Tuesday, I Easter
(John 20)
In its beginning the Gospel According to John states that Jesus empowered all who accept him to become God’s children. Now at the end of the gospel the words are seen fulfilled. Jesus tells Mary Magdalene to go to his “brothers” and say that he is going to my Father and their Father, my God and their God.
The disciples believed in Jesus since his turning water into wine at Cana. Now, however, they are brought to a greater realization of what their faith means. Jesus not only has power over death but can use death to bring people to glory. It is like a baseball rivalry, say between the Giants and the Dodgers. One team, say the Giants, not only beats the Dodgers in every series the two teams play but turn the Dodgers into their most rabid fans. For this reason St. Paul will write that he never wants to boast of anything except the cross of Jesus Christ.
Death remains fearful in so far as we lack perfect faith. But we are not failures if we fear it. No, we are only displaying the frailty of our nature. Just as seven weeks ago we were wondering how we would do without chardonnay or chocolate during Lent, we hesitate to embrace death now. But when it is time and we accept death as the door to eternal life, we will see that it is not the beast we fretted. On the contrary, it will allow us to be happier than we ever dreamed.
Homilette for Monday, April 9
Monday, I Easter
Acts 2, Matthew 28)
The gospel mentions a refutation of the resurrection that evidently was circulated in apostolic times. Apparently some Jews claimed that Jesus did not rise from the dead but that his tomb was found empty because his disciples stole his body. We might find the explanation given of why Romans soldiers would admit to negligence-on-duty – that they were paid off and that the Jewish leaders would handle any fallout with the procurator -- as hardly plausible. However, this line of reasoning probably goes beyond what Matthew intended by telling the story.
More topical today is a question about the resurrection that the first reading suggests. Peter tries to show his Jewish listeners that Jesus’ resurrection was foretold in Scripture. Some modern skeptics have opined that the passion, death and resurrection narratives were invented by early Christians with the Old Testament in hand. According to these theorists, the apostles gleaned tidbits from the Jewish Scriptures and inserted them into the story of Jesus’ ordeal. That may be possible, but it is hardly likely. Catholic scholar Fr. Raymond Brown has written it is far more probable that the early Christians noted facts surrounding Jesus death and resurrection that corresponded with Scripture. This is why we have the emphasis on casting lots for the garment, the wine being offered to Jesus, and other details.
Skeptics can and will always raise doubts about Jesus’ resurrection. It remains a singular event in history (unless we count the Assumption of Mary for which there appears to be far less testimony). We accept it in faith because of the credibility we give to the apostolic witness, because it satisfies the longing of the human heart which God has created, and also because we have experiences the effects of his resurrection such as God’s love filling our hearts.
Acts 2, Matthew 28)
The gospel mentions a refutation of the resurrection that evidently was circulated in apostolic times. Apparently some Jews claimed that Jesus did not rise from the dead but that his tomb was found empty because his disciples stole his body. We might find the explanation given of why Romans soldiers would admit to negligence-on-duty – that they were paid off and that the Jewish leaders would handle any fallout with the procurator -- as hardly plausible. However, this line of reasoning probably goes beyond what Matthew intended by telling the story.
More topical today is a question about the resurrection that the first reading suggests. Peter tries to show his Jewish listeners that Jesus’ resurrection was foretold in Scripture. Some modern skeptics have opined that the passion, death and resurrection narratives were invented by early Christians with the Old Testament in hand. According to these theorists, the apostles gleaned tidbits from the Jewish Scriptures and inserted them into the story of Jesus’ ordeal. That may be possible, but it is hardly likely. Catholic scholar Fr. Raymond Brown has written it is far more probable that the early Christians noted facts surrounding Jesus death and resurrection that corresponded with Scripture. This is why we have the emphasis on casting lots for the garment, the wine being offered to Jesus, and other details.
Skeptics can and will always raise doubts about Jesus’ resurrection. It remains a singular event in history (unless we count the Assumption of Mary for which there appears to be far less testimony). We accept it in faith because of the credibility we give to the apostolic witness, because it satisfies the longing of the human heart which God has created, and also because we have experiences the effects of his resurrection such as God’s love filling our hearts.
Homilette for Sunday, April 8, 2007
Easter Sunday
(Colossians 3)
Tom Monaghan is a multimillionaire. He says, however, that he wants to die a poor man. So he is giving away his fortune to projects that help others and that give glory to God. He financed the great cathedral built in Managua, Nicaragua, after an earthquake devastated the city. Now he is donating heavily to a Catholic university in Florida that will live up to the faith it proclaims.
