Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13, 17-28
Psalm 105:16-21
Mathew 21:33-43, 45-46
Perhaps you have noticed that this week, we have seen a lot of death and almost-death. Abraham was going to kill Isaac. Yesterday, Lazarus and the rich man both died. Today, Joseph’s brothers were going to kill him, the favorite son of Jacob, and, in the Gospel parable, the landowner’s son is killed. This all culminates tomorrow in the parable of the Prodigal Son whom the father says was dead and is now alive again. This is all symbolic of Jesus, which his prophesy makes clear. Jesus is the beloved son who was sacrificed. Jesus was our brother whom we killed because we were jealous of how much our Father loved him.
We know that we will die. Some people live with that knowledge more present to them than others. When we are healthy, we rarely think of death. When we are young, death seems as impossible as growing old. Yet death will come. Death is the universal human experience. We speak different languages; we eat different foods; we live under different governments; but everyone in the history of the world has died or will die. Death is a brick wall that no one can go through. It ends every project, every hope, every plan. Is it impolite to speak about death? If we ignore it, will it go away?
No. We will acknowledge death. We will spend 40 days preparing to die, for we are in the season devoted to death. By fasting and almsgiving we are trying to let go of this world. By prayer we are grasping at the world to come. These days culminate in the Easter Triduum, which begins with the dying and death of Jesus Christ. Death is not the end. The Triduum ends in resurrection.
The master sent servant after servant to collect the harvest, but some they mistreated and others they killed, but the master did not give up on the land. He sent his son and they killed him too. What will the master do? He will raise his son from the dead and continue trying to get the fruit he desires. Nothing will stop the master from getting what he wants. He is relentless. He is unbeatable. The love of God is unstoppable.
Daily Homilies
Showing posts with label Death. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Death. Show all posts
March 21, 2014 - Friday of the Second Week in Lent
Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13, 17-28
Psalm 105:16-21
Mathew 21:33-43, 45-46
Perhaps you have noticed that this week, we have seen a lot of death and almost-death. Abraham was going to kill Isaac. Yesterday, Lazarus and the rich man both died. Today, Joseph’s brothers were going to kill him, the favorite son of Jacob, and, in the Gospel parable, the landowner’s son is killed. This all culminates tomorrow in the parable of the Prodigal Son whom the father says was dead and is now alive again. This is all symbolic of Jesus, which his prophesy makes clear. Jesus is the beloved son who was sacrificed. Jesus was our brother who we killed because we were jealous of how much our Father loved him.
We know that we will die. Some people live with that knowledge more present to them than others. When we are healthy, we rarely think of death. When we are young, death seems as impossible as growing old. Yet death will come. Death is the universal human experience. We speak different languages; we eat different foods; we live under different governments; but everyone has died or will die. Death is a brick wall that no one can go through. It ends every project, every hope, every plan. Is it impolite to speak about death? If we ignore it, will it go away?
No. We will acknowledge death. We will spend 40 days preparing to die, for we are in the season devoted to death. By fasting and almsgiving we are trying to let go of this world. By prayer we are grasping at the world to come. These days culminate in the Easter Triduum, which begins with the dying and death of Jesus Christ. Death is not the end. The Triduum ends in resurrection.
The master sent servant after servant to collect the harvest, but some they mistreated and others they killed, but the master did not give up on the land. He sent his son and they killed him too. What will the master do? He will raise his son from the dead and continue trying to get the fruit he desires. Nothing will stop the master from getting what he wants. He is relentless. He is unbeatable. The love of God is unstoppable.
Psalm 105:16-21
Mathew 21:33-43, 45-46
Perhaps you have noticed that this week, we have seen a lot of death and almost-death. Abraham was going to kill Isaac. Yesterday, Lazarus and the rich man both died. Today, Joseph’s brothers were going to kill him, the favorite son of Jacob, and, in the Gospel parable, the landowner’s son is killed. This all culminates tomorrow in the parable of the Prodigal Son whom the father says was dead and is now alive again. This is all symbolic of Jesus, which his prophesy makes clear. Jesus is the beloved son who was sacrificed. Jesus was our brother who we killed because we were jealous of how much our Father loved him.
We know that we will die. Some people live with that knowledge more present to them than others. When we are healthy, we rarely think of death. When we are young, death seems as impossible as growing old. Yet death will come. Death is the universal human experience. We speak different languages; we eat different foods; we live under different governments; but everyone has died or will die. Death is a brick wall that no one can go through. It ends every project, every hope, every plan. Is it impolite to speak about death? If we ignore it, will it go away?
No. We will acknowledge death. We will spend 40 days preparing to die, for we are in the season devoted to death. By fasting and almsgiving we are trying to let go of this world. By prayer we are grasping at the world to come. These days culminate in the Easter Triduum, which begins with the dying and death of Jesus Christ. Death is not the end. The Triduum ends in resurrection.
The master sent servant after servant to collect the harvest, but some they mistreated and others they killed, but the master did not give up on the land. He sent his son and they killed him too. What will the master do? He will raise his son from the dead and continue trying to get the fruit he desires. Nothing will stop the master from getting what he wants. He is relentless. He is unbeatable. The love of God is unstoppable.
March 9, 2014 - First Sunday of Lent
Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7
Psalm 51:3-6, 12-13, 17
Romans 5:12-19 or 5:12, 17-19
Matthew 4:1-11
In the beginning the world was perfect. God made it. God makes perfect things. Everything was perfect. Adam and Eve were in the garden, and life was very good. You know the story. There was lots of fruit, and they can eat any of them except one. If they eat that fruit, they will die. We might want to ask God why he even made that fruit. God might ask us where we were when he was creating the universe. God does not need to explain himself, and we probably would not understand him if he did. It was completely reasonable for there to be one tree out of a whole garden that was not for eating. Let us not try to pass the blame around here.
Eve was deceived into thinking that she should eat the fruit on the tree that was not for eating. So she ate it. Then she gave some to Adam. He was not deceived. He knew that eating the fruit would lead to death. So why did he eat it? Perhaps, seeing that Eve had eaten the fruit and would therefore die, he decided to throw in his fate with hers and ate as well, the original Romeo and Juliet. Whether he was afraid of life without Eve or afraid for her and what she would suffer, he decided to go with her into sin.
This was a mistake. When we think about all the evil in the world from his time until now, Adam’s romantic gesture seems kind of stupid. God had made the world perfect, and, up to that point, the world was perfect. Through this mistake, death came into the world. It was like throwing a hammer into perfect clockwork. Death was not a punishment by God. The world was no longer perfect. Cain will kill Abel. Even those who are not killed will die as a result of their bodies breaking down. The error having been made, death just comes right into the world.
Adam was supposed to be king of the world, so, when he sinned and let death into the world, “death reigned through him.” Adam was up here in the garden of Eden. When Eve fell, maybe there would have been some way to help her back up, but, when he jumped down after her, there was no chance. Adam and Eve were both down in imperfection now, and so are all their children, including us. It is only logical that, if the parents fall, their children, whom they have after the fall, will be down where their parents are. We all have to live now down in imperfection, because we have no way to get back up to perfection.
“From Adam until Moses” people were killing each other, committing adultery, lying, coveting, stealing, worshiping false gods, and they were unhappy. We were not made to live in imperfection. When God gave Moses the law, people still did all those things, but now they knew what was making them unhappy. The law is like turning on the light in a filthy room: the light cannot clean the room, but at least we know where all those smells are coming from.
We need something then that can get us back up to perfection. No one on earth can because we all are imperfect. Even when God flooded the earth and only Noah and his family came through, the sin came through with them. Even though Noah was a righteous man, he was not perfect. The solution is a perfect man. The solution is Jesus Christ. We see in the Gospel today that he is perfect. Satan gives him three chances to make an error, but Jesus does not fall for any of them.
These were some serious temptations. Jesus “fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry.” There is an understatement. Fasting for forty days is going to make a person very hungry. “Turn these stones into bread.” Jesus knows that he can do it too, but he does what is right and continues fasting. Jesus is standing on top of the tallest tower in Jerusalem. “Throw yourself down; the angels will catch you.” He knew that they would too. He could do it just for the fun of it, or to see if it was true, but he does not. Now Jesus is on top of a very high mountain. “Bow down and worship me and I will give you everything you see,” Satan says. What would you do for a million dollars? What would you do for all the power and riches in the world? Would you worship Satan? I mean if it was a real offer, would you? We worship him for less all the time. We worship him every time we sin. Jesus does not.
Jesus, by his obedience, conquered death and took his rightful place as king of the world. He can now offer the free gift of grace to anyone. Through Adam death entered the world, through Jesus life entered the world, but “the free gift is not like the fall.” If Jesus just brought us back to perfection, just undid the fall, we would sin again, fall again. The solution of God is greater than the mistakes of men. Jesus Christ is going to reign; he will never fall; he is perfect forever. We do not want to reign ourselves; we want to reign through him. He reigns, and, we, by “receiving the abundance of grace and the gift of justice” become united to him. He is the head; we are the body. So long as he is perfect, we get to reign, and he is always going to be perfect. No matter how imperfect we are, he is still perfect. He is like the superstar who can take this ragtag team of nobodies to the championship.
We just need to be united to Jesus. We need to be on his team. This can only be done by Jesus. He is the perfect one, only he can rescue us by his grace and his free gift. We, for our part, have to receive the gift. We have to despise the imperfections around us. We have to despise the imperfections within us. We have to let our desire for perfection rule our lives. Whatever is holding us down here, we will have to give up. Are you dissatisfied with this world? Do you want more out of life? Good! This Lent, we can cut every chain that holds us to this world and cling to Jesus instead. Then, when he rises, we will rise with him.
Psalm 51:3-6, 12-13, 17
Romans 5:12-19 or 5:12, 17-19
Matthew 4:1-11
In the beginning the world was perfect. God made it. God makes perfect things. Everything was perfect. Adam and Eve were in the garden, and life was very good. You know the story. There was lots of fruit, and they can eat any of them except one. If they eat that fruit, they will die. We might want to ask God why he even made that fruit. God might ask us where we were when he was creating the universe. God does not need to explain himself, and we probably would not understand him if he did. It was completely reasonable for there to be one tree out of a whole garden that was not for eating. Let us not try to pass the blame around here.
