FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

6 JULY 2025

 

          Saint Paul tells the Galatians that he bears the marks of Jesus on his body.  The Latin word for marks is stigmata, the source of our English word “stigma.”  The Galatians could have understood those marks as tattoos, like those emblazoned on slaves in their day.  But Paul was never a slave.  Or they could have connected those marks as scars that soldiers bore on their bodies when they returned from war.  They were signs of wounds inflicted on them in a battle.  Certainly, Saint Paul had born wounds on his body from the stoning he received in Lystra or from the many beatings inflicted on his body.  They certainly had left a mark.  Today, some readers of Scripture interpret those marks as stigmata in his hands and feet from the wounds of Jesus on the cross, like the ones which Saint Francis or Padre Pio received. 

            We may not have tattoos or battle scars or the physical wounds of the crucified Christ on our physical bodies.  However, we have been marked in two ways.  We were marked first by the Lord Jesus when we were baptized.  The Lord wrote our names in the palm of his hand and claimed us as his own.  We were marked with the sign of the cross, which we carry throughout our lives, allowing us to drink fully from the abundant milk and goodness of the Lord.

            The second mark is one recorded in eternity.  Jesus tells the 72 disciples returning from their successful mission that they can “… rejoice because their names are written in heaven.”  In giving this mark, Jesus echoes a Jewish tradition of a ceremony on the Day of Atonement.  When families participated in this annual sacrifice, the priest would write their names in the “book of life.”  Jesus indicates something similar has happened to us.  Because we bear his mark, our names are recorded in the heavenly book of life.

            We too have received these marks, passed on over the centuries to us.  He sends 72 of his disciples out on a mission, walking two by two.  Instead of taking a lot of stuff, they are simply to proclaim peace (shalom) as a sign of the kingdom of God.  He predicts that some people will welcome this gift, while others will reject it.  As sheep in the midst of wolves, they may even be mistreated.  But his peace will remain with them.  We continue to receive that peace as a result of the mission of those original 72 disciples.

            Like those original disciples, the Lord has just spoken to us in his Word.  He will feed us with his Body and Blood.  Then we will be sent out of this Mass on the same mission.  In our parish, we already see this mission being accomplished.  Members of our Saint Vincent de Paul Society go out two by two every week to meet the needs of the poor.  They may take food.  But the more important gift is the peace of the Lord Jesus.  Our soup kitchen feeds people in the neighborhood three times a week, not just giving soup and sandwiches, but giving the peace of Jesus Christ.  Deacon Mel and I are considering the offer of 466 Works to begin building affordable houses in our neighborhood, hopefully bringing Christ’s gift of peace.

            Both the Saint Vincent de Paul Society and the soup kitchen can use more volunteers.  If our parish decides to be part of 466 Works, we will need more volunteers.  I would argue that the Lord offers these specific missions to us this morning.  Jesus gives the same message to us that he gives to the original 72: “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.”  Whether we step forward to be part of these parish missions or not, each of us are sent from this Mass to proclaim peace and the good news that the kingdom of God is at hand.  “Peace” was the first word Jesus spoke to his disciples after the resurrection.  “Peace” was the first word of Pope Leo after he was elected.  Peace is the gift all of us can give.  We don’t need lots of stuff.  We need to convey peace through our words and actions.  Our names are written in the book of life in heaven.

 

SAINTS PETER AND PAUL

29 JUNE 2025

 

          The Solemnity we celebrate is about an “odd couple.”  Peter and Paul were very different from one another.  More than likely, Simon had no formal education.  He probably spent his teenage years working in his father’s fishing business on the Sea of Galilee.  His first encounter with Jesus occurred after a fruitless night of fishing.  He must have been impressed with this preacher, because he loaned his boat to Jesus, so that he could preach to a crowd on the shore.  In spite of his objections as a professional fisherman, he followed the instructions of Jesus and put out his boat to fish again.  To his amazement, he hauled in such an incredible load of fish that he abandoned his occupation and became a follower of Jesus of Nazareth.  During his three years as a follower of Jesus, he came to believe that Jesus was truly the Messiah, the Son of God.  Jesus included him with James and John in the most important events of his ministry.  Jesus rewarded his faith by changing his name to Peter, which means “Rock.”  He promised to establish his Church on the rock of Peter’s faith.  In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter preferred to be in the company of Jews who believed in Jesus Christ.

            In contrast, Saul of Tarsus had a formal education.  Schooled by the Rabbi, Gamaliel, he became a dedicated Pharisee familiar with all the aspects of the Law of Moses.  Saul had never met Jesus of Nazareth.  But, he encountered the risen Lord on the road to Damascus.  Blinded by that encounter, he was led to the house of Ananias, where he was baptized and became a disciple of Jesus Christ.  He spent three years in Arabia before returning to Jerusalem to meet with Peter and the other disciples.  As Paul, he became the Apostle to the Gentiles, spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ in his missionary journeys throughout the Mediterranean Sea. 

            These two giants of our faith not only were very different personalities, but they also disagreed with each other.  In the Acts of the Apostles, Saint Luke reports that Paul was not afraid to confront Peter on the issue of eating with Gentiles.  Their different personalities and roles built up the Body of Christ.  In iconography, Saint Peter is pictured holding a set of keys, symbolizing the authority given to him by Christ.  Saint Paul is pictured holding a sword, symbolizing the two-edged sword of the Word he preached.  Ultimately, both gave their lives over to Jesus Christ in Rome:  Peter by crucifixion and Paul by the sword.

            What both of them held in common was their sinfulness.  Instead of always being the rock, Peter often became a stumbling block in blurting out his unreflective thoughts.  He became a huge stumbling block when he denied knowing Jesus three times in the courtyard of the high priest.  Saint Paul participated in the execution of Saint Stephen, the first martyr.  He was on his way to Damascus to arrest and execute the disciples of Jesus Christ there.  Because they both gave over their sins to the Lord, his mercy allowed them to be more effective in their ministry.  Especially in the midst of their weaknesses, they knew that the Lord was working through them.

