Wednesday in the Octave of Easter
(Luke 24:13-35)
Some of us may be disappointed that the gospels do not give a physical description of Jesus. Try as we might, we never find a word about his stature, his complexion, or any distinguishing mannerism, other than that he spoke with authority. Once a journalist wrote that he was short since the Gospel of Luke mentions that Zacchaeus has to climb a tree to see him. However, the more common interpretation of this story is that Zacchaeus is the little guy.
Perhaps since Jesus is so nondescript in the gospels, it should not strike us as altogether peculiar that his disciples do not recognize him at first glance after the resurrection. Both Mary Magdalene in yesterday’s gospel reading from St. John and the two disciples today in Luke’s gospel fail to distinguish Jesus from other people. Until he speaks with his old authority, that is. Then his words go straight to the heart. Mary is lifted out of her fog of grief when he mentions her name. The disciples too achieve insight as he blesses and breaks the bread.
We are used to seeing pictures of a long-haired, blue-eyed, bearded Jesus, but these are surely idealized portraits. Rather than seek his image, we should listen for his words. He calls us by name in Baptism as surely as he calls Mary Magdalene in the graveyard. He pronounces the same blessing over the bread and wine in the Eucharist as he does for the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Like these disciples, we are to tell others of his resurrection. As peculiar as it may sound, we are to say that he meets us at mass. There we hear his words in the gospel and touch his body in the breaking of the bread.
Homilette for March 25, 2008
Tuesday in the Octave of Easter
(John 20:11-18)
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 we can see his words come to fulfillment. Jesus tells Mary Magdalene to inform his “brothers” and say that he is going “to my Father and your Father...”
The disciples have believed in Jesus since his turning water into wine at Cana. Now, however, they are being brought to a deeper dimension of faith. They will see Jesus not only with power over death but also with the facility to use death to accomplish his end of drawing others to himself. It is like the Greek rhetorician Demosthenes who, it is said, not only corrected a speech impediment by practicing to speak with stones in his mouth but also used this achievement to secure a place in Athenian politics and world history. Because Jesus’ accomplishment is much more magnificent, St. Paul writes 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. We are only displaying the frailty of our human nature. Just as seven weeks ago we were wondering how we would do without chardonnay or chocolate during Lent, we hesitate to contemplate our death now. But when it is time to enter death as the door to eternal life, we will likely see that it is not the beast that we once dreaded. On the contrary, it will give us passage to a greater happiness than we have ever dreamed.
(John 20:11-18)
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 we can see his words come to fulfillment. Jesus tells Mary Magdalene to inform his “brothers” and say that he is going “to my Father and your Father...”
The disciples have believed in Jesus since his turning water into wine at Cana. Now, however, they are being brought to a deeper dimension of faith. They will see Jesus not only with power over death but also with the facility to use death to accomplish his end of drawing others to himself. It is like the Greek rhetorician Demosthenes who, it is said, not only corrected a speech impediment by practicing to speak with stones in his mouth but also used this achievement to secure a place in Athenian politics and world history. Because Jesus’ accomplishment is much more magnificent, St. Paul writes 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. We are only displaying the frailty of our human nature. Just as seven weeks ago we were wondering how we would do without chardonnay or chocolate during Lent, we hesitate to contemplate our death now. But when it is time to enter death as the door to eternal life, we will likely see that it is not the beast that we once dreaded. On the contrary, it will give us passage to a greater happiness than we have ever dreamed.
Homilette for March 24, 2008
Monday in the Octave of Easter
(Acts 2:14.22-33 and Matthew 28:8-15)
The idea of resurrection from the dead staggers the mind so much that suggesting it invites skepticism. In the readings today we see bases of two attempts to discredit Jesus’ resurrection. The gospel mentions a refutation from apostolic times. Apparently some Jews claimed that Jesus did not rise from the dead but that his disciples stole his body. The evangelist’s picturing corrupt Jewish leaders as bribing the Roman soldiers corresponds to their seeking false witnesses at Jesus’ trial.
More pertinent today is a doubt about the resurrection that the Acts of the Apostles suggests. In the first reading Peter tries to show his Jewish listeners that Jesus’ resurrection is foretold in Scripture. Propelled by this account, modern skeptics have conjectured 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, injected them into the story of Jesus’ ordeal, and then claimed that the crucified Jesus also rose from the dead. This scenario may be possible, but it is hardly likely. We might ask why the apostles did not choose more relevant information than casting lots for Jesus’ garments or offering Jesus wine mixed with gall. Catholic scholar Fr. Raymond Brown has written it is far more likely that early Christians, after witnessing Jesus death and resurrection, told of it with reference to its elements that correspond to Scripture.