Eve was deceived into thinking that she should eat the fruit on the tree that was not for eating. So she ate it. Then she gave some to Adam. He was not deceived. He knew that eating the fruit would lead to death. So why did he eat it? Perhaps, seeing that Eve had eaten the fruit and would therefore die, he decided to throw in his fate with hers and ate as well, the original Romeo and Juliet. Whether he was afraid of life without Eve or afraid for her and what she would suffer, he decided to go with her into sin.
This was a mistake. When we think about all the evil in the world from his time until now, Adam’s romantic gesture seems kind of stupid. God had made the world perfect, and, up to that point, the world was perfect. Through this mistake, death came into the world. It was like throwing a hammer into perfect clockwork. Death was not a punishment by God. The world was no longer perfect. Cain will kill Abel. Even those who are not killed will die as a result of their bodies breaking down. The error having been made, death just comes right into the world.
Adam was supposed to be king of the world, so, when he sinned and let death into the world, “death reigned through him.” Adam was up here in the garden of Eden. When Eve fell, maybe there would have been some way to help her back up, but, when he jumped down after her, there was no chance. Adam and Eve were both down in imperfection now, and so are all their children, including us. It is only logical that, if the parents fall, their children, whom they have after the fall, will be down where their parents are. We all have to live now down in imperfection, because we have no way to get back up to perfection.
“From Adam until Moses” people were killing each other, committing adultery, lying, coveting, stealing, worshiping false gods, and they were unhappy. We were not made to live in imperfection. When God gave Moses the law, people still did all those things, but now they knew what was making them unhappy. The law is like turning on the light in a filthy room: the light cannot clean the room, but at least we know where all those smells are coming from.
We need something then that can get us back up to perfection. No one on earth can because we all are imperfect. Even when God flooded the earth and only Noah and his family came through, the sin came through with them. Even though Noah was a righteous man, he was not perfect. The solution is a perfect man. The solution is Jesus Christ. We see in the Gospel today that he is perfect. Satan gives him three chances to make an error, but Jesus does not fall for any of them.
These were some serious temptations. Jesus “fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry.” There is an understatement. Fasting for forty days is going to make a person very hungry. “Turn these stones into bread.” Jesus knows that he can do it too, but he does what is right and continues fasting. Jesus is standing on top of the tallest tower in Jerusalem. “Throw yourself down; the angels will catch you.” He knew that they would too. He could do it just for the fun of it, or to see if it was true, but he does not. Now Jesus is on top of a very high mountain. “Bow down and worship me and I will give you everything you see,” Satan says. What would you do for a million dollars? What would you do for all the power and riches in the world? Would you worship Satan? I mean if it was a real offer, would you? We worship him for less all the time. We worship him every time we sin. Jesus does not.
Jesus, by his obedience, conquered death and took his rightful place as king of the world. He can now offer the free gift of grace to anyone. Through Adam death entered the world, through Jesus life entered the world, but “the free gift is not like the fall.” If Jesus just brought us back to perfection, just undid the fall, we would sin again, fall again. The solution of God is greater than the mistakes of men. Jesus Christ is going to reign; he will never fall; he is perfect forever. We do not want to reign ourselves; we want to reign through him. He reigns, and, we, by “receiving the abundance of grace and the gift of justice” become united to him. He is the head; we are the body. So long as he is perfect, we get to reign, and he is always going to be perfect. No matter how imperfect we are, he is still perfect. He is like the superstar who can take this ragtag team of nobodies to the championship.
We just need to be united to Jesus. We need to be on his team. This can only be done by Jesus. He is the perfect one, only he can rescue us by his grace and his free gift. We, for our part, have to receive the gift. We have to despise the imperfections around us. We have to despise the imperfections within us. We have to let our desire for perfection rule our lives. Whatever is holding us down here, we will have to give up. Are you dissatisfied with this world? Do you want more out of life? Good! This Lent, we can cut every chain that holds us to this world and cling to Jesus instead. Then, when he rises, we will rise with him.
March 1, 2013 - Friday of the Second Week in Lent
Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13, 17-28
Psalm 105:16-21
Mathew 21:33-43, 45-46
Perhaps you have noticed that this week, we have seen a lot of death and almost-death. Abraham was going to kill Isaac. They were planning to kill Jeremiah on Wednesday, which was also when Jesus told his disciples that the Son of Man would be killed. Yesterday, Lazarus and the rich man both died. Today, Joseph’s brothers were going to kill him, the favorite son of Jacob, and, in the Gospel parable, the landowner’s son is killed. This all culminates tomorrow in the parable of the Prodigal Son whom the father says was dead and is now alive again.
This is all symbolic of Jesus, which his prophesy makes clear. Jesus is the beloved son who was sacrificed. Jesus was the prophet who so offended the leadership of Israel that they wanted to kill him. Jesus was our brother whom we killed because we were jealous of how much our Father loved him.
We know that we will die. Some people live with that knowledge more present to them than others. When we are healthy, we rarely think of death. When we are young, death seems as impossible as growing old. Yet death will come. Death is the universal human experience. We speak different languages; we eat different foods; we live under different governments; but everyone has died or will die. Death is a brick wall that no one can go through. It ends every project, every hope, every plan. Is it impolite to speak about death? If we ignore it, will it go away?
No. We will acknowledge death. We will spend 40 days preparing to die, for we are in the season devoted to death. By fasting and almsgiving we are trying to let go of this world. By prayer we are grasping at the world to come. These days culminate in the Easter Triduum, which begins with the dying and death of Jesus Christ. Death is not the end. The Triduum ends in resurrection.
The master sent servant after servant to collect the harvest, but some they mistreated and others they killed, but the master did not give up on the land. He sent his son and they killed him too. What will the master do? He will raise his son from the dead and continue trying to get the fruit he desires. Nothing will stop the master from getting what he wants. He is relentless. He is unbeatable. The love of God is unstoppable.
Psalm 105:16-21
Mathew 21:33-43, 45-46
Perhaps you have noticed that this week, we have seen a lot of death and almost-death. Abraham was going to kill Isaac. They were planning to kill Jeremiah on Wednesday, which was also when Jesus told his disciples that the Son of Man would be killed. Yesterday, Lazarus and the rich man both died. Today, Joseph’s brothers were going to kill him, the favorite son of Jacob, and, in the Gospel parable, the landowner’s son is killed. This all culminates tomorrow in the parable of the Prodigal Son whom the father says was dead and is now alive again.
This is all symbolic of Jesus, which his prophesy makes clear. Jesus is the beloved son who was sacrificed. Jesus was the prophet who so offended the leadership of Israel that they wanted to kill him. Jesus was our brother whom we killed because we were jealous of how much our Father loved him.
We know that we will die. Some people live with that knowledge more present to them than others. When we are healthy, we rarely think of death. When we are young, death seems as impossible as growing old. Yet death will come. Death is the universal human experience. We speak different languages; we eat different foods; we live under different governments; but everyone has died or will die. Death is a brick wall that no one can go through. It ends every project, every hope, every plan. Is it impolite to speak about death? If we ignore it, will it go away?
No. We will acknowledge death. We will spend 40 days preparing to die, for we are in the season devoted to death. By fasting and almsgiving we are trying to let go of this world. By prayer we are grasping at the world to come. These days culminate in the Easter Triduum, which begins with the dying and death of Jesus Christ. Death is not the end. The Triduum ends in resurrection.
The master sent servant after servant to collect the harvest, but some they mistreated and others they killed, but the master did not give up on the land. He sent his son and they killed him too. What will the master do? He will raise his son from the dead and continue trying to get the fruit he desires. Nothing will stop the master from getting what he wants. He is relentless. He is unbeatable. The love of God is unstoppable.
October 6, 2012 - Saturday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Job 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17
Psalm 119:66, 71, 75, 91, 125, 130
Luke 10:17-24
A lot of people dislike the ending of Job, because it almost suggests that everything he went through is all better because he now has twice as much as before. He lost his children, but now he has more children. We know that to some extent this is true though. When we are going through suffering, we forget the good times, and when we are going through good times, we forget the suffering. God even gives Job another 140 years to make up for the time that was lost. God has repaid Job in full for the suffering he experienced, though that suffering was really just the loss of God’s previous gifts. Then, at the end of the reading, Job dies. Sure, he was surrounded by his family. Sure, he was old and full of years. But he still dies. At the beginning of the book, God allows Satan to inflict any torture on Job so long as he does not kill him. So, in a certain sense, the ending of this book is more depressing than the beginning. Death comes for us all.
This is the point that Jesus is making to the disciples he sent out. “Do not rejoice because you have powers to remove suffering from the world, to defeat evil spirits and cure sickness, to be immune to venom, but because your names are written in heaven.” It does not matter how good we make this world if we are going to die in the end. A person can be a billionaire with every pleasure that can be purchased, but, if death is awaiting them, it does not matter how good this life was. What is the point of building a house of cards, only to see it knocked down? What is the point of a long, productive life, only to have it all destroyed by death?
This is the good news that Jesus brings: there is another possibility. This is what the kings and the prophets desired to hear but did not hear: existence is not merely a flash of lightning, gone as soon as it appears, but continues forever. And this perpetual existence, which would be torture if it were an endless succession of suffering interspersed with periodic moments of reprieve, has the potential to be different than the life we have experienced up to now. Not only will we live forever, but we will live forever with the perfect happiness of knowing God.
