FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

24 APRIL 2016

          We do not often read the Book of Revelation, because it is written in a style which is difficult to understand.  But, Saint John, the author, speaks to us every Sunday during the Easter Season in our second reading.  Today, he applies the Mystery of Christ’s Resurrection to all of creation.  He tells us that God’s creation will be transformed.  Because Christ has recreated and redeemed what had been lost by sin, everything that is good in the present heavens and present earth will remain at the end of time.  But whatever is scarred by sin, represented by the chaos of the waters before creation and the flood at the time of Noah, will be no longer. 

            This vision gives us great hope, especially as we struggle to live the new commandment which Jesus gives us at the Last Supper.  It is not easy to love one another as Jesus has loved us.  It is not easy to be humble and wash the feet of others, as Jesus did at the Last Supper.  Washing the feet of others involves getting involved in acts of service in our community, in our families, and in our parish.  Washing the feet of others can be exhausting, because no one seems to notice.  Washing the feet of others can be discouraging, because we seldom see results.  Nor is it easy to give of our lives totally, as Jesus did when he allowed his executioners to nail his hands and feet to the cross.  Those of you who sacrifice mightily to maintain your bond of marriage when things get difficult know that pain.  Those of you who are parents know the pain of the cross when your outpouring of love goes unappreciated and even rejected.  Any embrace of the cross is tough! 

            When Jesus tells us to love as he has loved us, he is describing a love that transforms warm feelings.  As difficult as this love may be, he is being glorified already, even as he has put on his garments after washing feet and facing the horror and humiliation of execution on the cross.  The same is true of us.  We are already being glorified when we love as he has loved us.  That is why we have used the words from the Book of Revelation for our capital campaign:  “Behold, I make all things new.”  Our sacrifices will not only bring a beautiful and bigger church, as well as better facilities for our educational efforts.  Our sacrifices will be transformed by the power of the resurrection in the new heaven and the new earth at the end of time.

            The Seer of the Book of Revelation uses an interesting image to describe that vision.  He describes a New Jerusalem, coming out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  Sixteen years ago, Bishop D’Arcy gave me permission to take a sabbatical.  For three months, I lived in the Arab city of Azaria (Bethany in the Bible), and studied the Scriptures every morning.  Every afternoon, I would walk to the Mount of Olives, go down to the Kedron Valley, and spend time in the ancient city.  It was remarkable.  I could understand why John used the city as an image in his vision.  Layers of history and reminders of faith are everywhere now.  However, in the New Jerusalem, there will be no pickpockets at the Damascus Gate.  In the New Jerusalem, garbage will be collected daily.  In the New Jerusalem, Israeli teenagers will not be carrying guns, and Palestinian kids will not be throwing rocks.

            Boys and girls, you are here today, because your parents have loved you, as Jesus commands at the Last Supper.  They bring you here, because they trust that their love for you will be transformed by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  When you go to the Baptismal Font, you will renew the promises they made for you.  Then, you will be fed by the Body and Blood of Christ for the first time.  You can trust that you will be strengthened in learning how to love as Jesus has commanded every time you are fed at this Altar.  In celebrating this Eucharist, we are already sharing in the New Jerusalem.  As you grow up, this Sacrament will be crucial to your faith in Jesus’ power to transform our meager efforts into something beautiful and eternal.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

17 APRIL 2016

          Jesus speaks on the occasion of the Dedication of the Temple (known as Hanukah today).  This feast celebrated the rededication of the Temple after it had been desecrated by the Greek invaders, who had turned it into a gymnasium.  In celebrating this feast, people remember the martyrs who gave their lives for the flock in contrast to the religious leaders who had been corrupt and had been more interested in taking care of themselves.  This feast celebrates the gathering of God’s people into one flock, after they had been scattered.

            In the passage just before our Gospel today, Jesus uses the imagery of Psalm 23 to reveal himself as the Good Shepherd. Like the Maccabees who had laid down their lives to expel the Greeks, and like those shepherds who laid down to become the gates of the sheepfolds carved into the hills, he will lay down his life for the flock.  He will become the Lamb of God sacrificed for the good of the flock.  In that sacrifice, he knows each of us by name and draws us into such an intimate relationship with him that even death cannot destroy that bond.

