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April 30, 2006
3rd Sunday of Easter - B
ACTS 3:13-15, 17-19
Peter said to the people: "The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and
the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant
Jesus, whom you handed over and denied in Pilate's presence when he had
decided to release him. You denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked
that a murderer be released to you. The author of life you put to
death, but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses. Now
I know, brothers, that you acted out of ignorance, just as your leaders
did; but God has thus brought to fulfillment what he had announced
beforehand through the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would
suffer. Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be
wiped away."
1 JOHN 2:1-5A
My children, I am writing this to you so that you may not commit sin.
But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus
Christ the righteous one. He is expiation for our sins, and not for our
sins only but for those of the whole world. The way we may be sure that
we know him is to keep his commandments. Those who say, "I know him,"
but do not keep his commandments are liars, and the truth is not in
them. But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in
him.
LUKE 24:35-48
The two disciples recounted what had taken place on the way, and how
Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of bread. While they were
still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them,
"Peace be with you." But they were startled and terrified and thought
that they were seeing a ghost. Then he said to them, "Why are you
troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands
and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost
does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have." And as he said
this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While they were still
incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, "Have you anything
here to eat?" They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate
it in front of them. He said to them, "These are my words that I spoke
to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in
the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled."
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said to
them, "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."
REFLECTION
What is the resurrected or glorified body like? We can only get some
glimpses from the resurrection stories found in the Gospels. For
example, Jesus could go through walls and closed doors. Yet you can
touch him, as he invited the disciples and Thomas to do. He could eat
fish to show that he was not a ghost.
Another characteristic that we can gather from the Gospel stories is
that the resurrected Jesus could be recognized or not at will.
There is a deeper meaning in today's Gospel story. Jesus is made known
to them in ordinary things, like the way he called "Mary" to Mary
Magdalene, the way he broke bread and spoke the blessing, and the
manner of his eating with his followers. Through this process of
recognition, they are to recognize what their future lives and
ministries were to contain.
We are called to recognize Jesus for ourselves, and to recognize what
difference this makes in our attitudes and daily living. We are asked
to make that acknowledgment a reality in our lives, and to change as
the first disciples changed. We should discover what the Easter event
means for you and me.
As the religious writer Joan Chittister remarked: "The resurrection did
not change the world; the resurrection changed the apostles who are
supposed to change the world."
Change is what it is all about. Human choice matters. This is central
to the message of Jesus. He declares that one act of less greed, one
act of less corruption, one act of less immorality, one act of charity
toward a neighbor, one simple kindness and a caring act, all have
cosmic dimensions, transforming our world into a better and more
hopeful place.
Of course, we cannot do this alone, but Jesus assures we that God will
empower us in all ways to meet the challenge of such a task. Throughout
this Gospel narrative we are called to participate in the meaning of
resurrection, for Jesus and ourselves. We are expected to be like
Jesus. We are to be about forgiving in the world. We are asked to be
involved in the challenging dehumanization and injustice of the world.
We are given responsibility for spreading the good news among all
people. We are charged to bring the kingdom of God into reality for
those who have no hope and are bound up in cares and concerns of daily
life that burden them. In all this we are promised God's guiding
providence and care.
The process of recognition leads us to be followers in the discipline
of discipleship. Jesus puts responsibility into our hands and confers
the privilege of response upon us. He asks us to trust, and act in
obedience to life to his mission and ministry.
The disciples were sent by Jesus as we are sent by him, to bring peace
and justice into the world.
The theologian Jurgen Moltmann clearly states what is the price of hope
in these times. It means a radical change of life. "It is impossible to
be happy and impossible to be hopeful if one is sitting on an island of
prosperity in the midst of a continually rising sea of poverty. As long
as our future drives other people to despair, as long as our prosperity
means poverty for others, as long as our 'growth' destroys nature,
anxiety, not hope, will be our daily companion."
This is the transformation that we are invited to embrace as followers
of the Risen Lord, making him known today in and through our lives.
What greater ambition, challenge, and achievement could we be offered?
April 29, 2006
Memorial, St. Catherine of Siena, virgin & doctor
Saturday 2nd week of Easter - Yr II
ACTS 6:1-7
As the number of disciples continued to grow, the Hellenists complained
against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the
daily distribution. So the Twelve called together the community of the
disciples and said, "It is not right for us to neglect the word of God
to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men,
filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task,
whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the
word." The proposal was acceptable to the whole community, so they
chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit, also
Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas of Antioch, a
convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the Apostles who prayed
and laid hands on them. The word of God continued to spread, and the
number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly; even a large
group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
JOHN 6:16-21
When it was evening, the disciples of Jesus went down to the sea,
embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum. It had
already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea was
stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about
three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near
the boat, and they began to be afraid. But he said to them, "It is I.
Do not be afraid." They wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat
immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading.
REFLECTION
The original Jerusalem community lived an idyllic life-style: united in
mind and heart, they shared their possessions so that no one in the
community had too much and no one was in need. In today's first
reading, we see the first indications that all was not well within this
idyllic community.
The community was growing. The apostles were overloaded with work. They
did their tasks, such as looking after the widows, as best they could,
with difficulty and not always satisfactorily. The problem, however,
was due not merely to an excessive workload. It was also a problem of
discrimination.
With the growth of the community two classes of people emerged: the
Jews who were from overseas and spoke Greek and the Jews who were from
Palestine and spoke Aramaic. It was the widows of the overseas Jewish
families who were not being given the proper care and were being
discriminated against. The Book of Acts does not say whether this
discrimination was intentional or unintentional.
Nonetheless it's a clear example of how bias and prejudice can infect
even idyllic organizations which are born of love and in which charity
is the dominant motivation.
Whether the discrimination was intended or not, the young Jerusalem
community must be admired, for when its members recognized what was
happening, they immediately took steps to correct the inequity. They
appointed seven deacons to serve the widows, and most, if not all, of
these deacons were, as their names inform us, Greek-speaking Jews from
overseas rather than Palestinians.
If only our modern organizations would solve problems of discrimination
as did the early Church! They created a new office and appointed to it
Greek speaking men to make sure the overseas widows were cared for.
Presumably the entire community, both Greek speaking and Aramaic
speaking, took part in the formation of this decision.
April 28, 2006
Friday 2nd week of Easter - Yr II
ACTS 5:34-42
A Pharisee in the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law,
respected by all the people, stood up, ordered the Apostles to be put
outside for a short time, and said to the Sanhedrin, "Fellow children
of Israel, be careful what you are about to do to these men. Some time
ago, Theudas appeared, claiming to be someone important, and about four
hundred men joined him, but he was killed, and all those who were loyal
to him were disbanded and came to nothing. After him came Judas the
Galilean at the time of the census. He also drew people after him, but
he too perished and all who were loyal to him were scattered. So now I
tell you, have nothing to do with these men, and let them go. For if
this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy
itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them;
you may even find yourselves fighting against God." They were persuaded
by him. After recalling the Apostles, they had them flogged, ordered
them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, and dismissed them. So they
left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found
worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name. And all day long,
both at the temple and in their homes, they did not stop teaching and
proclaiming the Christ, Jesus.
JOHN 6:1-15
Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd followed him,
because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. Jesus went up
on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. The Jewish
feast of Passover was near. When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a
large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, "Where can we buy
enough food for them to eat?" He said this to test him, because he
himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Two hundred
days' wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have
a little." One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter,
said to him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two
fish; but what good are these for so many?" Jesus said, "Have the
people recline." Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So
the men reclined, about five thousand in number. Then Jesus took the
loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining,
and also as much of the fish as they wanted. When they had had their
fill, he said to his disciples, "Gather the fragments left over, so
that nothing will be wasted." So they collected them, and filled twelve
wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been
more than they could eat. When the people saw the sign he had done,
they said, "This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the
world." Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off
to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.
REFLECTION
In today's Gospel, a vast crowd follows Jesus "because they saw the
signs he was performing for the sick." Then, after he feeds this vast
assemblage of people with bread and fish, they want to make him King.
But Jesus rejects their overtures. Why?
What the people wanted was in itself good. That the sick should be
cured is obviously a good, worthy of pursuit. And to make Jesus King
would be simply to recognize him for what he was. Why then did Jesus
reject the people's desires? Clearly because their motivation was
selfish. They wanted the benefits of Jesus' miraculous powers and
showed little enthusiasm for Jesus' teachings, for what he believed in
and stood for.
Perhaps we should reflect on our reactions when the Lord does not grant
us a favor we have been praying for very sincerely. Is our reaction a
complex of anger, annoyance, disappointment and hurt? Are we like the
politician whose only interest in religion is his own personal gain? Or
are we like the crowd who followed Jesus in the desert, interested in
the benefits from his teachings but not interested in the demands his
teachings make on us? The ultimate question is: Do I love the Lord
because of what he can give me, or for himself and for his goodness?
April 27, 2006
Thursday 2nd week of Easter - Yr II
ACTS 5:27-33
When the court officers had brought the Apostles in and made them stand
before the Sanhedrin, the high priest questioned them, "We gave you
strict orders did we not, to stop teaching in that name. Yet you have
filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring this man's blood
upon us." But Peter and the Apostles said in reply, "We must obey God
rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though you had
him killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand
as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of
sins. We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit whom God
has given to those who obey him." When they heard this, they became
infuriated and wanted to put them to death.
JOHN 3:31-36
The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is of the earth
is earthly and speaks of earthly things. But the one who comes from
heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no
one accepts his testimony. Whoever does accept his testimony certifies
that God is trustworthy. For the one whom God sent speaks the words of
God. He does not ration his gift of the Spirit. The Father loves the
Son and has given everything over to him. Whoever believes in the Son
has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but
the wrath of God remains upon him.
REFLECTION
It is difficult to accept that the Peter we know in the Gospels is the
same Peter in today's first reading who now defies the same people who
had condemned Jesus to death. In comparing the Peter before Pentecost
with the Peter after the descent of the Holy Spirit, we realize what
the Holy Spirit has done and what the Holy Spirit wants to do in us and
with us. For we have received the same Holy Spirit in baptism and
confirmation.
Peter has become a man of courage. To defy the strict orders of the
Sanhedrin was an act of dangerous audacity. We are often threatened to
keep quiet about our faith. This threat might not come from civil
authorities but from our friends, colleagues, and neighbors. We are
afraid not to conform with the majority. Do we allow the Holy Spirit to
make us people of courage like Peter?
Peter had become a man of principle. He no longer asked whether an
action was safe or not. His basic questions were now: Is this the will
of God? If I do this, do I obey God? Is this what God wants me to say
and do?
What are our principles? Do we want to please others rather than God?
Do we accept from the Church only what we find acceptable because it
does not interfere with our position in society and disregard what
threatens our position in society? Or are we ready like Peter to say
boldly what society does not like to hear?
Peter had a clear idea of what he was supposed to be - a witness for
Christ. God gave us his Spirit of courage, strength and truth for the
same purpose - to be reliable and courageous witnesses for Christ. We
have received a Spirit, not of cowardice, but of strength to make
Christ visible in today's world. We are invited to free ourselves from
bondage that hinder us from being courageous, principled witnesses for
Christ. We are invited to demolish in us whatever hinders God's Spirit
to transform us into people like Peter and his fellow apostles.
April 26, 2006
Wednesday 2nd week of Easter - Yr II
ACTS 5:17-26
The high priest rose up and all his companions, that is, the party of
the Sadducees, and, filled with jealousy, laid hands upon the Apostles
and put them in the public jail. But during the night, the angel of the
Lord opened the doors of the prison, led them out, and said, "Go and
take your place in the temple area, and tell the people everything
about this life." When they heard this, they went to the temple early
in the morning and taught. When the high priest and his companions
arrived, they convened the Sanhedrin, the full senate of the children
of Israel, and sent to the jail to have them brought in. But the court
officers who went did not find them in the prison, so they came back
and reported, "We found the jail securely locked and the guards
stationed outside the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one
inside." When the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests
heard this report, they were at a loss about them, as to what this
would come to. Then someone came in and reported to them, "The men whom
you put in prison are in the temple area and are teaching the people."