Psalm 119:66, 71, 75, 91, 125, 130
Luke 10:17-24
A lot of people dislike the ending of Job, because it almost suggests that everything he went through is all better because he now has twice as much as before. He lost his children, but now he has more children. We know that to some extent this is true though. When we are going through suffering, we forget the good times, and when we are going through good times, we forget the suffering. God even gives Job another 140 years to make up for the time that was lost. God has repaid Job in full for the suffering he experienced, though that suffering was really just the loss of God’s previous gifts. Then, at the end of the reading, Job dies. Sure, he was surrounded by his family. Sure, he was old and full of years. But he still dies. At the beginning of the book, God allows Satan to inflict any torture on Job so long as he does not kill him. So, in a certain sense, the ending of this book is more depressing than the beginning. Death comes for us all.
This is the point that Jesus is making to the disciples he sent out. “Do not rejoice because you have powers to remove suffering from the world, to defeat evil spirits and cure sickness, to be immune to venom, but because your names are written in heaven.” It does not matter how good we make this world if we are going to die in the end. A person can be a billionaire with every pleasure that can be purchased, but, if death is awaiting them, it does not matter how good this life was. What is the point of building a house of cards, only to see it knocked down? What is the point of a long, productive life, only to have it all destroyed by death?
This is the good news that Jesus brings: there is another possibility. This is what the kings and the prophets desired to hear but did not hear: existence is not merely a flash of lightning, gone as soon as it appears, but continues forever. And this perpetual existence, which would be torture if it were an endless succession of suffering interspersed with periodic moments of reprieve, has the potential to be different than the life we have experienced up to now. Not only will we live forever, but we will live forever with the perfect happiness of knowing God.
October 3, 2012 - Wednesday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Job 9:1-12, 14-16
Psalm 88:10-15
Luke 9:57-62
Jesus tells someone, “Follow me.” The man asks permission to go bury his father first. Does he mean “Lord, give me a few days. My father just died.” or does he mean “Lord, let me go home until my father dies someday and I bury him.”? This second possibility is not so strange. I know many people who have plans for their life which they will not begin until their parents die. I know a woman who wanted to become Catholic for 60 years, and finally joined the Church at age 70 when her mother died.
The problem with this interpretation is that Jesus was going to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. So were hundreds of thousands of Jews, surely including the man’s father if he were alive and well. We have no reason to suppose, and several reasons to doubt, that the disciples never saw their families once they started following Jesus. I think that the man’s father had just died or maybe was about to die, and he is telling Jesus that he will not be going to Passover since he has to bury his father.
Jesus says, “Let the dead bury their dead”, which is literally impossible. Dead people cannot bury someone; dead people cannot do anything. Many people interpret the sentence to mean, “Let those who are spiritually dead bury the physically dead people.” Perhaps this sounds profound at first, but the closer one considers this interpretation the stupider it seems. When everyone is a Christian, will the dead bodies just start piling up? I am very strongly of the opinion that Jesus did not say stupid things, and this is stupid. Moreover, it would make Jesus a hypocrite, since he was buried by some of his closest disciples. Burial is a good thing; it is a work of mercy. Jesus was not condemning the practice. Indeed, he is encouraging it.
I think that “dead” here means both those who have died and those who are going to die. In this sense it refers to all of us. We are all going to die. A hundred years from now, or maybe more, we will all be dead. The man asks permission to leave to perform a work of mercy, so Jesus agrees and sends him away, he says “go” not “come”. Jesus’ response could be expanded and rephrased this way, “Truly those who are going to die ought to bury those who have died. Go and bury your father, and preach the Kingdom of God when you get there."
Psalm 88:10-15
Luke 9:57-62
Jesus tells someone, “Follow me.” The man asks permission to go bury his father first. Does he mean “Lord, give me a few days. My father just died.” or does he mean “Lord, let me go home until my father dies someday and I bury him.”? This second possibility is not so strange. I know many people who have plans for their life which they will not begin until their parents die. I know a woman who wanted to become Catholic for 60 years, and finally joined the Church at age 70 when her mother died.
The problem with this interpretation is that Jesus was going to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. So were hundreds of thousands of Jews, surely including the man’s father if he were alive and well. We have no reason to suppose, and several reasons to doubt, that the disciples never saw their families once they started following Jesus. I think that the man’s father had just died or maybe was about to die, and he is telling Jesus that he will not be going to Passover since he has to bury his father.
Jesus says, “Let the dead bury their dead”, which is literally impossible. Dead people cannot bury someone; dead people cannot do anything. Many people interpret the sentence to mean, “Let those who are spiritually dead bury the physically dead people.” Perhaps this sounds profound at first, but the closer one considers this interpretation the stupider it seems. When everyone is a Christian, will the dead bodies just start piling up? I am very strongly of the opinion that Jesus did not say stupid things, and this is stupid. Moreover, it would make Jesus a hypocrite, since he was buried by some of his closest disciples. Burial is a good thing; it is a work of mercy. Jesus was not condemning the practice. Indeed, he is encouraging it.
I think that “dead” here means both those who have died and those who are going to die. In this sense it refers to all of us. We are all going to die. A hundred years from now, or maybe more, we will all be dead. The man asks permission to leave to perform a work of mercy, so Jesus agrees and sends him away, he says “go” not “come”. Jesus’ response could be expanded and rephrased this way, “Truly those who are going to die ought to bury those who have died. Go and bury your father, and preach the Kingdom of God when you get there."
September 14, 2012 - Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Numbers 21:4-9
Psalm 78:1-2, 34-38
Philippians 2:6-11
John 3:13-17
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up. The people looked upon the serpent and they were healed. We look upon Christ and we are healed. What were the people healed of? Snake bites. They looked at an image of the very thing that was killing them. So it is also with us: when we see Christ crucified we are looking at an example of the very illness we want healed. When we look at a crucifix, we are looking at sin and death. What greater symbol of sin exists? Violence and pride and every evil are contained in the act of crucifying the one who loves us. More than this, our enemy is death and when we see Jesus dead on the Cross we see death itself.
Is this just magic? No, the bronze serpent did not heal the Israelites; God did. We are saved by faith. As Jesus tells us, “just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” Jesus was crucified so that, believing in him, we would have eternal life. We look upon him whom we have killed and, believing that he is God, we enter into his death, and by dying with him we will also rise with him.
Jesus was obedient, even to death on the Cross. We see this and enter into that obedience, even to the particular death destined for each of us. Remember that you are going to die. Death is not optional! Every moment of life is preparation for your death, preparation to die together with Jesus. Your death will probably come sooner than you expect. Be ready to die; be ready to die today.
Today we celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, how two simple pieces of wood became glorious beyond measure because of how they helped save the world by participating in the death of Jesus Christ. Consider how the beams were once part of a living tree. They died and, in death, became united forever with the death of Jesus Christ. We are these beams of wood. We must be as closely united to Christ as he was to that Cross, no room in between for anything else. We must die with Christ and then be exalted.
Psalm 78:1-2, 34-38
Philippians 2:6-11
John 3:13-17
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up. The people looked upon the serpent and they were healed. We look upon Christ and we are healed. What were the people healed of? Snake bites. They looked at an image of the very thing that was killing them. So it is also with us: when we see Christ crucified we are looking at an example of the very illness we want healed. When we look at a crucifix, we are looking at sin and death. What greater symbol of sin exists? Violence and pride and every evil are contained in the act of crucifying the one who loves us. More than this, our enemy is death and when we see Jesus dead on the Cross we see death itself.
Is this just magic? No, the bronze serpent did not heal the Israelites; God did. We are saved by faith. As Jesus tells us, “just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” Jesus was crucified so that, believing in him, we would have eternal life. We look upon him whom we have killed and, believing that he is God, we enter into his death, and by dying with him we will also rise with him.
Jesus was obedient, even to death on the Cross. We see this and enter into that obedience, even to the particular death destined for each of us. Remember that you are going to die. Death is not optional! Every moment of life is preparation for your death, preparation to die together with Jesus. Your death will probably come sooner than you expect. Be ready to die; be ready to die today.
Today we celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, how two simple pieces of wood became glorious beyond measure because of how they helped save the world by participating in the death of Jesus Christ. Consider how the beams were once part of a living tree. They died and, in death, became united forever with the death of Jesus Christ. We are these beams of wood. We must be as closely united to Christ as he was to that Cross, no room in between for anything else. We must die with Christ and then be exalted.
June 29, 2011 - Solemnity of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Apostles (Mass during the day)
Acts 12:1-11
Psalm 34:2-9
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18
Matthew 16:13-19
“Upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of the underworld shall not prevail against it.” The gates of the underworld shall not prevail against the Church. What does it mean for a gate to prevail? It means that the gate is able to stand up against attacks. What does it mean then that a gate will not prevail? It means that the gate will fall down after being attacked. The Church is on the attack, and the gate is going to fall.
Which gate? The gate of the underworld. The underworld, in Greek, Hades. The older English translations said the gates of Hell, but that is not quite correct. Jesus uses the word Hades in the Gospels to refer to a place where the souls of the dead gather, rather than a place of punishment, which he calls Gehenna or simply Outside or The Darkness. After Jesus died on the Cross, he went to Hades and led all of the good Old Testament people to heaven: Adam and Eve and Noah and Abraham and Moses and many others.
Which brings up an important point: a gate can be attacked from two sides. Sometimes a gate is attacked by invaders trying to get in, and sometimes a gate is attacked by prisoners trying to get out. It seems that the second applies in this case. We are not trying to conquer the land of the dead; we want to leave.
For we are in the land of the dead right now. We are, of course, biologically alive, but spiritually we are mostly dead. We want to leave the land of the dead and get into the land of the living, the kingdom of life, the Kingdom of God. The Church is, even now, engaged in a fierce battle to destroy the gate of death. Those of us who stand on this side of the gate can see those who have broken through, who are now fully alive.
Today we celebrate two such conquering heroes: St. Peter and St. Paul. Both of these men broke through the gate and hordes of Christians followed after them to life. We know that they were fully alive because when they were threatened with death neither was afraid. They both ended their lives as glorious witnesses of the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Let us not shrink back from our own assault on the gates of the underworld. The fight is brutal, but we already know who will prevail.