            These two giants of the faith give us great hope in this Jubilee of Hope.  We are part of a Church where there are many differences and arguments and personalities.  We are aware of our own sinfulness and the failings of the current leaders of our Church.  Just as the Holy Spirit worked through them, the Holy Spirit can work through us.  Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us!

 

 

THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST

22 JUNE 2025

 

          In writing to the Corinthians, Saint Paul hands on what he has received from the Lord.  In using those words, “to hand on,” he uses the root word in Latin, “traditor,” literally to pass on from hand to hand.  Our English word is “tradition.”  Saint Paul is giving to the Corinthians and to us the most sacred and important tradition which we have:  the celebration of the Eucharist.

            To understand this tradition, there are at least six key points for us to consider.  First, when we celebrate the Eucharist, we recall the dramatic events of the Last Supper, the night of the betrayal of Jesus by one of his closest friends.  Whenever we partake of the Eucharist, we participate in the Lord’s passion and death.  Second, the foundational elements of the Eucharist are bread and wine.  These elements recall Melchizedek’s offering in the first reading.  They are the everyday staples of the Mediterranean diet.  It is through these ordinary means that he sustains his presence among us.  Third, there is a thanksgiving performed by Jesus.  The Greek word for thanksgiving is eucharisteo, which gives rise to our common name for this sacrament, the Eucharist.  Fourth, the bread is symbolically broken.  This action sustains the memorial of Christ being broken for us on the cross.  Fifth, the whole celebration is a remembrance ritual.  In this ritual, Saint Paul says that the Corinthians are not just recalling some event which happened a long time ago.  Instead, the remembering is a participation in the singular event of the Last Supper and the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Finally, the elements of which they participate are identified as the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, signifying the new covenant which Jesus has forged with God.

            This is exactly what we will do in a few minutes, depending on how long I go on and on.  We will take gifts of bread and wine, along with the gift of our sacrificial tithe.  In the name of this assembly, I will pray the Eucharistic Prayer, giving thanks, praising and thanking the Father for the sacrifice of Jesus made present in our liturgical remembering (in Greek, anamnesis).  Then, we will pray the Lord’s Prayer, exchange a sign of peace to signify our intention to be reconciled with one another, and I will break the consecrate Host, during the singing of the Lamb of God.  Finally, we will give the real presence of the Lord in the form of bread and wine, as we come forward singing the Lord’s praises as members of this Eucharistic Assembly.

            We recognize these four actions in the miracle of the multiplication of the five loaves and two fish in Saint Luke’s Gospel.  After the Twelve complained that it was impossible to feed a crowd of five thousand people with so little, Jesus takes the bread and fish, gives thanks to the Father for his faithfulness, breaks, and then feeds the entire crowd.  In feeding this crowd, Jesus is instituting a new exodus.  In the exodus from Egypt in the wilderness of Sinai, God fed the people with manna.  Manna was not to be kept, except on the Sabbath.  In this New Exodus, the leftover fragments are to be picked up and placed into twelve wicker baskets.  We, who are the Church built on the foundation of the twelve apostles, continue to be fed and connected through the Eucharist with the Paschal Mystery until the end of time. 

            Saint Augustine reminds us that we who are fed on the Body of Christ become the Body of Christ.  On this Solemnity of Corpus Christi, we give thanks for this greatest Mystery given to us.  We are also reminded of Abram’s response to the blessing of Melchizedek.  In gratitude, Abram gave a tithe of ten percent of his wealth to Melchizedek.  In his gift to us, Jesus Christ gives his entire self out of love.  We, the Body of Christ, can also give generously of ourselves in gratitude to those who need our assistance, nourished by the Lord’s self-giving gift on the cross.

 

THE MOST HOLY TRINITY

15 JUNE 2025

 

          Today’s Gospel speaks of a tender moment between Jesus and his disciples.  Jesus and his disciples know that things are tense for them in Jerusalem.  The authorities want to put an end to the work of Jesus, most likely in a violent manner.  This causes a shadow of worry to hang over the disciples.  They have so much more to learn, so much that they do not understand.  They want their relationship with Jesus to continue.

            Jesus acknowledges their concern and says, “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.”  He too wants the relationship to continue.  Over the three years they have traveled together, he has grown close to them because of who he is.  He is the Second Person of the Trinity.  He is God.  God is love.  Love is being in relationship.  As the Second Person of the Trinity, he promises to send the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit will come as the Spirit of Truth and will guide them to all truth.  The Holy Spirit will connect them with the Father, with whom Jesus and the Holy Spirit have an intimate bond.  His words fulfill the Book of Proverbs.  The wisdom of God is Trinitarian:  One God in three distinct Persons, an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.       

            Throughout the course of ninety days, we have entered more deeply into the saving action of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  We spent forty days preparing to renew our baptismal promises, knowing that we have failed to live them many times.  We spent three days in the Sacred Paschal Triduum celebrating the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Then we spent forty days rejoicing in the victory of the resurrection, culminating in the Mystery of the Ascension.  We completed the Easter Season last Sunday with the Feast of Pentecost, assuring us that the same Holy Spirit given to the original disciples is given to us.

            Today we reflect more deeply on the Mystery of the Trinity.  We attribute to the Father the work of Creation, to the Son the work of redemption, and to the Holy Spirit the work of sanctification.  But in making those distinctions, we become more aware that the Trinitarian God has been involved in all of those works.  As Saint Paul reminds us, we have been justified by faith and given the gift of peace.  Because of the action of the three Persons in One God, our faith allows us to boast in hope of the glory of God.

            Pope Francis has designated this Holy Year as a Year of hope, a virtue which we need desperately in our broken, fractured, and violent age.  Confronted with so much evil in the world and so many divisions, it is easy to give up and retreat into our safe places.  As Saint Paul says to the Romans, the wisdom of the Triune God allows us to boast of our afflictions.  No matter how heavy our crosses may become or how dark the way we must walk may appear, the wisdom of God remains in us a strong belief that our afflictions will produce endurance.  Saint Paul himself boasted of his afflictions, because they allowed him to endure so many obstacles in his travels.  His afflictions helped the persecuted Church in Rome to endure the persecutions and suffering with hope.  Saint Paul promises us that our endurance will produce proven character also.