Then the captain and the court officers went and brought them, but
without force, because they were afraid of being stoned by the people.
JOHN 3:16-21
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that
everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal
life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him
will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been
condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten
Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the
world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were
evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not
come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But
whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be
clearly seen as done in God.
REFLECTION
Today's Gospel reading contains one of the best known and best loved
lines of scripture: "God so loved the world that he gave his only son,
that whoever believes in him might not die, but might have eternal
life." Some have called this verse "the Bible within the Bible." It is
so called since it sums up the entire biblical message, affirming in
particular two biblical truths.
First, God took the initiative to save us. Preachers often give the
impression that God is more interested in condemning than in saving.
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Second, the verse affirms that God's initiative was motivated by love.
God saved the world because he loved the world and its people.
"Love" is a word that modern usage has drained of all its depth. Car
stickers proclaim to the world, "I love a good steak", or "I love my
gun." "Love" is used in modern novels and movies to describe the
relationship between a man and a woman who have known each other for an
hour or two.
When one reads, "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son," the
word "love" is rediscovered with the original depth of meaning it once
had. God, who weighs the mountains in his hands, who scatters the stars
across the heavens, is so in love with the creatures he made, so caring
and concerned for them, that he put in their hands the most precious of
his possessions, his only Son. He gave his Son to his human creatures
so that they might rise above the limitation of their creaturehood and
live forever in his beneficent presence.
April 25, 2006
Feast, St. Mark, evangelist
Tuesday 2nd Week of Easter - Yr II
1 PETER 5:5B-14
Beloved: Clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one
another, for: God opposes the proud but bestows favor on the humble. So
humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you
in due time. Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.
Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the Devil is prowling around like
a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in
faith, knowing that your brothers and sisters throughout the world
undergo the same sufferings. The God of all grace who called you to his
eternal glory through Christ Jesus will himself restore, confirm,
strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little. To him
be dominion forever. Amen. I write you this briefly through Silvanus,
whom I consider a faithful brother, exhorting you and testifying that
this is the true grace of God. Remain firm in it. The chosen one at
Babylon sends you greeting, as does Mark, my son. Greet one another
with a loving kiss. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
MARK 16:15-20
Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: "Go into the whole world
and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is
baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will
drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up
serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will
not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven
and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and
preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the
word through accompanying signs.
REFLECTION
We celebrate today the feast of St. Mark, author of one of the three
synoptic Gospels. He was not a historian nor was he directly interested
in Jesus' history. Like the other evangelists, he wanted to proclaim
Jesus as the Messiah of Israel, as the Savior of the world. Mark
narrated historical events, but his purpose was religious rather than
historical.
For instance, in today's Gospel selection, which is close to the end of
Mark's Gospel, the risen Jesus says, "He who believes in me and is
baptized, will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned." It
is beyond the power of history to prove or disprove that there is such
a thing as salvation for human beings; it is beyond the power of
history to prove or disprove that we can attain salvation through
belief in Jesus.
We ought not therefore attempt to find in the Gospels what is not
there. Rather let us turn to God and humbly ask him to strengthen our
belief in and our commitment to the religious truths he has revealed to
us in the scriptures.
APRIL 24, 2006
MONDAY 2ND WEEK OF EASTER - YEAR II
ACTS 4:23-31
After their release Peter and John went back to their own people and
reported what the chief priests and elders had told them. And when
they heard it, they raised their voices to God with one accord and
said, "Sovereign Lord, maker of heaven and earth and the sea and all
that is in them, you said by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of
our father David, your servant: Why did the Gentiles rage and the
peoples entertain folly? The kings of the earth took their stand and
the princes gathered together against the Lord and against his
anointed. "Indeed they gathered in this city against your holy
servant Jesus whom you anointed, Herod and Pontius Pilate, together
with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do what your hand
and your will had long ago planned to take place. And now, Lord,
take note of their threats, and enable your servants to speak your
word with all boldness, as you stretch forth your hand to heal, and
signs and wonders are done through the name of your holy servant
Jesus." As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook,
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak
the word of God with boldness.
JOHN 3:1-8
There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. He came
to Jesus at night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a
teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that
you are doing unless God is with him." Jesus answered and said to
him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he
cannot see the Kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to him, "How can a
man once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his
mother's womb and be born again, can he?" Jesus answered, "Amen,
amen, I say to you, unless one is born of water and Spirit he cannot
enter the Kingdom of God. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is
born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you, `You
must be born from above.' The wind blows where it wills, and you can
hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or
where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
REFLECTION
Entering into the second week of Easter, we note in the Book of
Acts, the boldness of the early church in proclaiming Christ Jesus
as the messenger and the message.
In the first reading, Peter and John courageously teach and preach
to the religious and political leaders of Israel, and find
themselves released with a mere "stern warning ... never to mention
that man's name to anyone again." Returning to their community of
faith, there was great rejoicing amongst the apostles, disciples and
the early believers that led to powerful prayers of praise and
thanksgiving. Despite the harassment, religious discrimination and
persecution, the leaders of the community of believers continued to
pursue with great zeal the person, work and proclamation of the
resurrected Jesus Christ.
In the Gospel, we note the circumstances of Nicodemus, a Pharisee
and member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, who came to see Jesus secretly.
It is interesting to observe the varied circumstances and situations
in our epistle and Gospel readings. On one hand, we read about a
public, open setting while on the other hand there is a private
venue but in both cases there is a clear and spirited declaration of
faith. We also read about Nicodemus, who secretly admires Jesus,
and the disciples Peter and John who openly announce their
allegiance to Jesus.
Let us imitate the early Christian community, clearly admiring and
boldly manifesting our faith in the Risen Lord Jesus Christ. We can
use words, if necessary, but more importantly we can reflect our
faith in our life-style and family life.
April 23, 2006
2nd Sunday of Easter - B
ACTS 4:32-35
The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one
claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had
everything in common. With great power the apostles bore witness to the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all.
There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or
houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at
the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according
to need.
1 JOHN 5:1-6
Beloved: Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by
God, and everyone who loves the Father loves also the one begotten by
him. In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love
God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we
keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for
whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that
conquers the world is our faith. Who indeed is the victor over the
world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is
the one who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ, not by water
alone, but by water and blood. The Spirit is the one that testifies,
and the Spirit is truth.
JOHN 20:19-31
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were
locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and
stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had
said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples
rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be
with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had
said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy
Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you
retain are retained." Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was
not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, "We
have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the
nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand
into his side, I will not believe." Now a week later his disciples were
again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors
were locked, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you."
Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and
bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but
believe." Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus
said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." Now Jesus did
many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written
in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you
may have life in his name.
REFLECTION
Seven days have already passed since Easter Sunday, and life seems
suddenly all so ordinary again. We're back to our daily routine at the
office or in the homes.
This does not mean that Easter was a dream. The focus is now not simply
on Christ but more obviously on us. Precisely this is the lesson, the
labor of love today's liturgy lays on you and me.
How make this real, how do we light it up, how shape it into a song you
and I can sing today? By digging into the passages from Scripture that
keynote today's liturgy. We see three scenes, and in each a community
holds the key: Jesus' own disciples; the Jerusalem community after
Pentecost; the Christian community to which you and I belong now.
First, Jesus' own disciples: It is a puzzling picture John's Gospel
presents on Resurrection day. John has outraced Peter to the tomb,
finding it empty, "he saw and believed." Mary Magdalene has also
declared to the disciples "I have seen the Lord." But the disciples
were hiding behind locked doors, frightened and afraid. Suddenly, Jesus
in their midst.
First, he greets them, "Peace to you," which assures the disciples they
have nothing to fear from this unexpected intrusion. More importantly,
"Peace" fulfills what Jesus promised so solemnly at the Last Supper
discourse: "Peace is my farewell to you. My peace is my gift to you.
And I do not give it to you as the world gives it. Do not let your
hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid. You have heard me tell you 'I
am going away' and 'I am coming back to you." (John 14: 27-28) No
wonder at the sight of the Lord the disciples rejoiced.
Second, move now to the Jerusalem community after Pentecost. Many of
the old familiar faces are still there: Peter and John, Thomas and
Matthew, the women, who had followed Jesus so faithfully to Calvary
itself - and, of course his mother, Mary. But the community mushroomed,
3,000 baptized in a single day, unnumbered believers added day after
day. Of these, Scripture should have startled you with that sentence:
"There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of
lands or house sold them, and brought the proceeds of the sale laid it
at the apostles' feet. And distribution was made to each as any had
need."(Acts 4:23-25)
So, if the community that cowered in fear behind locked doors
proclaimed a fundamental faith, "My Lord and my God," the community
that burst those bolts to be fired by the Spirit fanned that faith into
flame - a faith alive for one another: "There was not a needy person
among them."
Those two communities lead into the Christian community face to face
with you and me today. How can we keep Easter alive? Fix our minds on
faith and works, on "My Lord and my God" and "There was not a needy
person among them."
Such is our post-Easter task. Stir those Easter embers till they glow;
stir them by touching love to sheer knowledge. If we want inspiration,
turn to the pages of the Scripture. Once your faith comes alive, the
love that enkindles it will tell you where God wants you to work it
out. Then the works will follow. "Easter is for forever." If your faith
is fired by love, and your love brings you out to the needy among you,
to the needy beyond you.
April 22, 2006
Easter Saturday - Yr II
ACTS 4:13-21
Observing the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving them to be
uneducated, ordinary men, the leaders, elders, and scribes were amazed,
and they recognized them as the companions of Jesus. Then when they saw
the man who had been cured standing there with them, they could say
nothing in reply. So they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin, and
conferred with one another, saying, "What are we to do with these men?
Everyone living in Jerusalem knows that a remarkable sign was done
through them, and we cannot deny it. But so that it may not be spread
any further among the people, let us give them a stern warning never
again to speak to anyone in this name." So they called them back and
ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Peter
and John, however, said to them in reply, "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."
After threatening them further, they released them, finding no way to
punish them, on account of the people who were all praising God for
what had happened.
MARK 16:9-15
When Jesus had risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared
first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She
went and told his companions who were mourning and weeping. When they
heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.
After this he appeared in another form to two of them walking along on
their way to the country. They returned and told the others; but they
did not believe them either. But later, as the Eleven were at table, he
appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of
heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been
raised. He said to them, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the
Gospel to every creature."
REFLECTION
After Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, she returned to the disciples,
rapturous with joy, to tell them the good news of Jesus' resurrection.
But they wouldn't believe her. Then the two disciples who had run off
to Emmaus burst in on the group with the same joyous news, but again
they wouldn't believe them either. Suddenly Jesus is there, among them.
And Jesus takes them to task, as he should have done. He chides them
because of their disbelief and their stubborn refusal to believe their
companions to whom Jesus had appeared. And then, Jesus does something
incredible. He says to them, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the
good news to all creation."
These men had misunderstood him in his life. In spite of Jesus' clear
teaching and in spite of the simplicity of his life-style, they
insisted that Israel would be a political kingdom in which they would
exercise power rather than serve others. How often and in how many
different ways did Jesus try to let them realize that this was not what
the kingdom would be? Secondly, these men abandoned him when he needed
them most, when he was going through his passion into death. And now,
in spite of the witness of Mary Magdalene and the others, they
absolutely refused to believe in his resurrection.
If we had been one of Jesus' advisers during that time, would we have
warned him, "Jesus, give up on these people. Put together another team,
intelligent people you can trust. Don't take another chance on this
group of people." But in spite of his experience with them, he did this
incredible thing, which didn't turn out to be so wrong at all: he
reaffirmed his trust in them by commissioning them to be his apostles.
If only we had the same trust in Jesus, that he has in us!
April 21, 2006
Easter Friday - Yr II
ACTS 4:1-12
After the crippled man had been cured, while Peter and John were still
speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple guard,
and the Sadducees confronted them, disturbed that they were teaching
the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They
laid hands on Peter and John and put them in custody until the next
day, since it was already evening. But many of those who heard the word
came to believe and the number of men grew to about five thousand. On
the next day, their leaders, elders, and scribes were assembled in
Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and
all who were of the high-priestly class. They brought them into their
presence and questioned them, "By what power or by what name have you
done this?" Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, answered them,
"Leaders of the people and elders: If we are being examined today about
a good deed done to a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved, then
all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the
name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised
from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed. He is the
stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.
