Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter

Lectionary: 269

And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

C onsumers like pastels of pleasantly blended colors with only some shading, They'd like to suppose that everyone from the least to the greatest and best to the worst are saved in the final outcome, regardless of their personal choices and stated preferences. "If the wicked have not yet chosen goodness they will someday, and a Good God will wait for them forever. He has to because.... Well, he is so good!"

The Bible presents a more realistic chiaroscuro of light and darkness. We cannot delete the names of wicked men and women from its sacred pages; and their ineradicable presence remains rooted in our history books. And because winners write history while losers remember it, the latter can name the worst of them.

Neither the Bible nor the Church teaches universal salvation. Although it is offered to everyone, some people prefer darkness to light because their works are evil.

The liturgical cycles and daily prayers of the Church remind us that every human being lives on the razor's edge of judgment. Every decision has consequences, and if some are no more than ripples of a fallen leaf on the calm waters of a vast lake, others change lives and alter history. They may be as devastating as a nuclear war, or as blessed as the Lord's Resurrection.

Saint John reminds us of finality, "...this is the verdict." Warranties expire, guarantees fail, and even consumers must recognize what came of their choices. We may regret the foolish choices of certain loved ones -- our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters -- but we must respect their integrity. No one but God has dominion over another's freedom. As the Lord said to the wretched Dives, "They have Moses and the prophets.... They make their choices.

But they know us. The prophetic Church remains in the world and among them to testify to the truth.

Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

Lectionary: 268

There was no needy person among them,
for those who owned property or houses would sell them,
bring the proceeds of the sale,
and put them at the feet of the Apostles,
and they were distributed to each according to need.

 S aint Luke twice describes that halcyon moment when everything was right about the nascent Church as it took root in Jerusalem and began its destined spread throughout the world. The other snapshot appears earlier in the Acts of the Apostles, (2:44-47):

All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each one’s need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in their homes. They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

As the Wise Old One said, "Being in love is the happiest ten minutes of your life."  

We can hope that our newly baptized members, after several months of fellowship, prayer, and study with the OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) will remember the experience of preparation and the rites of Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation with delight. 

We should not be disappointed that such moments do not last long and are impossible to recreate. We can neither return to Jerusalem nor turn back the clock. It was good while it lasted, but we eventually must know that there were things going on in the dark depths of our souls that might be forgotten but could not be ignored. We've only just begun.

The virtue and Sacrament of Penance helps us to recognize the rebellious patterns and unresolved conflicts that remain and reappear throughout our lives. Much improvement comes with age, but that's because we don't have that much energy anymore. And our tastes have changed in the meanwhile. We can be glad the Lord brought us through the worst moments, and that we learned compassion for other sinners through the processes of remorse, regret, apology, and atonement. 

With grace we learn a sense of humor. As a hospital chaplain, I often used to tell the Veterans in addiction rehab, "If you turn forty years of age and haven't messed up big time yet, you ain't even trying!" 

We suffer our sins, sins done to us, and sins we see and cannot prevent. We do not forget but we thank God and celebrate His victory over sin and death. 

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain

to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength,

honor and glory and blessing.”

(Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, everything in the universe, cry out:)

“To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be blessing and honor, glory and might,

forever and ever.”

 

Monday of the Second Week of Easter

Lectionary: 267

Why do the nations rage
and the peoples utter folly?
The kings of the earth rise up,
and the princes conspire together
against the LORD and against his anointed:
"Let us break their fetters
and cast their bonds from us!"

 C atholics who like to know "either/or" have a hard time dealing with Nicodemus. He was clearly a Pharisee and an honored member of the Sanhedrin which condemned the Lord. But he also met quietly with the Lord, spoke on his behalf when the Sanhedrin assembled, and assisted with an extraordinary donation of funeral oils when the Lord was buried. 