            This Gospel passage is the shortest passage read at Mass all year.  In these very brief words, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, explains our response.  All we have to do is to listen to his voice and follow him.  We have just heard his voice in the Word of God.  In the Acts of the Apostles, we are given the example of Paul and Barnabas, who faithfully proclaim that Word, even when they meet rejection and failure.  In the Book of Revelation, we are given a vision of those who enjoy the intimate relationship promised by the Good Shepherd to those who have persevered and remained faithful.  We hear the voice of the Good Shepherd in the teachings of the successors of the Apostles, our bishops in union with the Pope.  We hear the voice of the Good Shepherd when we listen to those people who know us well and keep our best interests in their hearts.  We hear the voice of the Good Shepherd when we listen to a well formed conscience and make decisions in conformity to that conscience.  When we listen carefully to the voice of the Good Shepherd, we also know the way in which we can follow him.

            This morning, we have some very special members of the flock of Jesus Christ.  Our second graders have listened to the voice of the Good Shepherd when they have gathered for Mass.  They have listened to their teachers presenting the teachings of the Good Shepherd developed by the successors of the Apostles over centuries.  They have listened to their parents and know the special love which their parents have for them.  With our guidance, they continue to form their consciences, applying what they learn to the situations of their daily lives.

            Like that great multitude of every nation, race, people and tongue surrounding the throne of the Lamb, they are clothed with the white garments first given to them when they were baptized.  At that time, the Good Shepherd called them by name and incorporated them into himself and the body of his Church.  Today, the Good Shepherd calls them by name to renew their baptismal promises and invites them for the first time to receive his Body and Blood under the form of bread and wine. 

            Boys and girls, your parents carried you to meet the Good Shepherd for the first time when you were baptized.  Now, you walk on your own two legs to renew your promises.  We thank you for your faith in the Good Shepherd’s real presence in the Eucharist.  We thank you for reminding us that we can never take this gift for granted, because it leads us to eternal life.  We promise you to continue to teach you by our words and example how to listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd.  Fed by the Body and Blood of Christ, you will learn to follow the Good Shepherd, knowing that you belong to the flock which he tends.

THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER

10 APRIL 2016

          Peter may not have recognized the risen Lord standing on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.  But as soon as the beloved disciple points him out, Peter (in his usual impetuousness) dives into the water and swims to the beach.  Peter is conscious of his own failings, and especially of his triple denial of Jesus in the high priest’s courtyard.  But he also remembers the three years he had spent with Jesus before everything fell apart.  In rushing toward the risen Christ, he trusts that the truth of his three years of discipleship will not be cancelled by his three denials.  He trusts in the mercy which he had heard so many times when Jesus was teaching and healing people.

            Peter is not disappointed.  Jesus asks him three times if he loves him, not to rub his face into his denials, but to heal him and establish him in his position of authority.  If we look at the Greek words, we can understand better what Jesus is doing.  When Jesus asks Peter if he loves him, he uses the Greek word agape, which implies a divine, unconditional, totally self-giving love.  Peter responds that he loves him, using the Greek word phileo, which implies a fraternal love between brothers.  Jesus asks again, do you agape me.  Peter responds, yes I phileo you.  Peter is being very honest in his response, admitting that his love does not equal the incredible love of the risen Christ.  So, Jesus uses the word phileo in his third question, and Peter answers that yes, he loves (phileo) him.

            This exchange is important to our Easter faith.  The risen Lord has given his entire life out of love to become the Lamb of God bringing us from the slavery of sin and death to life.  He invites the same response from Peter.  But, Peter knows his limitations and remembers his sins.  He is only capable of a lesser kind of love.  So, Jesus takes Peter where he is and establishes him as the leader of those charged with the mission of catching men and women in the great net of salvation.  He does not say to Peter:  “ok, you really blew it, and I am making someone else the first pope!”  He says instead:  “In your weakness and fear, you denied knowing me.  But I trust through the grace of my mercy that you can be transformed.”

            We can see the results of the risen Lord’s trust in Peter in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles.  Because of his encounter with the risen Lord and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Peter is fearless in proclaiming the truth.  He speaks the truth to the same Sanhedrin that had caused the death of his Lord and master.  As Jesus says at the end of the Gospel, he will eventually allow others to stretch out his hands and give his entire life for the sake of the Gospel.