Psalm 34:2-9
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18
Matthew 16:13-19
“Upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of the underworld shall not prevail against it.” The gates of the underworld shall not prevail against the Church. What does it mean for a gate to prevail? It means that the gate is able to stand up against attacks. What does it mean then that a gate will not prevail? It means that the gate will fall down after being attacked. The Church is on the attack, and the gate is going to fall.
Which gate? The gate of the underworld. The underworld, in Greek, Hades. The older English translations said the gates of Hell, but that is not quite correct. Jesus uses the word Hades in the Gospels to refer to a place where the souls of the dead gather, rather than a place of punishment, which he calls Gehenna or simply Outside or The Darkness. After Jesus died on the Cross, he went to Hades and led all of the good Old Testament people to heaven: Adam and Eve and Noah and Abraham and Moses and many others.
Which brings up an important point: a gate can be attacked from two sides. Sometimes a gate is attacked by invaders trying to get in, and sometimes a gate is attacked by prisoners trying to get out. It seems that the second applies in this case. We are not trying to conquer the land of the dead; we want to leave.
For we are in the land of the dead right now. We are, of course, biologically alive, but spiritually we are mostly dead. We want to leave the land of the dead and get into the land of the living, the kingdom of life, the Kingdom of God. The Church is, even now, engaged in a fierce battle to destroy the gate of death. Those of us who stand on this side of the gate can see those who have broken through, who are now fully alive.
Today we celebrate two such conquering heroes: St. Peter and St. Paul. Both of these men broke through the gate and hordes of Christians followed after them to life. We know that they were fully alive because when they were threatened with death neither was afraid. They both ended their lives as glorious witnesses of the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Let us not shrink back from our own assault on the gates of the underworld. The fight is brutal, but we already know who will prevail.
Funeral Homily
Every night at 7:00, ******* prayed the Rosary along with a CD. And every Hail Mary ended, “pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.” 50 times they said this every night; year after year, they prayed this prayer. Throughout *******’s life he prayed the Hail Mary hundreds of thousands of times, each time saying, “pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.” Last Thursday, at 1:30 in the morning, as *******’s breath changed from the steady, labored breath we had heard all day, I prayed over and over the Hail Mary: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.” Because it was the hour of death. All of those prayers over a lifetime were for that hour.
That hour is going to come for all of us. That hour is a certain fact that no one can take from us. We do not know when it will come, but it will come. Rich or poor, everyone experiences that hour. How we react to this fact is our decision. Sometimes we notice the shadow that that hour casts over every other hour of life. This is the realistic view. Every accomplishment, every little success, every moment of pleasure exists in the same reality as death. Usually we try as much as possible to forget this fact, seeking happiness in ignorance or at least forgetfulness. But we are going to die, and everyone we love is going to die. This is not a religious doctrine but a fact, indisputably true. And when death comes for someone we love, we are forced to deal with this fact.
It is in the context of this reality that Jesus speaks: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Death is part of reality, but so is Jesus. Jesus is a man who came to earth and said that death is not the end. He said that he came from a reality beyond our senses and that in that reality there is a place for us. Jesus, who claims to come from the reality beyond death, tells us that he has prepared a place for us to live after death. The fact of death is indisputable, but what exactly death is, we do not know. Death is an experience that none of us have had, so how could we think that we know what the experience really is? We know what we can see: the functions of the body stop, but this is merely what we who live can see.
It is like birth. Before they are born, what does a child know about life outside the womb? Nothing really. And if we imagine twins, and one is born, what does the other know? Only that their twin is gone but nothing about where they went. Yet all of us, having been born, know that, though we were alive for those first nine months, our lives as we now know them did not really get started until we were born. So we count our lives from the day of our birth and can even forget the life that came before.
This seems to be what Jesus is saying, that death is like birth, that our lives now are like the life of a child in the womb. And just as a child is not meant to live forever in the womb, so we are not meant to live forever here. Ten thousand years from now, will we look back on this life as a mere prelude of what is to come? If we consider life and death in this way, then death is not the end but the beginning. ******* has stepped through that door and right now he knows what is on the other side.
If we view reality in this way, then this life is a time of preparation. Our purpose in this life is to get ready for the next life. What matters about this life is not what we have accumulated nor what we have accomplished, as the world sees accomplishment. Whether we have become famous or rich or successful in this world that is passing away is sort of beside the point, because none of that is going to make us ready for the world to come. What matters is that we become humble and generous and loving.
When I think of *******, that is what I remember. He is for me the example of generosity. I do not think I ever heard him say “no” when someone needed him. Whether he was looking after the widow of a friend, running into a burning building without oxygen to save someone, or providing for his own family, he did not think of the inconvenience to himself or what he would get out of it. He taught me what I know about forgetting myself and serving others. I do not mean to say that he was perfect, but he was a man who, by the end of his life, never settled for just accepting his imperfections but was always trying to be better.
And how did he work at being better? By hours spent in that Adoration chapel, by a certain prayer he said every day for sobriety, by attending Mass every week and many weekdays, by confessing his sins, and by the Rosary he prayed every evening. He followed the instruction of Jesus, who says in this Gospel concerning how to get to those dwelling places in his Father’s house, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Jesus has prepared a place for us on the other side of death, and Jesus is the way to prepare ourselves for that place. Jesus granted us entrance to that place by his own death and Resurrection. Considering all that Jesus has done for us, would he refuse someone who placed their faith in him? Absolutely not. He created each of us so that we would choose eternal happiness with him. ******* can see something now which we are still blind to, ******* has begun an adventure which is still in our future, but really, he began that adventure in this life when he decided to follow Jesus.
That hour is going to come for all of us. That hour is a certain fact that no one can take from us. We do not know when it will come, but it will come. Rich or poor, everyone experiences that hour. How we react to this fact is our decision. Sometimes we notice the shadow that that hour casts over every other hour of life. This is the realistic view. Every accomplishment, every little success, every moment of pleasure exists in the same reality as death. Usually we try as much as possible to forget this fact, seeking happiness in ignorance or at least forgetfulness. But we are going to die, and everyone we love is going to die. This is not a religious doctrine but a fact, indisputably true. And when death comes for someone we love, we are forced to deal with this fact.
It is in the context of this reality that Jesus speaks: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Death is part of reality, but so is Jesus. Jesus is a man who came to earth and said that death is not the end. He said that he came from a reality beyond our senses and that in that reality there is a place for us. Jesus, who claims to come from the reality beyond death, tells us that he has prepared a place for us to live after death. The fact of death is indisputable, but what exactly death is, we do not know. Death is an experience that none of us have had, so how could we think that we know what the experience really is? We know what we can see: the functions of the body stop, but this is merely what we who live can see.
It is like birth. Before they are born, what does a child know about life outside the womb? Nothing really. And if we imagine twins, and one is born, what does the other know? Only that their twin is gone but nothing about where they went. Yet all of us, having been born, know that, though we were alive for those first nine months, our lives as we now know them did not really get started until we were born. So we count our lives from the day of our birth and can even forget the life that came before.
This seems to be what Jesus is saying, that death is like birth, that our lives now are like the life of a child in the womb. And just as a child is not meant to live forever in the womb, so we are not meant to live forever here. Ten thousand years from now, will we look back on this life as a mere prelude of what is to come? If we consider life and death in this way, then death is not the end but the beginning. ******* has stepped through that door and right now he knows what is on the other side.
If we view reality in this way, then this life is a time of preparation. Our purpose in this life is to get ready for the next life. What matters about this life is not what we have accumulated nor what we have accomplished, as the world sees accomplishment. Whether we have become famous or rich or successful in this world that is passing away is sort of beside the point, because none of that is going to make us ready for the world to come. What matters is that we become humble and generous and loving.
When I think of *******, that is what I remember. He is for me the example of generosity. I do not think I ever heard him say “no” when someone needed him. Whether he was looking after the widow of a friend, running into a burning building without oxygen to save someone, or providing for his own family, he did not think of the inconvenience to himself or what he would get out of it. He taught me what I know about forgetting myself and serving others. I do not mean to say that he was perfect, but he was a man who, by the end of his life, never settled for just accepting his imperfections but was always trying to be better.
And how did he work at being better? By hours spent in that Adoration chapel, by a certain prayer he said every day for sobriety, by attending Mass every week and many weekdays, by confessing his sins, and by the Rosary he prayed every evening. He followed the instruction of Jesus, who says in this Gospel concerning how to get to those dwelling places in his Father’s house, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Jesus has prepared a place for us on the other side of death, and Jesus is the way to prepare ourselves for that place. Jesus granted us entrance to that place by his own death and Resurrection. Considering all that Jesus has done for us, would he refuse someone who placed their faith in him? Absolutely not. He created each of us so that we would choose eternal happiness with him. ******* can see something now which we are still blind to, ******* has begun an adventure which is still in our future, but really, he began that adventure in this life when he decided to follow Jesus.
April 8, 2012 - Easter Sunday: Solemnity of the Resurrection of The Lord
Today's Readings
Jesus Christ is Risen, Alleluia! Jesus Christ is Risen, Alleluia! No matter what the headline of the Daily News is today, we’ve got bigger news: Jesus Christ is Risen, Alleluia! That’s the headline; here’s the story: In the beginning, God made humans. We sinned. Then God became human. We killed him. Then God rose from the dead, and he still loves us. No news, domestic or foreign, is more interesting than that. Two-thousand years ago, Peter declared to the Nations the Good News of Jesus Christ. Today I proclaim that same news to you: Jesus Christ is Risen, Alleluia, and everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.
What an amazing offer: forgiveness of sins through his name! Jesus crossed over to the realms of death and brought back victory through his cross. And what a victory! What else could we want? What else could we need? Who needs food, who needs water, who needs air to breathe so long as we have got forgiveness of sins?
Two-thousand years ago, those to whom Peter spoke received this news with joy. This was the answer to a question which consumed their lives. Through the centuries the nations throughout the world received this news with joy. Christianity grew from a handful of people to two billion strong. Has this message lost its power now? Can news which is 2000 years old still be news? Last night, a large crowd of people came forward and were baptized for the forgiveness of sins: tens of thousands in our country, untold numbers throughout the world, ____ right here in ____. The call of the good news still has power in their lives. Last night this crowd died with Christ in baptism and was raised with Christ in grace. How wonderful to see these new Christians pass through the waters of baptism to new life.