He is honored in some Eastern Catholic rites as a saint; but I seem to remember he is vilified by some Patristic writing. (I could not find that text online.) An article sponsored by the Latter Day Saints (Nicodemus: Coward or Convert) presents both sides of the discussion, but is based only on what is found in Saint John's Gospel and ignores the traditions of the following millennia. 

If we let go of the need to classify anyone as coward or convert, Nicodemus comes out as a decent human being and honorable citizen who deserves our respect. As the scriptures insist and we are assured, Judgement belongs to the Lord.

Like Nicodemus, we live in a world where we must make hard choices in daylight and in darkness, and not all of our nighttime decisions measure up to the daylight standards of defiant martyrs. We might suppose this is not the time for martyrs. If some people wisely choose their battles, we hope the Spirit of God, which blows where it will, will show us the battles worth fighting, reveal the stand we should take and the words we should use. 

But today's reading from the Acts of the Apostles reminds us there are moments when we must make choices, and expect opposition, harassment, and violence. Such a moment has come for millions in the United States who see the present Republican president, Republican-dominant congressional houses, and a sympathetic Supreme Court enacting merciless measures against minorities, foreign students, and immigrants. 

In the name of Justice, revolutions show no mercy. We should not forget the Terror of the French Revolution, Hitler's Germany, or Stalinist Russia. There are reports of attorneys who defend the rights of immigrants being notified of their own imminent arrest and deportation. "Mistakes" can be made and are never unmade, especially by those who have a motive for making them in the first place. Anyone with an American drivers licence or passport should carry them at all times and be prepared to show them to masked government assailants who are Making America u-Gly Again. 

Sunday of Divine Mercy

Lectionary: 45

“Do not be afraid.
I am the first and the last, the one who lives.
Once I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever.
I hold the keys to death and the netherworld.

Unlike  Saint John on Patmos Island, the disciples hiding in the Upper Room on that first Easter Sunday were not terrified when Jesus appeared to them. If they were startled, they were immediately reassured by the appearance of his hands and feet, which still bore the marks of his crucifixion. His five wounds were neither closed nor healed, but they were -- like everything about that moment and his appearance -- mystically, marvelously beautiful.  "The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord."

His word upon rising from the dead was, "Peace be with you." Or, "Shalom." That Hebrew word is far more than a Howdy, or Whaddayasay? It is the gift of peace from one who has kept his peace of mind, and strengthened it, as he traveled from heaven to earth, from earth to a cross where he was suspended between heaven and earth; and from there into hell. He now returns to the city whose name – Jerusalem – means, "Built on Peace” or “City of Peace."

Even his wounds radiate Shalom and Mercy to the disciples who betrayed him and the people who condemned, tortured, and crucified him. The eternal Word of God cannot be destroyed, denied, or deleted by sin, death, or evil. 

There are stories about Jesus returning to berate his disciples; and Saint Mark says he rebuked them for not believing the women who obediently reported what the angels told them. But we should remember that Jesus was not an angry man. 

The boy who grew up in the House of Joseph and Mary where a child’s rambunctiousness was not considered evil or diabolical saw the wretched ways humans treat one another. And he saw the failure of God's people to support and care for one another.The Son of Mary knew our wickedness, and our diabolical institutions of oppressive government and warfare, and the waste of human and natural resources. But he did not hate the world or its people.  

He wondered, how could God’s people be anxious when they have been repeatedly assured of God's providence, and have so much experience of it. Has the Lord not always provided for them throughout their trials? Jesus knew the history of his people – both their blessings and their sins – and he saw their lack of faith in God. He saw the consequences of sin: wasted time, energy, and money on hoarding, guarding, defending, maiming and killing. 

He responded -- sometimes with anger -- to their lack of faith but he was not an angry man. Anger may intimidate people but it does not change them. Even terrified children who learned to fear their abusive, moody parents who coddled them in the morning and cursed them that night, often return to show them mercy and love when they have found the Mercy that comes from God.