            The risen Lord loves each of us as much as he loved Peter.  He knows our weaknesses, just as he knew Peter’s.  He knows that we will deny knowing him out of fear, just as he told Peter at the Last Supper that he would deny knowing him.  The risen Lord invites us to be honest about our weaknesses and our bad choices and to accept his forgiveness, peace, and mercy.  He accepts us where we are, even when we are not capable of the love which he has given us.  He invites us embrace his risen presence and accept the gift of the Holy Spirit.  With these two gifts, we can accomplish amazing things.  We cannot do it on our own, fishing in the dark of night.  If we trust God in the light of dawn, the limits of our love can be transformed.  We can learn to forgive those who have denied or betrayed us.  We can give our lives in humble service.

            The risen Lord fed the disciples with bread and fish in the dawn of that morning on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.  The risen Lord feeds us with his Body and Blood as we gather today and sends us from this Mass to proclaim boldly his presence.  Like Peter, we can dive into the depths of our daily lives, trusting in the Lord’s transforming mercy and transforming power.  With the risen Lord beside us, we can do anything!

SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER

3 APRIL 2016

            We have no idea why Thomas is not with the rest of the disciples when the risen Lord breaks through those locked doors on the first day of the week.  More than likely, Thomas is wallowing in grief, wounded by his own deep sense of guilt.  When Jesus had announced that he was going to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead, Thomas bragged that he would go and die with him.  Instead dying with him, Thomas ran away in fear and went into hiding when Jesus was arrested and executed like a common criminal.  Even though the others insist that Jesus has been raised from the dead in a way that Lazarus had not, Thomas refuses to believe.  Not only does he demand to experience the risen Lord, but he also wants to touch his wounds.  Once Thomas encounters the risen Lord, he works through his doubts, accepts the Lord’s gift of peace, and makes the most profound statement of faith in the Gospel:  “My Lord and my God.”

            Like those first disciples, we have gathered during this Octave of Easter to increase our faith that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead.  He has been transformed through the power of the resurrection.  He promises that those who die with him will be transformed with him.  But, despite our Easter joy and his promise, we continue to bear our share of wounds.  We are wounded by the scourge of terrorism and violence in our world.  Easter has not taken away the divisions and hatreds in our culture, nor has it erased the tensions and dysfunctional parts of our families.  Even though we continue to bask in Easter joy, we still bear the wounds of habits that we seem unable to change, or physical or emotional scars that do not heal quickly.  We continue to bear the wounds of our own failures and sins.

            Even after encountering the risen Lord on Easter Sunday, the disciples keep the doors locked out of fear on the first day of the second week.  Through the prompting of the Holy Spirit, they will slowly gain the courage to leave that room and share the mercy they have received.  The Acts of the Apostles shows Peter healing the sick through the touch given him by the risen Lord.  In exile on the island of Patmos, Saint John feels the touch of the risen Christ and has the courage to write his vision.  We also need time to feel the touch of the risen Lord, especially when he speaks to us here and feeds us with his Body and Blood.

This Second Sunday of Easter is called “Low Sunday.”  In the ancient Church, the newly baptized laid aside their white garments and took their places in the midst of the assembly for the first time.  And let’s face it.  This Sunday is “low”, because there are not nearly as many people as there were last Sunday.  In recent years, we have called today the Sunday of Divine Mercy.  Those of us who have returned to Mass today gather as a community to reflect on the Lord’s gift of peace.  In giving peace to those frightened and isolated disciples, he does not give peace as the world gives.  His peace does not automatically remove all the wounds which inflict us.  His mercy does not say, “What you did to me was ok!”  His mercy acknowledges the damage done, but provides the courage to change and be transformed by his love.  His mercy graces us with the courage to move beyond the division and pain we have caused, to look forward to sharing in his transformed risen life.  Once in deeper communion with him, we can more easily extend that mercy to those who have harmed us, bringing a peace which the world cannot give.

            The Lord extends his mercy to us, not as isolated individuals, but as a community of believers.  We too can work through our doubts, as Thomas did, because we are not alone.  We have each other.  We experience each other’s touch, especially at the sign of peace at Mass.  We can confidently express our faith in the risen Lord, no matter how many wounds we bear.  We can have life in his name, because he bears those wounds himself.