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."
JOHN 21:1-14
Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way. Together were Simon Peter, Thomas
called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee's sons, and two
others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going
fishing." They said to him, "We also will come with you." So they went
out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it
was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples
did not realize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, have
you caught anything to eat?" They answered him, "No." So he said to
them, "Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find
something." So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of
the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It
is the Lord." When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in
his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea. The
other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from shore,
only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish. When they
climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and
bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you just caught." So
Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred
fifty-three large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not
torn. Jesus said to them, "Come, have breakfast." And none of the
disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they realized it was
the Lord. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and
in like manner the fish. This was now the third time Jesus was revealed
to his disciples after being raised from the dead.
REFLECTION
Bible scholars generally agree that the number 153, the number of the
fish caught in the net in today's Gospel story, is symbolic. Many
accept the explanation given by St. Jerome 15 centuries ago. Jerome
said that ancient zoologists listed the different kinds of fish in the
world at precisely 153. So this number might represent all the nations
of the world. As there was room in the net for all the different kinds
of fish in the world, so there is room for all nations in the Kingdom
of God.
The early Church sent disciples to all nations. A missionary spirit was
part of Christ's heritage to his Church. It was the Spirit of the Risen
Lord which urged the Church to reach out to all nations, to adapt her
theology, her spirituality, her liturgy to the needs of national and
local cultures. Under the direction of the Spirit the Church has
continued to enjoy this freedom. She seeks still the roads along which
she believes she should lead men and women of varied times and cultures
in their search for God, in their search to find for themselves the
freedom of the sons and daughters of God.
APRIL 20, 2006
EASTER THURSDAY - YEAR II
ACTS 3:11-26
As the crippled man who had been cured clung to Peter and John, all the
people hurried in amazement toward them in the portico called
"Solomon's Portico." When Peter saw this, he addressed the people, "You
children of Israel, why are you amazed at this, and why do you look so
intently at us as if we had made him walk by our own power or piety?
The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of
our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus whom you handed over and
denied in Pilate's presence, when he had decided to release him. You
denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released
to you. The author of life you put to death, but God raised him from
the dead; of this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, this man,
whom you see and know, his name has made strong, and the faith that
comes through it has given him this perfect health, in the presence of
all of you. Now I know, brothers and sisters, that you acted out of
ignorance, just as your leaders did; but God has thus brought to
fulfillment what he had announced beforehand through the mouth of all
the prophets, that his Christ would suffer. Repent, therefore, and be
converted, that your sins may be wiped away, and that the Lord may
grant you times of refreshment and send you the Christ already
appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the times of
universal restoration of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy
prophets from of old. For Moses said: A prophet like me will the Lord,
your God, raise up for you from among your own kin; to him you shall
listen in all that he may say to you. Everyone who does not
listen to that prophet will be cut off from the people. "Moreover,
all the prophets who spoke, from Samuel and those afterwards, also
announced these days. You are the children of the prophets and of the
covenant that God made with your ancestors when he said to Abraham, In
your offspring all the families of the earth shall be blessed. For you
first, God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you by turning
each of you from your evil ways."
LUKE 24:35-48
The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way,
and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of bread.
While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and
said to them, "Peace be with you." But they were startled and terrified
and thought that they were seeing a ghost. Then he said to them, "Why
are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my
hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a
ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have." And as he
said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While they were still
incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, "Have you anything
here to eat?" They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate
it in front of them. He said to them, "These are my words that I spoke
to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in
the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled."
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said to
them, "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."
REFLECTION
How could people live in intimate association with a person for a
period of time, and yet not recognize him? In yesterday's Gospel, two
disciples who spent nearly the whole afternoon with Jesus on the road
to Emmaus didn't recognize him. After they do, they quickly return to
Jerusalem to tell the rest of the disciples how they met Jesus.
Everyone is excited and suddenly Jesus is standing in their midst.
Dom Helder Camara tells a true story about a priest in his diocese, who
was meditating on how the disciples did not recognize Jesus.
The priest could not see how this actually could have happened.
While he was meditating on this, there was a knock on the door. A poor
parishioner, a very disturbed personality, needed someone to talk to.
The priest didn't want to interrupt his prayer, so he asked the man to
return later. He even gave the man more money than he normally gave
him. The man left. It dawned on the priest suddenly that he had done
exactly what the disciples had done. "Christ knocked on my door," he
realized. "I saw him, I heard him, I talked to him, yet I failed to
recognize him."
The radiant Risen Christ, vibrant, alive, reveals himself in us as we
look with compassion on those who love and need us. Christ is among us
in our family and friends who need our love. Christ is among us in the
needy and the poor, challenging us to look upon them with compassion,
to reach out to them as he did, with concern and care.
April 19, 2006
Easter Wednesday - Yr II
ACTS 3:1-10
Peter and John were going up to the temple area for the three o'clock
hour of prayer. And a man crippled from birth was carried and placed at
the gate of the temple called "the Beautiful Gate" every day to beg for
alms from the people who entered the temple. When he saw Peter and John
about to go into the temple, he asked for alms. But Peter looked
intently at him, as did John, and said, "Look at us." He paid attention
to them, expecting to receive something from them. Peter said, "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." Then Peter took him by the
right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles grew
strong. He leaped up, stood, and walked around, and went into the
temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God. When all the
people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the one
who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they
were filled with amazement and astonishment at what had happened to
him.
LUKE 24:13-35
That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus' disciples were
going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they
were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened
that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near
and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing
him. He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?" They
stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in
reply, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the
things that have taken place there in these days?" And he replied to
them, "What sort of things?" They said to him, "The things that
happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and
word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers
both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we
were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all
this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from
our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in
the morning and did not find his Body; they came back and reported that
they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was
alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things
just as the women had described, but him they did not see." And he said
to them, "Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all
that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should
suffer these things and enter into his glory?" Then beginning with
Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures. As they approached the village to which they
were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But
they urged him, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is
almost over." So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that,
while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and
they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said
to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to
us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?" So they set out at once
and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the Eleven
and those with them who were saying, "The Lord has truly been raised
and has appeared to Simon!" Then the two recounted what had taken place
on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the
bread.
REFLECTION
Have you noticed how often the risen Jesus appears to his friends and
they don't recognize him? We have the same problem with Jesus today.
As in the case of the apostles, it's not for want of his presence. We
know with our minds that Jesus is in every event that happens in this
world, that particularly he's in every person we come into contact
with, no matter how slight that contact is. In fact we know that he is
in every man and woman in the world. Yet we don't see him. We don't see
him, perhaps, because we're too taken up with looking at and looking
after ourselves.
Dom Helder Camara, the late Archbishop of Recife in Brazil always saw
Jesus. Not in visions but in people. It comes up constantly in his
writings. "I met Christ in the living [belens] of the poor." "I meet
him [in children] at the age of four, of twelve, of eighteen."
"Whenever you listen to someone who is suffering, you hear Christ's
voice. And whenever you meet someone suffering, you meet Christ in
person.
April 18, 2006
Easter Tuesday - Yr II
ACTS 2:36-41
On the day of Pentecost, Peter said to the Jewish people, "Let the
whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord
and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." Now when they heard this,
they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other
Apostles, "What are we to do, my brothers?" Peter said to them, "Repent
and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the
forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all
those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call." He testified with
many other arguments, and was exhorting them, "Save yourselves from
this corrupt generation." Those who accepted his message were baptized,
and about three thousand persons were added that day.
JOHN 20:11-18
Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she
bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one
at the head and one at the feet where the Body of Jesus had been. And
they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They
have taken my Lord, and I don't know where they laid him." When she had
said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it
was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you
looking for?" She thought it was the gardener and said to him, "Sir, if
you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew,
"Rabbouni," which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, "Stop holding on to
me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers
and tell them, 'I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and
your God.'" Mary went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the
Lord," and then reported what he had told her.
REFLECTION
Mary, since Jesus' death, was shrouded in gloom; her grief and anguish
pressed her to the edge of despair. Pain and desolation overwhelmed
her. She knew Jesus was dead, yet a part of her refused to give him up.
If she could not have him alive, she had at least to be near his
lifeless body. She had to cling to the past a bit longer.
Then Mary realizes that who she thought to be the gardener is actually
Jesus. She goes to him and embraces him, delighted that their
relationship has not changed, that nothing has changed. Yet everything
has changed. Jesus corrects her gently, "Do not cling to me. Do not
hang on to the past. I'm no longer here just for your sake and the sake
of our friends." And he gives Mary a task that demonstrates how new the
world has become.
Jewish society was rigidly patriarchal. Women could not be witnesses in
a court; their testimony would be worthless. But Jesus assigns Mary to
be a witness that he is alive, that he has been raised from the dead,
and she was to bear her witness to the male members of Jesus'
entourage. Everything had changed indeed.
The message of the Resurrection is "newness." The future of the world
has changed. Its hopes, its expectations, its aspirations are all new.
There is no reason to cling to the past, to hang on to what was. Jesus
is raised from the dead. We look forward, not back.
April 17, 2006
Easter Monday - Yr II
ACTS 2:14, 22-33
On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his
voice, and proclaimed: "You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in
Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words. "You who
are children of Israel, hear these words. Jesus the Nazorean was a man
commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which
God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know. This man,
delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed,
using lawless men to crucify him. But God raised him up, releasing him
from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held
by it. For David says of him: I saw the Lord ever before me, with him
at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. Therefore my heart has been
glad and my tongue has exulted; my flesh, too, will dwell in hope,
because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world, nor will you
suffer your holy one to see corruption. You have made known to me the
paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence. My brothers,
one can confidently say to you about the patriarch David that he died
and was buried, and his tomb is in our midst to this day. But since he
was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him that he would
set one of his descendants upon his throne, he foresaw and spoke of the
resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he abandoned to the
netherworld nor did his flesh see corruption. God raised this Jesus; of
this we are all witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God, he poured
forth the promise of the Holy Spirit that he received from the Father,
as you both see and hear."
MATTHEW 28:8-15
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce the news to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They
approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. Then Jesus said to
them, "Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and
there they will see me." While they were going, some of the guard went
into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened. The
chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel; then they
gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, "You are to
say, 'His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.'
And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy him and
keep you out of trouble." The soldiers took the money and did as they
were instructed. And this story has circulated among the Jews to the
present day.
REFLECTION
There's one thing that's very noticeable in the accounts of the Lord's
passion and risen life: his male friends abandoned him during his
passion and cringed behind locked doors after he died. The women,
however, remained openly and publicly loyal; they stood at the foot of
the cross, they went boldly to the tomb on Easter morning.
All four Gospels make it clear that the men did love Jesus. But they
related to him not only as to a person they loved. They saw him also as
a cause they supported. To the women Jesus was in no sense a political
cause. He was simply and wholly a person they loved. When he died, what
was more natural for them to do than to grace his body with the final
gesture of their love by preparing it for burial? So they went openly
to the tomb, while the men stayed hidden behind locked doors. The
women's love for Jesus, which was that and nothing more, withstood any
threat they may have feared.
There's a danger today that we shall lose this admirable type of love
that characterized the women who followed Jesus. What the world needs,
and above all what Christianity needs, is not women who will learn to
love as men traditionally have loved, but men who will learn to love as
women traditionally have loved. The world and Christianity need an
environment that will teach men how to love, not as did Peter and his
fellows, but as did Mary Magdalene and her companions.
Is this the sort of love we would like to see in men? Strong and
unflinching and persevering? It is, of course, the sort of love Jesus
has for us. Jesus' love remained total and faithful even during his
passion, even in the face of death. Like the women's love for him.
