We report--you decide

 

Today is the feast of Mark the evangelist.  He is the writer of the first and shortest gospel.  His gospel is the most vivid and informal because it was probably the first recorded (AD 60-70).  In some ways it’s the most descriptive Gospel, yet he writes with a sense of urgency, as if Christ’s return is close at hand.

Mark’s gospel [Mark 16:15-20] speaks of visible wonders achieved through faith like expelling demons and drinking deadly poison.  The phrase in this passage that grabs my attention is Jesus’ words to His disciples to “Go into the world and proclaim the good news to all creation.”  And they did that.  They went to lands far and near and shared the Good News with people rich and poor, thin and fat, fair and dark skinned.  For over two millennia, good people — in the kitchen, at home, in the fields, at the office, in schools, in factories, or in other workplaces — have spread Jesus’ message and not always used words.  They have “clothed themselves with humility” as St. Peter recommends [1Peter 5:5-15]. Their actions and attitudes have shown that they love because they’ve experienced great love in their personal lives.

At times I ponder how well I proclaim the good news of Jesus.  I can easily identify times that I’ve left that for priests to do, not wanting to be bothered with the role or responsibility of proclaiming the good news.  I give excuses like I don’t want to stand out or offend those who do not believe, yet the followers of Jesus went to non-believers when they proclaimed the good news.  They stood out for the good news even to the point of death.

Another excuse I use is that I don't know what good news to proclaim.  The good news seems different for different people.  To some, Jesus dying on the cross is good news, to others it's his resurrection, and still others, it’s the fact that God became human and dwelt among us.  Many people can continue this list of the good news of Jesus.  Not knowing what good news to proclaim, I’ve remained silent, even when little opportunities have presented themselves.  These are the confessions of an elderly Catholic.  Sure there are many more excuses that have been used in the past, but Mark’s gospel calls us to proclaim the good news of Jesus.  Without excuses or limits, the risen Christ is calling upon us to not just spread the message but proclaim the good news.  It may be slightly different good news depending on whom we interact with, but we’re all presented with situations where the good news needs to be proclaimed. 

I surmise that some missionaries have probably been inspired by this Gospel passage as Christ’s command to baptize others.  In the US, we are a pluralistic society, where I personally have experienced goodness and kindness from Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and even (gasp!) atheists.  Many of them are more Christ-like in their words and actions than I am.  Should they be converted, or is it I who needs conversion?  Rather than worry about “baptizing” people of other faiths, I would rather focus on these words that end Mark’s Gospel: “The Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.”

Two slogans came to my mind today (inspired by the Holy Spirit?) that pretty much sum up my thoughts on this gospel: “Go Greyhound—and leave the driving to us!” and “We report—you decide.” 

My prayer today is that we, too, are given the grace and courage of Mark the Evangelist so that others will know the good news of Jesus through our words and actions and allow Him to lead us all to the Father.

Try to remember the big picture

 

Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.  [John 6:27]

There’s a joke about a couple who were driving down the freeway at 75 MPH when the wife says to her husband “I think we’re lost.”  Her husband says, “That’s OK we’re making great time!”  Although it’s a funny joke, it’s also the story of so many of us today!  We’re so very busy but spend little time considering where we’re going and hurrying to get there.

John’s Gospel has Jesus telling us we’re heading for eternal life [John 6:22-29].  So many of our concerns have little or no relation to the unending life Jesus promises us.  “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life.”   The New Testament talks about the next life around 300 times!

When Jesus came many, even religious people, had no concept of the next life.  Many people thought at most that the next life was very foggy.  “Who praises You among the dead?” [Psalm 5:5] 

Many of the Jewish People to whom Jesus preached believed in the next life like the Pharisees.  But even to this day many orthodox have serious doubts about the resurrection of the dead.  So when Jesus taught He really emphasized “Eternal Life” by parables—the Rich Fool (Luke 12:16-21), the Last Judgement [Matthew 25:31-46], etc.

Jesus reassured us so many times to live in such a way that we have endless life ahead of us!  One of the biggest mistakes we can make on this earth is to think that death is the end of our existence!  It’s the door of our eternal life with Jesus!

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.” [John 14:1]

“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.” [John 14:2]

“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” [John 14:3]

A guide to living a good life

 

Lord, you will show us the path of life. [Psalm 16:11]

Peter, where did you learn to orate like this?  I mean, you’re just a fisherman.  Yet you stand before a crowd and tell them the way to find salvation.  What’s come over you?  You used to be so tongue-tied, and not very subtle.  Yet today you reminded me that I should "conduct myself with reverence during the time of your (my) sojourning."  [1Peter 1:17-21]  What a marvelous bit of advice, so faith-filled, and so profound.  A guide to living a good life, and a reminder of the transitory nature of life as we know it, all in one thought.  I didn't know you had it in you – what’s caused this change in you?

Lord, you will show us the path of life.

Luke, why were the eyes of Cleopas and his friend closed to Jesus when he appeared to them on the road to Emmaus [Luke 24:13-35]?  And they stay closed, even though they walk a good distance together, and even though He explains the scriptures to them so it’s clear that He’s the messiah.  Why were they blind to the Lord, even though He was with them?  I'm sure if I were on that road, I would recognize Jesus in an instant.  I mean, how can anyone be so blind that they walk in the presence of the Lord and don't recognize Him?

Lord, you will show us the path of life.

And Luke, while we’re looking at this event, how is it that Cleopas and his friend finally recognize Jesus only when He breaks bread?  They weren't with the apostles at the Last Supper.  Has the symbolism, the presence of the Eucharist already manifested itself to the nascent church?  It certainly works for us, 2,000 years later, since we don't have Jesus in our midst every day.  He vanished when they recognized Him.  Where are we going to find Him today?  In the Eucharist?  On the road?  Are our eyes still closed? What do we need to do to have our eyes opened?

