Holy Thursday – April 1, 1999
Cycle A Readings: Is. 61:1-3, 6, 8-9; Rev. 1-5-8; Lk 4:16-21
Outline:
1) First breaking of bread
2) Washing of feet, value of service
3) Remembering Jesus
4) Christ-like concern
5) New creatures
Week after week we receive the Eucharist and worship together through the breaking of bread. Today, we commemorate the first breaking of the bread, the Last Supper. But the Gospel reading today is taken from John's Gospel. His last supper account does not refer to the breaking of the bread and its special solemn blessing. Yet, on this extraordinary feast the Church his chosen his account of the last supper for us to reflect upon. We have the washing of the feet to contemplate. We have Jesus, the messiah; Jesus, the way, truth and life; Jesus, our Lord and God, washing feet. It was a job for servants and slaves. He did it.
Peter objected.
Jesus refuted the objections.
Peter acquiesced and demanded even more cleansing from Jesus.
Jesus declined his request.
In all this, Jesus by His actions more than His words was showing us how to become a part of His kingdom. It was a kingdom in which greatness is measured by our capacity and willingness to serve. This service is seldom on a grand scale. Usually- it revolves around feeding others, cleansing others, taking care of ordinary tasks in an extraordinary manner. In this sense, we must look for the opportunities to become giants in the reign of God in doing generously what life itself presents us.
The Eucharist we share week after week will have an effect in direct proportion to our willingness to serve others. The Eucharist we receive week after week will make us more adverse to sin because sin hurts us, those we love, and is a rebellion against the reign of God. The Eucharist we receive week after week will bring the memory of Jesus' past love to life in our minds and make us aware of His present power to transform the world
The transformation that the Eucharist brings about is gentle and yet deep. It effects us in ways we can't imagine. It produces in us the fruits of love and service that too often we take for granted. Many years ago in a large steel mill a young seminarian was working in the open hearth during his summer vacation. Most of the men were rough and tumble and did not normally think of themselves as particularly religious Yet, they looked out for one another and would often go out of their way to give encouragement to one another. At the end of one particularly long shift the young seminarian was exhausted. He threw down his shovel and was taking a long overdue break. A worker he never met before came over to him, and gave him a cup of coffee. Laughing, the hulking worker exclaimed, "You'll be alright kid, as soon as we work some of that baby fat off ya." The worker was not aware of it but at that moment he was filled with the attitude that Christ wanted to instill in His apostles at the washing of the feet. The worker might not have felt religious but at that moment, he was Christ-like in his concern for another human being
Though today we commemorate the institution of the Eucharist, we do not in John's Gospel find the words of institution, "this is my body and this is my blood" as we do in the other Gospels. In the Gospel of John we find his understanding of the Elichai-ist itself spelled out in his bread of life discourse immediately after the multiplication of the loaves and the fish. Here Jesus proclaims that He is the new manna sent from heaven and that all of us who eat His body and drink his blood will never hunger or thirst for holiness again, Today, we solemnly commemorate the new manna from heaven that has sustained Christ people for centuries on end.
In devouring this heavenly manna we become new creatures in Christ. We become the person who lends a helping hand, who is present in times of need, who can be counted on to be holy and human. We become in our own ways and circumstances the manna from heaven that feeds a hungry world.
Good Friday Liturgy – April 2nd, 1999
Readings: Is. 52.13 - 53:12; Heb. 4:14-16, 5:7-9; Jn. 18:1–19:42
Outline:
1) St. Bonaventure's library of the Cross
2) Cross, symbol of love
3) John of the Cross' challenge to take on heroic tasks
4) Peter Chrysologus' description of the Cross as a source of peace
St.Thomas Aquinas one day visited St. Bonaventure to consult him on serious theological matters. Thomas admired and recognized the genius and holiness of Bonaventure even though they were from different religious orders and had different opinions on many issues. When Thomas arrived at Bonaventure's quarters he expected to see many books and manuscripts cluttering up the room. Instead he found a room entirely barren with a simple crucifix hanging on the wall. Thomas asked Bonaventure, "Where is your library? What do you study?"