This good news is still powerful, and it will remain powerful. It is the only solution to our problems. So long as sin remains in the world, we will need forgiveness of sins. So long as sin has power in each of our souls, we will need forgiveness of sins.
It is unfortunate that today of all days, on Easter Sunday, we must recall sin and death. Today should be a day of joy, but how can we rejoice at the good news if we do not first know the bad news? Who will rejoice at the headline: “War Ends” unless they knew that there was a war? If tonight it is announced that some deadly disease has been cured, we might all express mild gladness, but if we and our family had this disease, the news would cause us to leap for joy. Jesus Christ is Risen, Alleluia! This should cause us to do cartwheels down that aisle.
The Resurrection is not only about something that happens after we die. The Resurrection is taking place right now in our lives. It is the potential for our lives to be different, to be amazing. Perhaps someone will say, “But I haven’t done anything really bad; I’ve never killed anyone.” Do not set your standards according to how depraved and selfish and evil humanity can get. What about how good we can be? What about John Paul II? What about Mother Theresa? What about St. Francis of Assisi? What about Jesus? How are you doing compared to them? The Resurrection means that we can be like them. It is the opportunity to be no longer mediocre.
The Resurrection is not only for after we die, but it is for then too. Death is the universal human experience. You are all going to die. You and I and every single person in the world is going to die. We do not like to think about it, I know. We try to forget about death because it is unpleasant and frightening. But it does not have to be like that anymore.
If the Resurrection of Jesus Christ was only about an innocent man recovering from death, we would be happy for him, but if the Resurrection signifies that Jesus Christ went down to Hell and destroyed the power of death, that he has unlocked our prison, that we are free to go, then we can rejoice. The good news today is not only the good news, it is the best news. The joy of today cannot be ranked with other joys. We can spend forever perfectly happy with God. What could be better?
Say Alleluia with me: Alleluia! Now say it louder! Alleluia! Christ is risen! Alleluia! Rejoice! Alleluia! Sin is overpowered! Alleluia! Death is defeated! Alleluia! God loves us! Alleluia! Heaven is full of people, right now, just like us! Alleluia! We can go to heaven too! Alleluia! We killed Jesus Christ, but he rose from the dead! Alleluia! And he still loves us! Alleluia! We do not need to hate anymore! Alleluia! We do not need to be afraid anymore! Alleluia! We do not need to try to be rich anymore! Alleluia! Every tear will be wiped away! Alleluia! All suffering in this world will be joy in the next! Alleluia! The Devil cannot hold on to us! Alleluia! We are weak, but God is strong! Alleluia! We have been pre-accepted into heaven! Alleluia! We just have to go! Alleluia! Let us begin the journey right now! Alleluia! We are going to be rich! Alleluia! We are going to be strong! Alleluia! We are going to see what we could not see! Alleluia! We are going to meet Jesus! Alleluia! And all the saints in heaven! Alleluia! Praise God! Alleluia! Jesus Christ is risen! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Jesus Christ is Risen, Alleluia! Jesus Christ is Risen, Alleluia! No matter what the headline of the Daily News is today, we’ve got bigger news: Jesus Christ is Risen, Alleluia! That’s the headline; here’s the story: In the beginning, God made humans. We sinned. Then God became human. We killed him. Then God rose from the dead, and he still loves us. No news, domestic or foreign, is more interesting than that. Two-thousand years ago, Peter declared to the Nations the Good News of Jesus Christ. Today I proclaim that same news to you: Jesus Christ is Risen, Alleluia, and everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.
What an amazing offer: forgiveness of sins through his name! Jesus crossed over to the realms of death and brought back victory through his cross. And what a victory! What else could we want? What else could we need? Who needs food, who needs water, who needs air to breathe so long as we have got forgiveness of sins?
Two-thousand years ago, those to whom Peter spoke received this news with joy. This was the answer to a question which consumed their lives. Through the centuries the nations throughout the world received this news with joy. Christianity grew from a handful of people to two billion strong. Has this message lost its power now? Can news which is 2000 years old still be news? Last night, a large crowd of people came forward and were baptized for the forgiveness of sins: tens of thousands in our country, untold numbers throughout the world, ____ right here in ____. The call of the good news still has power in their lives. Last night this crowd died with Christ in baptism and was raised with Christ in grace. How wonderful to see these new Christians pass through the waters of baptism to new life.
This good news is still powerful, and it will remain powerful. It is the only solution to our problems. So long as sin remains in the world, we will need forgiveness of sins. So long as sin has power in each of our souls, we will need forgiveness of sins.
It is unfortunate that today of all days, on Easter Sunday, we must recall sin and death. Today should be a day of joy, but how can we rejoice at the good news if we do not first know the bad news? Who will rejoice at the headline: “War Ends” unless they knew that there was a war? If tonight it is announced that some deadly disease has been cured, we might all express mild gladness, but if we and our family had this disease, the news would cause us to leap for joy. Jesus Christ is Risen, Alleluia! This should cause us to do cartwheels down that aisle.
The Resurrection is not only about something that happens after we die. The Resurrection is taking place right now in our lives. It is the potential for our lives to be different, to be amazing. Perhaps someone will say, “But I haven’t done anything really bad; I’ve never killed anyone.” Do not set your standards according to how depraved and selfish and evil humanity can get. What about how good we can be? What about John Paul II? What about Mother Theresa? What about St. Francis of Assisi? What about Jesus? How are you doing compared to them? The Resurrection means that we can be like them. It is the opportunity to be no longer mediocre.
The Resurrection is not only for after we die, but it is for then too. Death is the universal human experience. You are all going to die. You and I and every single person in the world is going to die. We do not like to think about it, I know. We try to forget about death because it is unpleasant and frightening. But it does not have to be like that anymore.
If the Resurrection of Jesus Christ was only about an innocent man recovering from death, we would be happy for him, but if the Resurrection signifies that Jesus Christ went down to Hell and destroyed the power of death, that he has unlocked our prison, that we are free to go, then we can rejoice. The good news today is not only the good news, it is the best news. The joy of today cannot be ranked with other joys. We can spend forever perfectly happy with God. What could be better?
Say Alleluia with me: Alleluia! Now say it louder! Alleluia! Christ is risen! Alleluia! Rejoice! Alleluia! Sin is overpowered! Alleluia! Death is defeated! Alleluia! God loves us! Alleluia! Heaven is full of people, right now, just like us! Alleluia! We can go to heaven too! Alleluia! We killed Jesus Christ, but he rose from the dead! Alleluia! And he still loves us! Alleluia! We do not need to hate anymore! Alleluia! We do not need to be afraid anymore! Alleluia! We do not need to try to be rich anymore! Alleluia! Every tear will be wiped away! Alleluia! All suffering in this world will be joy in the next! Alleluia! The Devil cannot hold on to us! Alleluia! We are weak, but God is strong! Alleluia! We have been pre-accepted into heaven! Alleluia! We just have to go! Alleluia! Let us begin the journey right now! Alleluia! We are going to be rich! Alleluia! We are going to be strong! Alleluia! We are going to see what we could not see! Alleluia! We are going to meet Jesus! Alleluia! And all the saints in heaven! Alleluia! Praise God! Alleluia! Jesus Christ is risen! Alleluia! Alleluia!
March 9, 2012 - Friday of the Second Week in Lent
Today's Readings
Perhaps you have noticed that this week, we have seen a lot of death and almost-death. Abraham was going to kill Isaac. They were planning to kill Jeremiah on Wednesday, which was also when Jesus told his disciples that the Son of Man would be killed. Yesterday, Lazarus and the rich man both died. Today, Joseph’s brothers were going to kill him, the favorite son of Jacob, and, in the Gospel parable, the landowner’s son is killed. This all culminates tomorrow in the parable of the Prodigal Son whom the father says was dead and is now alive again.
This is all symbolic of Jesus, which his prophesy makes clear. Jesus is the beloved son who was sacrificed. Jesus was the prophet who so offended the leadership of Israel that they wanted to kill him. Jesus was our brother who we killed because we were jealous of how much our Father loved him.
We know that we will die. Some people live with that knowledge more present to them than others. When we are healthy, we rarely think of death. When we are young, death seems as impossible as growing old. Yet death will come. Death is the universal human experience. We speak different languages; we eat different foods; we live under different governments; but everyone has died or will die. Death is a brick wall that no one can go through. It ends every project, every hope, every plan. Is it impolite to speak about death? If we ignore it, will it go away?
No. We will acknowledge death. We will spend 40 days preparing to die, for we are in the season devoted to death. By fasting and almsgiving we are trying to let go of this world. By prayer we are grasping at the world to come. These days culminate in the Easter Triduum, which begins with the dying and death of Jesus Christ. Death is not the end. The Triduum ends in resurrection.
The master sent servant after servant to collect the harvest, but some they mistreated and others they killed, but the master did not give up on the land. He sent his son and they killed him too. What will the master do? He will raise his son from the dead and continue trying to get the fruit he desires. Nothing will stop the master from getting what he wants. He is relentless. He is unbeatable. The love of God is unstoppable.
Perhaps you have noticed that this week, we have seen a lot of death and almost-death. Abraham was going to kill Isaac. They were planning to kill Jeremiah on Wednesday, which was also when Jesus told his disciples that the Son of Man would be killed. Yesterday, Lazarus and the rich man both died. Today, Joseph’s brothers were going to kill him, the favorite son of Jacob, and, in the Gospel parable, the landowner’s son is killed. This all culminates tomorrow in the parable of the Prodigal Son whom the father says was dead and is now alive again.
This is all symbolic of Jesus, which his prophesy makes clear. Jesus is the beloved son who was sacrificed. Jesus was the prophet who so offended the leadership of Israel that they wanted to kill him. Jesus was our brother who we killed because we were jealous of how much our Father loved him.