Lord, you will show us the path of life.

Jesus feeds our hungry spirit

 

The miracle of the loaves and fishes in John’s Gospel is a story that resonated with me as a child [John 6:1-15].  I’m not sure if it’s because we drew pictures of loaves and fishes in my catechism class or the fact that a young boy played a pivotal role with his small basket of loaves.  And in my grade-school mind, I’m sure the baskets were full of tuna fish sandwiches on white bread.

In my adult mind, reading the same Gospel, I am again drawn to the boy with five barley loaves and two fishes.  He suddenly finds himself among thousands of hungry people.  He was called into service, and he gave all that he had.  Like the young boy we are called into service to care for and feed those who are very hungry.  How have we responded to the call?  Saying to ourselves “I don’t have any gifts to give”?  “What I do have is meager and insufficient, so I won’t respond”?  We are called like the young boy to share what we have with others and let God do divine work as Jesus did.

I’m struck by other aspects of this miracle, too.  In the story of the loaves and fishes, people are hungry to hear His word and follow Jesus up a mountain.  Jesus as a man must have sometimes been hungry and thirsty and tired Himself.  The Gospels are filled with stories about Jesus sharing meals.  Each story tells us something more than that He was hungry.  Some of them illustrate His observance of Passover [Luke 17:35]; others depict Him as a dinner guest at the homes of Simon the Pharisee or Jesus’ friend Martha [Luke 7:36; 10:40]. There is even mention that Jesus was criticized for eating and not fasting as did John the Baptist [Matthew 9:14-17].  As Jesus’ words nourish our spiritual sides, He also acted to nourish the physical side.  Food and hunger are universal, something we can understand.

In my life, I’m often hungry, but I think the hunger is more for the spiritual than for a tuna-fish sandwich.  OK, sometimes both.

My most generous Lord, You not only give spiritual nourishment to Your people, You give it in superabundance.  Daily, as I seek You out and am filled with Your mercy, help me to never tire of feasting upon the superabundant gift of Your grace.  Please nourish me, dear Lord, and help me to consume Your holy Word.  Jesus, I trust in You.

What is love?

 

What is love?  Is it a feeling?  An emotion?  A drive or a desire for something or someone?  Of course, the secular understanding of love is much different than a divine understanding of love.  Oftentimes the secular view of love is more self-centered.  To “love” someone or something is to want to possess that person or object.  “Love” from a secular view focuses upon the attraction and desire.  But true love, from a divine perspective, is very different.

For example, I reflected today on a single line from John’s Gospel: The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him. [John 3:35]

The line tells us two things: First, we’re told that “The Father loves the Son…” But then we’re given a definition of that love.  We’re told that love in this case results in the Father giving “everything over” to the Son.  When we consider the word “everything” in this passage, it’s clear that this can only refer to the Father giving Himself to the Son in totality.  Within the life of the Father, everything means His very essence, His being, His personhood, His whole divine self.  The Father does not say, “I want;” rather, the Father says, “I give.”  And the Son receives all that the Father is.

Though this is deep and mystical language, it becomes very practical for our lives when we understand that divine love is not about wanting, taking, desiring, feeling, etc.  Divine love is about giving.  It’s about the giving of oneself to another.  And it’s not just about giving some of yourself away, it’s about giving “everything” away.

If the Father gave everything to the Son, does that mean that the Father has nothing left?  Certainly not.  The beautiful nature of divine love is that it’s never ending.  The more one gives themself away, the more they have.  Thus, the gift of the life of the Father to the Son is infinite and eternal.  The Father never ceases to give, and the Son never ceases to receive.  And the more the Father gives Himself to the Son, the more the Father becomes the essence of love itself.

The same is true in our lives.  It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that love should only go so far.  But if we’re to strive to imitate and participate in the love the Father has for the Son, then we must also understand that love is about giving, not receiving, and that the giving must be a gift of everything, holding nothing back.  We must give ourselves away to others without counting the cost and without exception.

I think it’s good to reflect often upon our own view of love.  To look at it from a practical perspective as we think about the people whom we are especially called to love with a divine love.  Do you understand your duty to give yourself to them completely?  Do you realize that giving yourself away won’t result in the loss of your life but in the fulfillment of it?  Ponder the divine love that the Father has for the Son and make the radical and holy choice today to strive to imitate and participate in that same love.

My loving Lord, the Father has given all to You, and You, in turn, have given all to the Father.  The love You share is infinite and eternal, overflowing into the lives of all Your creatures.  Draw me into that divine love, dear Lord, and help me to imitate and share in Your love by fully giving my life to others.  Jesus, I trust in You.

Courage is only fear that has said its prayers

 I felt a challenge in my Scripture reading today: What will we do with the light we have?

In Acts, the Apostles had an encounter with an angel of the Lord, who opened the doors of the prison, led them outside, and then said, “Go and take your place in the temple area, and tell the people everything about this life.”  They did this, teaching and sharing with the people in fulfillment of this broad mandate, even after being jailed [Acts 5:17-26].

I imagine that thoughts of leaving the scene quietly and escaping also passed through their minds.  Should we count on another miraculous event of deliverance if they come get us again?  But the Apostles went on living in the light.  That took courage – accepting freedom meant continuing to live in tension.  The angel didn’t deliver them from the world full of threats, which would still have been there if they had fled.  This life is punctuated with challenges that simply can’t be eliminated; we have to do our best to live in the midst of them.

