SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

26 MAY 2019

          For the third Sunday, we hear from the farewell discourse which Jesus gives at the Last Supper.  Unlike Saints Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Saint John does not give an account of the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper.  His theology of the Eucharist is found in an earlier chapter.  Instead, Jesus washes the feet of his disciples as a way of showing how they should love one another.  He gives this farewell discourse to prepare his disciples for his betrayal by Judas, his mock trial before Pontius Pilate, his horrible death on Calvary, his burial, and his resurrection from the dead on the third day.  

            He speaks of his complete trust in the Father and urges them to imitate that trust, so that their hearts need not be troubled.  He promises to give them two gifts.  The first gift will be the Holy Spirit.  Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the “Advocate.”  In the ancient world, advocates were legal scholars who protected the rights of their clients.  They also served as “cheerleaders,” encouraging their clients to continue without getting discouraged.  The second gift will be the gift of peace.  The prophets of the Old Testament promised that peace would be the hallmark of the Messianic Age.  The peace that Jesus gives is not the absence of conflict or troubles.  The situation following the Last Supper will be less than peaceful as soon as Judas hands him over to be executed.  They will better understand the gift of peace when the risen Lord will break through the locked doors of the upper room.  The gift of peace will replace their sense of grief and guilt caused by their running away from the Lord in his darkest hour.

            These same two gifts, given to the disciples at the Last Supper, are given to us.  As we prepare to celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, we are very much aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit now.  It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that the risen Lord is made present in the Sacramental life of the Church, especially as we receive the Lord’s real presence in the Eucharist under the forms of bread and wine.  It is also the Holy Spirit guiding the current successors of the Apostles:  Pope Francis and the Bishops in union with him.

            We have also received the gift of peace.  Paul and Barnabas exhibit that gift as they face the first huge controversy in the Church.  They have experienced the power of the Holy Spirit when so many Gentiles responded to their preaching and came to believe in the crucified Messiah, Jesus Christ.  And yet, some very well meaning Jewish Christians could not imagine believing in this Messiah without following the Law of Moses that had always been so central to their lives of faith.  Saint Luke puts the dispute very diplomatically:  “there arose no little dissension and debate.”  In other words, the two sides are fighting like cats and dogs. 

            However, they argue with respect for one another.  They listen to each other’s concerns. Guided by the Holy Spirit, the Apostles agree that Gentiles are not required to follow the Mosaic Law.  They also urge the Gentile Christians to be charitable.  Their Jewish brothers and sisters have always found meat which is not kosher and unlawful marriages offensive.  Out of charity and concern, they need to avoid these things.

            There is “no little dissension and debate” today in our Church.  There is nothing wrong with having deeply held beliefs.  But, we must respect those with whom we disagree.  We must listen to their legitimate concerns.  We must listen carefully to the authoritative teaching of the current successors of the Apostles and trust that the Holy Spirit continues to work through them and their ministry to the Church.  We cannot base our opinions on hateful blogs.  Open to the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and graced with the gift of peace that the world cannot give, we continue to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord during this Easter Season.

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

19 MAY 2019

          In his account of the Last Supper, Saint John presents an incredible irony.  One of his closest followers leaves the room to betray him to those who will condemn him to death.   And yet, at that dark moment, Jesus says five times that he is being glorified.  He will be lifted up on the cross to die a painful and shameful death.  He will be lifted up from the dead, give the Holy Spirit to his disciples, and be lifted back to the right hand of the Father, where he had dwelt before his Incarnation.  This process of being glorified will reveal the Mystery of Jesus and clarify his identity as Son of God and Son of Man.  It will also reveal his purpose:  to give his life totally out of love for us.

            At that meal, Jesus had showed his disciples a symbol of how he wants us to love.  Like a humble servant, he knelt and washed their feet.  In giving his life on the cross, he shows us what his new commandment looks like.  We share in his glory when we commit ourselves to loving each other as he has loved us.  It is the glory of a humble servant, and not the glory of someone bringing attention and acclaim to himself.

            As we continue to celebrate the Lord’s resurrection, this Eucharist strengthens us to live his command in our daily lives.  As disciples, we are called to be faithful stewards.  Stewardship of service is a structured way of loving as Jesus has loved us.  Please read the materials we send as an invitation to give humble service to the parish.  If you made a commitment to serve in a specific way last year, you can either renew that commitment or change it.  If you have not been able to make a commitment, please take a hard look at the needs of the parish and make a commitment to use your gifts to serve one of those needs for one year. 

            You would expect me to say these things.   Please listen to Christian Davey, as he tells his story of becoming more involved in the life of the parish.  His service may not have brought glory and honor to himself, but he has shared the Lord’s glory in the ways he has served.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

12 MAY 2019

          The artwork in our church provides a picture of today’s Gospel.  The Good Shepherd is seated at the top of our triumphal arch.  He stretches out his hands to welcome the sheep coming to him from Bethlehem and Jerusalem.  It is obvious that he knows each of the sheep by name and that each of them knows and trusts him, especially the sheep resting on his lap.  He has also chosen human shepherds to tend his flock:  the image on the right keeping the sheep from the wolf and the thicket; and the image on the left allowing the repentant and forgiven Simon Peter to tend his flock with love and care.