We know that we will die. Some people live with that knowledge more present to them than others. When we are healthy, we rarely think of death. When we are young, death seems as impossible as growing old. Yet death will come. Death is the universal human experience. We speak different languages; we eat different foods; we live under different governments; but everyone has died or will die. Death is a brick wall that no one can go through. It ends every project, every hope, every plan. Is it impolite to speak about death? If we ignore it, will it go away?
No. We will acknowledge death. We will spend 40 days preparing to die, for we are in the season devoted to death. By fasting and almsgiving we are trying to let go of this world. By prayer we are grasping at the world to come. These days culminate in the Easter Triduum, which begins with the dying and death of Jesus Christ. Death is not the end. The Triduum ends in resurrection.
The master sent servant after servant to collect the harvest, but some they mistreated and others they killed, but the master did not give up on the land. He sent his son and they killed him too. What will the master do? He will raise his son from the dead and continue trying to get the fruit he desires. Nothing will stop the master from getting what he wants. He is relentless. He is unbeatable. The love of God is unstoppable.
December 24, 2011 - Saturday of the Fourth Week of Advent
Today's Readings
As we conclude Advent today, we once again see a theme that runs through Advent, that of beginning and end. In John the Baptist, we have the end of prophecy and the beginning of the Kingdom of God. In the Annunciation, the visit of Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary, we have the end of the time of promise and the beginning of the time of fulfillment. And Advent also commemorates the end of the world, which we call the end of the world because it is our world and we are used to it, but it is really the beginning of the next world.
Our readings today carry this theme. In our Gospel, Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist gives one last prophecy, the last prophecy of the Old Testament. It is like the prophecy of Abraham, and the prophecy of Balaam, and the prophecy of Moses, and Isaiah, and Ezekiel, and Malachi, and the other Zechariah, except that it is being fulfilled even as he speaks.
What is the difference between us and someone 3000 years ago? They did not have cars or smartphones or computers. They did not know anyone who had been to the moon. But the greatest difference is not any of this. The greatest difference is that they did not have Jesus. Of course, Jesus existed. He is God. He has always existed and always will exist, but he had not come yet in a body, he had not yet lain in a manger.
This difference is captured by Zechariah at the end of his prophecy: “By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will visit us, to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.” Back then, death cast a shadow across one’s whole life. No matter how good life was, whether the emperor of Rome or the richest man in the world, the looming prospect of death overshadowed every pleasure.
But it is not so for us. The dawn from on high, Jesus Christ, has come, and just as the dawn out there is destroying every shadow, so this shadow is being destroyed. Death remains, but it no longer casts a shadow over life. We do not have to be afraid of death anymore. It no longer signifies destruction. It is an end but also a beginning.
As we conclude Advent today, we once again see a theme that runs through Advent, that of beginning and end. In John the Baptist, we have the end of prophecy and the beginning of the Kingdom of God. In the Annunciation, the visit of Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary, we have the end of the time of promise and the beginning of the time of fulfillment. And Advent also commemorates the end of the world, which we call the end of the world because it is our world and we are used to it, but it is really the beginning of the next world.
Our readings today carry this theme. In our Gospel, Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist gives one last prophecy, the last prophecy of the Old Testament. It is like the prophecy of Abraham, and the prophecy of Balaam, and the prophecy of Moses, and Isaiah, and Ezekiel, and Malachi, and the other Zechariah, except that it is being fulfilled even as he speaks.
What is the difference between us and someone 3000 years ago? They did not have cars or smartphones or computers. They did not know anyone who had been to the moon. But the greatest difference is not any of this. The greatest difference is that they did not have Jesus. Of course, Jesus existed. He is God. He has always existed and always will exist, but he had not come yet in a body, he had not yet lain in a manger.
This difference is captured by Zechariah at the end of his prophecy: “By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will visit us, to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.” Back then, death cast a shadow across one’s whole life. No matter how good life was, whether the emperor of Rome or the richest man in the world, the looming prospect of death overshadowed every pleasure.
But it is not so for us. The dawn from on high, Jesus Christ, has come, and just as the dawn out there is destroying every shadow, so this shadow is being destroyed. Death remains, but it no longer casts a shadow over life. We do not have to be afraid of death anymore. It no longer signifies destruction. It is an end but also a beginning.
November 23, 2011 - Memorial of Blessed Miguel Pro, Martyr
Today we commemorate Blessed Miguel Pro, who died about 90 years ago. He was a Catholic at a time when it was illegal to be Catholic. He was a priest at a time when it was illegal to be a priest. He celebrated Mass though the Mass was illegal. He used to sneak around from place to place in disguise, celebrating the sacraments for all those criminals who refused to stop worshiping God in the way handed down to us from the apostles. Then they caught him and shot him.
Miguel Pro is special among the saints. We only have photographs of the most recent saints, those who lived during the last hundred years or so, and these photographs are precious relics. Yet even in this case Blessed Miguel is special, for we have a photo of him taken at the moment of his martyrdom. We actually are able to see how he died. He was shot by Mexican soldiers while standing like this – like Jesus on the Cross. This was a very common way of praying in Mexico and it is a perfect image of how we ought to live and how we ought to die.
In his posture, Blessed Miguel is giving the meaning of his own martyrdom. He is unified to Christ in that moment captured in the photo. Christ told us that the world would hate us for believing in him. Blessed Miguel experienced their hatred. The hatred of the world is an ugly thing; human suffering and death is repulsive, but his death became beautiful because he joined it to the Cross.
We might not see the kind of persecution that arose in Mexico in the 1920’s, but then not many people would have expected that to happen in Mexico until it did. Christians are the most persecuted religion by far. Though we have no persecution right here, there are Christians suffering throughout the world. Perhaps someday there will be a persecution right here. Whether we face martyrdom someday or we go on living as we are and die as we expect, we can learn how to die from Blessed Miguel. Whether we die suddenly or after a long decline, whether we suffer much or little, if we die like this – like Jesus – then it will be a beautiful death.
Miguel Pro is special among the saints. We only have photographs of the most recent saints, those who lived during the last hundred years or so, and these photographs are precious relics. Yet even in this case Blessed Miguel is special, for we have a photo of him taken at the moment of his martyrdom. We actually are able to see how he died. He was shot by Mexican soldiers while standing like this – like Jesus on the Cross. This was a very common way of praying in Mexico and it is a perfect image of how we ought to live and how we ought to die.
In his posture, Blessed Miguel is giving the meaning of his own martyrdom. He is unified to Christ in that moment captured in the photo. Christ told us that the world would hate us for believing in him. Blessed Miguel experienced their hatred. The hatred of the world is an ugly thing; human suffering and death is repulsive, but his death became beautiful because he joined it to the Cross.
We might not see the kind of persecution that arose in Mexico in the 1920’s, but then not many people would have expected that to happen in Mexico until it did. Christians are the most persecuted religion by far. Though we have no persecution right here, there are Christians suffering throughout the world. Perhaps someday there will be a persecution right here. Whether we face martyrdom someday or we go on living as we are and die as we expect, we can learn how to die from Blessed Miguel. Whether we die suddenly or after a long decline, whether we suffer much or little, if we die like this – like Jesus – then it will be a beautiful death.
November 19, 2011 - Saturday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time
Today's Readings
The Sadducees think that they are so clever with their ad absurdum proof that there is no Resurrection. Imagine when the woman dies and is married to all seven men! Surely that is too ridiculous, so there must not be a Resurrection. Their argument is no mere trick. They understood that when a woman's husband dies, she is not married anymore. How could that be unless death is final? When a man goes on a trip, his wife is not considered a widow. So, if death were temporary, why is it treated differently?
Jesus tells the Sadducees that their logic is not perfect. True, death does end something permanently; they are right to notice that implication of the law, yet what is ended is not life but only this life. The next life is not simply a continuation ad infinitum of this existence. The next life is not even just a improved version of this life: no pain or suffering but otherwise the same.
No. The life to come is different. It is better. It is different essentially, not merely in the execution. In the life to come we will be like angels; we will be children of God because we will be the children of the Resurrection. In the life to come there will be no marriage because there will not be anyone born there who was not born here. In the life to come there will be no marriage because we will not be alone anymore, in need of a companion.
“After that they did not dare ask him any more questions.” What? After he answers so well, so beautifully? I have a thousand questions to ask him. Did they not ask any more because they knew that they would not be able to get the better of him? They must truly be blind if the only reason they can think of for asking a question is to prove their own point.
However, they are right to not ask any questions. If I met a wise teacher, I would ask many questions in order to learn their wisdom, but Jesus is so much more than a wise teacher; he is so much greater. The only appropriate response to Jesus is cling to him, listening, like the simple people of Jerusalem were doing. It is always a Pharisee or a Sadducee or a scribe or a rich man who asks Jesus a question. The simple people knew better.
The Sadducees think that they are so clever with their ad absurdum proof that there is no Resurrection. Imagine when the woman dies and is married to all seven men! Surely that is too ridiculous, so there must not be a Resurrection. Their argument is no mere trick. They understood that when a woman's husband dies, she is not married anymore. How could that be unless death is final? When a man goes on a trip, his wife is not considered a widow. So, if death were temporary, why is it treated differently?
Jesus tells the Sadducees that their logic is not perfect. True, death does end something permanently; they are right to notice that implication of the law, yet what is ended is not life but only this life. The next life is not simply a continuation ad infinitum of this existence. The next life is not even just a improved version of this life: no pain or suffering but otherwise the same.
No. The life to come is different. It is better. It is different essentially, not merely in the execution. In the life to come we will be like angels; we will be children of God because we will be the children of the Resurrection. In the life to come there will be no marriage because there will not be anyone born there who was not born here. In the life to come there will be no marriage because we will not be alone anymore, in need of a companion.
“After that they did not dare ask him any more questions.” What? After he answers so well, so beautifully? I have a thousand questions to ask him. Did they not ask any more because they knew that they would not be able to get the better of him? They must truly be blind if the only reason they can think of for asking a question is to prove their own point.