I’ve read stories about the experiences of prisoners of war during their captivity.  In the midst of very cruel treatment, their love for one another and their faith got them through it.  One man commented that “courage is only fear that has said its prayers.”  That’s such a powerful observation – how often during the Lenten journey did we encounter our fears and our need to be released from them?  And do we have the courage to go and take our place, to live in the light, like the Apostles did in this story?  Maybe if our fear says its prayers, we can.

Unfortunately, the high priest and his companions provide a counterexample, as jealousy and fear seemed to be motivating forces for them to continue on the path of suppression.  Despite encountering miraculous events, they couldn’t get their minds around the possibility that they might be on the wrong side of the work that God was doing.  Fear and jealousy have the power to blind and bind us in ways that seem puzzling when we’re observing them from outside.  But when we’re under their power, that can be hard to see, to be sure. 

John’s Gospel (probably the most visible message known to the world because of its prominence at sports and media events) illustrates that same tension of living in light.  Jesus tells Nicodemus about the way of salvation, which was rooted in God’s act of love in sending His Son [John 3:16-21].   The act of love reflected in the incarnation of our Lord, His life, death, and resurrection, is a witness of light.  We judge ourselves, in a sense, by our reaction to that light.  Will we suppress the light because of fear?  Or come to live in the light in spite of our weaknesses and fears?  Sadly, we hold onto many false comforts because of our sins, which we think we can’t bear to give up.  May God grant us faith and courage so that we can draw near to Him and live in the light.  Thanks be to God.

Encouragement

 Joseph, also named by the Apostles Barnabas (which is translated "son of encouragement") [Acts 4:36]

Some definitions of the word encourage are: 1) To inspire with hope, courage, spirit or confidence.  2) To give support or help to; foster.  3) To stimulate; spur.  4) To talk or behave in a way that gives someone confidence to do something.

Do you ever stop to consider the number of times you’ve been blessed by someone’s encouragement?   It’s happened to me more times than I can count!  Everyone in my life--my parents and siblings, my wife and even my children and grandchildren have all encouraged me to varying degrees and in different situations.  Teachers and bosses have played a big part in helping me become who I am as a confident Christian.  As I considered what to write this evening, I kept finding myself drawn to Joseph, the one the early Apostles named Barnabas – son of encouragement.  At first, I thought I’d provide a few current examples of instances I experienced or witnessed in which people of Christ provided encouragement to others.  However, I quickly became overwhelmed (and humbled) by the enormous number and variety of encouraging acts.  What a joyful reminder that the Spirit indeed continues to work in and through the church consistently, persistently, and sometimes miraculously!

I’ve realized how important it is to have a Barnabas or Batnabas (“daughter of encouragement”) for a family or community to thrive.  For the early Church this was especially true.  The embodiment of encouragement, Barnabas featured prominently in the Church’s growth in Jerusalem and its spread.  Even as we read how Barnabas donated the proceeds from the sale of land, it appears the early Church benefited more from his non-monetary contributions.

Imagine with me for a moment the ways Barnabas may have inspired the small but growing group of believers who were frequently persecuted.  I have no doubt that Barnabas warmly greeted each new face, especially the anxious ones worried that past unrighteous behaviors made them unworthy and unwelcome.  Barnabas may have shared that everyone has sinned and falls short of God’s glory [Romans 3:23], and then reminded them that our loving God is ready to forgive [Psalm 85:6].  To some he may have told how much the Father wanted His prodigal children to come home, while to others he emphasized the healing, forgiveness and peace Jesus offers – in essence, lifting up the Son of Man as Moses had raised the serpent [Numbers 21:4-9].

Secure in the belief that the Holy Spirit had a reason for bringing someone to the body, Barnabas defined each person not by the bad deeds of their past but as a sister or brother in Christ for whom God has a purpose.  (Look at Acts 9:26-27, where Barnabas convinced the frightened disciples to accept the converted Saul/Paul, the man once known for zealously persecuting the faithful, into the church.)   Barnabas would have known that encouragement was not a one-time thing, but something that individuals would need anew as opportunities and obstacles emerged.  He would have known that encouragement can involve a longer commitment of accompanying those who suffer long-term illnesses or deep-seated grief.  It may even require pushing an individual to take responsibility for damage caused by their sinful actions, and then being present for them as they face the consequences of those actions, all the while reminding them that the Son of Man loves them deeply.

Loving God, thank You for the many people You have used to encourage us and others.  Thank You for working through us to provide encouragement to others.  Strengthen our faith and inspire us so that all we say and do glorifies Your name.  Jesus, I trust in You.

Hang on to Easter

 

Can we be born all over again?  That’s what Easter is all about—being born again, passing from death-in-life to true life; passing from fear to trust and anxiety to peace; passing from small mindedness to a love that never stops expanding; and surely passing from old world sadness to superabundant joy.  That may sound outlandishly farfetched, but Easter is nothing if it’s not a total re-creation of ourselves and our world in justice and love, mercy and forgiveness, healing and peace.

Jesus’ nighttime encounter with Nicodemus [John 3:1-8] testifies that an Easter way of life is not at all continuous with what we knew on the other side of the tomb.  Easter isn’t about making everything just a little bit better; it’s about making everything dazzlingly new.  To enter into Easter is to be part of a world that we never knew existed, but one so rich in promise that in light of it everything in our old world seems to be dying.  In John’s gospel, Jesus calls this Easter world the “Kingdom of God.”  The rule of God is a new way of life marked not by violence and animosity and retaliation, mistrust and betrayal, but by harmony, forgiveness, and peace.  It’s a world that thrives not on the power of domination and coercion, but on the creative power of mutual service and generous love.  To be part of this new life, Jesus tells us that we must be begotten from above, born not of flesh, but of the Spirit.  It is to take our bearings not from a world that’s passing away, but from the risen one.  It’s saying yes to a love that’s been calling to us since the day we were born.