            As part of their preparation for First Holy Communion, our second graders spent an entire Saturday at the parish on a retreat.  They went through several stations, all designed to help them understand better the Sacrament that they are receiving today.  Margaret Derbiszewski and I did our session on the Liturgy of the Word.  I read the Gospel of the Good Shepherd, and Margaret explained the close relationship between shepherds and sheep that she observed in her native Poland.  We acted out a day in the life of sheep and shepherds.  Each child had a role:  some dressed as shepherds, others as sheep, while others dressed as thieves or wolves.  The chief shepherd lay down at the entrance to the sheepfold to demonstrate how good shepherds lay down their lives for their sheep.  If a thief or a wolf tried to sneak in, the shepherd would wake up and drive them away.  We ended by talking about the mystery that Jesus, the Good Shepherd has laid down his life for us and has become the Lamb of God, who has won the victory over the thieves of sin and death.  We connected that Lamb of God with the Eucharist for which they have been hungering and thirsting for a long time.

            Boys and girls, you became sheep of the Lord’s flock when your parents carried you to the waters of baptism.  Along with your godparents, they made promises for you.  In your name, they promised to resist the lies and wickedness of the Devil.  They promised to teach you to believe in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  They clothed you with a white garment to show that you had put on Christ.  They promised to help you keep that garment unstained until the Lord comes.  In just a few minutes, you will walk on your own two feet to the Baptismal Font wearing those white garments that speak of your Baptism.  You will renew those promises on your own, bless yourselves with holy water, and bring up gifts of bread and wine.  Then, for the first time, you will be fed with the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

            This is a perfect Sunday for these young people to receive their First Communion.  In their eagerness and uncomplicated faith, they remind the rest of us that the Sunday Eucharist is an incredible gift we can sometimes take for granted.  Or they might also remind us that we need to put the celebration of this gift as a higher priority in our busy lives.  The lamb on the front of our Altar reminds us of the Mystery expressed in the second reading from the Book of Revelation.  Jesus Christ is that Lamb that was slain.  The victory of that vulnerable Lamb has destroyed the power of sin and death. 

Like those countless men and women whose robes were washed white by the blood of the Lamb, we draw strength by participating in the Eucharist to continue to be human shepherds for these children.  That is what Paul and Barnabas are doing with such energy and enthusiasm in the Acts of the Apostles.  That is our task today.  We teach our children by word and example the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ.  In doing that, we commit ourselves to living the faith that these children so beautifully express today.

THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER    

5 MAY 2019

          The images on our Triumphal Arch make preaching easy this Sunday.  On the right, we see the charcoal fire burning, with black smoke.  It is at that fire by which Peter is warming himself in the courtyard of the high priest’s house.  As Jesus, his master and teacher, is being unfairly accused, Peter is gripped by fear.  Instead of standing with Jesus, as Peter had bragged at the Last Supper, he denies knowing him three times.  Near that charcoal fire is the cock crowing, which reminds Peter that Jesus is aware of his triple denial.  Convicted by that cock crowing, Peter realizes the depth of his sin and immediately regrets his actions.

            On the left side of the Triumphal Arch, we see another charcoal fire burning with white smoke.  This charcoal fire is set on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias, where we can see a fishing boat on the lake.  It is from this shore that a stranger had instructed the fisherman in that boat to cast their nets on the right side after they had caught nothing at all during the night, the prime time for fishing.  From those barren waters comes a net so full of fish that they have trouble hauling it into shore.  Prompted by the Beloved Disciple, who had believed in the resurrection at the empty tomb, they recognize the stranger as the risen Christ.  Just as he had fed thousands of people on the shore of that lake with five loaves and two fish, he now feeds them with bread and fish.  In this event, the disciples begin to understand the implications of Jesus Christ being raised from the dead.  They begin to understand that raising a man from the dead is similar to raising a net full of fish at dawn from the same sea that had been barren in the darkness of the night.  They begin to understand that God never gives up on us.  In particular, Simon Peter understands that sincere repentance brings a mercy and a second chance he does not deserve.

            The risen Christ asks Peter three times if he loves him.  He does not repeat this question to rub Peter’s sin into his face.  Instead, he repeats the question to confront the damage done by that sin and heal it.  We see the response of Jesus on the left side of the Triumphal Arch, under the image of that breakfast.  Jesus does not say to Peter, “You really blew it, Peter!  I am taking your keys away from you and giving them to the Beloved Disciple.  I’ve always liked him better than you anyway!”  Instead, he tells the fisherman that he is to be a good shepherd and to tend his lambs and feed his sheep.  Peter and his successors, all of them flawed sinners, are given the care of the flock tended by the Good Shepherd, who sits at the top of our Triumphal Arch.

            Just as the Lord fed those disciples on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias, so he feeds us now with bread that will be transformed into his body and wine transformed into his blood.  The Lamb, pictured on the front of our Altar, reminds us of the truth that Saint John proclaims in the reading from the Book of Revelation.  Because of the victory won by that Lamb that was slain, we are reconciled with the Father.  We join all of creation, in heaven and on earth, in praising the victory of the Lamb and renewing our faith in the power of the resurrection.

            The Lord invites us to imitate the catch of fish and surrender whatever hinders us from living the new life of the risen Christ.  That is exactly what we see the apostles doing in the reading from the Acts of the Apostles.  Under the power of the Holy Spirit, they have let go of their old habits of being afraid and closing their minds to the truth of the message of Jesus Christ.  They now proudly and confidently proclaim the truth of the resurrection, even in the face of threats from the Sanhedrin, the same group that condemned Jesus to death.  We too can become transformed, if we face our failures and sins squarely, as Peter did.  Once we are truly repentant and aware of the damage we have done, we too can experience the Lord’s mercy and tend the sheep entrusted to our care with humility, grace, and gentleness.