Tuesday in the Octave of Easter
(Acts 2:36-41; John 20:11-18)
These days Mary Magdalene is commonly portrayed as involved with Jesus in, for Christians, a scandalous way. However, there is no historical warrant to consider her as Jesus’ wife or concubine. Her relationship to Jesus is like his other associates’ -- one of discipleship.
In today’s gospel passage Mary Magdalene is seen for a second time in John’s resurrection narratives. She previously went to the tomb -- probably with other women although this is not expressly stated -- before dawn and found the stone rolled back which led her to conclude that Jesus’ body had been stolen. After reporting her experience to the other disciples, she returns to the tomb to encounter the risen Lord. Quite typically, Jesus asks a question probing her discipleship: “Whom are you looking for?” Will her response be one of acute interest like the Baptist’s disciples’ at the beginning of the gospel or of hostile suspicion like that of the Roman troops in the garden of the Mount of Olives? When Jesus mentions her name, Mary gives a favorable answer, “Rabbouni,” teacher.
Although Mary has no sexual relationship with Jesus, her discipleship is very much based on love. In the Good Shepherd discourse Jesus said that he knows each of his sheep by name and was ready to lay down his life for them. Now Mary hears Jesus, who has already laid down his life for all his followers, call her by name and can respond with affection. When she returns to the others to report her encounter with the Lord, she becomes the first disciple to proclaim the good news of his resurrection.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Monday in the Octave of Easter
(Acts 2:14.22-33; 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; 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.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Good Friday
(Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:6-7; John 18.1-19:42)
It can be said that the passion of Jesus in the Gospel according to St. John is drama without suspense. Careful readers realize that Jesus is fully aware throughout this gospel that he is the pre-existent Son of God. He knows where he comes from and when he will return to his Father. He says in the middle of the gospel that no one takes his life from him, “I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again” (10:18). Since Jesus in John’s eyes has already conquered the world (16:33), worldly powers -- be they Roman procurators or Jewish high priests – only imagine that they are cutting short his life when they crucify him. He dies when he is ready as his last words testify, “It is finished.” In fact, nothing happens in this gospel that catches Jesus by surprise. As the omniscient Son of God, he knows when and how everything will take place.
Jesus’ dominance over his opponents is also apparent throughout the narrative. When Roman soldiers come to arrest Jesus, they fall to the ground as Jesus pronounces the divine “I AM.” When Pilate tries to interrogate Jesus, he finds himself outmaneuvered. He learns that, yes, Jesus is a king, but not of this world; and that his own authority is granted from above so that anything he does, God intends him to do in the first place. Most spectacularly, Jesus’ supremacy is seen at the cross. To the consternation of the Jews, Pilate posts a sign on it – in three languages, no less – that Jesus is “king of the Jews.” Jesus even holds court there with his mother, her companions and his beloved disciple in attendance. Jesus initiates his church from the cross by proclaiming his mother and the disciple his family and sending his Spirit upon them. And when Jesus dies, a new disciple rushes on the scene with enough burial spices to inter a pharaoh.
The Gospel of John’s omniscient, impassable, almighty Jesus assures us that he is truly God’s Son. We have only to put our faith in him, and nothing will defeat us either. This kind of faith has enabled an elderly religious sister to accept her terminal condition of liver cancer with serenity and peace. She was told five months ago that she had just three months to live. She continues day after day without hospice, with hardly any painkillers, and now without food. She only asks the other sisters to sit with her and to pray for her. Since she has long ago given herself over to her Lord, there is now no reason to deny, fear or dread death now. As Jesus says of himself, so she hears him say to her: he will take her when he is ready and he will give life back to her again.
(Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:6-7; John 18.1-19:42)
It can be said that the passion of Jesus in the Gospel according to St. John is drama without suspense. Careful readers realize that Jesus is fully aware throughout this gospel that he is the pre-existent Son of God. He knows where he comes from and when he will return to his Father. He says in the middle of the gospel that no one takes his life from him, “I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again” (10:18). Since Jesus in John’s eyes has already conquered the world (16:33), worldly powers -- be they Roman procurators or Jewish high priests – only imagine that they are cutting short his life when they crucify him. He dies when he is ready as his last words testify, “It is finished.” In fact, nothing happens in this gospel that catches Jesus by surprise. As the omniscient Son of God, he knows when and how everything will take place.
Jesus’ dominance over his opponents is also apparent throughout the narrative. When Roman soldiers come to arrest Jesus, they fall to the ground as Jesus pronounces the divine “I AM.” When Pilate tries to interrogate Jesus, he finds himself outmaneuvered. He learns that, yes, Jesus is a king, but not of this world; and that his own authority is granted from above so that anything he does, God intends him to do in the first place. Most spectacularly, Jesus’ supremacy is seen at the cross. To the consternation of the Jews, Pilate posts a sign on it – in three languages, no less – that Jesus is “king of the Jews.” Jesus even holds court there with his mother, her companions and his beloved disciple in attendance. Jesus initiates his church from the cross by proclaiming his mother and the disciple his family and sending his Spirit upon them. And when Jesus dies, a new disciple rushes on the scene with enough burial spices to inter a pharaoh.