The trouble with Easter is that we don’t hold onto it.  We celebrate it and then slide back into the tomb.  Like Nicodemus, Jesus invites all of us to embrace Easter as a feast that ought to be a way of life.  It’s not one day to celebrate and then quickly forget, but the exultant life Jesus’ death and resurrection make possible for us, one in which no hope is too wild and no dream ever foolishly farfetched.

We can't not speak up

 

After the Sanhedrin told Peter and John to stop speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus, they responded, “Whether it is right in the sight of God for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges. It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.” [4:13-21]

To have that faith and that attitude is remarkable to me.  But we may say to ourselves, “Well, they were eyewitnesses to those things.  What have we seen and heard like that?”  I always need to remember, especially during this Easter week, that there have been times when I have experienced Easter.  There were times when I was discouraged, or times when there was a crisis out of which I couldn’t see a way, and somehow, I made it through.  I didn’t make it through by my own power – it was by the grace of God.  Those times were experiences of Easter!  If you’ve had similar experiences, you’ve experienced Easter!  There is something you’ve seen and heard!

And when we can recognize those times as signs of God’s love for us, perhaps we could find it impossible not to speak about what we’ve seen and heard.  I think our most effective testimony is not quoting Scriptures or church dogma, but about witnessing to what God has done for us in Jesus Christ.

And may our testimony not only be in words, but in how we live our lives.  The reason Peter and John came before the Sanhedrin, is that they healed a beggar in the name of Jesus.  May our witness include acts of healing and service to others, so that what we’ve seen and heard in our own lives can be communicated in a way that everyone can understand.

The gift of faith

 

“The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.”  [Psalms 118:22]

The older I get the more I realize that the greatest gift God gives is the gift of faith in Jesus.  Peter, in the Acts of the Apostles puts it eloquently: “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.” [Acts 4:1-12]

It took me years to come to a full grasp of the importance of the gift of faith.  Our secular culture conditions us to believe that other dimensions of life are more primary for a fulfilled human life.  We all pass through these different dimensions at one time or another: belongingness and love from others, social respect and stature, security (especially financial security), actualization of personal talents, physical health, and, finally, a long and healthy old age.

But we can have these and still remain unfulfilled.

We’re incredulous that the Jewish temple leaders could reject Jesus — the stone rejected by the builders!  But a more important question arises for us: Is Jesus the cornerstone of our lives?  Is the presence and power of Jesus the integrating factor for every aspect of our lives?  Or influenced by our secular culture have we substituted something else as our cornerstone?

After the Resurrection the power and presence of Jesus became the cornerstone for the apostles.  Peter and the apostles fished all night catching nothing.  Then at dawn Jesus arrived; at Jesus’ beckoning they cast their nets on the other side of the boat and filled them to the breaking point [John 21:1-14].

And Peter responds to the temple elders witnessing to the source of his power to heal the crippled man: “It is in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean that this man stands before you healed, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”

And Jesus becomes our cornerstone to the degree our lives are transformed by His presence and power.  During this Easter Season we pray for a fuller experience of our Risen Lord so we can exclaim, “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us be glad and rejoice in it!” [Psalms 118:24]

Look up and ask for God's help!

 

“My ways are not your ways” says the Lord [Isaiah 55:8-10].  Who can know the mind of God? [Romans 11:30-36] Confusion and suffering mixed with joy are the themes that come out of Scripture for me today.  The apostles are gathered together discussing the latest events and trying to make sense of their world.  Jesus who had been brutally executed; ends up missing from the tomb and has appeared to Simon or so he says [Acts 3:11-26].  When the two walking on the road to Emmaus join this group, they begin telling of their encounter with a stranger .  Suddenly Jesus is standing with them.  “Peace be with you”, He says to them [Luke 24:35-48].  I can almost feel their fear and confusion as I imagine this scene.  That feeling of confusion describes how I feel about what’s happening in our world today.   Everyday people whose worst encounter with the law is an occasional speeding ticket are bound to be confused with the growing reign of terror in our world today.   But the disciples who had been afraid went out from that confusion to spread the message about the new covenant God had with His people.   When Jesus who was dead came and stood in their midst and even ate with them.  He then explained that what Moses and the other prophets had foretold had to happen.  “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things” [Luke 24:46-48}.

Jesus endured much suffering and even death, but many good works have been done in His name.  Dealing with evil has no less of a price to pay even today.  I don’t know if we’ve made correct decisions along the way to fighting the evil that is attacking innocent people in our world today - only time will reveal that answer.  We do know what we were told to do is to go out and preach the good news about Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.  Let everyone know about your joy.  Christ’s sacrifice has endured many centuries of Evil’s attempt to take over and remove our reason for Joy.  Just as the apostles were fortified by the Spirit to go on, we are reminded that those same resources haven been handed down to each of us.   Let’s not let Satan win by fighting amongst ourselves.  God will bring good out of the rubble of our difficulties.

We know we can’t expect to escape the Cross, and every day the Lord said He will walk with us to help us carry it.  The Lord rebuked Peter saying “get behind me Satan” when Peter objected to Christ’s saying He would suffer greatly and be slain for the sake of all of us [Matthew 16:21-23].  Out of the daze of today’s confusion let’s remember to look up, to ask for God’s help. 