EASTER SUNDAY

27 APRIL 2016

            There is a lot of running around in today’s Gospel. Mary of Magdala moves as quickly as she can to the tomb of her master.  Saint John tells us that it is still dark, not only because it was very early on the morning of the first day of the week.  Even more, there is a terrible darkness that surrounds someone who has experienced such a devastating loss.  When she sees that the stone has been rolled away at the tomb, she presumes that someone has stolen the body, and she runs to Simon Peter and the beloved disciple.  In turn, the two of them run toward the tomb.  Even though the beloved disciple runs faster, he allows Peter to enter first.  Peter sees the evidence that the body had not been stolen.  The beloved disciple sees the same evidence and believes.  In spite of their running, neither of them understands yet what is happening.

            Not many of you ran to get here to Mass.  You probably drove, and may have run across Fir Road to avoid being hit by a care.  But, there is a lot of movement today, because it is Easter Sunday.  Whether we come every Sunday, or occasionally, or twice a year, we have a deep sense that running to Easter Sunday Mass is important.  The Resurrection is the central Mystery of our faith, and we know that there is something critical going on here today.

            Mary of Magdala and Peter and the beloved disciple can help us understand how to come to deeper faith in this central Mystery of our faith.  Even though they clearly see the empty tomb, they are not able to accept fully the Mystery of the Resurrection until they will experience first hand the risen Christ.  Mary of Magdala will recognize him when he calls her by a familiar name.  Peter and the beloved disciple will experience the risen Lord when he will break through the locked doors and extend his mercy to them.  Only after experiencing the risen Lord can Peter make such bold statements after baptizing Cornelius in the Acts of the Apostles.

            Peter and the beloved disciples experienced the risen Lord in a unique way.  We have not had those same experiences, as they did.  But, in fact, we have encountered the risen Christ when we were baptized.  That is what happened to 10 people last night, as they entered the waters of Baptism, encountered the real presence of Christ, and emerged with all their sins forgiven.  Saint Paul reminds us of that reality in his letter to the Colossians.  He tells them (and us) that once we are raised with Christ, once we emerge from that watery grave with him, we see life differently.  We look, not through our own human eyes, but through the eyes of Christ.  We see the beyond the passing realities of our world.  We understand priorities better.  We accept crosses and death and injustices in a different spirit.

            That is why it is so important to renew our baptismal promises on Easter Sunday.  We renounce Satan, all his lies, and all his empty promises.  We recommit ourselves to living in union with the Father who created us, with the Son who redeemed us, and with the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us.  As the newly blessed Easter water falls on us, we remember our Baptism and the ways in which we experienced his risen presence and are called to see life through this lens.

            Throughout these Fifty Days of Easter, the Lord will speak to us in his Word, inviting us to reflect on our experiences of his risen presence in our lives.  He will feed us with his real presence, which we recognize in this Breaking of the Bread.  With our Easter faith strengthened, we can do what Mary of Magdala did and announce his risen presence to our brothers and sisters.  We can do what Peter did and proclaim our faith in the wondrous deeds of Jesus Christ.  Most importantly, we can see and believe, as did the beloved disciple.  Through his Gospel, Saint John never gives the name of the beloved disciple, because he wants us to see ourselves in that role.  As beloved disciples, we know that the risen Christ loves us with a love that will never fail.

EASTER VIGIL

26 APRIL 2016

            A few months ago, we gathered here in the middle of the night to celebrate Christmas.  We heard from the Gospel of Luke that the angels announced to the shepherds that a great miracle had occurred.  Christ, the Prince of Peace, had been born in a stable.  The shepherds, considered to be the lowest class of people, went to the stable, adored the newborn Christ wrapped in swaddling clothes, and spread the good news.  It may have been good news for all.  But for Jesus, this birth was a type of death.  He had emptied himself of the privileges of divinity and had taken on human flesh, with all our weaknesses, except for sin.

            Today, we gather again in the middle of the night (at least past my bed time) to celebrate Easter.  Two angels appear in the middle of a tomb to announce to a group of women that a greater miracle has happened.  Christ, the Prince of Peace, had experienced what all of us dread, a cruel and horrible death.  He had been buried, and his body was wrapped in a burial shroud.  But he has cast aside that burial shroud.  He has been raised from the dead.  These women, considered to be at the bottom rungs of society, spread the good news. 