April 16, 2006
Easter Sunday of the Lord's Resurrection - B
ACTS 10:34A, 37-43
Peter proceeded to speak and said: "You know what has happened all over
Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went
about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God
was with him. We are witnesses of all that he did both in the country
of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a
tree. This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be
visible, not to all the people, but to us, the witnesses chosen by God
in advance, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He
commissioned us to preach to the people and testify that he is the one
appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. To him all the
prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive
forgiveness of sins through his name."
COLOSSIANS 3:1-4
Brothers and sisters: If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is
above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what
is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is
hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too
will appear with him in glory.
JOHN 20:1-9
On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in
the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from
the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple
whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the
tomb, and we don't know where they put him." So Peter and the other
disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other
disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent
down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon
Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial
cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the
burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other
disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and
he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that
he had to rise from the dead.
REFLECTION
In 1972, Trina Paulus published a simple but profound book entitled
Hope for the Flowers. The theme as Trina puts it is "to the 'more' of
life - the real revolution."
It is the story of two caterpillars, Stripe and Yellow, who are
searching for real meaning in life. "There must be more to life than
just eating and getting bigger," they think. In their search they see
caterpillars crawling towards a column. And when they get nearer, they
notice the column was nothing but a pillar of squirming, pushing
caterpillars - a caterpillar pillar.
Thinking there must be something there, Stripe and Yellow join the
column, stepping on others, kicking their way in every direction - just
pushing upwards like everyone else. What is on top they don't know
except that every now and then they see someone being pushed off the
top of the column. Finally, Yellow gets fed up with all this
struggling, pushing, and stepping on others and starts working her way
down the pile. As she wanders through the fields she discovers from a
butterfly that there is a butterfly within her. And without butterflies
there would be no flowers.
But she has to go through a process of changing into a butterfly.
Overcoming her fears, she completes the process and becomes a
butterfly. When she flies into the air, she sees piles of caterpillars
fighting their way to get to the top only to be pushed off and plunge
down. She searches for her friend Stripe and convinces him that she was
the Yellow he knew.
Finally, Stripe works his way down to follow what Yellow did. And he,
too, emerges as a beautiful butterfly. And they live happily ever
after.
The Easter story is something like that. Christ went through his
passion and death to bring us new life. And he shows us the way to the
greater meaning of life.
The Easter proclamation is "Christ is risen." Truly Christ is risen!
But what does it mean? On the surface it sounds simple enough: this man
from Nazareth, who had ideas is now alive and moving around meeting
with his friends.
The Easter stories are strange enough, but preaching "Christ risen!" is
the strangest turn of all. Nothing is easier to understand than the
fact that the message of a great man lives after him. But Paul, the
Apostles, the Christian Church, do not so much preach the message of
Jesus. They preach Jesus, the One who is Risen. We tend to think that
the Church passes on truths, the message delivered by Jesus in his
life. But Jesus does not say, "I am bringing God's truth." He says "I
am the Truth. I am the Way, and the Life."
The prophets of the Hebrew Bible proclaim truths, they told us about
the will of God. But Jesus to the Christians is "greater than a
prophet." Jesus is not God's messenger, Jesus does not just deliver
God's truth, Jesus is God's truth. More than a prophet, Jesus is
Immanuel, God-with-us, as we proclaim at Christmas.
If Jesus were just a prophet, a messenger of God's truth, then the
Apostles and the Church could easily claim that the message outlives
the messenger, the truth does not depend on the one who brings it.
Jesus would be immortal in his message. But Christians claim something
much more radical, much more extraordinary: the messenger lives on -
Christos anesti (Christ is Risen). The truth passed on is Jesus, the
Christ, the Risen One. This is clearly expressed by Catholic tradition
in the Eucharist. We, Catholics do not look on the Eucharist as just a
reminder of Jesus' message, or a symbol of Jesus. We say that it is the
"real presence" of Jesus. The Church itself is not a school of wisdom.
It is the "Mystical Body of Christ."
The human meaning of "Christ is risen" involves our deepest need to
have a presence for our lives, a presence as full as my life, a life
companion of life.
So, today we do not preach the message of Jesus as a prophet of
profound truths, we preach Jesus as Christ risen. Jesus is the real
presence, the life, which stands alongside our lives "as it was then,
is now, and ever shall be." Christ is risen. Truly, Christ is risen!
April 15, 2006
Holy Saturday - Yr II
ROMANS 6:3-11
Brothers and sisters: Are you unaware that we who were baptized into
Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with
him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from
the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of
life. For if we have grown into union with him through a death like
his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. We know that
our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be
done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin. For a
dead person has been absolved from sin. If, then, we have died with
Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that
Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power
over him. As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his
life, he lives for God. Consequently, you too must think of yourselves
as being dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.
MARK 16:1-7
When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James,
and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him. Very
early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came
to the tomb. They were saying to one another, "Who will roll back the
stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" When they looked up, they
saw that the stone had been rolled back; it was very large. On entering
the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a
white robe, and they were utterly amazed. He said to them, "Do not be
amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised;
he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him. But go and tell
his disciples and Peter, 'He is going before you to Galilee; there you
will see him, as he told you.'"
REFLECTION
It was important for the Jews that Jesus and the two thieves be buried
before sunset. Bodies hanging on crosses would defile the great Feast
of the Passover, which was to begin that evening. In order to hasten
death the Jewish leaders requested Pilate to order that the legs of the
three crucified men be broken. The soldiers detailed to do this broke
the legs of the two thieves but when they found that Jesus had already
died, one of them, pierced his side with a lance to make sure. Blood
and other body fluids flowed from the wound. Jesus was dead.
Executed criminals were buried in common graves. In Jesus' case,
however, Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin, requested his
body from Pilate. Joseph had been a disciple of Jesus, but in secret
because he feared what the reaction would be of the rest of the
Sanhedrin. Now, quite openly, he laid Jesus' body in a new tomb in
which no one else had been laid, close to the place where Jesus died.
Nicodemus, another secret disciple of Jesus, who was also a member of
the Sanhedrin, brought to the tomb about a hundred pounds of myrrh and
aloes. Jesus' body was wrapped in linen cloths along with these spices,
as was the custom among the Jewish people.
Jesus once said to his disciples and to the crowd that was listening to
him, "When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to
myself." The power of the cross was exerting its influence already,
drawing people to Jesus. These two authority figures, Joseph and
Nicodemus, believed in Jesus, but kept their belief secret for fear of
being mocked by their peers. They did not want to be deprived of the
respect and the power their positions afforded them. Having witnessed
Jesus' dedication to the truth and his willingness to die for the
truth, they were drawn to make public their own belief in Jesus and
their commitment to the truth that was Jesus.
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus are models for us. We, too, are
disciples of Jesus. But are there not occasions when we would prefer to
hide the fact of discipleship? We might be among people who are not
disciples and who look condescendingly on the very idea of
discipleship, particularly of Christian discipleship. Joseph of
Arimathea and Nicodemus are models for us. Perhaps what we need is,
like Joseph and Nicodemus, to contemplate Jesus crucified, that we may
also be drawn publicly to him.
April 14, 2006
Good Friday of the Lord's Passion - Yr II
ISAIAH 52:13--53:12
See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly
exalted. Even as many were amazed at him-- so marred was his look
beyond human semblance and his appearance beyond that of the sons of
man-- so shall he startle many nations, because of him kings shall
stand speechless; for those who have not been told shall see, those who
have not heard shall ponder it. Who would believe what we have heard?
To whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up like a
sapling before him, like a shoot from the parched earth; there was in
him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that
would attract us to him. He was spurned and avoided by people, a man of
suffering, accustomed to infirmity, one of those from whom people hide
their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem. Yet it was our
infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, while we
thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he
was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him was the
chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed. We had
all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; but the LORD
laid upon him the guilt of us all. Though he was harshly treated, he
submitted and opened not his mouth; like a lamb led to the slaughter or
a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth.
Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, and who would have thought
any more of his destiny? When he was cut off from the land of the
living, and smitten for the sin of his people, a grave was assigned him
among the wicked and a burial place with evildoers, though he had done
no wrong nor spoken any falsehood. But the LORD was pleased to crush
him in infirmity. If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall
see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the LORD shall be
accomplished through him. Because of his affliction he shall see the
light in fullness of days; through his suffering, my servant shall
justify many, and their guilt he shall bear. Therefore I will give him
his portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoils with the
mighty, because he surrendered himself to death and was counted among
the wicked; and he shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon for
their offenses.
HEBREWS 4:14-16; 5:7-9
Brothers and sisters: Since we have a great high priest who has passed
through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our
confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to
sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested
in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the
throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help. In
the days when Christ was in the flesh, he offered prayers and
supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save
him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Son though
he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was
made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who
obey him.
JOHN 18:1--19:42
Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to where
there was a garden, into which he and his disciples entered. Judas his
betrayer also knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with
his disciples. So Judas got a band of soldiers and guards from the
chief priests and the Pharisees and went there with lanterns, torches,
and weapons. Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him,
went out and said to them, "Whom are you looking for?" They answered
him, "Jesus the Nazorean." He said to them, "I AM." Judas his betrayer
was also with them. When he said to them, "I AM," they turned away and
fell to the ground. So he again asked them, "Whom are you looking for?"
They said, "Jesus the Nazorean." Jesus answered, "I told you that I AM.
So if you are looking for me, let these men go." This was to fulfill
what he had said, "I have not lost any of those you gave me." Then
Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest's slave,
and cut off his right ear. The slave's name was Malchus. Jesus said to
Peter, "Put your sword into its scabbard. Shall I not drink the cup
that the Father gave me?" So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the
Jewish guards seized Jesus, bound him, and brought him to Annas first.
He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It
was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews that it was better that one man
should die rather than the people. Simon Peter and another disciple
followed Jesus. Now the other disciple was known to the high priest,
and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus. But Peter
stood at the gate outside. So the other disciple, the acquaintance of
the high priest, went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter
in. Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter, "You are not
one of this man's disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not." Now the
slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire that they
had made, because it was cold, and were warming themselves. Peter was
also standing there keeping warm. The high priest questioned Jesus
about his disciples and about his doctrine. Jesus answered him, "I have
spoken publicly to the world. I have always taught in a synagogue or in
the temple area where all the Jews gather, and in secret I have said
nothing. Why ask me? Ask those who heard me what I said to them. They
know what I said." When he had said this, one of the temple guards
standing there struck Jesus and said, "Is this the way you answer the
high priest?" Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken wrongly, testify to
the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?" Then
Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Now Simon Peter was
standing there keeping warm. And they said to him, "You are not one of
his disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not." One of the
slaves of the high priest, a relative of the one whose ear Peter had
cut off, said, "Didn't I see you in the garden with him?" Again Peter
denied it. And immediately the cock crowed. Then they brought Jesus
from Caiaphas to the praetorium. It was morning. And they themselves
did not enter the praetorium, in order not to be defiled so that they
could eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and said, "What
charge do you bring against this man?" They answered and said to him,
"If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you."
At this, Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves, and judge him
according to your law." The Jews answered him, "We do not have the
right to execute anyone," in order that the word of Jesus might be
fulfilled that he said indicating the kind of death he would die. So
Pilate went back into the praetorium and summoned Jesus and said to
him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you say this
on your own or have others told you about me?" Pilate answered, "I am
not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over
to me. What have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong
to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants
would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as
it is, my kingdom is not here." So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a
king?" Jesus answered, "You say I am a king. For this I was born and
for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who
belongs to the truth listens to my voice." Pilate said to him, "What is
truth?" When he had said this, he again went out to the Jews and said
to them, "I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I release
one prisoner to you at Passover. Do you want me to release to you the
King of the Jews?" They cried out again, "Not this one but Barabbas!"
Now Barabbas was a revolutionary. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him
scourged. And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on
his head, and clothed him in a purple cloak, and they came to him and
said, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they struck him repeatedly. Once
more Pilate went out and said to them, "Look, I am bringing him out to
you, so that you may know that I find no guilt in him." So Jesus came
out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak. And he said to
them, "Behold, the man!" When the chief priests and the guards saw him
they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take
him yourselves and crucify him. I find no guilt in him." The Jews
answered, "We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die,
because he made himself the Son of God." Now when Pilate heard this
statement, he became even more afraid, and went back into the
praetorium and said to Jesus, "Where are you from?" Jesus did not
answer him. So Pilate said to him, "Do you not speak to me? Do you not
know that I have power to release you and I have power to crucify you?"