However, they are right to not ask any questions. If I met a wise teacher, I would ask many questions in order to learn their wisdom, but Jesus is so much more than a wise teacher; he is so much greater. The only appropriate response to Jesus is cling to him, listening, like the simple people of Jerusalem were doing. It is always a Pharisee or a Sadducee or a scribe or a rich man who asks Jesus a question. The simple people knew better.
October 22, 2011 - Saturday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Today's Readings
I have heard terrible things. I have heard Christian pastors describe earthquakes as divine retribution, hurricanes as fitting, and the killing of innocent people as the will of God. It is understandable when someone of another religion speaks along these lines, but a Christian ought to know better. You would think that they had never read this Gospel, in which Jesus debunks such theories.
However, Jesus does not take the popular route which says that God does not punish sinners. Instead, he tells us that God does punish sinners, “and unless you repent, you will all perish as they did!” It is not that the victims of disasters are innocent but that we are just as guilty. If God were going to send a disaster to kill all the sinners, we would all die. Saying that a disaster hit a particular city because of the sinfulness of the inhabitants is crazy. If that were true, disasters would be hitting every city on earth nonstop. It is not the accusation of guilt in these Christian pastors that is most despicable; it is the presumption of self-righteousness. They think that they are better than the people who died.
None of us are innocent. We are all sinners, and if you think that you are not as bad as others, what does that even matter? God does not grade on a curve. The truth is that disaster strikes all of us. For some it may come in spectacular form, while others die quietly, but all of us are awaiting disaster.
Does it matter, really, if you die at 29 or 99? Does it matter whether your airplane falls out of the sky or you die in your sleep? Whichever, whenever, a life is ended, snuffed out from the earth. Your life, my life, they will all end, and what will have been the point?
Jesus tells us that the point is to bear fruit. God puts a seed of love within us, he waters it with love, and love shines down on it. This love should grow in us and produce its fruit which is love: love for our neighbor, love for our enemy, love for the least one who live among us, and above all love for God. Our life is not measured by how long we live but by how much we love. When our personal disaster strikes, and it certainly will, we should have something to show for our time here.
I have heard terrible things. I have heard Christian pastors describe earthquakes as divine retribution, hurricanes as fitting, and the killing of innocent people as the will of God. It is understandable when someone of another religion speaks along these lines, but a Christian ought to know better. You would think that they had never read this Gospel, in which Jesus debunks such theories.
However, Jesus does not take the popular route which says that God does not punish sinners. Instead, he tells us that God does punish sinners, “and unless you repent, you will all perish as they did!” It is not that the victims of disasters are innocent but that we are just as guilty. If God were going to send a disaster to kill all the sinners, we would all die. Saying that a disaster hit a particular city because of the sinfulness of the inhabitants is crazy. If that were true, disasters would be hitting every city on earth nonstop. It is not the accusation of guilt in these Christian pastors that is most despicable; it is the presumption of self-righteousness. They think that they are better than the people who died.
None of us are innocent. We are all sinners, and if you think that you are not as bad as others, what does that even matter? God does not grade on a curve. The truth is that disaster strikes all of us. For some it may come in spectacular form, while others die quietly, but all of us are awaiting disaster.
Does it matter, really, if you die at 29 or 99? Does it matter whether your airplane falls out of the sky or you die in your sleep? Whichever, whenever, a life is ended, snuffed out from the earth. Your life, my life, they will all end, and what will have been the point?
Jesus tells us that the point is to bear fruit. God puts a seed of love within us, he waters it with love, and love shines down on it. This love should grow in us and produce its fruit which is love: love for our neighbor, love for our enemy, love for the least one who live among us, and above all love for God. Our life is not measured by how long we live but by how much we love. When our personal disaster strikes, and it certainly will, we should have something to show for our time here.
September 28, 2011 - Wednesday of the Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Today's Readings
Jesus tells someone, “Follow me.” The man asks permission to go bury his father first. Does he mean “Lord, give me a few days. My father just died.” or does he mean “Lord, let me go home until my father dies someday and I bury him.”? This second possibility is not so strange. I know many people who have plans for their life which they will not begin until their parents die. I know a woman who wanted to become Catholic for 60 years, and finally joined the Church at age 70 when her mother died.
The problem with this interpretation is that Jesus was going to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. So were hundreds of thousands of Jews, surely including the man’s father if he were alive and well. We have no reason to suppose, and several reasons to doubt, that the disciples never saw their families once they started following Jesus. I think that the man’s father had just died or maybe was about to die, and he is telling Jesus that he will not be going to Passover since he has to bury his father.
Jesus says, “Let the dead bury their dead”, which is literally impossible. Dead people cannot bury someone; dead people cannot do anything. Many people interpret the sentence to mean, “Let those who are spiritually dead bury the physically dead people.” Perhaps this sounds profound at first, but the closer one considers this interpretation the stupider it seems. When everyone is a Christian, will the dead bodies just start piling up? I am very strongly of the opinion that Jesus did not say stupid things, and this is stupid. Moreover, it would make Jesus a hypocrite, since he was buried by some of his closest disciples. Burial is a good thing; it is a work of mercy. Jesus was not condemning the practice. Indeed, he is encouraging it.
I think that “dead” here means both those who have died and those who are going to die. In this sense it refers to all of us. We are all going to die. A hundred years from now, or maybe more, we will all be dead. The man asks permission to leave to perform a work of mercy, so Jesus agrees and sends him away, he says “go” not “come”. Jesus’ response could be expanded and rephrased this way, “Truly those who are going to die ought to bury those who have died. Go and bury your father, and preach the Kingdom of God when you get there."
Jesus tells someone, “Follow me.” The man asks permission to go bury his father first. Does he mean “Lord, give me a few days. My father just died.” or does he mean “Lord, let me go home until my father dies someday and I bury him.”? This second possibility is not so strange. I know many people who have plans for their life which they will not begin until their parents die. I know a woman who wanted to become Catholic for 60 years, and finally joined the Church at age 70 when her mother died.
The problem with this interpretation is that Jesus was going to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. So were hundreds of thousands of Jews, surely including the man’s father if he were alive and well. We have no reason to suppose, and several reasons to doubt, that the disciples never saw their families once they started following Jesus. I think that the man’s father had just died or maybe was about to die, and he is telling Jesus that he will not be going to Passover since he has to bury his father.
Jesus says, “Let the dead bury their dead”, which is literally impossible. Dead people cannot bury someone; dead people cannot do anything. Many people interpret the sentence to mean, “Let those who are spiritually dead bury the physically dead people.” Perhaps this sounds profound at first, but the closer one considers this interpretation the stupider it seems. When everyone is a Christian, will the dead bodies just start piling up? I am very strongly of the opinion that Jesus did not say stupid things, and this is stupid. Moreover, it would make Jesus a hypocrite, since he was buried by some of his closest disciples. Burial is a good thing; it is a work of mercy. Jesus was not condemning the practice. Indeed, he is encouraging it.
I think that “dead” here means both those who have died and those who are going to die. In this sense it refers to all of us. We are all going to die. A hundred years from now, or maybe more, we will all be dead. The man asks permission to leave to perform a work of mercy, so Jesus agrees and sends him away, he says “go” not “come”. Jesus’ response could be expanded and rephrased this way, “Truly those who are going to die ought to bury those who have died. Go and bury your father, and preach the Kingdom of God when you get there."
September 24, 2011 - Saturday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Today's Readings
I wonder when Jesus learned that he would die on the Cross, or if he always knew it. I mean to say, did he know it as a five-year-old boy or did he learn it at some point later in life? He was not taken by surprise: he teaches his disciples about the sufferings to come and he discusses the Cross with Elijah and Moses during the Transfiguration. We know that it was a great burden for him, as is clear from his prayers in the garden on the night before he died, but how long did he carry this burden?
It seems to me that there are two distinct ways to read the Gospel today. We could read it as Jesus trying to share this burden with those closest to him, but they are not strong enough to help bear it, or we could read it as Jesus, knowing that his disciples would not be able to bear the burden that he carried but also wanting to prepare his disciples for his death, tells them about the suffering and death to come, but prevents them from understanding.
It all depends on the phrase “Its meaning was hidden from them”, whether the meaning was hidden by their own obtuseness or Jesus actually prevented them from understanding. In the year leading up to the Cross, Jesus told his disciples many times that he would suffer and die. They did not understand then, but after he died and rose from the dead they remembered these teachings. Remembering them after the fact, with the Cross in the past, they are transformed, from the burden they would have been, to the revelation they are now.
These words are a revelation because they teach us so much about Jesus Christ. Because of these words we know that he was fully aware of the death he would suffer, yet he does not say these words as a merely prescient person would. If you knew right now the death that awaits you, your first instinct would be to consider ways to avoid it, but Jesus does not begin planning ways to avoid his fate. He knows what is coming, and he is committed to doing the will of the Father. Whether he knew about the Cross before he learned his first words or if he did not know until the year before, he always knew that he would do the will of his Father, no matter what.
I wonder when Jesus learned that he would die on the Cross, or if he always knew it. I mean to say, did he know it as a five-year-old boy or did he learn it at some point later in life? He was not taken by surprise: he teaches his disciples about the sufferings to come and he discusses the Cross with Elijah and Moses during the Transfiguration. We know that it was a great burden for him, as is clear from his prayers in the garden on the night before he died, but how long did he carry this burden?
It seems to me that there are two distinct ways to read the Gospel today. We could read it as Jesus trying to share this burden with those closest to him, but they are not strong enough to help bear it, or we could read it as Jesus, knowing that his disciples would not be able to bear the burden that he carried but also wanting to prepare his disciples for his death, tells them about the suffering and death to come, but prevents them from understanding.
It all depends on the phrase “Its meaning was hidden from them”, whether the meaning was hidden by their own obtuseness or Jesus actually prevented them from understanding. In the year leading up to the Cross, Jesus told his disciples many times that he would suffer and die. They did not understand then, but after he died and rose from the dead they remembered these teachings. Remembering them after the fact, with the Cross in the past, they are transformed, from the burden they would have been, to the revelation they are now.