            At the highest level of being, there is perfect love and absolute communion in three distinct and different Persons.  At our level of being, we know painfully well that we do not have perfect love and that our differences often cause divisions.  But, we cannot lose hope, which does not disappoint.  We have been created, redeemed, and sanctified so that we can eventually share the perfect love of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in eternity. 

 

 

PENTECOST SUNDAY

8 JUNE 2025

 

            Today we hear two different versions of the gift of the Holy Spirit.  In the Acts of the Apostles, Saint Luke presents the Holy Spirit given to the disciples of Jesus on the Jewish Feast of Pentecost, celebrated fifty days after the Passover.  Faithful Jews would travel from all around the Mediterranean Sea to celebrate the giving of the Law through Moses on Mount Sinai.  They would recall the display of God’s might in the strong driving wind.  They would speak of the signs of God’s presence in the burning bush calling Moses to lead his people out of slavery.  They would remember God leading his people through the desert in a pillar of fire.

            Saint Luke places the giving of the Holy Spirit on the fiftieth day after the Passover of Jesus from death into resurrected life.  Luke connects the giving of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem with the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai.  The disciples are in one place where a noise like a strong driving wind fills the entire house.  Tongues as of fire appear and come to rest on each of them.  They receive the gift of the Holy Spirit that fulfills all the expectations of the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai.  Instead of being unable to communicate at the Tower of Babel, they speak so that Jews of every nationality and language can understand them.  The gift of the Law had guided the twelve tribes of Israel in their passing in the desert from slavery into freedom. The gift of the Holy Spirit now guides all who have come to believe in the Lord’s passing from death into life.  It is the birthday of the Church, built on the witness of the twelve apostles. 

            In the Gospel, Saint John describes the giving of the Holy Spirit in a different way.  The disciples lock themselves in one place out of fear following the death of their friend and master.  On that first day of the week, the risen Lord has appeared to Mary Magdalene, who had come to the tomb in the darkness of that morning.  On that same day, he breaks through the locked doors in the darkness of the evening.  Instead of yelling at them for abandoning him in his darkest hour, he gives them the gift of peace.  Transformed in the resurrection, he shows them his hands and his side, bearing those same wounds of his crucified body.  When they recognize him, he gives them the gift of peace again.  Instead of a mighty wind, he breathes on them and gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit.  He sends them out in the power of the Holy Spirit to give that same gift of peace and mercy to all whom they will encounter. 

            On this fiftieth day after we have celebrated the Passover over of Jesus Christ from death into life, we are given the same gift of the Holy Spirit.  As the Pentecost Sequence assures us, we too are connected with the Father of the poor to reach out to the poor.  In our labor, the Holy Spirit gives us rest in our labor, coolness in the heat, and solace in the midst of woe.  The Holy Spirit is truly our blessed light divine, healing our wounds, renewing our strength, and washing the stains of guilt away.  The Holy Spirit bends our stubborn hearts and wills, melts the frozen and warms the chill.  The Holy Spirit guides the steps that go astray.

            The Holy Spirit can accomplish these incredible actions through us if we are willing to surrender ourselves and be open to the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives.  Jesus fulfills the Law of Moses by giving his entire life for us and by commanding that we love God and neighbor as ourselves.  That law is both very simple and very demanding, requiring the gift of ourselves in the service of others.  We can love others as Christ has loved us.  In the process, Christ loves us in living his law.  Ask anyone who has ever participated in a twelve-step program.  Despite our weakness, our brokenness, and our attraction to sin, we can do this!  But we can do it only in surrendering to the power of the Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit.  Fill the hearts of the faithful.

 

THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD

1 JUNE 2025

 

          Today we hear two accounts of the Ascension from Saint Luke.  In the second account we heard, Saint Luke brings his Gospel to its conclusion.  He has given his account of passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  He has described the scene at the empty tomb when the two men dressed in white ask the women, “Why do you seek the living one among the dead?”  He has told us of the two disciples who encountered the risen Lord on the road to Emmaus and how they have recognized him in the breaking of bread.  He has described the meals eaten by disciples with the risen Lord after his resurrection.  Now he leads his disciples out to Bethany, as Moses had led his people out of slavery and into freedom.  He is taken up to heaven away from their midst.  They return to Jerusalem with great joy.  Saint Luke’s Gospel account of Jesus Christ, the risen Lord and Savior, is now complete.

            Saint Luke’s other account of the Ascension is what we heard as the first reading today.  It is the beginning of his second volume, the Acts of the Apostles.  He tells us that the risen Christ has been physically present to his apostles for forty days.  This symbolic number indicates that there has been a sufficient period of time to prepare those who had witnessed the Easter event for the mission of the Church.  He reminds them of the kingdom of God which he has established and tells them to wait for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  Prompted by the Holy Spirit, the work of the Church will begin.  Then he is taken from their sight.

            The Ascension is an integral part of the Paschal Mystery, along with the death of Jesus Christ, his resurrection, and the sending of the Holy Spirit.  This Paschal Mystery is at the heart of everything we believe as Christians.  A mystery is a reality that we cannot fully understand.  That is why artistic representations of mystery can be helpful.  An interesting painting of the Ascension pictures the twelve apostles looking intently up to heaven.  There, the physical body of Jesus has disappeared in a cloud, symbolic of God’s mysterious presence.  However, the apostles can see the feet of Jesus, with the wounds of the nails of his crucifixion clearly present.  Although Jesus is taken up to heaven to reign in glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, he is present to us.  We are invited to walk with him on our feet to share his majesty and power and to go eventually to where he has gone.  That is why those same two men dressed in white ask a similar question, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?”  They are assuring the apostles that the Lord will be present to them, and that they should walk with him as they wait for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to begin the work of the Church.  They are the Body of Christ, sharing Christ’s power and glory.  But, that power is not like the power of the rulers of this earth.  The rulers of this world rely on force and other intimidating methods to secure their power.  It is the power of the crucified and risen Lord, supporting their efforts to exercise the power of love as humble servants.