Jesus answered him, "You would have no power over me if it had not been
given to you from above. For this reason the one who handed me over to
you has the greater sin." Consequently, Pilate tried to release him;
but the Jews cried out, "If you release him, you are not a Friend of
Caesar. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar." When Pilate
heard these words he brought Jesus out and seated him on the judge's
bench in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha. It was
preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon. And he said to the
Jews, "Behold, your king!" They cried out, "Take him away, take him
away! Crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your king?"
The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." Then he
handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and,
carrying the cross himself, he went out to what is called the Place of
the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him
two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle. Pilate also
had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, "Jesus the
Nazorean, the King of the Jews." Now many of the Jews read this
inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the
city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. So the chief
priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the
Jews,' but that he said, 'I am the King of the Jews'." Pilate answered,
"What I have written, I have written." When the soldiers had crucified
Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four shares, a share
for each soldier. They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless,
woven in one piece from the top down. So they said to one another,
"Let's not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be," in
order that the passage of Scripture might be fulfilled that says: They
divided my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots. This
is what the soldiers did. Standing by the cross of Jesus were his
mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of
Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved
he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son." Then he said to the
disciple, "Behold, your mother." And from that hour the disciple took
her into his home. After this, aware that everything was now finished,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I thirst."
There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked
in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had
taken the wine, he said, "It is finished." And bowing his head, he
handed over the spirit. Here all kneel and pause for a short time. Now
since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain
on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a
solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and that
they be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the
first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when
they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break
his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and
immediately blood and water flowed out. An eyewitness has testified,
and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so
that you also may come to believe. For this happened so that the
Scripture passage might be fulfilled: Not a bone of it will be broken.
And again another passage says: They will look upon him whom they have
pierced. After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus
for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of
Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body.
Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night, also came
bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred
pounds. They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths
along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. Now in
the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the
garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So they laid
Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was
close by.
REFLECTION
To suffer for a person one loves: only humans are capable of this
experience and the experience deepens their humanity. God himself could
not have this experience, had he not become human. God did become human
and he did have this humanizing experience: "Greater love than this no
person has, to lay down one's life for a friend." Is there anything
that is more deeply, more profoundly, more intensely human than love
poured out totally in sacrifice for a person beloved?
This is the core of Good Friday's mystery. It is the reason,
ultimately, why this Friday, which witnessed a tragic death violently
imposed on an innocent man two thousand years ago, has been called Good
Friday. This Friday witnessed the ultimate manifestation of human
goodness: Jesus laid down his life for his friends.
"Ultimate manifestation of human goodness?" Maybe not; maybe there is a
greater love than this, and therefore a more intense way of being
human. St. Paul believed this to be true. After reflecting on Jesus'
words: "There is no greater love than this, to lay down one's life for
a friend," Paul wrote to the Romans: "We were helpless when at the
appointed moment Christ died for sinful man." Paul, it would seem,
imagined himself on the cross in the place of Christ and he came to
this realization, "It is not easy to die for the sake of a good man . .
. what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we
were still sinners." Christ died-an act of love-not only for his
friends; he died also for those who had set themselves against him. He
died for the Romans who put him to death, for the Pharisees and the
priests, who pressured the Romans to kill him. He died for those who
would persecute his Church, for those who were to crucify him in his
followers down through the centuries. He died for us in spite of our
infidelities.
Jesus, having become man, pushed back the limits of human love and
sacrifice. He became far more intensely human than we are - with our
limitations, the conditions we place on our love.
From the cross Jesus looked about him. "Father," he prayed, "forgive
them, they do not know what they are doing." His prayer is much more
than a prayer of forgiveness for us, it is also a cry from the depth of
Jesus' Heart to the depths within us. He pleads with us to allow our
love to grow and expand, to embrace not only those who love us but even
those who set themselves against us. He pleads with us to learn from
him how to be fully human.
April 13, 2006
Holy Thursday - Yr II
EXODUS 12:1-8, 11-14
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, "This month
shall stand at the head of your calendar; you shall reckon it the first
month of the year. Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth of
this month every one of your families must procure for itself a lamb,
one apiece for each household. If a family is too small for a whole
lamb, it shall join the nearest household in procuring one and shall
share in the lamb in proportion to the number of persons who partake of
it. The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish. You may take
it from either the sheep or the goats. You shall keep it until the
fourteenth day of this month, and then, with the whole assembly of
Israel present, it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight.
They shall take some of its blood and apply it to the two doorposts and
the lintel of every house in which they partake of the lamb. That same
night they shall eat its roasted flesh with unleavened bread and bitter
herbs. "This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on
your feet and your staff in hand, you shall eat like those who are in
flight. It is the Passover of the LORD. For on this same night I will
go through Egypt, striking down every firstborn of the land, both man
and beast, and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt--I, the
LORD! But the blood will mark the houses where you are. Seeing the
blood, I will pass over you; thus, when I strike the land of Egypt, no
destructive blow will come upon you. "This day shall be a memorial
feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate with
pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution."
1 CORINTHIANS 11:23-26
Brothers and sisters: I received from the Lord what I also handed on to
you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread,
and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, "This is my body
that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also
the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my
blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as
often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death
of the Lord until he comes.
JOHN 13:1-15
Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass
from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he
loved them to the end. The devil had already induced Judas, son of
Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over. So, during supper, fully aware
that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come
from God and was returning to God, he rose from supper and took off his
outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he
poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and dry
them with the towel around his waist. He came to Simon Peter, who said
to him, "Master, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus answered and
said to him, "What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will
understand later." Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet."
Jesus answered him, "Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance
with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Master, then not only my feet, but
my hands and head as well." Jesus said to him, "Whoever has bathed has
no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over; so
you are clean, but not all." For he knew who would betray him; for this
reason, he said, "Not all of you are clean." So when he had washed
their feet and put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he
said to them, "Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me
'teacher' and 'master,' and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I,
therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to
wash one another's feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as
I have done for you, you should also do."
REFLECTION
Jesus knew his hour had come. He knew he would be tortured and
crucified. He knew that two of his chosen would fail him, one by
betraying him, the other by denying him. He knew the rest would abandon
him. The tension within Jesus must have communicated itself to his
apostles. They must have sensed the dread and the fear that lay heavily
on him, dread and fear that would later that evening force the blood
through his pores until it stained the ground about him. Furthermore,
the evil Judas intended surely infected the atmosphere of the room with
obscene foreboding, with sinister premonition.
Jesus stood up. All looked at him. Conversation ceased. What would he
say? Would he try to ease the heaviness that burdened the room? Would
he urge loyalty no matter what threats might be hurled at them? Would
he talk about their dreams, their hopes, their aspirations? Jesus said
nothing. He removed his outer garment, tied a towel about his waist,
picked up a jug of water and a bowl. He went down on his knees, washed
the feet of each of his disciples. He washed them, as would a slave or
a servant.
The apostles were appalled. Not simply because their Lord and Master
knelt before them like a slave to wash their feet. Their reaction was
because they knew that Jesus' gesture would change the life they had
hoped to live with him. They had hoped to rule with Jesus. This was not
how they wanted to understand "rule" or "power." So Jesus made it
explicitly clear to them: "If I wash your feet," he said, "you should
wash one another's feet."
He continued the meal, giving himself to them not only as a slave or
servant. He gave himself totally to them, to be their food, their
strength. Finally, from this room he walked out to his death, that
through his death he might give them life.
Jesus gave himself totally to us and for us. He held back nothing. As
St. Paul puts it, to describe Jesus' act of self-giving: "He emptied
himself." And if I may paraphrase the words Jesus spoke after he washed
his apostles' feet, "As I have served you, so you must serve one
another, as I have loved you, so you must love one another."
April 12, 2006
Wednesday in Holy Week - Yr II
ISAIAH 50:4-9A
The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue, That I might know how
to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them. Morning after
morning he opens my ear that I may hear; And I have not rebelled, have
not turned back. I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to
those who plucked my beard; My face I did not shield from buffets and
spitting. The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have
set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame. He is
near who upholds my right; if anyone wishes to oppose me, let us appear
together. Who disputes my right? Let him confront me. See, the Lord GOD
is my help; who will prove me wrong?
MATTHEW 26:14-25
One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief
priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over
to you?" They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on
he looked for an opportunity to hand him over. On the first day of the
Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples approached Jesus and said,
"Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?" He said,
"Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, 'The teacher says, "My
appointed time draws near; in your house I shall celebrate the Passover
with my disciples."'" The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered, and
prepared the Passover. When it was evening, he reclined at table with
the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, "Amen, I say to you,
one of you will betray me." Deeply distressed at this, they began to
say to him one after another, "Surely it is not I, Lord?" He said in
reply, "He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who
will betray me. The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him,
but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be
better for that man if he had never been born." Then Judas, his
betrayer, said in reply, "Surely it is not I, Rabbi?" He answered, "You
have said so."
REFLECTION
Judas Iscariot had been with Jesus throughout his public ministry. He
had personally seen and heard many things that had changed and shaped
the lives of many people. Yet, instead of allowing the truth to set him
free, Judas held on to his doubts, greed and other forms of human
weaknesses that overtook his judgment and betrayed his friend and
master, Jesus.
This betrayal eventually led to the torture and passion of Jesus that
was depicted vividly in today's first reading under the prophetic
description of the "Suffering Servant". Jesus knew what was to come;
yet in his prayer, he allowed the Holy Spirit to guide him into
fulfilling the will of his Father, even to the point of death. This is
a stark contrast to the reactions of his disciples who had earlier made
all sorts of bold promises to follow Jesus wherever he goes, and when
difficulties arose, they all went into hiding. While one disciple
betrays Jesus, another denies him in front of others. Understandably
these are normal human reactions under danger and pressure; yet the
fact still remains that there is no compromise when justice demands it
and it can only be done with divine help.
As we enter into the Triduum this Holy Week, let us reevaluate
ourselves. Have we kept faith? Up to what degree? Have we been
effective witnesses to the truth of the Gospel? Or are we just paying
lip service? If the price were right, would we also betray Jesus and
deny him? Let remember him today and ask for his mercy, because he had
first shown us his Love
April 11, 2006
Tuesday in Holy Week - Yr II
ISAIAH 49:1-6
Hear me, O islands, listen, O distant peoples. The LORD called me from
birth, from my mother's womb he gave me my name. He made of me a
sharp-edged sword and concealed me in the shadow of his arm. He made me
a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me. You are my servant, he said
to me, Israel, through whom I show my glory. Though I thought I had
toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength, Yet my
reward is with the LORD, my recompense is with my God. For now the LORD
has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb, That Jacob may
be brought back to him and Israel gathered to him; And I am made
glorious in the sight of the LORD, and my God is now my strength! It is
too little, he says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes
of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light
to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
JOHN 13:21-33, 36-38
Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and
testified, "Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me." The
disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant. One of
his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus' side.
So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant. He leaned back
against Jesus' chest and said to him, "Master, who is it?" Jesus
answered, "It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped
it." So he dipped the morsel and took it and handed it to Judas, son of
Simon the Iscariot. After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him. So
Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly." Now none of
those reclining at table realized why he said this to him. Some thought
that since Judas kept the moneybag, Jesus had told him, "Buy what we
need for the feast," or to give something to the poor. So Judas took
the morsel and left at once. And it was night. When he had left, Jesus
said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If
God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and he
will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little
while longer. You will look for me, and as I told the Jews, 'Where I go
you cannot come,' so now I say it to you." Simon Peter said to him,
"Master, where are you going?" Jesus answered him, "Where I am going,
you cannot follow me now, though you will follow later." Peter said to
him, "Master, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for
you." Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me? Amen, amen,
I say to you, the cock will not crow before you deny me three times."