Bonaventure responded by pointing to the crucifix on the wall and said "There is my library."
Bonaventure’s wisdom came from a contemplation of the Cross.
Whole libraries have been written about the mystery and the power of the cross of Christ in every language and in every era. Yet, our entire culture runs counter to the message that the Cross offers. Even our religious sentiments tend to shy away from the Cross and its awesome and threat. Today, however, we cannot escape focusing our attention on the Cross of Christ. Our entire worship service this afternoon revolves around the Cross. Our chanting,, our reading, our preaching and our reverence all cross-oriented and directed.
If the Cross is fixed in our hearts and minds, if the Cross is accepted our lives, if the Cross is cherished and not fled, we have the opportunity heroes in the kingdom of Love.
The message of the Cross is love. It is not a sugar coated easy-to-swallow type of love. It is not an artificial saccharine type of love that is empty of energy. It is a love that requires a profound giving and self-sacrifice. It is not a love that seeks self-fulfillment but a love that demands self emptying.
So few people are great lovers in our world because too few are willing to die for love itself. Christ did just this.
Married people at the honeymoon stage of their relationship receive joy and delight from one another that is comforting and ecstatic. But soon married couples realize that there is a real work to keep love alive and growing. Soon there is the awakening to the fact that it is necessary for both people to sacrifice themselves as individuals if they are to grow as a loving couple, a new and stronger type of being.
Single people, too, realize that there is a great deal of difference from simply being popular and being respected. The respected single person contributes time, effort, and creativity to family, the community, society, the parish and those in need on a regular on-going basis. The person simply living for self may prosper materially but will never grow humanly. The giving lovers are the ones who are important in this world because they make that human experience an adventure filled with dignity.
There are many exotic spiritualities and cults flourishing today. This is a sign of the human hunger for something profound and meaningful. Yet the mysticism that flows from the Cross outshines, outlasts and out loves all the pseudo-mystical experiences that are offered in novel and archaic religions. Some methods of meditation promise to ultimately teach a person how to levitate; some promise to give people extrasensory perception; some promise people the power to predict the future. The spirituality of the Cross promises to teach a person how to love.
One of the Church's greatest mystics Juan de Yepes is known to us as simply John of the Cross because he was transformed and reformed through contemplation of the sufferings of Christ on the Cross. He sums up his heroic approach to spiritual growth by urging us to "prefer not the thing which is easiest but that which is hardest, not the most but that which is least pleasant . . . desiring to be stripped and emptied of everything the world can offer and to be poor for Christ s sake:"
This is the road to perfection. It is rocky indeed and that's why we hesitate to walk it. Those who have been seasoned by life and knew well its lessons understand that what St. John of the Cross says is true of all facets of life. How many times parents are frustrated when children or adolescents complain about being forced to do things that are boring, a hassle, a bother. The parents are frustrated because it impossible to convey to the young, the truth that life itself is largely filled with unpleasant but necessary tasks. No one escapes them. As youth mature into young adults and then to middle and finally old age they discover the truth of this, learn to live with it, and mature because of it.
The Cross we reverence today reminds us that the Lord did not hesitate to embrace the pain that is part of our lives. He embraced the human situation with its joys and sorrows and in the process lifted all of life to a spiritual plane.
The meaning of the Cross is expressed most powerfully in the words of St. Peter Chrysologus:
"Listen to the Lord's appeal: 'You may run away from me as the Lord, but why not run to me as your brother? Perhaps you are filled with shame for causing my bitter passion, Do not be afraid. This cross inflicts a mortal injury, not on me, but on death. These nails no longer pain me, but only deepen your love for me. I do not, ut because of these wounds, but through them I draw you into my heart. My body was stretched on the Cross as a symbol, not of how much I suffered, but of my all-embracing love. I count it no loss to shed my blood: it is the price I have paid for your ransom. Come, then return to me and learn to know me as your brother, who repays good for evil, love for injury, and boundless charity for piercing wounds."
