they will add, “Does not God’s power transcend human freedom?”
The Gospel of John does not provide a detailed answer to why Virginia Techs take place. It merely says that people prefer darkness to light. From almost the very beginning the world has been marred by wickedness, and it is not about to stop.
The gospel then goes to some lengths to show God acting to relieve the suffering. He sends His son to teach the world better ways than the narrow self-interests most people pursue. He also gives His son on the cross, at least as cruel a death as that rendered by an automatic pistol. He does this, first, to show solidarity with the suffering around the world and through the ages. But much more significantly, His gift provides us the opportunity to stand with him in death so that we may experience the resurrection which inevitably follows.
(John3)
Why did it happen? Most everyone today wants to know how such a massacre as that at Virginia Tech could take place in America today. There will be no shortage of predictable answers.
Many have already pointed their fingers at school administrators. They criticize the failure to close down the school and send out a warning after the first shots were fired.
Moralizers will have their say. From the left they will charge that permissive gun laws make every meeting place in the country a potential blood bath. From the right they will argue as forcefully that sex and violence in music and movies start time bombs ticking in many individuals.
God certainly will be accused for not intervening. Some will come to his defense noting that Virginia Tech is a classic case of free will running amok. Others will rebut, “Whose will is really free?” And, they will add, “Does not God’s power transcend human freedom?”
The Gospel of John does not provide a detailed answer to why Virginia Techs take place. It merely says that people prefer darkness to light. From almost the very beginning the world has been marred by wickedness, and it is not about to stop.
The gospel then goes to some lengths to show God acting to relieve the suffering. He sends His son to teach the world better ways than the narrow self-interests most people pursue. He also gives His son on the cross, at least as cruel a death as that rendered by an automatic pistol. He does this, first, to show solidarity with the suffering around the world and through the ages. But much more significantly, His gift provides us the opportunity to stand with him in death so that we may experience the resurrection which inevitably follows.
Homilette for Monday, April 16, 2007
Monday, II Easter
(John 3)
Raymond used to drink a lot. We would say he had a drinking problem. He might have even called himself an alcoholic bound to nowhere except, perhaps, an early death. One day, however, he decided to stop drinking. The decision came in the midst of prayer and was supported by prayer. Since that moment Raymond has never been drunk again. In fact, he never takes a drink although he will sip the Precious Blood when it is offered at Mass.
Such a radical turnabout seems to be what Jesus has in mind when he speaks of being born again. He does not intend to say that one has merely to submit to the Baptism ritual to see the kingdom of God. No, he seems to have a more fundamental experience in mind. He seems to mean undergoing a transformation so that the person lives in a completely new way. Like Raymond those who experience such a change know that it is primarily not their doing. Rather it is a work of grace. Many in the early Church evidently were so tranformed as they were preparing for Baptism.
What about those baptized at a tender age? People like most of us – are we squatters in the kingdom of God? Perhaps. We can test ourselves. Do we see radical change for the better in ourselves? Do we find ourselves becoming more God-like? If we liked to talk about ourselves, are we now ready to listen to others? If we used to look at others as objects of sexual fancy, are we now seeing them as God’s children? Such transformation is what water and the Spirit is all about.
(John 3)
Raymond used to drink a lot. We would say he had a drinking problem. He might have even called himself an alcoholic bound to nowhere except, perhaps, an early death. One day, however, he decided to stop drinking. The decision came in the midst of prayer and was supported by prayer. Since that moment Raymond has never been drunk again. In fact, he never takes a drink although he will sip the Precious Blood when it is offered at Mass.
Such a radical turnabout seems to be what Jesus has in mind when he speaks of being born again. He does not intend to say that one has merely to submit to the Baptism ritual to see the kingdom of God. No, he seems to have a more fundamental experience in mind. He seems to mean undergoing a transformation so that the person lives in a completely new way. Like Raymond those who experience such a change know that it is primarily not their doing. Rather it is a work of grace. Many in the early Church evidently were so tranformed as they were preparing for Baptism.
What about those baptized at a tender age? People like most of us – are we squatters in the kingdom of God? Perhaps. We can test ourselves. Do we see radical change for the better in ourselves? Do we find ourselves becoming more God-like? If we liked to talk about ourselves, are we now ready to listen to others? If we used to look at others as objects of sexual fancy, are we now seeing them as God’s children? Such transformation is what water and the Spirit is all about.
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