REFLECTION
The Gospel selections for the first three days of Holy Week are heavy
with tragedy; not the tragedy of Christ and his violent death at the
hands of the men for whom he died, but the tragedy of Judas who
betrayed the man who loved him. The tragic figure of Judas Iscariot
stalks through these Gospels, dominating them, weighing them with
anguish and pain.
Today's and tomorrow's Gospel readings focus on the most tragic act of
all - Judas' betrayal of Jesus - as told by the evangelists John and
Matthew.
Why this heavy emphasis on the person of Judas, and on his tragic act
of betrayal on the first three days of Holy Week? Would it not be
better and far more devotional for the Church to center her and our
attention on Christ, on his love for us, on his incomparable love for
us: his laying down his life for his friends? But no-the Church, year
after year, comes back during the first three days of Holy Week to
Judas and his act of betrayal. Why?
It seems as though the Church down through the ages has been struggling
and struggles still, to understand. How could it be possible that a man
chosen by Jesus, loved by Jesus, invited by him into the intimacy of
his fellowship would turn on Jesus and betray him? How? Why?
The answer to this question will not be found by analyzing, meditating
on, poring over the Gospel texts. The answer is not written there. It
is written within us, in our hearts.
For we, too, have been called by Jesus, loved and redeemed by him,
admitted into intimate association with him through prayer and the
sacraments. And yet, we allow the attraction of material things, of
wealth, of power, of pleasure, of good living, lead us into compromises
with and even betrayal of Jesus' principles and ideals.
Perhaps this is why the Church focuses on the tragedy of Judas early in
Holy Week: to lead us to look at the Judas within us. We might then be
able to exorcise this Judas, by expressing sorrow and seeking
forgiveness. If we do go through this process of conversion early in
Holy Week, we will be able to accompany the Lord with greater sympathy
and empathy, as we relive his passion and resurrection once again this
year.
April 10, 2006
Monday in Holy Week - Yr II
ISAIAH 42:1-7
Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
Upon whom I have put my Spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the
nations, Not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in
the street. A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he
shall not quench, Until he establishes justice on the earth; the
coastlands will wait for his teaching. Thus says God, the LORD, who
created the heavens and stretched them out, who spreads out the earth
with its crops, Who gives breath to its people and spirit to those who
walk on it: I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice, I
have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant
of the people, a light for the nations, To open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those
who live in darkness.
JOHN 12:1-11
Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom
Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there, and
Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with
him. Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine
aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her
hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then Judas
the Iscariot, one of his disciples, and the one who would betray him,
said, "Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days' wages and
given to the poor?" He said this not because he cared about the poor
but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the
contributions. So Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Let her keep this for
the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not
always have me." The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was
there and came, not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom
he had raised from the dead. And the chief priests plotted to kill
Lazarus too, because many of the Jews were turning away and believing
in Jesus because of him.
REFLECTION
The first readings on the first three days of Holy Week are taken from
the four Suffering Servant Songs which are found in the Prophesy of
Isaiah. There is not much agreement on who Isaiah meant the suffering
servant to be. The Church, however, has from its inception seen these
songs as pointing to the Lord Jesus.
Isaiah has the suffering servant bringing God's justice to the world.
To this end God will put his spirit on him, a spirit of peace, unmarked
by violence of any sort. His voice will be muted, he will be gentle,
especially toward the weak and the wounded. He will heal, open the eyes
of the blind, free prisoners from captivity. Through him God will bring
about the victory of justice, not merely, however, in the restoration
of Israel. For the servant has been appointed to establish a covenant
not only with the people of Israel but through Israel with all nations.
He carries with him God's desire for universal salvation.
Today's Gospel, as Fr. Carroll Stuhlmueller sees it, suggests the
attitude we should bring with us into Holy Week. Jesus, he points out,
understood Mary's anointing of his feet as preparation for his own
burial. Mary, however, saw it quite differently. She saw it as a
"supreme moment of loving devotion toward Jesus." This is the attitude,
the feelings the Christian should have as he moves though the events of
Holy Week. Jesus, our Lord, our friend, lived through these events,
conscious that he was about to suffer a brutally violent, physically
and emotionally painful death. He will need us to walk alongside of
him, to be with him. All our attention should be on Jesus, no other
distractions should be allowed. It's not that we should be constantly
speaking with Jesus. Silence is enough, along with feelings of concern
and compassion.
We are to walk with Jesus, then, as he passes though the mysteries of
his passion and death, suffering with him, admiring, consoling,
encouraging, strengthening him, and with the hope that the experience
of Holy Week will draw us far more intimately into friendship with him.
April 10, 2006
Monday in Holy Week - Yr II
ISAIAH 42:1-7
Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
Upon whom I have put my Spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the
nations, Not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in
the street. A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he
shall not quench, Until he establishes justice on the earth; the
coastlands will wait for his teaching. Thus says God, the LORD, who
created the heavens and stretched them out, who spreads out the earth
with its crops, Who gives breath to its people and spirit to those who
walk on it: I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice, I
have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant
of the people, a light for the nations, To open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those
who live in darkness.
JOHN 12:1-11
Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom
Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there, and
Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with
him. Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine
aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her
hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then Judas
the Iscariot, one of his disciples, and the one who would betray him,
said, "Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days' wages and
given to the poor?" He said this not because he cared about the poor
but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the
contributions. So Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Let her keep this for
the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not
always have me." The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was
there and came, not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom
he had raised from the dead. And the chief priests plotted to kill
Lazarus too, because many of the Jews were turning away and believing
in Jesus because of him.
REFLECTION
The first readings on the first three days of Holy Week are taken from
the four Suffering Servant Songs which are found in the Prophesy of
Isaiah. There is not much agreement on who Isaiah meant the suffering
servant to be. The Church, however, has from its inception seen these
songs as pointing to the Lord Jesus.
Isaiah has the suffering servant bringing God's justice to the world.
To this end God will put his spirit on him, a spirit of peace, unmarked
by violence of any sort. His voice will be muted, he will be gentle,
especially toward the weak and the wounded. He will heal, open the eyes
of the blind, free prisoners from captivity. Through him God will bring
about the victory of justice, not merely, however, in the restoration
of Israel. For the servant has been appointed to establish a covenant
not only with the people of Israel but through Israel with all nations.
He carries with him God's desire for universal salvation.
Today's Gospel, as Fr. Carroll Stuhlmueller sees it, suggests the
attitude we should bring with us into Holy Week. Jesus, he points out,
understood Mary's anointing of his feet as preparation for his own
burial. Mary, however, saw it quite differently. She saw it as a
"supreme moment of loving devotion toward Jesus." This is the attitude,
the feelings the Christian should have as he moves though the events of
Holy Week. Jesus, our Lord, our friend, lived through these events,
conscious that he was about to suffer a brutally violent, physically
and emotionally painful death. He will need us to walk alongside of
him, to be with him. All our attention should be on Jesus, no other
distractions should be allowed. It's not that we should be constantly
speaking with Jesus. Silence is enough, along with feelings of concern
and compassion.
We are to walk with Jesus, then, as he passes though the mysteries of
his passion and death, suffering with him, admiring, consoling,
encouraging, strengthening him, and with the hope that the experience
of Holy Week will draw us far more intimately into friendship with him.
April 9, 2006
Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion - B
ISAIAH 50:4-7
The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue, that I might know how
to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them. Morning after
morning he opens my ear that I may hear; and I have not rebelled, have
not turned back. I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to
those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and
spitting. The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have
set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame.
PHILIPPIANS 2:6-11
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality
with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking
the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in
appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of
death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the
name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth
and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
MARK 15:1-39
As soon as morning came, the chief priests with the elders and the
scribes, that is, the whole Sanhedrin, held a council. They bound
Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. Pilate questioned
him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" He said to him in reply, "You say
so." The chief priests accused him of many things. Again Pilate
questioned him, "Have you no answer? See how many things they accuse
you of." Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.
Now on the occasion of the feast he used to release to them one
prisoner whom they requested. A man called Barabbas was then in prison
along with the rebels who had committed murder in a rebellion. The
crowd came forward and began to ask him to do for them as he was
accustomed. Pilate answered, "Do you want me to release to you the king
of the Jews?" For he knew that it was out of envy that the chief
priests had handed him over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd
to have him release Barabbas for them instead. Pilate again said to
them in reply, "Then what do you want me to do with the man you call
the king of the Jews?" They shouted again, "Crucify him." Pilate said
to them, "Why? What evil has he done?" They only shouted the louder,
"Crucify him." So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released
Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged, handed him over to
be crucified. The soldiers led him away inside the palace, that is, the
praetorium, and assembled the whole cohort. They clothed him in purple
and, weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on him. They began to salute
him with, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and kept striking his head with a
reed and spitting upon him. They knelt before him in homage. And when
they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, dressed him
in his own clothes, and led him out to crucify him. They pressed into
service a passer-by, Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the
country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. They
brought him to the place of Golgotha --which is translated Place of the
Skull--. They gave him wine drugged with myrrh, but he did not take it.
Then they crucified him and divided his garments by casting lots for
them to see what each should take. It was nine o'clock in the morning
when they crucified him. The inscription of the charge against him
read, "The King of the Jews." With him they crucified two
revolutionaries, one on his right and one on his left. Those passing by
reviled him, shaking their heads and saying, "Aha! You who would
destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself by
coming down from the cross." Likewise the chief priests, with the
scribes, mocked him among themselves and said, "He saved others; he
cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now
from the cross that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified
with him also kept abusing him. At noon darkness came over the whole
land until three in the afternoon. And at three o'clock Jesus cried out
in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which is translated,
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Some of the bystanders who
heard it said, "Look, he is calling Elijah." One of them ran, soaked a
sponge with wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink saying,
"Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down." Jesus gave a loud
cry and breathed his last. The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two
from top to bottom. When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he
breathed his last he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"
REFLECTION
Today, Palm / Passion Sunday, we enter with growing intensity into the
whole paschal mystery. Not palms or passion; it is both. Not triumph or
tragedy; but triumph in tragedy. Not a dying or a rising Christ, but a
dying-rising Christ. The paschal mystery is one mystery: life in and
through death.
Passion Sunday, then, is not a prelude to the Resurrection. The tragedy
of Calvary is not a promise of triumph at Easter. The cross is itself a
triumph in Christ's death, there is life. That is why the Church puts
palms and thorns together. The King is triumphant not simply on Easter.
He is triumphant on Calvary. Dying-rising is one complex reality, the
mystery of Christ. Today we rejoice, for in his dying the world comes
alive.
But how does liturgy shape our Christian existence? Palm / Passion
Sunday is an excellent example. Here we uncover the core of Christian
living. For to us, to live is to share in the dying-rising of Christ.
Not in the two stages: dying here, rising hereafter. No, as with Jesus,
so with us, our dying-rising is a double inseparable reality. In our
dying is our rising - now.
It began with our baptism. On this St. Paul is emphatic. "Do you know
that all of us who have been baptized into Christ were baptized into
his death? We were buried therefore by baptism into death, so that as
Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too
might walk in newness of life." (Rom. 6:3-4) Newness of life - now, not
after death but now. At this moment the life of Christ flows through
you like another bloodstream. That is why you can cry out with St.
Paul: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live,
but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live
by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
(Gal.2: 19-20) In Christ you are a new creation.
But your dying-rising is not simply a matter of Sacraments. You are
indeed raised with Christ, but not fully risen. With St. Paul, "we who
have the fruits of the Spirit groan inside ourselves as we wait for ...
the redemption of our bodies." (Rom. 7:22-23) And so we must constantly
reproduce the journey of Jesus to rise to new life only by dying,
continually dying.
Dying to what? Basically, dying to sin and to self. Dying to sin is
never ended. For dying to sin is not merely turning from evil. Dying to
sin is turning to Christ. And turning to Christ is a constant
conversion. If sin is rejection, dying to sin is openness: openness to
God's presence poured out on you through the warm breeze that caresses
your skin, the beauty of nature that inspires your spirit, eyes that
meet yours in friendship and love, the awesome presence of the Holy One
in the tabernacle in the church, and in the shelter of your hearts.
It's a wonderfully positive way of dying to sin. Turn to the Lord all
around you. Turn to the Lord within you.