Lord, please continue to be with our world’s leaders helping them to make sound decisions.  Help us too, to move out of our daze, taking the focus off of ourselves.  Like Peter and the other disciples whose confidence and focus was restored in the reading from Acts, we want to be about the work of spreading Your Word and Your Joy.  Jesus, I trust in You.

...neither silver nor gold...

 The Easter Season celebrates Life and Growth…and there are two particular Scripture selections that powerfully proclaim the Life and Growth and Meaning that is ours in Jesus, Risen from the dead!

The first selection, from the Acts of the Apostles, relates the ministry of Peter and John as they went to the temple area to pray…after the Resurrection of Jesus.  They met a crippled man begging for alms that would help him make it through the day.  Peter looked intently at him and spoke to him: “…I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you:  in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.”  Peter helped the man stand up, and he started to walk around and even leap…cured! Jumping and praising God!!! [Acts 3:1-10] New Life…in the name of Jesus!  I can hardly imagine the intensity of feelings experienced by Peter, John, and the cured man.

And then of course there's the Gospel selection that is a classic Easter story and the inspiration for my blog:  the disciples meeting the risen Jesus on the road to Emmaus.  The story unfolds:  two disciples walking along, trying to make sense of Jesus’ death and the “tale” of His body missing from the tomb; unknowingly they meet Jesus on the road, who senses their dejected spirit and asks them what they’re discussing as they walk along; the conversation builds and Jesus shares with them “the rest of the story”; the excitement builds, Jesus is invited to stay with them, and the disciples’ eyes were opened as Jesus breaks bread and says the blessing – it’s Jesus!  Their “hearts were burning” and they set out at once, running to tell the other disciples the Good News: “The Lord has been raised!” [Luke 24:13-35] Again, what intense feelings must have coursed through their beings as they met the risen Jesus and then ran to tell the others!

The Risen Jesus meets us on the road of life even this day…as we wander our streets and shopping malls, trying to make sense of life today – with the prejudice and violence that 50 years ago today led to Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination and still plagues our streets, the selfishness and lack of respect for all life, the sufferings of today’s sick and marginalized, etc.  We too seek meaning and fresh encouragement — and the risen Jesus shows us His sacred wounds and reminds us that there’s more to life than suffering and death, that His death on Good Friday didn’t spoil the weekend, that nothing is more powerful than God’s all-encompassing Love.

With the depth of feelings shared by those early disciples and the man cured of his disease, we too can proclaim:  “We are an Easter People – and “Alleluia” is our song.” (Pope Saint John Paul II)

Something beyond

 

Easter Sunday is past, now everything’s different.  Nothing is like it was before.  Something amazing and miraculous has happened, and we can’t go back to what it was like before. This was not like anything else that’s ever happened.  There have been other great leaders.  David was a great king, and he lived, but he died.  We can see his tomb.  But Jesus lived, and He died, and He rose.  That’s the difference.

I can totally understand why people would find that hard to believe.  It’s hard to believe even now.  Jesus’ own disciple Thomas couldn’t believe it [John 20:25-29].  You can’t blame them.  In all of human history – before and since – people are born and live and then they die.  And unfortunately, they stay dead.  I’ve watched my parents and all of my siblings die, and they are still dead.  But Jesus rose.

That fact changes everything.  It changes how we look at the world and how we look at life and how we look at death.  Now death isn’t just an ending it’s also a beginning.  Jesus told us then showed us that there’s something bigger, that there’s something beyond.

Of course the elders would try to discredit this story.  Of course they would try to say it didn’t happen, that the body was stolen or moved [Matthew 28:8-15].  This changes too much.  This means that there’s something beyond this physical world.  This means that there’s a rule beyond the political rule.  This changes everything we thought we knew about the world and our position in it.

We know now that this isn’t all there is.  We know now that there’s something beyond, and Jesus can lead us there.

Pondering

 Traditionally, Saturdays within the Church year are dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  This ancient tradition developed in part due to the belief that, as others were filled with fear and confusion, Mother Mary kept vigil on Holy Saturday in prayerful anticipation of Jesus’ resurrection.  She knew her Son would rise.  She had hope beyond hope.  Her faith was certain.  Her love kept her vigilant as she awaited the return of her Son.

For many centuries, it’s been suggested that the first person to whom Jesus appeared after His Resurrection was His own mother.  Pope Saint John Paul II believed this.  Saint Ignatius of Loyola believed it.  And many others throughout the centuries shared this belief.

For these reasons, Holy Saturday is an ideal day to ponder the pondering heart of our Blessed Mother.  There are several times in Sacred Scripture where we’re told that Mother Mary pondered the mysteries of her Son’s life in her heart.  She was one of the few who stood by Him in His agony and death.  She stood before the Cross and prayerfully pondered His perfect sacrifice.  The Blessed Mother held His dead body in her arms and pondered where His spirit had gone.  And today she keeps vigil, pondering His imminent return to her.

Ponder her pondering heart.  Try to unite your own heart with hers.  Try to understand what she was thinking and hoping.  Try to feel what she felt this sorrowful day.  Try to experience her faith, her trust and her joyful expectation.

So many people in this world walk in despair and confusion.  So many have lost hope in the new life that awaits them.  So many have their own form of interior death without allowing God to draw them into His Resurrection.  So many people today need the hope that was so alive in the heart of our Blessed Mother that first Holy Saturday.

Ponder the reality of Holy Saturday in silence this day and allow the glorious heart of our Blessed Mother to inspire you and draw you more deeply into her life of faith, hope and love.