            The risen Lord is present to us, who are his Body.  He is truly present to us in the Sacramental life of the Church.  He speaks to us in the Word we have just heard.  He feeds us with his Body and Blood in this Eucharist.  He sends us out of this Church to walk with him and reveal the presence of his kingdom in the humble ways we share in his power and glory.  Like those first apostles, we wait for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit next Sunday on the Solemnity of Pentecost.  If we are open to this new outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, then we too can produce good fruits in a world that badly needs them.

 

 

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

25 MAY 2025

 

          Jesus is speaking to his disciples at the Last Supper.  He is trying to prepare them for his betrayal, death, and resurrection.  What we hear today is known as his “farewell discourse.”  In bidding farewell to them, he assures them that they will not be alone after his physical departure.  He tells them not to be troubled or afraid, because the Father will give the gift of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who will be present to them.  Jesus leaves them with the gift of peace – not the peace the world gives, but the gift Jesus himself gives.

            The world thinks of peace in terms of an absence of conflict.  The peace that Jesus gives is much more profound and does not avoid conflict, pain, or suffering.  In fact, Jesus exhibits that peace when he is betrayed, faces an unjust trial, is crucified, and enters death.  His peace comes from his intimate relationship with his Father.  We can see that peace in today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles.  The early Church faces its first great conflict, as it grows beyond its Jewish roots to include non-Jews.  For their entire lives, Jews were careful about avoiding certain foods.  According to the law of Moses, all males were circumcised.  To avoid contamination, they avoided all contact with non-Jews.  When the Jewish Christians hear that Paul and Barnabas have been baptizing gentiles, they insist that they must follow the Law of Moses.  In this huge controversy, the peace of Christ does not keep them from arguing among themselves.  Through the presence of the Holy Spirit, the gift of peace enables them to decide.  Gentile converts are not required to follow the Law of Moses.  However out of charity for the sensitivities of their Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ, they should restrict their freedom by not buying meat at the market that had been sacrificed to idols, from any kind of blood, meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage. 

            This same gift of peace is given to us.  It does not prevent arguments or pain or suffering.  However, that the gift of peace establishes a close relationship with the Father.  If we are open to the workings of the Holy Spirit, the gift of peace gets us through some very difficult situations.  Over the years, I have come to be grateful for that gift in my life.  When I was ordained, I had thought that the most difficult promise would be my promise to be a celibate for the rest of my life.  Instead, the most difficult promise has been the promise to respect and obey the Bishop and his successors.  Every time I have kept that promise, moving from one assignment to another has been terribly difficult.  When Bishop McManus moved me from being chaplain at Marian High School to being pastor of Saint Paul of the Cross in Columbia City, I was crushed.  I did not know what pastors did, and living in a small town was a challenge.  I knew it was not very smart to tell parishioners that I did not want to be there.  So, I pretended to be happy.  At the end of my first year, I helped to paint the rectory.  Up on a ladder painting the gable, I looked down to see all the men painting the rectory and doing the trim work.  The women and the kids were setting up tables for a homecooked meal, complete with a barrel of beer.  I accepted the gift of Christ’s peace and served the rest of my pastorate with gratitude and enthusiasm.

            The first reading gives a vision of the new heavens and new earth after the end of time.  The vision gives very precise information about the heavenly Jerusalem.  In the vision, there is no temple, which would have been the center of Jerusalem, where people would have recognized the dwelling of God in their midst.  There is no temple in the new and eternal city of Jerusalem, because inhabitants will see God face to face.  That vision is a promise that we will see God face to face, because we have a personal relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit now.  This is the peace which the world cannot give!

 

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

18 MAY 2025

 

          If you have gone on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the vision of a new heaven and a new earth in today’s reading from the Book of Revelation takes on new meaning.  The vision speaks of the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  The old city of Jerusalem is a remarkable place.  In the year 2000, I spent four months living and studying in the town of Bethany, now in the occupied West Bank.  We would study in the morning and be free to do whatever we wanted in the afternoon.  I spent almost every free afternoon going to the old city and exploring its wonders.

Its narrow streets take visitors through the different quarters of the city:  the Arab, the Jewish, the Christian, and the Armenian Quarters.  Each has its own character and its own food and drink.  The city can be traced back to the days of King David, where kings and prophets and priests lived and had their impact on the city.  Jesus himself was present in the Temple, now occupied by the Islamic Dome of the Rock.  Pilgrims can pray in a number of ancient churches, especially the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built over Calvary and the empty tomb.  However, the city will be transformed at the end of the world.  In the new Jerusalem, people can walk through the Damascus Gate without having their pockets picked.  In the new Jerusalem, there will be more regular garbage collection.  In the New Jerusalem, Arab kids will not be throwing stones at armed Jewish soldiers. 

This image is proclaimed as good news by Paul and Barnabas in the Acts of the Apostles.  In their travels, they preach first in Jewish synagogues, where they are usually thrown out.  Then, they witness the faith to the Gentiles.  They strengthen, console, and uplift the members of the newly formed churches.  They promise that death is not the end for those who believe in Jesus Christ.  They promise transformation, just as the risen Christ was transformed.  They promise that death will not destroy all those positive qualities possessed by believers in life.  Like the new Jerusalem, there will be no more suffering, no more sin, no more conflict, and no more death.

At the Last Supper, Judas leaves the room to betray Jesus.  In that dark hour, Jesus proclaims to his disciples that the Son of Man is glorified NOW, and that God is glorified in him.  Jesus trusts that his Father will transform his horrific suffering and death into victory.  Knowing what will happen, Jesus gives a new commandment.  He commands that they love one another, as he has loved them.  He has spent three years revealing the presence of the Kingdom of God through miracles, teachings, and quality time together.  He has just washed their feet, as humble servants would wash feet.  He will give his life completely out of love for them. 