In other words the Cross is a sign of hope and encouragement. Whenever, we are forced to face unpleasant, difficult or tragic situations, if we look to the Cross we reverence today we will find strength and hope.
Holy Saturday –- Easter Vigil – April 3rd, 1999
1) The women's fears dispelled
2) The women deliver the good news to the apostles
3) The symbols of fire, light and water call us to a renewed life
The earth itself was quaking and shaking as the women approached the cemetery. A mighty messenger of the Lord descended from the skies, effortlessly rolled back the stone that was designed to seal the grave of graves forever. In our Gospel we see Mary Magdalene and the other Mary arriving at a place of death, the tomb, and finding a messenger of The Lord who was radiantly alive, vibrant and dazzling. The messenger was lightening, the messenger was snow, the messenger was strong, the messenger was gentle, and the message that was carried dispelled all fear. The women discovered a tomb that was shattered by the power of life and their lives and the lives of all of us were forever changed by this discovery.
Their fear was dispelled by the angel's words and their hearts overjoyed. These two women received a task, a mission, a command to deliver the good news to all of the disciples that the tomb could not contain the Lord of Love. They became apostles to the Apostles. They became the first to deliver the good news that the Lord was risen.
Once they accepted the task and were hastening to deliver the greatest news in the history of our species, they encounter the risen Lord Himself. The Lord of surprises caught them without warning, stood in front of them, blocked their path and said one word, "Peace," Shalom, the ancient Jewish greeting that is so rich in meaning, and so desperately longed for by humanity. Then both of them embraced His feet and honored Him. The Lord dispelled their fears and reaffirmed their mission to spread the good news of His triumph and His decision to meet with them in the territory in which His public life began–Galilee.
In all of its solemnity with its universal symbols of water, light fire, bread and wine, its proclamation of the scriptures, its music, its preaching and its prayers, this Vigil is an attempt to instill in us awareness of the Lord in our lives and the mission He has called each of us to perform. It is the same mission as that of the two Marys. This Vigil is to remind us to carry the news of the risen Lord s triumph to one another and the world.
The light, the fire, the water, the song, and the reflection this evening should instill in us a sense of our own purpose and importance. Even in the face of our personal trials and griefs, this Vigil is meant to give us a peace that can come from the Lord alone. Do not be surprise if this very night or during this very Vigil, the Lord calls you to a personal renewal and mission that will forever change your destiny arid that of your families. Do not be surprised that if you listen attentively you hear the risen Lord speak to you the one word of Peace, Shalom, that will still your fears and give you strength.
Easter Sunday – April 4th, 1999
Cycle A Readings: Acts 10:34, 37-43; Col. 3:1-4 or 1 Cor. 5:6-8; Jn. 20:1-9
Outline:
1) John nicknamed the eagle
2) Fixing our thoughts on higher things
3) The discovery of the courageous women
4) The race to the empty tomb
5) Our faith in the triumph of Christ gives us hope even as we approach our own and our loved ones' graves
The symbol for John the evangelist is the eagle, He followed the advice of Paul and fixed his mind on higher things and was lifted by the wind of the Holy Spirit to unprecedented heights. He soared like only an eagle can. John recounts for us how Mary Magdalene, while it was still dark, courageously went to the cemetery and discovered that the Lord was no longer in the tomb and she delivered this astounding news of the Apostles who then raced to the spot and discovered what she had said was true.
Mary Magdalene and the Apostles were faced with a puzzle and a reality that God alone could solve and explain, They knew the scriptures and knew the teachings of Jesus but @it that point were still unable to understand the mysteries of life and death. Thanks to the gift of faith we live received and the thousands of years of reflection and belief that have gone before us this Easter morning, we are able to grasp the significance of the empty tomb. The grave was no place for the Lord of Life. He dwells among the living and fills our own hearts.
