Thursday, March 30, 2023

 Thursday of the Fifth Week in Lent

(Genesis 17:3-9; John 8:51-59)

It’s ten o’clock on Saturday morning, and your eldest son Bobby is bouncing down the stairs for breakfast.  He has slept through the promise he made his younger brother to take him to soccer practice.  You ask coolly, “Have you had enough sleep, Robert?”   Of course, you are not really concerned about his rest.  Your ironic question makes your son aware that he has failed to do as he said.  The Gospel of John frequently uses irony in such a way.

It is ironic that the Jews in the gospel today say, “Abraham died as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’”  They lack understanding that Jesus is speaking of spiritual life forever with the resurrection of the body at the end of time.

We need not be particularly hard on the Jews in the gospel for not appreciating eternal life.  Its significance escapes most of us.  It is not a continuation of life in this world of joys and sorrows.  Nor is it an ethereal spiritual life as some envisage a colony of ghosts.  Eternal life is new, extraordinary, almost unimaginable.  At the same time, recalling glimpses of the resurrected Jesus, we can say that it is conscious, corporal, and joyous.  We might compare it to hearing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with a chorus 10,000 strong, but it is really beyond our comprehension.  We can only wait in hope to experience 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.  

 

Thursday, April 2, 2020

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent

(Genesis 17:3-9; John 8:51-59)

A friend once expressed the wonder of seeing young people smoke and in other ways defy death.  He was telling the story of a person who was “twenty-one, drunk, and never going to die.”  Would that we could stave off death indefinitely!  But we cannot, and for this reason many are curtailing livelihood, companionship, and recreation in face of the Corona-19 virus.  Yet sooner or later we all die.  And then what is there?   In today’s gospel Jesus provides a way to overcome not death itself, but its permanence.

Jesus tells the people that if they keep his word, they “’will never see death.’”   He means that death will not wash away their existence forever.  He is promising them eternal life with the resurrection of the dead.   He offers as witness to the truth of his statement the patriarch Abraham.  Abraham is alive for the faith he held.  It is the same faith that Jesus preaches (his word).

Keeping the word of Jesus, we love one another as he loved us.  In the supper he shared with his friends the night before he died, Jesus gives more specific instructions.  We are to wash one another’s feet.  No, not literally, but figuratively.  We are to always help one another, even inconveniencing ourselves doing so. 

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Thursday of the Fifth Week in Lent

(Genesis 17:3-9; John 8:51-59)

Today’s gospel was part of a longer passage that used to be read on the Sunday before Palm Sunday. It became the source of the tradition of covering sacred images during the last two weeks of Lent.  The statement that Jesus hid from the Jews who were about to stone him was taken as a cue to veil all statutes.  Today covering images is optional.  In any case, the processional cross should not be veiled until Good Friday.  However much some people think it important to continue the custom, 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 concluded that He is God like the Father in all things except their mutual relationship.  The conclusion is given added testimony when Jesus says later in the gospel, “’I and the Father are one.’”  Christian theologians have reasoned that the identity of Jesus as God is crucial for the atonement of human sin.  If he were not God as well as human, then his sacrifice could not have made up for the sins of humanity. Only the work of a human of infinite greatness – a God-man – could restore the justice that was taken away through sin.

Atonement may sound remote even unimportant as we consider Jesus’ cruel death.  But in thinking through why that death meant more than any other in history, we have to ask who Jesus was.  Certainly other good people have offered themselves in sacrifice for the good of others.  Certainly other innocent people have undergone similarly brutal deaths as Jesus.  But because Jesus is God, his death could bear the sins of the world.  

Thursday, April 6, 2017

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent

(Genesis 17:3-9; John 8:51-59)

The fourth century heretic Arius had the same problem which vexes the Jews in today’s gospel.  If God is infinite, he argued, then he could not become incarnate in a singular subject.  He claimed that this would be like putting a mountain into a box.  Therefore, Arius concluded, Jesus must have been created like all other beings and then raised to a divine status.  In the gospel the Jews reason similarly.  Because they think that Jesus came to be in time like everything else, he is wrong to claim equality with God by calling himself “I AM.”    

A few years ago theologian Robert Barron, now a bishop, published an essay which can be used to explain how Arius and the Jews are mistaken.  Like the great thinkers of the Catholic tradition, Bishop Barron understands God not as just the highest being but qualitatively different from all other beings.  Therefore, He cannot be compared to any other.  God gives glimpses of who He is throughout Scripture and especially in Jesus, but His nature is beyond human understanding. Only because of God’s revelation can it be said that He became human.  How this came about is also beyond human reckoning although it remains a truth of faith.

We can say, however, that God became human so that we can become like God.  Knowing ourselves as sinners, this may seem incredible although the saints provide us a glimmer of hope.  Jesus’ death and resurrection has given them the grace to become holy.  The same Easter mystery will sanctify us if we allow it.