More difficult perhaps is dying to self. Here we are not talking about
sin. We are talking about that very human problem, how do you let go of
where you've been? How do you let go of yesterday, of the past that is
so much part of you? Not forget it but let go of it. Whether it's
turning 21, 40, or 65, whether it's losing your health or your hair,
your looks or your energy, your money or your memory, a person you love
or a possession you prize; whether it's being fired or a change of
jobs; whether it's as fleeting as applause or as lasting as grace - you
have to move on.
Wherever you've been, you dare not dwell there. Essential to your
Christian journey is the journey of Christ. And so, to let go of
yesterday is to die a little. But only by dying will you rise to new
life. Only by letting go of yesterday will you open yourself to
tomorrow, to being surprised by the Spirit.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, if you want to celebrate both
liturgy and life these coming eight days, here are three suggestions:
1) Don't divorce passion and palms, Good Friday and Easter. They are
inseparable. In Christ's death is life.
2) Act today, and all week like risen Christians. You have already
risen with Christ. Then rejoice today!
3) Let go of your security blanket. Let all your dying be a new living.
Not without pain, but let the pain be filled with Easter promise. There
is no dying that does not bear within it the seeds of fresh life. Let
go!
April 8, 2006
Saturday 5th week of Lent - Yr II
EZEKIEL 37:21-28
Thus says the Lord God: I will take the children of Israel from among
the nations to which they have come, and gather them from all sides to
bring them back to their land. I will make them one nation upon the
land, in the mountains of Israel, and there shall be one prince for
them all. Never again shall they be two nations, and never again shall
they be divided into two kingdoms. No longer shall they defile
themselves with their idols, their abominations, and all their
transgressions. I will deliver them from all their sins of apostasy,
and cleanse them so that they may be my people and I may be their God.
My servant David shall be prince over them, and there shall be one
shepherd for them all; they shall live by my statutes and carefully
observe my decrees. They shall live on the land that I gave to my
servant Jacob, the land where their fathers lived; they shall live on
it forever, they, and their children, and their children's children,
with my servant David their prince forever. I will make with them a
covenant of peace; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them, and I
will multiply them, and put my sanctuary among them forever. My
dwelling shall be with them; I will be their God, and they shall be my
people. Thus the nations shall know that it is I, the LORD, who make
Israel holy, when my sanctuary shall be set up among them forever.
JOHN 11:45-56
Many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what Jesus had done
began to believe in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and
told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees
convened the Sanhedrin and said, "What are we going to do? This man is
performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him,
and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation."
But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them,
"You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that
one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may
not perish." He did not say this on his own, but since he was high
priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the
nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the
dispersed children of God. So from that day on they planned to kill
him. So Jesus no longer walked about in public among the Jews, but he
left for the region near the desert, to a town called Ephraim, and
there he remained with his disciples. Now the Passover of the Jews was
near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before Passover to
purify themselves. They looked for Jesus and said to one another as
they were in the temple area, "What do you think? That he will not come
to the feast?"
REFLECTION
When Ezekiel wrote the passage in today's first reading, the Jewish
people were caught up in the Babylonian exile. Jerusalem had been
destroyed, the Temple reduced to ruins, the house of David had come to
an end, the nation had vanished. Earlier in his Book, Ezekiel had put
the blame for this tragedy on the people themselves for they paid no
attention to their obligations under the covenant. Instead they had
worshipped the idols of the gentiles and had refused to live with one
another in justice and charity. It is at this low point in Israel's
history when Ezekiel writes today's section, which some call "The Book
of Consolation" - God will heap gifts on the people: unity, cleansing
from idolatry and sin, a prosperous land, a populous posterity, a
restored Davidic dynasty, Temple and priesthood. "My dwelling shall be
with them; I will be their God and they shall be my people."
In the Gospel, John still sees the hand of God in the intrigue and evil
plotting of Pharisees and priests as they move toward the fulfillment
of God's own desires. John understands the high priest's condemnation
of Jesus as a prophecy that the One condemned would indeed gather all
of God's dispersed children into one. The whole world would come to
believe in him.
Rev. Paul J. Schmidt concludes his commentary on these two readings:
"We cannot take the sorrow and pain out of Holy Week. But, as tragic
and sobering as the events of Christ's passion and death were, we do
not observe Holy Week as a tragedy. From death comes life; from sorrow
joy. These events are the celebration of our own baptismal initiation
into Christ's dying and rising."
April 7, 2006
Friday 5th week of Lent - Yr II
JEREMIAH 20:10-13
I hear the whisperings of many: "Terror on every side! Denounce! let us
denounce him!" All those who were my friends are on the watch for any
misstep of mine. "Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail, and
take our vengeance on him." But the LORD is with me, like a mighty
champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph. In their
failure they will be put to utter shame, to lasting, unforgettable
confusion. O LORD of hosts, you who test the just, who probe mind and
heart, Let me witness the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have
entrusted my cause. Sing to the LORD, praise the LORD, For he has
rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!
JOHN 10:31-42
The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus. Jesus answered them, "I have
shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you
trying to stone me?" The Jews answered him, "We are not stoning you for
a good work but for blasphemy. You, a man, are making yourself God."
Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are
gods"'? If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came, and
Scripture cannot be set aside, can you say that the one whom the Father
has consecrated and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, 'I
am the Son of God'? If I do not perform my Father's works, do not
believe me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me,
believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the
Father is in me and I am in the Father." Then they tried again to
arrest him; but he escaped from their power. He went back across the
Jordan to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained.
Many came to him and said, "John performed no sign, but everything John
said about this man was true." And many there began to believe in him.
REFLECTION
How often have felt that we've done the "right thing" but suffered for
our decisions? When this happened, how did we express our
disappointment and feelings during our prayers and conversations with
God? During those moments, were we facing a tough no-win situation or
were we trying to change these situations into a positive one?
In the first reading today, Jeremiah was facing one of those times. He
heard rumors directed against him and knew that certain people around
him were waiting for him to make mistakes and fail. Even through all
his trials, he continued to keep his trust in the Lord.
During Jesus' ministry, many people made efforts to stop and discourage
him. Doubts were created by these people, to deter others from
listening to his teachings and following him. But even with all their
efforts, Jesus persisted by continuing to preach and perform miracles.
How do we then, in our daily lives, learn to trust or deepen our trust
in the Lord, to guide and help us in our decisions even through
adversities?
April 6, 2006
Thursday 5th week of Lent - Yr II
GENESIS 17:3-9
When Abram prostrated himself, God spoke to him: "My covenant with you
is this: you are to become the father of a host of nations. No longer
shall you be called Abram; your name shall be Abraham, for I am making
you the father of a host of nations. I will render you exceedingly
fertile; I will make nations of you; kings shall stem from you. I will
maintain my covenant with you and your descendants after you throughout
the ages as an everlasting pact, to be your God and the God of your
descendants after you. I will give to you and to your descendants after
you the land in which you are now staying, the whole land of Canaan, as
a permanent possession; and I will be their God." God also said to
Abraham: "On your part, you and your descendants after you must keep my
covenant throughout the ages."
JOHN 8:51-59
Jesus said to the Jews: "Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my
word will never see death." So the Jews said to him, "Now we are sure
that you are possessed. Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say,
'Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.' Are you greater than
our father Abraham, who died? Or the prophets, who died? Who do you
make yourself out to be?" Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my
glory is worth nothing; but it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom
you say, 'He is our God.' You do not know him, but I know him. And if I
should say that I do not know him, I would be like you a liar. But I do
know him and I keep his word. Abraham your father rejoiced to see my
day; he saw it and was glad." So the Jews said to him, "You are not yet
fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Amen,
amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM." So they picked up
stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.
REFLECTION
In today's first reading, when God spoke to Abraham he said: "My
covenant with you is this: you are to become the father of a host of
nations." Towards the end of the reading, God again says to Abraham:
"On your part, you and your descendants after you must keep my covenant
throughout the ages."
One of the images that quickly come to mind when we think of "covenant"
is "contract." But this word does not really capture the full meaning
of what a covenant really is. A contract has too many businesslike
connotations to truly capture the essence of what making a covenant
does to a person.
When God covenants himself to Abraham, Moses or even to you and me
through Jesus, his Son, he gives himself to us in a unique and
permanent way. Once a covenant is made, a person cannot withdraw from
it as they have irrevocably given themselves over to another person.
Both Baptism and Ordination are covenantal type agreements that cannot
be undone once made.
The covenant that God makes with us is a covenant of love. He gives
himself to us in order to draw us into the eternal relationship within
the Trinity. The Scriptures are records of God's self-giving that
culminates in the definitive revelation of His love in the life,
ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. All that Jesus says and does
on earth is an invitation to enter into a life-giving covenant with the
God who created us in the first place. What will our response be to
this offer?
Let us ask the Holy Spirit to open our mind more fully to the truth of
the beauty of the relationship that God the Father invites us to enter
into through His Son Jesus Christ and to grant us the grace to fully
give ourselves to him in love.
April 5, 2006
Wednesday 5th week of Lent - Yr II
DANIEL 3:14-20, 91-92, 95
King Nebuchadnezzar said: "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
that you will not serve my god, or worship the golden statue that I set
up? Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I had made,
whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, flute, lyre, harp,
psaltery, bagpipe, and all the other musical instruments; otherwise,
you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace; and who is the
God who can deliver you out of my hands?" Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, "There is no need for us to
defend ourselves before you in this matter. If our God, whom we serve,
can save us from the white-hot furnace and from your hands, O king, may
he save us! But even if he will not, know, O king, that we will not
serve your god or worship the golden statue that you set up." King
Nebuchadnezzar's face became livid with utter rage against Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times
more than usual and had some of the strongest men in his army bind
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and cast them into the white-hot
furnace. Nebuchadnezzar rose in haste and asked his nobles, "Did we not
cast three men bound into the fire?" "Assuredly, O king," they
answered. "But," he replied, "I see four men unfettered and unhurt,
walking in the fire, and the fourth looks like a son of God."
Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, who sent his angel to deliver the servants who trusted in
him; they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies rather
than serve or worship any god except their own God."
JOHN 8:31-42
Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, "If you remain in my
word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and
the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are descendants of
Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, 'You
will become free'?" Jesus answered them, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in
a household forever, but a son always remains. So if the Son frees you,
then you will truly be free. I know that you are descendants of
Abraham. But you are trying to kill me, because my word has no room
among you. I tell you what I have seen in the Father's presence; then
do what you have heard from the Father." They answered and said to him,
"Our father is Abraham." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's
children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. But now you are
trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from
God; Abraham did not do this. You are doing the works of your father!"
So they said to him, "We were not born of fornication. We have one
Father, God." Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would
love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but
he sent me."
REFLECTION
The Jews valued freedom very highly. They were therefore disgusted when
Jesus talked to them about freedom, for they claimed that they were
descendants of Abraham and had never been enslaved. But Jesus was
speaking of another form of slavery, one that has persisted through the
ages up to our time - the slavery to sin. One who commits sin, and more
particularly one who gets into the habit of sin, is literally a slave
of sin, for he allows pride, greed, pleasure, or some other vice, to
dominate his life.