Dearest Mother Mary, on that first Holy Saturday, you kept vigil for your Son. You allowed the divine gift of hope to grow within you, and you allowed that hope to be your strength in the midst of the horror of the Cross. Pray for me that I may ponder your beautiful heart this day so that I, too, may be filled with hope as I endure the challenges of this earthly life. Give me a heart of joyful anticipation as I await the grace of new life our Lord so deeply desires to bestow upon me. Mother Mary, pray for me.  Jesus, I do trust in You.

Jesus' Passion...full of love and compassion

 

I remember as a child how Good Friday seemed to be such a sad and yet engaging day.  When I was very little, my younger brother and I didn't go to church, but spent the three hours - from noon to three – with Dad while Mom and the older brothers did.  But we were told to spend the time quietly praying.  No playing, no radio or TV.  When I was a bit older, we would go to the Tre Ore (Three Hours) liturgy at church.  From noon to three, priests in the parish would talk about the Seven Last Words of Jesus from all four Passion stories in the gospels.  There was familiar Good Friday music:  "Were you there, when they crucified my Lord?" and "My People, (what have I done to you?") [Micah 6:3-5] 

I remember so vividly that, for that time on that day, it seemed that everything in our world stopped (even many business and public schools were closed), and we threw ourselves into experiencing the death of Jesus for us. 

I saw Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ once, when it first came out.  I had heard that it might strengthen my faith to see it.  Afterwards, I realized I didn’t need to ‘see’ the brutality Jesus suffered for me in order to strengthen my faith, but I do believe I did need to understand the brutality so that I (and the rest of humanity) will not perpetuate that brutality on each other.  In multiple places in the world today there are people who are enduring the very same abuse and brutality that Jesus endured.  It’s the brutality that humans have inflicted on each other throughout our history.  It’s a brutality that’s not confined by national boundaries.  It’s not limited by culture, religion, gender, or age.  It’s the total absence of love.

Jesus’ passion though was full of love, full of compassion.  Compassion in its simplest definition means to ‘suffer with’.   Jesus suffered with all humanity, past, present and future in His passion.   It’s not the endurance of the suffering that has saved us, rather it’s the love and forgiveness Jesus showed throughout His life, seen explicitly in His last hours of life, that is the source of our salvation.  He was accepting of Judas’ betrayal.  He was understanding of Peter’s denials.  He bowed to Pilate’s rule.  He shared His Mother’s sorrow.  He was thankful for Simon’s help.  He rewarded Veronica’s courage and self-sacrifice.  He consoled the women of Jerusalem.  He surrendered all His human dignity.  He reconciled the good thief.  He forgave His tormentors.

Jesus’ life is about love and forgiveness.  Jesus’ death is about love and forgiveness.  Jesus’ resurrection is about the love and forgiveness that God showers on us daily throughout our lives; the love and forgiveness that God has provided in abundance to humankind throughout history.  God is accepting of our betrayals.  God is understanding of our denials.  God gives us free will.  God shares in our sorrows.  God thanks us for our service.  God rewards us for our courage and self-sacrifice.  God consoles us.  God reconciles us.  God forgives us.  We are to show this same love and forgiveness to all others in imitation of Christ.

“For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth” [John 18:37); the truth of who we are and who God is.  Our true identity is that we are the sons and daughters of an all loving, all merciful God who wishes that we would live together in peace and harmony as brothers and sisters.  Jesus gave His life for us.  We are called to give our lives for each other.

Jesus, help us to understand the greatness of Your love.  You transformed Your suffering into love.  Transform our selfishness into self-sacrifice. “Replace [our] hate with love, mistrust with understanding, and indifference with solidarity.  Open our spirits and hearts even wider to the concrete needs of love for all our brothers and sisters.” (Pope Paul VI)  Help us to recognize Your presence within us and within everyone we meet.  May our homes, offices, relationships, meetings be the altars where we can offer ourselves in love.  Jesus, I trust in You.

THE prime example

 

In the readings for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper (Holy Thursday), we see many examples of how to live our lives, including Jesus doing something extraordinary to set an example for all of us.

In a reading from Exodus, the Lord tells Moses and Aaron how to celebrate the Passover, giving them instructions about preparing the lamb for dinner, the herbs and bread.  Then the Lord tells them to eat “with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand … like those who are in flight.” [Exodus 12:1-14]

In John’s gospel, we see Jesus offer a new set of instructions for us.  As He and His disciples gathered for their Passover dinner, John tells us “He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.” [John 13:1-15] This moving line on the night before His death reminds us of how deep His love for us is.

During the supper, Jesus, their rabbi and teacher, got up from the table, took off His cloak and knelt on the floor to wash the feet of each of them.  We can imagine their incredulous discomfort as this man they loved and looked up to, took on the most humbling role of a servant for them.  As He knelt on the stone floor in front of each one of them, He took their well-worn feet, calloused, bruised and perhaps still dusty, into His hands.  They may have watched, squirming slightly, as He poured water over each foot and carefully washed it, drying it tenderly with the towel around His waist.

When He returned to the table He asked if they recognized “what I have done for you?  I have given you a model to follow.”  Jesus has set the prime example for us of how we are to live our lives, as servants.  “As I have done for you, you should also do.”

Pope Francis has given us a modern version of this powerful example.  Since his papacy began ten years ago, he started a tradition of washing the feet of those who are outcasts among us.  He has celebrated this Mass in a youth prison, a center for elderly and disabled people and a detention center on the edge of Rome.  In those places, the successor of Peter washed the tattooed, swollen and sometimes disfigured feet of these marginalized men and women, kissing each foot tenderly before moving on to the next person.  One year, as detained men and women wept openly, Francis told them “The love that Jesus has for us is so big that He became a slave to serve us, to take care of us, to purify us.”