The story of the empty tomb is profound and moving. It is a story that is humanly impossible to believe, but is a religious truth that is at the heart of our religion. The empty tomb marked the end of the path of Jesus' earthly existence and was the launching point of His return to the creator. The empty tomb was filled with funeral linens that were no longer needed because Jesus was now clothed in the light that darkness could not overcome. The empty tomb was a sign that one day all tombs would be empty since the risen Christ will ultimately claim for His own all those who love deeply and totally neighbor and Creator. The empty tomb is a reminder that our own graves do not mark the end of our existence in the Lord but a new stage of service in His kingdom.
The empty tomb is a consolation for us who have already lost loved ones in death and who are now buried bodily in the earth but are living with the risen Christ. The empty tomb is a powerful weapon for dispelling or holding in check our own fears about our inevitable and approaching deaths. The empty tomb is a source of courage and consolation.
The empty tomb is one reason we vest in white at funerals and rejoice even in the face of physical death. The empty tomb fills our being with wonder and awe at the power of the living Christ.
Peter addressed the crowds in the first reading and assured them that he at that point knew the meaning of the empty tomb.. He understood that it was the first sign of Christ's triumph over death. He understood that the Lord he loved would be the final arbiter or judge of the living and the dead. He knew that sin is spiritual death and leads ultimately to physical death. He knew that sin was truly conquered. The victory is ours and we celebrate it on this Easter day.
Second Sunday of Easter – April 11th, 1999
Cycle A Readings: Acts 4:42-47; 1 Pt. 1:3-9; Jn. 20:19-31
Outline:
1) The pressures parishioners are under
2) Marvelous things taken for granted in the parish
3) Peter urges us to rejoice in the Father
4) Suffering tests our faith but does not destroy it
If we reflect on the things that are taking place in our parish and too often taken for granted, reverential fear should overtake us as it did the early Christian community in Jerusalem. Christ is risen and working in our Midst.
We hold in common this parish Church and its facilities. The parish belongs to all of us and is open to all who wish to find the peace that comes from the Lord alone. Here we can bring our hopes, our dreams, our desires for a better family life, neighborhood, country and world. Here we can share our sorrows and our joys. In this Church people are married and from it they are buried. Here is where our children and those who have recently embraced the Lord receive the waters of new life in baptism. Here is where we ponder together the meaning of life and death.
The things that really matter are reflected on and prayed over here in our parish. Here is where we break bread together and are spiritually nourished. Here is where we discover the strength to change the world through praising the God of all creation. Here is where we capture the spirit that filled the Jerusalem community. It was a community with faults, tensions, conflicts and shortcomings, just like our own parish, and yet it was a community that received approval from all of the people because of its overriding sense of love and mutual forgiveness. Because of the spirit of the risen Lord, our parish too is a reflection of love’s triumph over death and despair.
In the letter of Peter the writer urges us, his readers, to praise the Father Who has given us life in Christ and is the source of joy. 'We are to praise Him and even rejoice in Him during times of stress and trials that serve to strengthen our resolve and deepen our faith. Every individual and family present here today is under pressure from all sides, I know of your sorrows, struggles for health, financial security, marital harmony and other profound challenges that face us all day after day. The setbacks and mistakes we make compound the frustrations we feel coming from areas totally beyond our control. Yet our very presence today testifies to all that we continue to love. The Lord whom we have not seen but who has touched our lives and given them meaning.
The fact that we are here testifies to our belief that Peter is right and that there is cause for rejoicing here even in the midst of suffering Our suffering either makes us stronger or breaks us down. If we strive to be united to Christ our suffering strengthens us in the long haul towards eternity. In the long journey back to God our final faith is tested. Like Thomas there are moments when we are certain that the good news is too good to be true and we doubt the Lord’s risen presence. But the Lord is present to us and ultimately reveals that the wounds that we see around us in the world and in those we love, the very wounds that test our faith in the goodness, presence and power of God are the wounds of the risen Christ himself.
In touching these wounds, Thomas made an extraordinary proclamation of faith in Christ. As we experience the potentially crushing pressures of life itself, we might feel that our faith is slipping away when in fact it is simply being forced into a new, deeper, more personal and mature stage of development. We are a part of the blest generation that, although we have not seen personally the risen Christ, we nevertheless believe. Our- presence here testifies that our faith is alive and Christ is alive in us.