The Gospel of John’s omniscient, impassable, almighty Jesus assures us that he is truly God’s Son. We have only to put our faith in him, and nothing will defeat us either. This kind of faith has enabled an elderly religious sister to accept her terminal condition of liver cancer with serenity and peace. She was told five months ago that she had just three months to live. She continues day after day without hospice, with hardly any painkillers, and now without food. She only asks the other sisters to sit with her and to pray for her. Since she has long ago given herself over to her Lord, there is now no reason to deny, fear or dread death now. As Jesus says of himself, so she hears him say to her: he will take her when he is ready and he will give life back to her again.
Holy Thursday, Mass of the Lord’s Supper
(Exodus 12:1-8.11-14; 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, and from 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, and said, “This is my body…This cup is the new covenant of my blood. Do this…in remembrance of me.” Out of obedience to Jesus’ “Do this...” we celebrate mass this evening and every day with the 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’ long reflection on eating his body and drinking his blood. We all remember his mystical words, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.”
At the last Supper in the Gospel of John instead of taking bread, Jesus takes a towel and ties it around his waist. Instead of pouring wine, 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 on one day each year the priest should wash a few parishioners’ feet, much less that all of us wash each other’s feet everyday. No, he intends that we serve one another.
How do we do that? Workers should do the best job possible for the company as well as for its clients. Employers should strive to provide health care benefits and other essentials for human dignity. Retired people should not think of time as exclusively their own but dedicate 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 step beyond. 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.
(Exodus 12:1-8.11-14; 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, and from 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, and said, “This is my body…This cup is the new covenant of my blood. Do this…in remembrance of me.” Out of obedience to Jesus’ “Do this...” we celebrate mass this evening and every day with the 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’ long reflection on eating his body and drinking his blood. We all remember his mystical words, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.”
At the last Supper in the Gospel of John instead of taking bread, Jesus takes a towel and ties it around his waist. Instead of pouring wine, 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 on one day each year the priest should wash a few parishioners’ feet, much less that all of us wash each other’s feet everyday. No, he intends that we serve one another.
How do we do that? Workers should do the best job possible for the company as well as for its clients. Employers should strive to provide health care benefits and other essentials for human dignity. Retired people should not think of time as exclusively their own but dedicate 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 step beyond. 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.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Wednesday of Holy Week
(Isaiah 50:4-91; Matthew 26:14-25)
In Italy abstaining from meat on Wednesdays as well as Fridays is not unheard of. Of course, the Friday penance commemorates Jesus’ death on the cross. The Wednesday observance similarly recalls Jesus’ betrayal by Judas, his disciple.
Although all four gospels speak of the betrayal, Matthew gives the most detail. He speaks of the amount that Judas is paid – thirty pieces of silver – a paltry sum, especially when one considers how vengeful the Jewish leaders feel toward Jesus. Earlier in the gospel, Jesus tells his disciples not to take any silver with them as they preach the Kingdom of heaven. Here Judas takes thirty pieces to turn in the kingdom’s principal preacher. Even more indicative of Judas’ contempt is his calling Jesus “Rabbi” after Jesus predicts his betrayal. Jesus told his disciples not to call anyone “rabbi” (23:8), but Judas feels no pang in defying the Lord’s admonition. Of course, Judas’ betrayal brings about his desolation. As Jesus suggests would happen, Judas hangs himself and his name is recalled with the same infamy as that of Hitler or Pot Pol.
Ironically, some have tried to justify Judas over the centuries. In one novel Judas is portrayed as a kind of co-redeemer because his action brought Christ to the cross. Often these days Judas is seen as doing no more than denying Christ as Peter does. Peter also commits a terrible sin, but he acts out of fear where Judas’ motive is malice or, at best, greed. We should see the possibility of our acting as ignominiously as Judas. We may betray associates for money or for pleasure. Even more seriously, we may betray Christ by openly behaving in obscene or violent ways. Judas is one person we want to avoid imitating.
(Isaiah 50:4-91; Matthew 26:14-25)
In Italy abstaining from meat on Wednesdays as well as Fridays is not unheard of. Of course, the Friday penance commemorates Jesus’ death on the cross. The Wednesday observance similarly recalls Jesus’ betrayal by Judas, his disciple.
Although all four gospels speak of the betrayal, Matthew gives the most detail. He speaks of the amount that Judas is paid – thirty pieces of silver – a paltry sum, especially when one considers how vengeful the Jewish leaders feel toward Jesus. Earlier in the gospel, Jesus tells his disciples not to take any silver with them as they preach the Kingdom of heaven. Here Judas takes thirty pieces to turn in the kingdom’s principal preacher. Even more indicative of Judas’ contempt is his calling Jesus “Rabbi” after Jesus predicts his betrayal. Jesus told his disciples not to call anyone “rabbi” (23:8), but Judas feels no pang in defying the Lord’s admonition. Of course, Judas’ betrayal brings about his desolation. As Jesus suggests would happen, Judas hangs himself and his name is recalled with the same infamy as that of Hitler or Pot Pol.
Ironically, some have tried to justify Judas over the centuries. In one novel Judas is portrayed as a kind of co-redeemer because his action brought Christ to the cross. Often these days Judas is seen as doing no more than denying Christ as Peter does. Peter also commits a terrible sin, but he acts out of fear where Judas’ motive is malice or, at best, greed. We should see the possibility of our acting as ignominiously as Judas. We may betray associates for money or for pleasure. Even more seriously, we may betray Christ by openly behaving in obscene or violent ways. Judas is one person we want to avoid imitating.
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