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 for at least three reasons. First, the apostles, who died for preaching the resurrection, make a credible witness. Second, the resurrection satisfies the longing of the human heart, which God has created, for immortality. And third, we have experienced the effects of the resurrection in the Spirit’s filling our hearts with God’s love.
(Acts 2:14.22-33 and Matthew 28:8-15)
The idea of resurrection from the dead staggers the mind so much that suggesting it invites skepticism. In the readings today we see bases of two attempts to discredit Jesus’ resurrection. The gospel mentions a refutation from apostolic times. Apparently some Jews claimed that Jesus did not rise from the dead but that his disciples stole his body. The evangelist’s picturing corrupt Jewish leaders as bribing the Roman soldiers corresponds to their seeking false witnesses at Jesus’ trial.
More pertinent today is a doubt about the resurrection that the Acts of the Apostles suggests. In the first reading Peter tries to show his Jewish listeners that Jesus’ resurrection is foretold in Scripture. Propelled by this account, modern skeptics have conjectured 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, injected them into the story of Jesus’ ordeal, and then claimed that the crucified Jesus also rose from the dead. This scenario may be possible, but it is hardly likely. We might ask why the apostles did not choose more relevant information than casting lots for Jesus’ garments or offering Jesus wine mixed with gall. Catholic scholar Fr. Raymond Brown has written it is far more likely that early Christians, after witnessing Jesus death and resurrection, told of it with reference to its elements that correspond to Scripture.
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 for at least three reasons. First, the apostles, who died for preaching the resurrection, make a credible witness. Second, the resurrection satisfies the longing of the human heart, which God has created, for immortality. And third, we have experienced the effects of the resurrection in the Spirit’s filling our hearts with God’s love.
Homily for March 21, 2008
Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion
(John 18:1-19:42)
During Holy Week we always hear the story of Jesus’ passion and death twice. On Palm Sunday we listen to the passion according to Matthew, Mark or Luke depending on the year. Last Sunday, of course, we heard Matthew’s passion account. Today, Good Friday, we always hear the passion according to John. If we listen carefully, we will realize that the passion accounts read Palm Sunday and Good Friday have very different tones. They have many of the same elements, for sure, but they present Jesus’ suffering in very different perspectives. Let us take a close look at a few of the differences from Matthew’s and John’s passion accounts to see what they are saying to us.
In Matthew’s passion account Jesus is somewhat anxious in the garden of Getsemaní. He actually prays to God lying on the ground that his Father deliver him from the trial that is coming. In John, on the other hand, Roman soldiers lie in the ground as they face Jesus. They are powerless before the great “I AM” that Jesus uses to identify himself.
We all remember how Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry his cross. In Matthew’s gospel Jesus is so weary from the scourging and abuse that he can barely get himself to Calvary. John’s gospel, however, makes no mention of Simon. Rather, it states that Jesus carries the cross himself. Jesus said earlier in this gospel, “I have the power to lay (my life) down, and power to take it up again” (10:18). Here he demonstrates that power.
Once again Matthew and John describe the crucifixion in very different ways. In John darkness does not cover the earth as in Matthew. Jesus, after all, is the light of the world; where he is, lightness reigns. Jesus’ last words in either account differ significantly. In Matthew, of course, we hear the anguished cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In John Jesus can calmly say at the end, “It is finished.” He has accomplished what his Father commissioned him to do and may now return to Him.
Sometimes we become unsettled when we hear of differences in the gospels like the ones we just reviewed. We ask, what really happened when Jesus died? This question, however, is not likely what the evangelists had first in mind when they wrote their accounts. Rather, weaving together the stories they heard of Jesus’ death a generation or two earlier, they composed their accounts to testify to the faith of their distinct faith communities in Jesus. Their different perspectives help us at different moments in our lives. Sometimes we feel quite alone in our suffering. Then we can turn to Jesus on the cross in Matthew’s passion account, crying out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” and feel assured that he knows our situation. Sometimes, however, we confidently face the trials life hurls at us. Then, in the solidarity of faith we look to the triumphant Jesus on the cross in the John’s passion. The different passion accounts show us that Jesus is always there for us no matter our need. We can always turn to him, the light of the world, to clear up any difficulty.
(John 18:1-19:42)
During Holy Week we always hear the story of Jesus’ passion and death twice. On Palm Sunday we listen to the passion according to Matthew, Mark or Luke depending on the year. Last Sunday, of course, we heard Matthew’s passion account. Today, Good Friday, we always hear the passion according to John. If we listen carefully, we will realize that the passion accounts read Palm Sunday and Good Friday have very different tones. They have many of the same elements, for sure, but they present Jesus’ suffering in very different perspectives. Let us take a close look at a few of the differences from Matthew’s and John’s passion accounts to see what they are saying to us.