The power of this night comes for me when I experience the connection between the foot washing and the Eucharist.  The way He gives His body and blood to me is the way He wants me to give my body and blood for others.  When I receive the Eucharist in my hands, I want to hear Him say, “Do this in memory of me.”  And, when I hold His broken and poured out body in my hands to feed me, I’ll think of my wife, my children, my grandchildren and how I can love them more.  If I let myself enter the moment deeply, I will also think about all the people in the world whose cries I don’t let myself hear very often. 

As I receive Jesus’ example and allow Him to wash me, feed me and show me how to wash the feet of others, I’ll remember the example of this One who loves and forgives me endlessly.  And I’ll leave Mass, praying to see with the eyes of Jesus and to recognize those on the margins as men and women who have had difficult lives and are endlessly deserving of my love and care.

Lord, in Your great love, answer me

 

As I write this reflection on Tuesday of Holy Week to be posted for Wednesday, I’m mindful that Thursday is the last day of Lent.  Holy Thursday begins the great triduum of our salvation.  Our prayer and reflection, therefore, should be both prospective and retrospective: where have we been and where are we going?  Where has this great season of grace taken us?  And what opens before us?

I tend to view Lent as a “harbinger of springtime.”  Spring is a time to witness and experience the renewal of the earth—at least in the northern hemisphere.  Whether a bit early or a tad late, Lent rolls into springtime.  Spring is a time for planting and re-greening, a season of new growth.

So what have we planted these five weeks of Lent that will blossom forth as the warmth of the resurrection embraces us?

Over these last five weeks we’ve reflected on and listened to the voices of the great prophets as they rolled across the world of the Old Testament.  We’ve followed, watched and listened to Jesus across His public life.  These prophecies and passages will find fulfillment in the events of the four days that open before us.

So what have we planted?  What have we experienced?  What have we desired this Lenten season?

Across these last 6 weeks God had something for us to hear, to learn and to change.  Were we ready to hear, to learn, to act?  Did we, indeed, hear, learn and act?

What did we plant that can grow and green?  What of our desires over these days, were they enlivened and deepened and focused?  What of our honesty?   Was it tested or strengthened?  Did we adjust or break old patterns so as to find new ways of meeting and caring for God and others?  How did we experience the “freedom of the daughters and sons of God?”  Did we grow in this newfound freedom? Or was it business as usual?

Self-discipline is a staple of the Christian Lent.  How did we fare?  Fasting and feasting across Lent is always a tension.

As we pray today, be mindful of Wednesday’s scripture passages.  If you can echo Isaiah in the third servant-song: “I have not rebelled, I have not turned my back” on the Lord God your Lent has been successful.  If you can stand before God and say: “See, the Lord God is my help, who will prove me wrong?” [Isaiah 50:4-9] your Lent has been fruitful, and you’ve planted well.

In the passage from Matthew’s gospel, as the disciples partake in their last meal before the great trial, we hear Jesus say: “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” If you can say with the eleven, “Surely it is not I, Lord?” [Matthew 26:14-25] your Lent has been fruitful!  You have planted well.

But it’s the response to Psalm 69 that should be the prayer that bridges the last day of Lent with the high holy days of Christianity: “Lord, in your great love, answer me.”

Answer my cry for help; deliver me from sadness; purify my desires; expand my generosity; enliven my compassion; strengthen my faith; forgive my sin; give me a forgiving heart and give me a joyful hope [Psalm 69:8-34].

“Lord, in your great love, answer me!”  Give nourishment to these Lenten seeds planted so carefully (or casually) these past weeks.

A time of anguish, a Spirit of hope

 For me Holy Week is often a time of anguish.  On Ash Wednesday I was reminded of how I think about Lent.  I remember what the person distributing the ashes said—“Remember man that you are dust and to dust you shall return.”  I remember they were words of hope.  Lent brings me to terms with my human weaknesses.  I find myself insubstantial in body and frail in will.  John’s Gospel reinforces my sense of human weakness in general.  The Gospel I read today is all about the events preceding two of Jesus’ own apostles turning against Him.  Jesus predicts Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s denial [John 13:21-38].

I think Judas and Peter were people who found themselves in difficult situations.  I think about how I respond when I’m challenged.  I try to avoid trouble.  One could argue this is a natural and perhaps even a healthy human reaction.  I think both Judas and Peter were exhibiting this type of response.  These were the men closest to Jesus, yet they turned away.  Were these acts of pure evil?  The Gospel seems to suggest that at least in Judas’ case it was.  I’m not sure.  These would be dangerous and even life-threatening circumstances for these men.  I need to admit that when I face serious challenges I consider the alternatives.  Judas was clearly concerned about the events of the week.  He likely was worried about how the authorities would respond to the Jesus “situation”.  He may have felt pressure from his religious leaders.  Peter would be challenged in the presence of the civil authorities.  It’s not clear how much time Judas had to reflect on his actions.  My impression is Peter had very little time.  In addition, I think Peter’s personality would likely encourage him to respond before he was completely ready.  My feeling reading the Gospel was that these were two men hurled into situations that would challenge most of us as humans.