Third Sunday of Easter – April 18th, 1999
Cycle A Readings: Acts 2:14, 22-28; 1 Pt. 1:17-21; Lk. 24:13-35
Outline.
1) Discussing important questions
2) The answer to "Why were we ever born?"
3) The Greek oarsman as theologian
4) The debate of the men on the road to Emmaus
5) Hearing and becoming the voice of the Lord
Are we confused by Christ's actions or apparent inactions? Do we really ponder Christ's life, death and resurrection? Have we discussed religious questions with those we love? Do we ever reflect with our closest friends on what we believe is the ultimate meaning of life and death?
Speaking of these things is not easy. Speaking honestly about God can reveal to ourselves as well as to others our deepest fears, uncertainties and insecurities. Yet, if we are to talk of things beyond simply sports, the weather, and politics, we have to eventually wrestle with mysteries that are too profound for any human being to handle.
Recently a priest was visiting a cemetery and met a ninety year old man who every Saturday for the past 37 years had visited the grave of his only son. The elderly man shared something of the sorrows of his long life with the priest and then stated, "Father, in the light of the heartbreak and disappointment I have seen through the decades, I have had to ask, Just why were we ever born?'
The priest thought a moment. He realized that the textbook answers to such a deep question like this simply was not appropriate. At that moment, it became clear to the priest how he should respond. "The reason we are born is simply to ask that one question, 'Why were we born?' We will never get a complete answer in this life but if we ask the question and wrestle with it in our thoughts and actions we will fulfill our reason for existing."
A few decades ago a priest was on vacation in Greece and was being rowed out to an island on a small boat. The oarsman, -an elderly gentleman, realizing his passenger was a Roman Catholic priest, asked him profound theological questions that have divided the Orthodox and Roman religions for centuries. His grasp of the issues was deep and his wisdom apparent. In his daily work on the sea he took the opportunity of his solitude to reflect upon things of the utmost importance and in the process was learning how to navigate his way back to the God of the oceans.
In our daily work too, we meditate and reflect on the events that took place in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago. Our minds were created precisely to deal with the Creator's intervention in this world in the very person of Christ.
The men on the road to Emmaus were debating things that really mattered. We know really nothing about them. Perhaps they were merchants, fishermen, laborers, farm hands, or craftsmen. Their occupation did not matter but their desire to know the truth did. They were straightforward men, and when a stranger approached and asked them what they were debating, Cleopas in a rather biting manner asked if he was the only one not to know about the terrible things that had happened to Jesus.
Would they ever have had this encounter on the road if they simply continued to speak about business, family or even sports? How many others walked that same road that very day that "the stranger" did not speak with? If we want to hear from Christ we must think about Him, talk about Him, and attempt with our friends to figure out what happened. When we do, the Emmaus experience will eventually overtake us.
Because we are a restless people and often seek novelty for novelty's sake, we at times wish that our worship services could be more varied and perhaps more interesting. Yet, if we were like the men on the road to Emmaus and spent time debating religious issues, reflecting on authentic mysteries, we would more likely than not experience as they did the presence of the risen Lord in the breaking of the bread.
By discussing, debating and thinking about Jesus with others we begin to hear the voice of Jesus in every sound. We fear to hear this voice because like the men on the road to Emmaus, we might have to reverse our course in life and go where the voice directs rather than where we want to go ourselves. It happened to Paul on the road to Damascus as well as to the men on the road to Emmaus.
If we hear the voice of the Lord, we will have to truly forgive all those who have seriously wronged us.
If we hear the voice of the Lord, we will have to let go of bitterness from our hearts.
If we hear the voice of the Lord, we will need to be peacemakers.
If we hear the voice of the Lord, we will have to become that voice and allow the eternal word to speak through us.