These words are a revelation because they teach us so much about Jesus Christ. Because of these words we know that he was fully aware of the death he would suffer, yet he does not say these words as a merely prescient person would. If you knew right now the death that awaits you, your first instinct would be to consider ways to avoid it, but Jesus does not begin planning ways to avoid his fate. He knows what is coming, and he is committed to doing the will of the Father. Whether he knew about the Cross before he learned his first words or if he did not know until the year before, he always knew that he would do the will of his Father, no matter what.
September 3, 2011 - Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, pope and doctor of the church
Today's Readings
When I think of reconciliation with God, I tend to think that since I committed a sin, God is angry and, when I reconcile, God stops being angry with me. This is how reconciliation often works with a fellow human being, but St. Paul turns this idea on its head. He does not say that we have reconciled God but that “God has now reconciled you”. Why do we need to be reconciled? Because we “once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds.” How odd! We committed sins, and then we were angry with God. The problem is within us, not within God. God is not refusing to welcome us; we are refusing to come back.
Our minds are angry with God because of the sins we have committed. God has provided us with everything imaginable, but then we demand to commit sins. We are angry because he tells us that we should not. We are like a toddler who wants to touch the fire and screams because he is told that he cannot. Reconciliation is not just because our sins have made us ugly in the sight of God. Reconciliation occurs when we stop throwing this temper-tantrum.
How do we get reconciled? “In the fleshly Body of Christ through his death.” The death of Jesus Christ holds the power of reconciliation. We must die and join our death to his death. When we die to greed we will stop living for money and possessions. When we die to lust we will stop living for pleasure. When we die to envy we will stop living to triumph over others. If you are willing to die to these and every sin, then you will be reconciled to God because you will no longer be hostile and resentful of his interference.
When we stop complaining like a sullen teenager that God will not let us do ANYTHING, when we stop resenting God and start loving him, then we will find that he (like any good parent) never stopped loving us; then the healing can begin. He will make us holy, without blemish, irreproachable. Though our sins are like scarlet, he will make us white as snow. Though we have brought ourselves down to the depths of Hell, he will raise us up to heaven so that we can dwell with him.
When I think of reconciliation with God, I tend to think that since I committed a sin, God is angry and, when I reconcile, God stops being angry with me. This is how reconciliation often works with a fellow human being, but St. Paul turns this idea on its head. He does not say that we have reconciled God but that “God has now reconciled you”. Why do we need to be reconciled? Because we “once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds.” How odd! We committed sins, and then we were angry with God. The problem is within us, not within God. God is not refusing to welcome us; we are refusing to come back.
Our minds are angry with God because of the sins we have committed. God has provided us with everything imaginable, but then we demand to commit sins. We are angry because he tells us that we should not. We are like a toddler who wants to touch the fire and screams because he is told that he cannot. Reconciliation is not just because our sins have made us ugly in the sight of God. Reconciliation occurs when we stop throwing this temper-tantrum.
How do we get reconciled? “In the fleshly Body of Christ through his death.” The death of Jesus Christ holds the power of reconciliation. We must die and join our death to his death. When we die to greed we will stop living for money and possessions. When we die to lust we will stop living for pleasure. When we die to envy we will stop living to triumph over others. If you are willing to die to these and every sin, then you will be reconciled to God because you will no longer be hostile and resentful of his interference.
When we stop complaining like a sullen teenager that God will not let us do ANYTHING, when we stop resenting God and start loving him, then we will find that he (like any good parent) never stopped loving us; then the healing can begin. He will make us holy, without blemish, irreproachable. Though our sins are like scarlet, he will make us white as snow. Though we have brought ourselves down to the depths of Hell, he will raise us up to heaven so that we can dwell with him.
August 22, 2011 - Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today's Readings
As St. Paul writes in the first reading today, “our Gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.” So the Gospel does come in words but not in words alone. The word “gospel” means “good news”. When we tell someone about good news, it is obvious that the good news has an existence beyond our words. Good news is an event that changes reality. We can talk about the event; we can talk about the new reality, but our words will always fail to capture something. The words of the Gospel can be as simple as “Jesus Christ died and rose again”, or the words could be expanded to fill all the books that could fit on earth. Still, the words, considered by themselves, will fall short of the good news.
We ought to expect more from our good news than mere words; we ought to expect power and the Holy Spirit and much conviction. The power of good news is how the event has changed reality. Consider the power of a peace treaty that ends a war: people return home; there is no more fighting. How much more powerful is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ! Death has been conquered; the reign of sin is ended. Has the Gospel changed reality? Perhaps you and I cannot sense the change, but we can see the martyrs who prove that Christ has conquered death.
The Gospel comes with much conviction. If we hear about a hero, we begin to think, “Could I be a hero? Am I strong enough and brave enough and good enough to do what they did?” When we hear about the Gospels, we should wonder, “Could I love as much as Jesus loves?” Anything less is a failure, and we are convicted of our failure, and we strive to do better.
The Gospel comes in the Holy Spirit. This aspect is special to the Gospel. No other good news comes in the Holy Spirit. He dwells within us so that the power of the Gospel is ongoing and personal. In the Holy Spirit, we can love like Jesus. In the Holy Spirit, our own death has been conquered. Because of the Holy Spirit, the good news is not something external to us but is taking place right now within our hearts.
As St. Paul writes in the first reading today, “our Gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.” So the Gospel does come in words but not in words alone. The word “gospel” means “good news”. When we tell someone about good news, it is obvious that the good news has an existence beyond our words. Good news is an event that changes reality. We can talk about the event; we can talk about the new reality, but our words will always fail to capture something. The words of the Gospel can be as simple as “Jesus Christ died and rose again”, or the words could be expanded to fill all the books that could fit on earth. Still, the words, considered by themselves, will fall short of the good news.
We ought to expect more from our good news than mere words; we ought to expect power and the Holy Spirit and much conviction. The power of good news is how the event has changed reality. Consider the power of a peace treaty that ends a war: people return home; there is no more fighting. How much more powerful is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ! Death has been conquered; the reign of sin is ended. Has the Gospel changed reality? Perhaps you and I cannot sense the change, but we can see the martyrs who prove that Christ has conquered death.
The Gospel comes with much conviction. If we hear about a hero, we begin to think, “Could I be a hero? Am I strong enough and brave enough and good enough to do what they did?” When we hear about the Gospels, we should wonder, “Could I love as much as Jesus loves?” Anything less is a failure, and we are convicted of our failure, and we strive to do better.
The Gospel comes in the Holy Spirit. This aspect is special to the Gospel. No other good news comes in the Holy Spirit. He dwells within us so that the power of the Gospel is ongoing and personal. In the Holy Spirit, we can love like Jesus. In the Holy Spirit, our own death has been conquered. Because of the Holy Spirit, the good news is not something external to us but is taking place right now within our hearts.
August 5, 2011 - Friday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Today's Readings
Moses, in the first reading today, tells the Israelites that they have been blessed to be so close to God. They heard the voice of God speaking to them from the fire. God was willing to condescend, to come down and be with, his people. He drove out the nations before them. He gave them a law so that they would know his will.
If Moses was amazed by how close God was to the Israelites, how much more should we be amazed by the Lord’s invitation today! Jesus invites us to be as close to him as possible: he invites us to suffer and die with him. What else could be the meaning of these words: “Take up your cross [your] cross and follow me”?
How beautifully our Lord entices us today. He begins with the invitation, “Whoever wishes to come after me”. What a beautiful invitation! It is so casual, almost offhand: “Whoever wishes.” He does not tell us what we ought to do or must do; he does not command us with harsh words. He is simply relating the logical consequences. If someone happens to want to follow him, they will have to do what he did. No one can follow another person without going where they went. That is the meaning of “follow”. Where did Jesus go? He went to the Cross.
We have this possibility of being so close to God. Why would we not take advantage of the opportunity? Fear, mostly. We are afraid of suffering and death; we are afraid of giving up what makes us happy in this world. As the old saying says, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Of course, it is more like a flock of birds in the bush, millions of birds in the bush, but still, a bird in the hand is something definite.
Then we look at this bird in our hands and we realize that it is a sickly, ugly thing. The worldly happiness that we would have to give up is not really making us so happy after all. Nothing can make us as happy as God. If suffering and death could make us happy, there is nothing to be afraid of. To suffer with Jesus, to die with Jesus, who suffered and died for us, to be united to Jesus by these unbreakable bonds, this is the only true happiness.
Moses, in the first reading today, tells the Israelites that they have been blessed to be so close to God. They heard the voice of God speaking to them from the fire. God was willing to condescend, to come down and be with, his people. He drove out the nations before them. He gave them a law so that they would know his will.
If Moses was amazed by how close God was to the Israelites, how much more should we be amazed by the Lord’s invitation today! Jesus invites us to be as close to him as possible: he invites us to suffer and die with him. What else could be the meaning of these words: “Take up your cross [your] cross and follow me”?
How beautifully our Lord entices us today. He begins with the invitation, “Whoever wishes to come after me”. What a beautiful invitation! It is so casual, almost offhand: “Whoever wishes.” He does not tell us what we ought to do or must do; he does not command us with harsh words. He is simply relating the logical consequences. If someone happens to want to follow him, they will have to do what he did. No one can follow another person without going where they went. That is the meaning of “follow”. Where did Jesus go? He went to the Cross.
We have this possibility of being so close to God. Why would we not take advantage of the opportunity? Fear, mostly. We are afraid of suffering and death; we are afraid of giving up what makes us happy in this world. As the old saying says, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Of course, it is more like a flock of birds in the bush, millions of birds in the bush, but still, a bird in the hand is something definite.
Then we look at this bird in our hands and we realize that it is a sickly, ugly thing. The worldly happiness that we would have to give up is not really making us so happy after all. Nothing can make us as happy as God. If suffering and death could make us happy, there is nothing to be afraid of. To suffer with Jesus, to die with Jesus, who suffered and died for us, to be united to Jesus by these unbreakable bonds, this is the only true happiness.
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