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent

                                                      

(Genesis 17:3-9; John 8:51-59)

St. Patrick was born in Roman Britain, a vast area that included Gaul and Scotland.  Since his native country was Christian, he was baptized at an early age.  He was taken by pagan raiders of his homeland to Ireland as a slave.  Eventually he escaped his captors, returned to Britain, and became a priest and bishop.  He returned to Ireland as a missionary working to convert the native pagans.  Like the Jews in today’s gospel, many resisted Patrick’s efforts.

Reading the gospels, one has difficulty distinguishing the setting.  It may be the Judea at the time of Jesus or perhaps the situation when the evangelists were writing.  The fierce opposition of the Jews toward Jesus in today’s passage reflects a time after the resurrection.  The Jews are reacting to Christian claims not only of Jesus’ divinity but also of the need to modify their established customs.  They believe that Christians are wavering from the path that Abraham set.  Meanwhile, Christians claim that Jesus transcends Abraham because he exists as the eternal Son of God.

We have thrown our lot with Christ.  This means that we “keep his word” as we hear today.  We are to love our enemies as sisters and brothers of the same Father in heaven.  Often love requires patience, even toleration.  It is not easy, but it is the way of the cross beside our blessed Lord.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent

(Genesis 17:5-9; John 8:51-59)

In the Gospel of John Jesus is not tried before the Sanhedrin.  Unlike the three other gospels, after being arrested Jesus is given only a brief interrogation by the former high priest Annas. He is then brought to the house of Caiaphas before being delivered to Pilate.  But this is not to say that Jesus is not tried by the Jews in the Gospel of John.  Indeed, he is asked the same kind of questions in passages like today’s gospel that Matthew, Mark, and Luke have him face in the Sanhedrin trial.  John has typically reworked the sayings about Jesus that were handed down in the apostles’ preaching.

“Who do you make yourself to be?” the Jews ask Jesus.  In the Gospel of Mark the high priest asks Jesus a similarly pointed question, “Are you the Messiah, the son of the Blessed One?”  In both cases Jesus answers with the same, “I am,” echoing God’s name for Himself in Exodus.  It is a moment of truth, and Jesus, as he says in the passage, cannot deny that he is God’s Son. 

It is time for us also to give testimony.  Jesus touches our lives every day.  We may not be able to say that we have seen him, but we pray to him.  Invariably, it seems, he saves us from failure and distress.  We can truly say that he is the Son of God.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent

(Genesis 17:3-9; John 8:51-59)

The charismatic heretic of the fourth century Arius had the same problem which vexes the Jews in today’s gospel.  If God is infinite, he argued, then he could not become incarnate in a singular subject.  This, he claimed, would be like putting a mountain into a box.  Therefore, Arius concluded, Jesus must have been created like all other beings and then raised to divine status by God’s special indulgence.  In the gospel reading the Jews critique Jesus as coming to a similar erroneous conclusion when he claims, “Before Abraham came to be, I AM.”  The Jews think that Jesus is identifying himself with the eternal “I AM” when he is obviously a creature born in time. 

Recently Fr. Robert Barron, one of today’s gifted theologians, published an essay which can be used to explain how Arius and the Jews are mistaken.  Like his great predecessors Saints Augustine, Anselm, and Thomas Aquinas, Fr. Barron understands God not as just the highest being but qualitatively different from all other beings so that he cannot be compared to any other.  We have glimpses of who God is through Jesus, but His nature is really beyond human understanding. It is only because God has revealed it that we can say He became human.  Again how this happens is beyond reckoning.

God became human in Jesus so that humans can become like God.  Knowing ourselves as sinners, this may seem incredible although the saints provide us a glimmer of hope.  Jesus’ death and resurrection has given them the grace to become holy.  The same Easter mystery will sanctify us.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Thursday of the Fifth Week in Lent

(Genesis 17:3-9; John 8:51-59)

It’s ten o’clock on Saturday morning, and your eldest son Bobby is bouncing down the stairs for breakfast.  He has slept through the promise he made his younger brother to take him to soccer practice.  You ask coolly, “Have you had enough sleep, Robert?”   Of course, you are not really concerned about his health.  Your ironic question intends to make your son aware that he has failed to do as he said.  The Gospel of John frequently uses irony in such a way.

It is ironic that the Jews in the gospel today say, “Abraham died as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’”  They lack understanding that Jesus is speaking of eternal life whose fullness comes with the resurrection at the end of time.

We need not be particularly hard on the Jews in the gospel for not appreciating eternal life.  Its significance escapes most of us.  It is not merely life without end.  Nor is it spiritual life as some envisage a colony of ghosts in heaven.  Eternal life is new, extraordinary, almost unimaginable.  At the same time, recalling glimpses of the resurrected Jesus, we can say that it is conscious, corporal, and joyous.  We might compare it to hearing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with a chorus 100,000 strong, but it is really beyond our comprehension.  We can only wait in hope to experience it.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent

(Genesis 17:3-9; John 8:51-59)

The charismatic heretic of the fourth century Arius had the same problem which vexes the Jews in today’s gospel. If God is infinite – he argued – than he could not become incarnate in a singular subject. This, he claimed, would be like putting a mountain into a box. Therefore, he concluded, Jesus must have been created like all other beings and then raised to divine status by God’s indulgence. In the gospel reading the Jews critique Jesus as coming to a similar erroneous conclusion when he claims, “Before Abraham came to be, I AM.” In another words, according to the Jews, Jesus is identifying himself with the eternal “I AM” when he is obviously a creature born in time.