            None of the characters in today’s Gospel can believe in the resurrection until they have encountered the risen Lord in a personal way.  Once they have encountered the risen Christ, as Saint Paul did on the road to Damascus, they can proclaim the truth that he has been raised.  He may still bear the marks of his cruel execution.  But he has been transformed through the miracle of the resurrection, and he promises that all who die with him will rise with him.

            In just a few minutes, the Elect will clearly declare that Satan has no claim on them.  They will profess their faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Supported by the Communion of Saints, they will march down this aisle and enter into the watery grave of Baptism.  In those waters, they will encounter the risen Christ.  Once they emerge from that water, they will be sealed with the Holy Spirit and fed with the Body and Blood of Christ.

            All of us, who are the Body of Christ, rejoice with them.  We reaffirm our faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, trusting that he can transform all of us through this greatest of miracles which we celebrate tonight.

HOLY THURSDAY

24 MARCH 2016

            The instructions given to the children of Israel for the preparation of the Passover Meal indicate that each family is to take an unblemished lamb.  This detail is important, because the lamb was more than the centerpiece of a meal that expressed the bonds of the people with each other.  It was also a sacrifice.  Rather than taking some lamb that was leftover, they needed to take an unblemished lamb (the first and best of the flock) as a sacrifice that expressed their gratitude for God’s saving actions in their lives.  They were to smear the blood of that lamb over the lintels of their homes.  Not only would that blood be a sign for the angel of death to pass over their homes.  It also symbolized their intimate bond with God, who would lead them from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land.

            Centuries later, Saint Paul speaks about another unblemished Lamb, the Lamb of the New Covenant.  In writing to the Corinthians, he reminds them that our Good Shepherd made the greatest sacrifice.  He laid down his life for them out of love.  He tells them how the Lord, on the night before he became the Lamb of God and poured out his blood to free us from our slavery to sin, instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper.  He gave himself in the form of bread and wine.  Saint Paul tells us what he told the Corinthians:  Recognize the Lord’s real presence in the Eucharistic Sacrificial Meal.  Strengthened by the Eucharist, we can love by our sacrifices.

            There is no better example of what he expects of those who participate in the Eucharist than what Jesus does in today’s Gospel.  Earlier in the Gospel of John, the Good Shepherd said that he would lay down his life for his flock.  At the Last Supper, he lays aside his outer garments and washes the feet of his disciples.  In that Middle Eastern culture, servants and slaves greet guests who had arrived walking the dusty roads and paths by washing their dirty and smelly feet.  Social equals would never lower themselves to such a menial task.  Certainly, no master or teacher would ever do that.  But Jesus washes feet to express the sacrifice of his life on the cross.

            We can only wonder what he thinks or what he says to each of those disciples as he holds their dirty and smelly feet in his hands. One of those sets of feet will go to the authorities to turn him in.  Another will follow him to the high priest’s courtyard, only to betray him.  Most of the others will run away in fear. He loves them so much that he trusts them to turn back and do to each other what he has just done for them.

            We normally end our homilies by shutting up and sitting down.  But, not tonight!  FB2 and I were ordained to serve in the person of Christ, especially at the Eucharist. On this night, we will lay aside our outer vestments and wash the feet of members of this community known for their humble service.  This ritual action will remind us of the close connection between being fed by the Lord’s Body and Blood at Mass and being sent out to wash the feet of others.

            Ironically, we will not be sent out at the end of this Mass.  There is no dismissal on Holy Thursday.  Instead, we will be encouraged to walk on feet washed by the Lord’s love to enter as deeply as possible into this Sacred Paschal Triduum.  These Liturgies do not form an extended passion play.  They will make present through our liturgical remembering what happened to the Lord in these next three days.  When we walk away from this Mass, we must confront the most difficult part of the Paschal Mystery.  Jesus walked out of the Last Supper to suffering and death.  We leave this Holy Thursday Mass to confront not only that cross which took the life of Jesus Christ, but to confront the reality of the cross in each of our lives. The Lord invites us to place our crosses and deaths within the context of his cross and death.  Then strengthened by the Eucharist we share here, we can do for others what the Lord has done for us.