At this Memorial of the Last Supper, he gives the same command to us.  The command is simple.  He doesn’t tell us to participate at Mass every Sunday.  He doesn’t command us to work as a parish to bring in new members or to participate in parish ministries.  Of course, all of these are good and necessary.  As simple and straightforward as his command may be, it is demanding and difficult.  This command involves dying to ourselves.   It can involve suffering humiliation rather than attacking another.  It might involve listening to a political opponent and showing love and respect instead of biting his or her head off.  It might mean being kind to someone who has betrayed us.  It can involve giving a helping hand and a real, personal friendship to the homeless, migrants, non-Christians, the disoriented or those confused by mental illness, or to those who have been mocked or turned away by others.  If we can love as he has loved us, all will clearly know us as his disciples, just as many came to know Paul and Barnabas as his disciples.

 

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

11 MAY 2025

 

            The Book of Revelation presents for us a vision of God’s ultimate triumph.  A huge multitude from every nation, race, people, and tongue worships God in his temple.  There are so many people that no one can count them.  They have survived the time of great distress and hold palm branches in their hands, signifying their ultimate victory.  Their white robes indicate their interior disposition.  They stand before the one who has saved them:  not a powerful lion or a mighty bear, but a humble lamb that has been slain.  Their robes have been washed in the blood of the lamb, who will shelter them forever.  They will not thirst or hunger anymore.  Nor will the sun or any heat strike them.  The lamb will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water.  God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Jesus promises this ultimate victory in the Gospel.  He speaks in the temple on the Feast of the Dedication of the Temple, known today as Hanukkah.  He does not speak like the priests who had been responsible for the desecration of the temple some 200 prior.  They had been too busy taking care of themselves instead of caring for their flock like good shepherds.  Instead, he speaks from the perspective of the Maccabean martyrs who died to drive out the pagan rulers from Jerusalem, leading to the purification and rededication of the temple.  Because of the sacrifices of the Maccabees, the people are gathered together as one flock.

            Jesus identifies himself as the good shepherd who is one with the Father.  He knows each of us by name and has invited us to follow him.  He promises the eternal life, the vision given in the Book of Revelation.  The Good Shepherd will become the lamb slain on the cross, defeating the power of death and sin by entering into it and being raised from the dead.  As we continue to reflect on the Lord’s resurrection during these fifty days of Easter, we double down on our intention to imitate the sacrificial love of the Good Shepherd in our lives.        

            Because Good Shepherd Sunday falls on Mother’s Day this year, we give thanks for our mothers and for those who have been like mothers to us.  Mothers, at the heart of your vocation is the call to imitate the Good Shepherd and lay down your lives for the sheep entrusted to your care.  Of course, you know them by name and make daily sacrifices for their welfare.  On behalf of all of us, thank you.  May the Good Shepherd strengthen you in your vocation.

            Good Shepherd Sunday also falls on this time of transition for our Church.  We express our gratitude for the many ways that Pope Francis laid down his life during the last twelve years for us, the sheep of his flock.  He always insisted that we priests, who see ourselves as shepherds, must walk with our sheep and know the smell of our sheep in this messy and dangerous world. 

            We also give thanks to God for the gift of our new shepherd, Pope Leo XIV.  May the Lord strengthen him in his new ministry and guide him to serve the Church as Bishop of Rome.  We pray for him, as we do when we pray every Eucharistic Prayer.  The name he has chosen as Pope provides guidance for us.  Pope Saint Leo the Great was the Bishop of Rome in the fifth century.  He used his diplomatic skills to serve the Church and to save the city of Rome from the attack of Attila the Hun.  Pope Leo XIII served as the Bishop of Rome at the end of the nineteenth century.  His Encyclical Rerum et Novarum addressed the plights of ordinary working people who suffered in the Industrial Revolution as wealthy titans ignored their rights.  He encouraged workers to form labor unions as a means of receiving just compensation.  His encyclical became the foundation for the Popes of the twentieth century as they developed Catholic Social Teaching.  May the Holy Spirit guide Pope Leo XIV as leads the Church in addressing the challenges of today’s technological revolution.

 

THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER

4 MAY 2025

 

            When Simon Peter climbs on shore and sees the charcoal fire, could he be thinking of another charcoal fire?  The one burning in the courtyard of the high priest?  As he was warming himself around that fire while Jesus was being tried by the Sanhedrin, he had denied three times that he knows him.  He deeply regrets those denials.  The risen Christ brings them up when he asks Peter three times if he loves him.  He asks three times not to rub salt into Peter’s wounds, but to heal him.  He asks, because he knows that Peter is deeply sorry for his sins.  Jesus continues to invite Peter to be the leader of his Church by inviting him to feed his lambs, tend his sheep, and feed his sheep.  I would have said, “You blew it, Peter.  I am appointing John to lead my Church.  I always liked him better anyway!”

            Not Jesus!  He has always invited flawed human beings to be in positions of authority in his Church.  It is interesting to reflect on this Gospel as the College of Cardinals gathers in the Conclave on Wednesday to elect the next successor to Saint Peter.  It is true that the successor of Saint Peter has the gift of infallibility when he makes a definition about a dogma in union with his fellow bishops.  However, individual popes have always been fallible human beings.  Eamon Duffy has written Saints and Sinners, A History of the Popes.  It is an interesting book to read, because he tells the story of outstanding and holy popes.  But he also describes those popes who were corrupt and far from holiness. 

            When he was still Cardinal Ratzinger, Pope Benedict said this about the Conclave of Cardinals gathered to elect a new pope: “I would not say … that the Holy Spirit picks out the Pope, because there are too many contrary instances of popes the Holy Spirit would obviously have not picked.  I would say that the Spirit does not exactly take control of the affair, but rather like a good educator, as it were, leaves us much space, much freedom, without entirely abandoning us.  Thus, the Spirit’s role should be understood in a much more elastic sense, not that he dictates the candidate for whom one must vote.  Probably the only assurance he offers is that the thing cannot be totally ruined.”  When he says that “The thing cannot totally be ruined,” he is alluding to the Gospel of Saint Matthew.  Jesus calls Peter the “Rock” upon which he will build his Church.  He promises that the gates of hell will not prevail against it.  The Holy Spirit has clearly been guiding the Church over the last 2,000 years.  Duffy’s book proves that Jesus Christ has clearly kept his promise.  The thing cannot totally be ruined!