The mystery of the incarnation was enlightened by the genius of St. Athanasius, a contemporary of Arius. Athanasius taught that God is completely unknowable. We have glimpses of who God is through Jesus, but His nature is still beyond our understanding. If God were only infinite, then Arius would be right – there would be no box or man that could contain Him. But it is only because God who is far beyond human intelligence has revealed it that we can say He became human. Still how this happens is beyond human reckoning.

Athanasius gave us another proposition that is also beyond our comprehension. He said that God became human so that humans may become like God. Looking about us or in us, this seems impossible although the saints provide a glimmer of hope. The Easter mystery provided the grace for the saints to become holy. It will likewise help us to become like God.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Thursday of the Fifth Week in Lent

(Genesis 17:3-9; John 8:51-59)

It’s ten o’clock Saturday morning, and your eldest son Bobby is bouncing down the stairs for breakfast. He has slept through the promise he made his younger brother to take him to soccer practice. You ask coolly, “Have you had enough sleep, Robert?” Of course, you are not really concerned about his health. Your question ironically intends to make your son aware that he has failed to keep his promise. The Gospel of John frequently uses such irony.

It is ironic for the Jews in the gospel today to say, “Abraham died as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’” They lack understanding that Jesus is speaking of eternal life whose fullness comes with the resurrection at the end of time.

We need not be hard on the Jews in the gospel for not appreciating eternal life. Its significance escapes many of us as well. It is not merely life without end. Nor is it spiritual life as some envisage a colony of ghosts in heaven. Eternal life is new, extraordinary, challenging to the imagination. At the same time recalling glimpses of the resurrected Jesus, we can say that it is conscious, corporal, and joyous. We might compare it to witnessing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with a finale of fireworks, but it is really beyond ourselves to comprehend. We can only wait in hope to experience it.

Homilette for Thursday, April 2, 2009

Thursday of the Fifth Week in Lent

(Genesis 17:3-9; John 8:51-59)

Albert Einstein once said, “Time exists so that everything does not happen at once.” That’s important. We get upset when two things happen at once – we’re preparing dinner and the doorbell rings. How could we ever cope with everything happening at the same time? But is it possible that someone exists outside of time? That one would have created time and everything else. Philosophers call this being who exists outside of time “God.” In the gospel today Jesus equates himself with that One, Being, or God. This is what he means by saying, “I Am.”

Of course, all this is difficult to comprehend. The Jews may be resisting belief in Jesus but not without cause. They ask, how can a man whose date of birth is known and who will one day die be God? That is another good question. There is an answer, however. The Son of God existed from all eternity but joined himself to a human body and soul two thousand years ago. He did this to redirect humanity from sin, which displeases God, to virtue which God favors. God’s becoming human demonstrates His great care for us.

The Jews rightly see Abraham as their father in faith. But Christians claim him as their father as well. Indeed, it is through Christ that Abraham has become the patriarch of many nations. But seeing prophecy’s fulfillment in the number of adherents that a religion has is a questionable enterprise since popularity hardly makes for truth. If Christ has fulfilled the hope of Abraham, it is because he brought peace among peoples. Although that peace often wobbles, we can see in what he taught and the way he lived the ideal which his followers have pursued with some success.

Homilette for March 13, 2008

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent

(John 8:51-59)

Albert Einstein once said, “Time exists so that everything does not happen at once.” That’s important. We get upset when two things happen at once – we’re preparing dinner and the doorbell rings. How could we ever cope with everything happening at the same time? But is it possible that someone exists outside of time? That one would have created time and everything else. Philosophers call this being who exists outside of time “God.” In the gospel today Jesus equates himself with that One, Being, or God. This is what he means by saying, “I Am.”

Of course, all this is difficult to comprehend. The Jews may be resisting belief in Jesus but not without cause. They ask, how can a man whose date of birth is known and who will one day die be God? That’s another good question. We have an answer, however. The Son of God existed from all eternity but joined himself to a human body and soul. He did this to redirect humanity from sin, which displeases God, to virtue which God favors. God’s becoming human demonstrates His great care for us.

Abraham is father of three great world religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. All three see the Bible as God’s revelation although Jews do not accept the New Testament and Moslems look to the Koran as the ultimate word of God. Christianity seems the most daring of the three and the most hopeful. It is “daring” because of our belief that God has made Himself accessible in Jesus Christ. It is “hopeful” because Jesus has left the sacraments which assist us in two ways. First, they strengthen us for those times when everything seems to happen at once. Second, they prepare us for life with God outside of time.