We can call Tom Monaghan an “Easter person.” Easter people practice the advice which St. Paul gives in the second reading. They think about what is important to God and not what the world sees as important. We can see the latter by flipping through the television channels with the remote. Very likely we will see images of crude people wielding guns, of salespeople selling jewels, and of attractive people showing off muscle-toned bodies. These things may not be bad in themselves but they are hardly the good that God most desires of us. No, God wants us to take care of one another with our resources, to pursue the truth with our minds, and to trust in Him for our needs.
Throughout the world today we welcome new Catholics into the Church. They have learned what it means to be an Easter people by a long period of formation. We have relearned the same lesson by the forty days of Lent that we have just completed. We no longer set our hearts on fame, fortune, and fun. Rather, we give them to goodness, truth, and love of God.
(Colossians 3)
Tom Monaghan is a multimillionaire. He says, however, that he wants to die a poor man. So he is giving away his fortune to projects that help others and that give glory to God. He financed the great cathedral built in Managua, Nicaragua, after an earthquake devastated the city. Now he is donating heavily to a Catholic university in Florida that will live up to the faith it proclaims.
We can call Tom Monaghan an “Easter person.” Easter people practice the advice which St. Paul gives in the second reading. They think about what is important to God and not what the world sees as important. We can see the latter by flipping through the television channels with the remote. Very likely we will see images of crude people wielding guns, of salespeople selling jewels, and of attractive people showing off muscle-toned bodies. These things may not be bad in themselves but they are hardly the good that God most desires of us. No, God wants us to take care of one another with our resources, to pursue the truth with our minds, and to trust in Him for our needs.
Throughout the world today we welcome new Catholics into the Church. They have learned what it means to be an Easter people by a long period of formation. We have relearned the same lesson by the forty days of Lent that we have just completed. We no longer set our hearts on fame, fortune, and fun. Rather, we give them to goodness, truth, and love of God.
Homily for Holy Thursday, April 5, 2007
HOLY THURSDAY
(John 13)
Lent begins in the dead of winter. But the word doesn’t mean “winter.” It means “springtime.” Lent should take us from winter to springtime, from slavishness and selfishness to self-control and consideration of others. Some say that we shouldn’t give up anything for Lent but rather concentrate our efforts on charitable works. But we need to do both: deprive ourselves of things we enjoy, things that can preoccupy us with our own comfort. And we should also attend to others’ needs so that we might become more sensitive human beings.
On Holy Thursday we receive a similar dual mandate. In the second reading, St. Paul’s tells us how Jesus instituted the Eucharist on the night before he died. He took bread and wine, gave thanks for both, said, “This my body…This cup is the new covenant of my blood. Do this…in remembrance of me.” For this reason in the Church we celebrate mass today and everyday with the one exception of tomorrow, Good Friday.
The washing of feet is the second of Jesus’ commands made on Holy Thursday. Interestingly, the foot-washing tradition appears only in the Gospel of John where Jesus does not offer the bread and wine on the night before he dies. Does this gospel then ignore the Eucharist? Not at all. In the Gospel of John Jesus gives a long discourse about the necessity of eating his body and drinking his blood. We all remember his words: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”
In the Gospel of John instead of taking the bread and the cup Jesus takes a towel and ties it around his waist. Instead of pouring wine in a cup, he pours water into a basin and begins to wash his disciples’ feet. Finally, he tells them something much like, “Do this in remembrance of me.” He says, “…as I have done for you, you should do for each other.” Of course, Jesus does not mean here that one day a year the priest at mass should wash a few parishioners’ feet. Or even that all of us wash each other’s feet everyday. No, he means that we should serve one another.
How do we do that? You workers should not let the desire to make more money prevent you from giving the best performance possible. You employers should try to provide health care benefits and other essentials for human dignity. You retired people should not just think of your time as your own but donate some to organizations helping others. You parents should take care in providing the right mix of discipline and supports so that the children grow into conscientious and caring persons.
At the end of last year a man traveling from Florida to Colorado was having car problems near Fort Worth, Texas. It was a rainy night when he met Willie Dancer, an African-American car repairman, at a convenience store. The repairman had the stranger’s car towed to his shop and drove the man to a motel. The next day he repaired the car which had a shredded belt and the stranger was on the road again by noon. His fee for tow, parts, and service – just $65. Why did Mr. Dancer do so much for so little? He explained, “Everybody should be helped when they are in need....It’s just the right thing to do.”
We’ve all heard the slogan: “you are what you eat.” It reminds us to watch the cals and the carbs. But we Catholics can take that slogan a big step forward. When we eat the flesh of Christ and drink his blood, we have his life within us. This life moves us from slavishness and selfishness to self-control and consideration of others. It enables us to fulfill Christ’s command to serve one another. His life enables us to serve.
(John 13)
Lent begins in the dead of winter. But the word doesn’t mean “winter.” It means “springtime.” Lent should take us from winter to springtime, from slavishness and selfishness to self-control and consideration of others. Some say that we shouldn’t give up anything for Lent but rather concentrate our efforts on charitable works. But we need to do both: deprive ourselves of things we enjoy, things that can preoccupy us with our own comfort. And we should also attend to others’ needs so that we might become more sensitive human beings.