            During my lifetime, there have been several conclaves.  Each of them has given us holy and dedicated men called to be successors of Simon Peter.  Each pope has brought his own gifts and personality to the papacy.  Pope John XIII brought a sense of humanity to the papacy and surprised everyone by calling the Second Vatican Council.  Pope Paul VI had the difficult task of completing the Council after John’s death and always looked sad.  Pope John Paul I brought many smiles to the job and lasted only a month.  Pope John Paul II was a philosopher and an extravert who attracted large crowds to hear him.  Pope Benedict was an introvert and a brilliant scholar and teacher who seldom spoke off the cuff.  Pope Francis was a pastor who cared deeply for his flock, especially those on the peripheries.  He never hesitated to talk off the cuff, sometimes causing people to roll their eyes and wonder what he was talking about.  As a pastor myself, I do that all the time!

            Be sure to pray for the Cardinals as they enter into the Conclave on Wednesday.  Pray that they remain open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.  We wait together for the white smoke from the Sistine Chapel.  No matter who gets elected, the Church will be fine.

 

SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER

27 APRIL 2025

 

          Saint John reports that the disciples of Jesus had locked themselves the upper room on that first day of the week for fear of the Jews.  He is not singling out a race of people when he uses the word “the Jews.”  Unfortunately, too many people over the centuries have read the Gospel incorrectly and have promoted anti-Semitism.  He refers to the religious leaders at the time of Jesus.  The disciples are afraid of that group, because they had been responsible for executing their master in a most cruel way.  They feared that they would be next.  But, there is one particular Jew that they fear:  Jesus himself!  If the reports from the women are correct, Jesus has been raised from the dead.  They could be very much afraid of him, because they had let him down so badly.  The one who had called them to be his disciples and who had loved them so faithfully and fearlessly for three years has gone through a horrible ordeal.  In his most desperate time of need, they had run away and abandoned him.  Surely, he would express his anger and disappointment when he would confront them.

            The risen Christ breaks through their locked doors of fear.  He shows them the wounds in his hands and feet to help them identify him.  Instead of berating them for abandoning him in his darkest hour, he wishes them peace.  Two times, he says “Peace be with you.”  On the following Sunday, he gives the same gift to Thomas, moving him from doubt to the most profound profession of faith in the Gospels: “My Lord and my God.”

            Christ’s resurrection is not only powerful for them.  It remains powerful for us, in at least three ways.  First, he gives us that same peace.  Like those original disciples, we live in a divided and dangerous world.  We too are tempted to lock ourselves up out of fear and spend all of our energy worrying about what will happen next.  Through the resurrection of his Son, the Father offers us a peace that the world cannot give.

            Second, the scars of the Son are very important.  In his resurrected body, he is not recognized by his closest disciples.  But in those awful wounds, they see the one who has loved them so much.  He made himself so vulnerable that he allowed soldiers to pierce his hands and feet with nails, and to pierce his side with a lance.  The disciples now understand that they too can be vulnerable.  Even though they had abandoned him and failed him in so many ways, the Holy Spirit sends them on mission, not as perfect ambassadors, but as men and women with weaknesses and flaws.  Today, as we pray for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis and wait as the cardinals enter into the conclave to elect his successor, we see the divisions and wounds in our Church.  But the Holy Spirit still works in our wounded Church and our individual wounds.

            Finally, the Holy Spirit gives mercy to us.  As Catholics, we understand this passage as the first indication of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Not only does Jesus Christ give the peace of his Father to his first disciples.  Through the Sacrament, he forgives our sins and reconciles us with the Father when we fail to live our baptismal promises.  We call today “Mercy Sunday,” not only because the risen Christ gives mercy to each one of us, but also because we are expected to extend that same mercy to those who have betrayed, abandoned, and hurt us.  He pushes us out of our locked doors of guilt to bring that mercy to others.

            The risen Christ speaks to us when he says to Thomas and the other disciples: “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”  We have not seen the transformed body of the risen Christ as they did.  But we experience his risen presence when we hear him speaking to us in the Word.  We encounter him in the breaking of bread and the sharing of the cup.  He sends us from this Mass to spread the good news of the resurrection to a fearful and divided world.

 

EASTER SUNDAY OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD

20 APRIL 2025

 

          Saint John says that it is dark when Mary Magdalene arrives at the tomb.  He not only describes the darkness of the early morning of the first day of the week.  He is also talking about the darkness which Mary Magdalene herself brings with her.  She is grieving in a very dark way at the death of Jesus, her beloved mentor.  When she arrives, she sees that the stone has been removed from the tomb.  She reacts by running to Simon Peter and the other disciples whom Jesus loved.  She tells them that someone had taken his body from the tomb, and she does not know where they put him.  Simon Peter and the beloved disciple react by running to the tomb themselves.  When they arrive, they recognize that the tomb is empty, and that the grave clothes are folded and the cloth that had covered his head is rolled up in a separate place.  The beloved disciple allows Simon Peter to enter first.  He does not know what to make of it. 

            The beloved disciple sees and believes that something extraordinary has happened.  With Mary Magdalene, he had been present when the Lord died on the cross.  He had been part of his burial.  However, Simon Peter had not been present at the crucifixion and burial.  Probably, he is still wallowing in deep pain and regret for his three-time denial that he knew Jesus when we was warming himself by the fire in the courtyard of the high priest.

            Later, all three would remember the Scriptures to allow them to move from recognition to a deep and abiding faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  That happens to Mary Magdalene when the risen Christ will reveal himself to her later in the day, after she thought that he was the gardener.  That will happen to Peter and the other disciples when Jesus will break though the locked doors of the upper room that evening as the risen Lord.  Peter’s belief in the resurrection of the Lord is evident in his words which we heard in the reading from the Acts of the Apostles.  Not only has he encountered the risen Lord in the upper room, but the risen Lord has forgiven and healed his denials by asking three times if Peter loves him when he appears to Peter and the other disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

            On Easter Sunday, we come to the empty tomb again.  In our busy and hectic lives, we do a lot of running, just as those three characters are running in today’s Gospel.  Each of us comes to Easter Sunday with whatever is happening in our lives.  Some of you come today having lost a loved one in death.  You come with heavy hearts and profound grief.  Some of you have faced job losses and the danger of economic havoc.  Others come burdened by physical illness and pain.  To be honest, all of us come to Easter Sunday worried about the political divisions that bring the anger and disputes and a dreadful uncertainty about the future of our country.