Fourth Sunday of Easter –- April 25th, 1999
Cycle A Readings: Acts 2:14; 1 Pt 2:20-25; Jn 10:1-10
Outline:
1) Following the unique hero
2) The Apostles formed by Christ
3) The Spirit of God brings us to mature faith
4) Peter urges mature Christians not to return evil for evil
5) Living up to the name the Lord calls us by
6) Gregory quote
We follow a special kind of hero. We worship a unique person. We proclaim our faith in one who was thought to be a failure. We look to one for life, even though he himself embraced death by execution. We look for healing from one who was wounded and bled to death. One who suffocated under the weight of his own body, we assert, carries the weight of humanity’s guilt, failures and struggles. We are a peculiar people.
We believe that it is possible and necessary to forgive those who hate us. In a world that promotes death and war, aggression and vengeance, intolerance, and fanaticism we believe that it is possible for sheep to survive. On a planet overrun by thieves, marauders and wolves, we know it is possible to walk gently, talk softly, and act altruistically.
We do not believe in the innate goodness of humanity. The terror of evil and the evil of terrorism that are prevalent should be enough to refute any naive understanding of the human heart. But we believe that under the watchful care of the good shepherd, the suffering servant, the Lord of life, true love is possible and heroic virtue does exist.
Knowing beyond doubt that Christ is Savior and Lord is a source of strength and integrity. Such knowing rests first of all on the- testimony of the first century disciples of the Lord and on what we ourselves can see the Lord doing in our own midst. He is the one that constantly formed and reformed the apostles until they could boldly speak a word of faith first to their own people and then to the entire world. To reach that stage, however, they made many mistakes and held many misconceptions about the Lord and his message.
The apostles themselves lived day and night with the Lord for years and did not fully grasp His message and identity until after the resurrection event completely overwhelmed them. It is not surprising, therefore, that many hear the gospel message proclaimed Sunday after Sunday for years on end and never truly grasp its importance and full significance. In reality, all of us Are in that state. Yet, the spirit of God gently leads us on to an ever greater awareness of the mysteries of life and death in Christ. As children, or at the beginning of our spiritual journeys we might see Jesus primarily as a protector and gift-giver. A sort of cosmic bodyguard and Santa Claus. A little later in our God quest we might view Jesus as an example-setter and one to imitate and follow. He is viewed as a role model. Further, in our growth we begin to see him as a mysterious link between us and the Creator. This link is all important, for it allows us to be drawn back to the source of all life and love and to fulfill our ultimate purpose as creatures.
In the first reading, Peter publicly proclaimed his mature faith in Jesus, the slain but resurrected redeemer, hero, messiah. He urged others to give their lives over to this Savior, have their sins washed away, and transcend the world of death through service of the Lord of Life.
In the second reading Peter tells of the positive nature of suffering the trials of this life. He urges all not to return insult with insult, wrong for wrong, but to live and love in just the same way that Jesus did. By so doing, our wounds become an extension 'of the healing wounds of the resurrected Christ.
These are wounds we can be proud of because they band us with the mark of love and designate us as members of Christ's sheepfold.
In John's gospel selection, Jesus asserts that he calls his sheep each by name, and those capable of distinguishing the voice of Christ follow him willingly. Whenever we heed voices that promise easy solutions to complicated problems, we end up in bitter disappointment and heartbreak. It is important to know the voice of the Lord and to respond to it if we are to live responsibly and productively in this life. It is important to learn what name that the Lord has given to us.
The Lord gives us names like:
"One who is faithful to family or friends."
"One who weeps with those who mourn."
"One who is always generous."
"One who is concerned with the lowly."
"One who endures hardships."
"One who speaks the truth with kindness."
One who honors God and neighbor."
If we have a name like the above, we are part of the sheepfold. If we are called out one by one to support one another, to care for one another, to forgive one another and respond to that call, then the flock is safe and alive.
Gregory, the Great wrote the following:
Turn now to consider how these words of our Lord imply a test for yourselves, also. Ask yourselves, whether you belong to his flock whether you, know whether the light of his truth shines in your minds. I assure you that it is not by faith that you came to know him, but by love; not by mere conviction, but by action.
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