In Matthew’s passion account Jesus is somewhat anxious in the garden of Getsemaní. He actually prays to God lying on the ground that his Father deliver him from the trial that is coming. In John, on the other hand, Roman soldiers lie in the ground as they face Jesus. They are powerless before the great “I AM” that Jesus uses to identify himself.
We all remember how Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry his cross. In Matthew’s gospel Jesus is so weary from the scourging and abuse that he can barely get himself to Calvary. John’s gospel, however, makes no mention of Simon. Rather, it states that Jesus carries the cross himself. Jesus said earlier in this gospel, “I have the power to lay (my life) down, and power to take it up again” (10:18). Here he demonstrates that power.
Once again Matthew and John describe the crucifixion in very different ways. In John darkness does not cover the earth as in Matthew. Jesus, after all, is the light of the world; where he is, lightness reigns. Jesus’ last words in either account differ significantly. In Matthew, of course, we hear the anguished cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In John Jesus can calmly say at the end, “It is finished.” He has accomplished what his Father commissioned him to do and may now return to Him.
Sometimes we become unsettled when we hear of differences in the gospels like the ones we just reviewed. We ask, what really happened when Jesus died? This question, however, is not likely what the evangelists had first in mind when they wrote their accounts. Rather, weaving together the stories they heard of Jesus’ death a generation or two earlier, they composed their accounts to testify to the faith of their distinct faith communities in Jesus. Their different perspectives help us at different moments in our lives. Sometimes we feel quite alone in our suffering. Then we can turn to Jesus on the cross in Matthew’s passion account, crying out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” and feel assured that he knows our situation. Sometimes, however, we confidently face the trials life hurls at us. Then, in the solidarity of faith we look to the triumphant Jesus on the cross in the John’s passion. The different passion accounts show us that Jesus is always there for us no matter our need. We can always turn to him, the light of the world, to clear up any difficulty.
Homily for March 20, 2008
Holy Thursday, Mass of the Lord’s Supper
(I Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-15)
Lent begins in the dead of winter. But the word does not mean “winter.” It means “springtime.” Lent takes us from winter to springtime, from slavishness to self-control, from and selfishness to consideration of others. Some say that we shouldn’t give up anything for Lent but concentrate our efforts on charitable works. But we need to do both -- deprive ourselves of comforts and 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 is my body…This cup is the new covenant of my blood. Do this…in remembrance of me.” Because of Jesus’ command here we celebrate mass together this evening and every day with exception of tomorrow, Good Friday.
The washing of feet is the second of Jesus’ Holy Thursday commands. Interestingly, the foot-washing tradition appears only in the Gospel of John where Jesus does not offer bread and wine on the night before he dies. Does this gospel ignore the Eucharist? Not at all. Only John gives the “Eucharistic discourse,” Jesus’ longest reflection on eating his body and drinking his blood. We all remember its words: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life...”
At the last Supper in the Gospel of John instead of taking the bread, 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. Then 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 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? Workers should do the best job possible for the sake of the company as well as clients. Employers should try to provide health care benefits and other essentials for human dignity. Retired people should not think of time as exclusively their own but dedicate some of it to God and neighbor. Parents should take care in providing the right mix of soft and tough love so that your children grow into caring and conscientious persons. Children should do their chores and study before watching television.
We’ve all heard the slogan, “You are what you eat.” It reminds us to limit our intake of calories and fats. But we Catholics take the slogan a giant 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. It gives us eternal life.
(I Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-15)
Lent begins in the dead of winter. But the word does not mean “winter.” It means “springtime.” Lent takes us from winter to springtime, from slavishness to self-control, from and selfishness to consideration of others. Some say that we shouldn’t give up anything for Lent but concentrate our efforts on charitable works. But we need to do both -- deprive ourselves of comforts and 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 is my body…This cup is the new covenant of my blood. Do this…in remembrance of me.” Because of Jesus’ command here we celebrate mass together this evening and every day with exception of tomorrow, Good Friday.
The washing of feet is the second of Jesus’ Holy Thursday commands. Interestingly, the foot-washing tradition appears only in the Gospel of John where Jesus does not offer bread and wine on the night before he dies. Does this gospel ignore the Eucharist? Not at all. Only John gives the “Eucharistic discourse,” Jesus’ longest reflection on eating his body and drinking his blood. We all remember its words: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life...”
At the last Supper in the Gospel of John instead of taking the bread, 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. Then 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 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? Workers should do the best job possible for the sake of the company as well as clients. Employers should try to provide health care benefits and other essentials for human dignity. Retired people should not think of time as exclusively their own but dedicate some of it to God and neighbor. Parents should take care in providing the right mix of soft and tough love so that your children grow into caring and conscientious persons. Children should do their chores and study before watching television.
We’ve all heard the slogan, “You are what you eat.” It reminds us to limit our intake of calories and fats. But we Catholics take the slogan a giant 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. It gives us eternal life.
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