            Easter Sunday challenges us to deepen our faith in the Mystery of the resurrection, as those three characters in today’s Gospel did.  We begin by reacting.  After celebrating the Liturgies of Holy Thursday and Good Friday, we react to the fact that the Lord’s body is not in the tomb.  We can easily say, “Jesus is not here, he is risen.”  Then we run back into our busy lives.  Instead, we need to take time to recognize that the power of the Lord’s resurrection can become a more profound part of our lives.  That is whey we celebrate the Season of Easter for fifty days.  When we gather to hear the Word of God and remember the Scriptures in these next Sundays of the Easter Season, we can reflect more deeply on the truth we recognize today.  Death and sin and the horrors of this world do not have the last word.  We can experience a little bit of the Lord’s rising every time we deliberately enter into his dying.  Not only do each of those deaths give us a share in his rising, but the final answer at the end of the world and the end of our lives is not death.  It is life, and an eternal sharing in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 

EVENING MASS OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

17 APRIL 2025

 

          The first reading from the Book of Exodus helps us understand the background for Saint Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians.  Moses instructs his people to gather as families to slaughter an unblemished lamb.  They are to take the blood and smear it on the lintels of their homes, so that the angel of death can pass over their homes.  As they eat the flesh of the lamb, they are to prepare themselves to pass over from slavery to freedom in their journey to the Promised Land.        

            Jesus follows these instructions and gathers his disciples to celebrate the Passover as a family.  But he goes beyond the original Passover Meal.  He will be he unblemished lamb to be sacrificed on Calvary.  In taking the unleavened bread, he identifies it as his own body, given up for them.  In taking the cup, he reveals the new covenant established in his own blood poured out for them.  He establishes the Eucharist as a perpetual remembrance of his real presence in the new covenant.  He speaks to us in insisting that every time we celebrate this Eucharist as Saint Paul commanded the Corinthians, he is really and truly present.

            Last week, I read a report from a psychologist who insisted that half of Americans are afflicted with loneliness.  She provided an interesting solution to this problem.  She urged lonely people to make a list of three things for which they are grateful each day.  She argued that keeping these lists of gratitude will combat loneliness.  That is why we gather to celebrate the Eucharist every Sunday, or every day if we choose.  We do not gather as isolated individuals making lists, we gather as a community of disciples to give thanks to the Father not only for all that we have received.  With the Greek word for Eucharist meaning thanksgiving, we especially give thanks to the Father for the sacrifice of Jesus made present as we remember it at Mass.

            In the Gospel of Saint John, there is no account of the Lord instituting the Eucharist at the Last Supper, as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Paul do.  He has already given his theology of the Real Presence in chapter six.  Instead, Saint John tells us that Jesus washes the feet of his disciples.  In the ancient world, the best way for a host to welcome a visitor would be to have the visitor’s feet washed.  Those dirty, ugly, and smelly feet are the results of many miles walked through dusty roads.  The host himself would not lower himself to do this humble task.  Instead, a servant or a slave or one of the children would do it.

            Jesus reverses the order of a master dominating and the servant obeying.  Saint Augustine identified the dysfunction of human society when he names the lust to dominate.  In becoming the servant, he reverses the dysfunction of human society and teaches us how to be humble servants.  He anticipates his ultimate act of giving his life totally out of love for us on the cross.  In doing so, he teaches us how to love as he has loved us.  In the Eucharist, he nourishes us with his own Body and Blood so that we can be humble servants and foot washers today.  He nourishes parents to wash the feet of their children.  He feeds bosses and managers so they can take care of those who work under them.  He feeds every single one of us to reverse the lust of dominance to make a difference in our world today.  He sends us out of this and every Mass to keep our eyes open and to humble ourselves to serve those people.

            Normally, we end our homilies at this point.  But not only Holy Thursday.  Tonight, I will wash the feet of twelve parishioners known for their humble service to this parish and to those in need.  In this Sacred Paschal Triduum, we are not just acting out events that happened over 2,000 years ago.  We are participating in the saving actions of Jesus Christ, who continues to free us from whatever holds us back.  We are a Eucharistic people, becoming what we consume.  As the Body of Christ, we give ourselves in humble service.

 

PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD’S PASSION

13 APRIL 2025

 

            In 1931, Gertrud von Le Fort wrote a novel, entitled The Song at the Scaffold.  It was about the true story of a Carmelite community of nuns in France, who were executed in the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution.  During a moving scene, the nuns are observing the “blasphemous mockeries of Eucharistic processions.”  One of the sisters refers to the Eucharist as “the defenseless God.”  Her remarks describe how dependent God in the Eucharist is on human respect and faith.  God in the Eucharist is wholly vulnerable to human choice and action, whether that action is faith-filled and reverent or blasphemous and denigrating.

            Ours is a God who does not shield himself from buffets and spitting.  To use the words of Saint Paul, Jesus does not grasp at divinity as an escape from (or punishment for) human weakness. This Passion according to Saint Luke sets the stage for our reflection on the final chapter in the continuing story of God’s choice to be vulnerable to human sin.

            Lent ends this Thursday evening when we enter into the Sacred Paschal Triduum and celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 6:00.  We are invited to stay with the Lord through the Passover Meal and the prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.  We will witness the denial in the courtyard of the high priest, along with the solitude of the night in custody and the mockery of the council of elders.  On Good Friday at the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion at 1:00, we will visit the shuffle between Pilate and Herod, along with the brutality of scourging and the carrying of the cross.  On Calvary, we will hear the reproach of friend and foe alike, the last breath, and the placement of the dead body into his mother’s arms.

            We will begin with the darkness of that death at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday evening at 9:00.  But throughout that incredibly beautiful Liturgy, we will renew our faith that the horrors of this reality will be replaced by Easter joy and redemption.  It is critical that we gather together for these liturgies, identifying with our defenseless God who has destroyed the power of death by entering into it himself.