How does one get out of this "slavery"? The key word in today's reading
is "discipleship." Jesus said, "If you remain in my word, you will
truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will
set you free." Jesus is reassuring the Jews, and us, that we can get
out of the slavery of sin by true discipleship - learning more and more
about him, imbibing his words and living by them, striving to grasp the
truth that will lead us to freedom: freedom from fear, from anxiety,
from a remorseful conscience, from our own sinful self. There is no
doubt that it is not an easy task. History has proven that the cost of
freedom is high. But we can derive comfort from the words of Jesus,
"You will suffer in the world, but take courage! I have overcome the
world." (John 16:33)
April 4, 2006
Tuesday 5th week of Lent - Yr II
NUMBERS 21:4-9
>From Mount Hor the children of Israel set out on the Red Sea road, to
bypass the land of Edom. But with their patience worn out by the
journey, the people complained against God and Moses, "Why have you
brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food
or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!" In punishment the
LORD sent among the people saraph serpents, which bit the people so
that many of them died. Then the people came to Moses and said, "We
have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you. Pray the LORD to
take the serpents away from us." So Moses prayed for the people, and
the LORD said to Moses, "Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and
whoever looks at it after being bitten will live." Moses accordingly
made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who
had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
JOHN 8:21-30
Jesus said to the Pharisees: "I am going away and you will look for me,
but you will die in your sin. Where I am going you cannot come." So the
Jews said, "He is not going to kill himself, is he, because he said,
'Where I am going you cannot come'?" He said to them, "You belong to
what is below, I belong to what is above. You belong to this world, but
I do not belong to this world. That is why I told you that you will die
in your sins. For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your
sins." So they said to him, "Who are you?" Jesus said to them, "What I
told you from the beginning. I have much to say about you in
condemnation. But the one who sent me is true, and what I heard from
him I tell the world." They did not realize that he was speaking to
them of the Father. So Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of
Man, then you will realize that I AM, and that I do nothing on my own,
but I say only what the Father taught me. The one who sent me is with
me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to
him." Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.
REFLECTION
In today's Gospel, the paradox of Jesus' life here on earth is
manifested by man's difficulty in understanding God's way. Despite
Jesus' many miracles and his teachings, the Jews of his day were blind
to the truth he spoke and the good works he did. Their understanding
was prejudiced; they were not open to new ideas. They found it
difficult to grasp the new ideas that Jesus wanted to convey, for
instance, the ideas of love and service.
As they understood it, service was the duty of those who were servants
and slaves, and showing love towards one's fellowmen was the weakling's
way.
Come to think of it, humankind's thinking hasn't changed despite the
thousand years since Jesus died on the cross. To this day, service and
love are still considered the weakling's way of going about his
business.
Even nations, wanting to show how powerful they have become, won't give
an inch to anybody who in their perception may have equaled their power
and might. They prefer to wage war and cause widespread destruction.
The only effect wars have had on communities and nations is total
devastation. No one wins a war. Yet history repeats itself, again and
again. We never learn its lesson.
Where is love? Where is service? Are the people of this world
interested in love and service? Or do we want power and control? When
will we learn that power and control when not used properly will
eventually destroy humankind?
April 3, 2006
Monday 5th week of Lent - Yr II
DANIEL 13:41C-62
The assembly condemned Susanna to death. But Susanna cried aloud: "O
eternal God, you know what is hidden and are aware of all things before
they come to be: you know that they have testified falsely against me.
Here I am about to die, though I have done none of the things with
which these wicked men have charged me." The Lord heard her prayer. As
she was being led to execution, God stirred up the holy spirit of a
young boy named Daniel, and he cried aloud: "I will have no part in the
death of this woman." All the people turned and asked him, "What is
this you are saying?" He stood in their midst and continued, "Are you
such fools, O children of Israel! To condemn a woman of Israel without
examination and without clear evidence? Return to court, for they have
testified falsely against her." Then all the people returned in haste.
To Daniel the elders said, "Come, sit with us and inform us, since God
has given you the prestige of old age." But he replied, "Separate these
two far from each other that I may examine them." After they were
separated one from the other, he called one of them and said: "How you
have grown evil with age! Now have your past sins come to term: passing
unjust sentences, condemning the innocent, and freeing the guilty,
although the Lord says, 'The innocent and the just you shall not put to
death.' Now, then, if you were a witness, tell me under what tree you
saw them together." "Under a mastic tree," he answered. Daniel replied,
"Your fine lie has cost you your head, for the angel of God shall
receive the sentence from him and split you in two." Putting him to one
side, he ordered the other one to be brought. Daniel said to him,
"Offspring of Canaan, not of Judah, beauty has seduced you, lust has
subverted your conscience. This is how you acted with the daughters of
Israel, and in their fear they yielded to you; but a daughter of Judah
did not tolerate your wickedness. Now, then, tell me under what tree
you surprised them together." "Under an oak," he said. Daniel replied,
"Your fine lie has cost you also your head," for the angel of God waits
with a sword to cut you in two so as to make an end of you both." The
whole assembly cried aloud, blessing God who saves those who hope in
him. They rose up against the two elders, for by their own words Daniel
had convicted them of perjury. According to the law of Moses, they
inflicted on them the penalty they had plotted to impose on their
neighbor: they put them to death. Thus was innocent blood spared that
day.
JOHN 8:1-11
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived
again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and
he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought
a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the
middle. They said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very
act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone
such women. So what do you say?" They said this to test him, so that
they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and
began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued
asking him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let the one among you
who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he bent
down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by
one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman
before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where
are they? Has no one condemned you?" She replied, "No one, sir." Then
Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin
any more."
REFLECTION
The scribes and the Pharisees, looking for a chance to trap Jesus,
thought that they had found a situation that would serve their purpose
perfectly. They thought that they had Jesus caught between the demands
of Mosaic law and the law of the occupying Roman forces. If Jesus
pardoned the woman caught in adultery, how could he claim to be
faithful to the tradition of Moses? On the other hand, if Jesus
advocated stoning her to death, he would be liable to prosecution by
the Romans, who had taken away from the Jews the right to put anyone to
death. There was no way they could lose in this situation.
What the Pharisees did not take into account was Jesus' deep love and
compassion for people. They did not understand his claim that God did
not send his Son into to the world to condemn the world, but to save
it. Jesus knew that every person in the world had been deeply tainted
by sin. Jesus knew that every person was in slavery to sin and
desperately needed the salvation that he came to offer.
Jesus' words to the woman: "Go and do not sin again" should encourage
us. Our desire is often to avoid sin. But we sometimes feel powerless
in rejecting temptation and overcoming sinful patterns. To know that
Jesus believes that we are capable of overcoming sin, through him of
course, should give us great encouragement. He knows our hearts, but he
also knows his transforming power.
Let us open our hearts to Jesus so that we might know him more
intimately, love him more fully and follow him more faithfully. We will
find that the same power that freed Jesus from the grave will
strengthen and free us from our sinful patterns and enable us to walk
faithfully with him.
April 2, 2006
5th Sunday of Lent - B
JEREMIAH 31:31-34
The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like
the covenant I made with their fathers the day I took them by the hand
to lead them forth from the land of Egypt; for they broke my covenant,
and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD. But this is the
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,
says the LORD. I will place my law within them and write it upon their
hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer
will they have need to teach their friends and relatives how to know
the LORD. All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD,
for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.
HEBREWS 5:7-9
In the days when Christ Jesus was in the flesh, he offered prayers and
supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save
him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Son though
he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was
made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who
obey him.
JOHN 12:20-33
Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to
Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, "Sir, we
would like to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and
Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for
the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a
grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of
wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life
loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for
eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there
also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me. "I am
troubled now. Yet what should I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'?
But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify
your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it and
will glorify it again." The crowd there heard it and said it was
thunder; but others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered
and said, "This voice did not come for my sake but for yours. Now is
the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be
driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw
everyone to myself." He said this indicating the kind of death he would
die.
REFLECTION
We cannot see many of life's most important things such as air, ideas,
courage, love, or God's grace. We can, however, see the effects of
their presence. The things touched by the wind, the song of the birds,
the courage of friends to speak the truth, a man and woman pledging
their love and commitment in marriage.
In today's Gospel, some Greeks ask to see Jesus. The apostles point out
Jesus and invite the Greeks to listen. But what would be more
convincing than anything else is if they could see the apostles' lives
transformed by Jesus' message? Jesus will eventually no longer be
visible in the way that his contemporaries saw him. He will be
glorified and will return to the Father. How could people see him then?
And how can people see him today?
We can see Jesus the same way we can see the wind, the birds in their
songs, power of an idea, the depth of courage, the reality of human
love, or openness to God's grace. We see these things by the change
they make in a person's life. A good tree bears good fruit. We don't
see Jesus as the apostles saw him. We cannot see him with our bodily
eyes, but we can experience him. We can encounter him.
We long to see a Jesus who knows what is in our hearts, who knows how
difficult it is sometimes to do the right thing, who knows our efforts
and our weaknesses, and is ready to lay down his life for our sake.
None of this can happen unless we see the effects of Jesus' presence in
the lives of other people. We read or heard about the canonized Saints,
people whose lives radiated God's presence and compassionate love. We
remember Saints like Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Avila, and Ignatius
of Loyola, Francis Xavier, and Lorenzo Ruiz.
We also know saintly people even though they were not officially
canonized. For us Jesuits, we can recall such holy persons like the
saintly Fr. Pedro Arrupe, the late Superior General of the Jesuits.
Here in the Philippines, there is Fr. John Pollock, and Fr. Benigno
Dagani, two cheerful dedicated missionaries in Mindanao, models of
simplicity, poverty, and compassion. They were well-loved by the
people. We remember these faith-filled people.
It's not enough that we be on the receiving end of such deep-down faith
and compassionate love; we need to be on the giving end. How can we do
that? We can help others by guiding them along their faith journey.
Today, many people, especially the youth, are searching for meaning in
life. The traditional dogmatic approach of the Church often turns them
off. What they need is the witnessing of Christians, whose lives stand
as testimonies of God's love for humankind - Christians, who can
integrate a deep Gospel spirituality with their daily concerns. We can
witness by our prayer in easy times, but especially in tough times.
Not every Eucharist can be the high point of our life, but our faith
might help make one particular celebration a high point of someone
else's life.
Then there is the witness of the work of charity, done not for
recognition and praise, but because it is Christ, who is hungry, naked,
sick, or in some other need, our solidarity with the suffering -
especially when we lack the words or the ability to make their pain go
away, our concern for those who are grieving can be signs of God's
presence.
"We would like to see Jesus," people are saying to us. This Eucharist
renews our faith and helps us to share it through words and lives
overflowing with Jesus' compassionate love.
April 1, 2006
Saturday 4th week of Lent - Yr II
JEREMIAH 11:18-20
I knew their plot because the LORD informed me; at that time you, O
LORD, showed me their doings. Yet I, like a trusting lamb led to
slaughter, had not realized that they were hatching plots against me:
"Let us destroy the tree in its vigor; let us cut him off from the land
of the living, so that his name will be spoken no more." But, you, O
LORD of hosts, O just Judge, searcher of mind and heart, Let me witness
the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause!
JOHN 7:40-53
Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said, "This is truly
the Prophet." Others said, "This is the Christ." But others said, "The
Christ will not come from Galilee, will he? Does not Scripture say that
the Christ will be of David's family and come from Bethlehem, the
village where David lived?" So a division occurred in the crowd because
of him. Some of them even wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands
on him. So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees, who
asked them, "Why did you not bring him?" The guards answered, "Never
before has anyone spoken like this man." So the Pharisees answered
them, "Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the
Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which does not know the law,
is accursed." Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him
earlier, said to them, "Does our law condemn a man before it first
hears him and finds out what he is doing?" They answered and said to
him, "You are not from Galilee also, are you? Look and see that no
prophet arises from Galilee." Then each went to his own house.
REFLECTION
The Gospel today has Jesus also caught up in controversy. The people in
the crowd are divided, some thinking him to be the prophet or even the
Messiah, others denying he is either, some even in favor of his arrest.
Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, who secretly
became a disciple of Jesus, openly defends him, asserting that the law
allows no one to be condemned without the facts having been established
and without the accused being given a hearing. Nicodemus's colleagues,
dismiss his legal advice with smothering ridicule.
Jesus and Jeremiah are alike in several ways. Each is a prophet sent by
God. Each preaches the truth as God wants it preached. Each enjoys a
close relationship with God. Each turns to God in prayer when
difficulties and problems arise. But it is here that Jesus and Jeremiah
differ completely from each other - in their prayer.
In the first reading, Jeremiah prays that God will take revenge on his
enemies and that he be allowed to look on when God's vengeance consumes
his enemies. Jesus will pray-and in this he is being true to his
teaching-Jesus will pray for those who are crucifying him. This is the
great difference between the two testaments. Jesus here brings Jewish
Law to fulfillment. The desire for vengeance against an enemy is to be
replaced by love for the enemy. The law of love is to dominate
Christian thinking and behavior.
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