On Holy Thursday we receive a similar dual mandate. In the second reading, St. Paul’s tells us how Jesus instituted the Eucharist on the night before he died. He took bread and wine, gave thanks for both, said, “This my body…This cup is the new covenant of my blood. Do this…in remembrance of me.” For this reason in the Church we celebrate mass today and everyday with the one exception of tomorrow, Good Friday.
The washing of feet is the second of Jesus’ commands made on Holy Thursday. Interestingly, the foot-washing tradition appears only in the Gospel of John where Jesus does not offer the bread and wine on the night before he dies. Does this gospel then ignore the Eucharist? Not at all. In the Gospel of John Jesus gives a long discourse about the necessity of eating his body and drinking his blood. We all remember his words: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”
In the Gospel of John instead of taking the bread and the cup Jesus takes a towel and ties it around his waist. Instead of pouring wine in a cup, he pours water into a basin and begins to wash his disciples’ feet. Finally, he tells them something much like, “Do this in remembrance of me.” He says, “…as I have done for you, you should do for each other.” Of course, Jesus does not mean here that one day a year the priest at mass should wash a few parishioners’ feet. Or even that all of us wash each other’s feet everyday. No, he means that we should serve one another.
How do we do that? You workers should not let the desire to make more money prevent you from giving the best performance possible. You employers should try to provide health care benefits and other essentials for human dignity. You retired people should not just think of your time as your own but donate some to organizations helping others. You parents should take care in providing the right mix of discipline and supports so that the children grow into conscientious and caring persons.
At the end of last year a man traveling from Florida to Colorado was having car problems near Fort Worth, Texas. It was a rainy night when he met Willie Dancer, an African-American car repairman, at a convenience store. The repairman had the stranger’s car towed to his shop and drove the man to a motel. The next day he repaired the car which had a shredded belt and the stranger was on the road again by noon. His fee for tow, parts, and service – just $65. Why did Mr. Dancer do so much for so little? He explained, “Everybody should be helped when they are in need....It’s just the right thing to do.”
We’ve all heard the slogan: “you are what you eat.” It reminds us to watch the cals and the carbs. But we Catholics can take that slogan a big step forward. When we eat the flesh of Christ and drink his blood, we have his life within us. This life moves us from slavishness and selfishness to self-control and consideration of others. It enables us to fulfill Christ’s command to serve one another. His life enables us to serve.
Homily for Monday, April 2, 2007
Monday, Holy Week
(John 12)
Today we remember Pope John Paul II who died exactly two years ago. The world mourned his passing because he was human like everyone else and still so holy like almost no one else. He certainly was not afraid to demonstrate his concern for physical well-being. After his election he had a swimming pool installed at his summer residence. When some cardinals wondered if the pool were not an extravagance, he responded that it was cheaper than another conclave.
In the gospel Judas criticizes Mary’s anointing Jesus in a much harsher way than the cardinals’ questioning of John Paul’s prudence. No motive is given for Judas’ condemnation, but we might suppose that pride keeps him from seeing anything good about the one he will betray. We can imagine him thinking that if Jesus allows such lavishness for himself, it might be socially more beneficial if he were eliminated.
Mary probably uses so much costly ointment because Jesus has done her the great favor of bringing her brother back to life. But she is definitely onto something significant. Jesus can perform such an act because he is God’s son. His restoring Lazarus to physical life is just a sample of his divine mission. He is about to win for everyone who cares to believe in him a share in eternal life. For this he deserves not only our choicest possession but also our whole heart and soul.
(John 12)
Today we remember Pope John Paul II who died exactly two years ago. The world mourned his passing because he was human like everyone else and still so holy like almost no one else. He certainly was not afraid to demonstrate his concern for physical well-being. After his election he had a swimming pool installed at his summer residence. When some cardinals wondered if the pool were not an extravagance, he responded that it was cheaper than another conclave.
In the gospel Judas criticizes Mary’s anointing Jesus in a much harsher way than the cardinals’ questioning of John Paul’s prudence. No motive is given for Judas’ condemnation, but we might suppose that pride keeps him from seeing anything good about the one he will betray. We can imagine him thinking that if Jesus allows such lavishness for himself, it might be socially more beneficial if he were eliminated.
Mary probably uses so much costly ointment because Jesus has done her the great favor of bringing her brother back to life. But she is definitely onto something significant. Jesus can perform such an act because he is God’s son. His restoring Lazarus to physical life is just a sample of his divine mission. He is about to win for everyone who cares to believe in him a share in eternal life. For this he deserves not only our choicest possession but also our whole heart and soul.
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