The Holy Week and Easter stories do offer hope from the perspective of salvation history. Isaiah reflects a Divine call [Isaiah 49:1-6].  In a Holy Week context we see Jesus fulfilling the role described in this call.  Nevertheless the promise of the Easter Season doesn’t bring much resolution to my Holy Week feelings or to the questions of human response posed by the Gospel I read today.  More than in the things that will transpire in the next few days of Biblical chronology, I find greater hope in that which is still two months away in the New Testament.  The events that draw out my faith will be the events of Pentecost [Acts 2:1-4].  I believe that it’s the arrival of the Spirit that truly offers some resolution to the human conflicts that Holy Week presents.  It’s in the Pentecost experience that we find hope for overcoming the human weaknesses we find in today’s Gospel.  It’s through the Spirit that Peter becomes the man that will lead and it’s through the Spirit that the words of Isaiah become words that can fit all Christians not just the Christ.  The Spirit gives us the same confidence in the Lord that’s expressed in Psalm 71:1-17.

My prayer today is for a better awareness of Jesus’ special role in the Good Friday and Easter events.  I further pray for the Lord’s patience with all of us who show human weaknesses.  I finally pray for the strength and renewal that the Spirit will bring.

An extravagant love

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the village of Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead.  There they gave him a banquet, at which Martha served.  Lazarus was one of those at table with him.  [John 12:1-11]

What an interesting dinner party!  We have Lazarus, who had recently died and was resurrected by Jesus [John 11:1-45].  There’s Martha, his sister, who had been given the opportunity to define what was really important by Jesus.  Then comes Mary, another sister, who all along had particular devotion toward Jesus and insight into His ministry and purpose [Luke 10:38-42].  Simon is there, who had been healed of leprosy by Jesus [Mark 1:40-45].  The disciples were present, still not having a clue what was about to happen to Jesus.  And among them was Judas, already in the midst of betraying Jesus, setting Him up for arrest and crucifixion.  Jesus must have looked around the room in amazement at the group that was surrounding Him---so many pieces of an unbelievable puzzle that had not yet fully come together.

The star of this drama, of course, was Jesus and the lead supporting actress was, once again, Mary.  In the midst of this diverse group having dinner and interacting with one another, Mary pulls out a vial of very expensive oil and proceeds to anoint Jesus’ feet, wiping them off with her hair.  This oil was meant to refresh and to exhilarate and was seen as a high compliment in the Middle East.  Judas, who interestingly enough, was the financial manager for Jesus and His disciples, complained bitterly about Mary throwing away money for this oil when it could have been used to help the poor.  Jesus, in understanding both the heart of Judas in his betrayal and Mary, in her devotion, used this as yet another opportunity to help prepare His followers for what was to come.  He knew that Mary acted out of a selfless love, at great financial cost, to do only what she could do.  He understood that Mary was using this oil to anoint Him, not after His death in an act of remembrance, but before His death in an act of worship and devotion.  He transformed that simple act into one that far transcended the reality of that moment.  He knew that Mary had foresight about His upcoming death and the meaning of that sacrifice more than anyone else in that room.

Mary had foresight and acted in selfless love and devotion, doing only what she could at that moment.  We have the value of hindsight, knowing how Christ died, why He died and what that means for us in our daily lives.  What kinds of acts of selfless devotion are we offering up to Christ, even with our advantage of hindsight?  For us, it’s not oil... it's sharing our time, our resources, and our gifts. .. . all in the name of Jesus.  An act of devotion and love toward Jesus can simply be giving of ourselves, which is miraculously transformed into all that Jesus asks of us.  

As I write this tonight, I realize that it’s helpful to pray with the imagination of our hearts.  The capacity of our imagination can fly off into wild fantasy and self-absorbing illusion, or it can relate with and sense reality, God’s presence loving us in and through all things.  This latter posture is not self-enclosed or controlling, rather it’s one of humble, self-emptying receptivity to Jesus’ Spirit.

If we prayerfully place the imagination of our hearts with Lazarus in this Biblical scene, we can experience insight and new life in Jesus’ Spirit.  “Lazarus” in Hebrew means “God helps.”   It’s good to recall that Lazarus was one of Jesus’ intimate friends.  It’s also good to wonder what was transpiring in Lazarus’ heart at the banquet after having been raised from the dead and having to die again sometime in the future.  It was absolutely more intense than a ‘near-death’ experience.  Lazarus DID die!  Surely, there was breathtaking gratitude for his new life, unbounded amazement and fierce loyalty for Jesus—all-powerful love that “helped” in the middle of death itself.   The food at the banquet must have tasted especially delicious.  The costly ointment that was used to anoint Jesus’ feet must have carried a particularly sweet aroma, and seeing Mary’s tears must have touched Lazarus’ heart with an extra sense of being loved.  He must have carried a new confidence, too, in the face of future dying within Christ’s love.

Tasting the truth that, with Jesus, death yields new life, awakens Lazarus’ spiritual senses in the imagination of his heart.  He experiences more of reality, more of God’s love “helping.”  His seeing, smelling and hearing are more alive.

If we think of events that brought us to taste death in some real way, we can revisit this Biblical scene as a Lazarus figure.  Perhaps we were dead due to sin?   Perhaps we’re aware of the existential deaths that we’re asked to embrace this day as we struggle to accept our Christ-like human limits?  The truth that is Lazarus’ can be ours as we receive anew God’s love helping us amid our dyings.  The deaths that we’re passing through today with Jesus’ Spirit can be experienced in hopefulness and with a great confidence in the power of Jesus’ resurrecting love.  May we not choose the hellishness of self-enclosure amid our fears.  May we turn inwardly, in the imagination of our hearts, to receive Jesus’ care awakening our senses to taste more life.  During these last few days of Lent, may we open our hearts to the many opportunities we have, in essence, to anoint the feet of Jesus. Then this Easter we can shout all the louder, “death where is your sting?” for in Jesus Christ death dies and yields fuller life! [1 Corinthians 15:55-57]