 

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT

6 APRIL 2025

 

          The prophet Isaiah gives hope to his people in captivity in Babylon.  He reminds them of God’s saving acts in the past.  God had led their ancestors in their journey from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land through the Red Sea in.  The mighty army of Pharaoh’s horsemen was drowned in their pursuit.  However, he tells his people not to remember the events of the past.  God will do something new.  God is present to his people in captivity, and God will lead them in a new journey through another desert to their homeland.  God will give them water, just as God had done for their ancestors. 

            Saint Paul is also on a journey when he writes to the Philippians.  Writing from his prison cell, he has lost everything.  He has lost his ministry to the Gentiles and the freedom of traveling wherever the Lord led him.  He had also lost the sinful parts of his life, especially his original hatred for the disciples of Jesus Christ and for his active persecution of the Church.  He accepts the loss of all those things, because he has found gain in Jesus Christ.  Because of that gain, he can let go of what is behind him and strains forward to what lies ahead.  He can continue his pursuit toward the goal of achieving the prize of God’s upward calling in Jesus Christ.  He is confident in his journey to share in the fullness of the resurrection.

            As we continue our journey through the desert of Lent, the story of the woman caught in adultery provides some direction.  The scribes and Pharisees bring a woman caught in the act of adultery.  As Pope John Paul II asked, where is the man?  Instead of bringing both people, they bring the more vulnerable of the two.  They could care less about this woman.  They use her to set a trap for Jesus.  They ask him if they should follow the law of Moses and have the woman stoned.  If Jesus agrees, they will question his teaching about mercy.  If he responds that the woman should be shown mercy, they will accuse him of ignoring the law of Moses.  Instead of falling into their trap, he bends down and writes on the ground with his finger.  We have no idea what he is writing.  Then he dares the one among them without sin to be the first to throw a stone at her.  After they all go away one by one, he addresses the woman.

            Instead of using her as an object, as the scribes and Pharisees has done, he speaks to her with love.  Just as no one had been able to condemn her, he does not condemn her either.  He does not minimize her sin of adultery.  Instead, he tells her to leave that sin in the past and not sin again.  He invites her to cast off the misery of her past sins to live without sin with him.  The loss of her misery can be replaced by his mercy.

            We have no idea what that woman chose to do.  Did she go back to her lover, or did she agree to allow Jesus Christ to journey with her?  Because this is the living Word of God, the Lord invites us to deepen our trust in his presence and to journey with him.  In our journey, we can recall the many ways the Lord has been with us in the past and give thanks.  We might be tempted to recall the ways we have refused to journey with Jesus Christ and have turned against him.  Like the ancient Israelites, like Saint Paul, and like the woman caught in adultery, we can count all of those times as loss.  Our common gain is our relationship with Jesus Christ.  It is that gain which is being revealed in our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

            In these last two weeks of our journey through the desert of Lent, we can face a wilderness of uncertainty, because God is before us preparing the way.  He is doing a “new thing," which we can embrace with hope as we walk with him through his passion, death, and ultimately to his resurrection.

 

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT

30 MARCH 2025

 

          In the first reading, Joshua reminds his people that God has formed them into a new creation by leading them through the desert to the Promised Land.  Saint Paul builds on the words of Joshua in his letter to the Corinthians and applies them to Christ.  Jesus Christ has formed us into a new creation by reconciling us to the Father through his death on the cross.  As members of this new creation, we are ambassadors for Christ, extending the reconciliation we have received with others.

            This most famous parable of Jesus helps us to understand God’s reconciling love.  We call it the “Parable of the Prodigal Son.”  The word “prodigal” means “recklessly extravagant.”  The younger son is definitely “prodigal.”  He makes a recklessly extravagant demand on his father.  He demands half of his inheritance.  In the ancient world, the inheritance would be given only after death.  He recklessly considers his father dead.  The older son is also reckless, because his job would have been to negotiate the terms of the inheritance with his brother and to talk sense into him.  But he stands by and does nothing.  He seems to be waiting for his father to die to get the rest of the inheritance, with his younger brother out of the way.  However, the most recklessly extravagant person is the father.  He recklessly gives his younger son what he demands.  He risks looking like an old fool to his neighbors.

            The younger son leaves and squanders his wealth on a life of dissipation, recklessly and extravagantly wasting his wealth on himself.  But when the famine strikes and he is stuck caring for pigs (a horrible job for a Jewish boy), he comes to his senses and regrets his actions.  He intends to return to his father as a slave, supporting himself apart from his father’s house.  But the father is filled with compassion.  He rushes out to welcome him back as his son.  Again, he looks like an old fool to the neighbors.  Not only does he embrace him, but he gives his son the symbols of his reckless extravagance – the finest robe, the ring, sandals on his feet, and an extravagant feast.  At this point, the son recognizes the incredible gift of his father’s mercy and accepts the gift of his original sonship.

            As members of the new creation, the Father offers us the recklessly extravagant gift of reconciliation.  Through the Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, the Lord invites us to examine our consciences to see how we may have imitated the example of the younger son.  Have we been estranged and rebellious while being absent from the presence of the Lord?  If so, we can honestly confess our sin.  When we repent and make up our minds to change our course, we open ourselves to receive the Lord’s grace of extravagant mercy.  We can share the joy of that gift and be restored to the status of sons or daughters given to us when we were baptized.  Then, we can become ambassadors of Christ, extending that same gift to others.

Or, are we more like the older son, estranged and rebellious in our hearts while remaining in the presence of the Lord?  The father rushes out to meet his older son to answer his angry questions about his brother.  The father does so publicly, again looking like a fool to his neighbors.  He has been estranged and rebellious in his heart while remaining in his father’s presence.  In his arrogance, he refuses his father’s gift of extravagant mercy. 

This parable answers the objection of the Pharisees and scribes: “this man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”  They clearly resemble the older brother.  The Lord has thrown a feast for us in this Eucharist.  He eats with us sinners, whether we are the older or the younger son and invites us to repentance.  Then he sends us out of this Mass to be ambassadors of his reckless mercy to others.