Jesus changes fear into love with his greeting of peace. Of Shalom. On that Easter Sunday evening, the Lord's Shalom was a gift from beyond the grave; a gift tested by a savage death on the cross – and proven unconquerable. Shalom is a gift of overwhelming power to subdue fear and calm anxiety. And when Jesus said Shalom to his disciples he gave astonishing courage to men who had been cowering like scared rabbits at every loud noise in the street. 

The rest of the New Testament will describe their irrepressible, fearless freedom. Charged with announcing the Gospel to the far corners of the Earth, they acted and spoke as if they owned the world and could go anywhere without passports, money, or letters of introduction. Wherever they went, the Spirit of God greeted them upon arrival, empowered their preaching and healing, and gathered disciples who would readily give their lives for the Lord who died for them. 

If they were mistreated – as often happened – they laughed about it. Saint Luke tells us, when the Sanhedrin had finished trying the disciples and found them guilty,

“...they had them flogged, ordered them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, and dismissed them.

So (Peter and John) left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.

And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Messiah, Jesus. Acts 5:40-42”

Shalom directed their travels, telling them where to go and where not to go. It gave them the energy, willingness, and courage to speak God's word and do God's works even when nothing seemed to go right. If they met too much resistance, they simply shook the dust from their heels and moved on to the next town. But more often than not their courageous joy and generosity were welcomed with hope, happiness, and hospitality.

Throughout the Easter Season, on Sundays and weekdays from Easter to Pentecost, we will hear and ponder the Acts of the Apostles. Saint Luke shows us how we may and should act in our world today. Wherever we are, we bring Shalom. 

On this Mercy Sunday, the second Sunday of Easter and the eighth day of the Easter Octave, we remember that we have been sent to bring the Lord’s mercy, or Shalom, to the entire world. You are here to visit the lonely, tell children about Jesus, and welcome strangers and immigrants who might settle among you. They should know you are Catholic and eager to introduce them to the Most Blessed Sacrament, and to Mary the Mother of God. Your neighbors know the Real Presence of Jesus, and his Real Mercy, because you are there. You greet others with the Lord’s own peace because he found you hiding and afraid and greeted you with Shalom, with Peace. 

Saturday in the Octave of Easter

Lectionary: 266

Observing the boldness of Peter and John
and perceiving them to be uneducated, ordinary men, the leaders, elders, and scribes were amazed,
and they recognized them as the companions of Jesus.

 F rom the little I know of history it's not unusual for men and women of low birth and little education to rise to great heights politically, socially, or militarily. The United States, despite its aristocratic "founding fathers," has long maintained the myth that a logsplitter might become president; or an immigrant, the wealthiest man on earth. The Catholic Church also celebrates the rise of great saints from unpromising places, like the peasant girl Joan of Arc who led France's armies. Conventual Franciscans celebrate a poor scholar who levitated while gazing upon an image of the Virgin Mary.  

So we're not surprised when we read of the Lord's choice of illiterate fishermen, fire-eating zealots, and greedy tax collectors. Despite the old saying, the Holy Spirit can turn a sow's ear into a silk purse. 

Once it is planted in human soil, the Word of God is irrepressible. It can rise and flourish in the barest earth. Like a lowly mustard bush, it can provide shelter and assurance to simple hearts who hide from the mighty and powerful amid its tangled stems and confusing leaves. 

In today's first reading we hear of the neophyte healer/preachers Peter and John, and their eager reception among the devout of Jerusalem. These are the same pious crowds who, like Simeon and Anna, worshiped night and day in the temple. You'll remember that Anna "spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem." 

The religious leaders, who were born into a higher grade on that caste system, knew little about popular piety and cared even less. They had no desire to smell like sheep. Clericalism has always been a danger for religious and clergy who must be schooled in doctrines, theology, history, and traditions while preparing to address people who daily face more immediate and demanding challenges. If human nature prefers its own and avoids strangers, the Lord, who never met a stranger, sends his disciples to befriend the entire world.  

Until Pentecost, our first readings will be taken from Saint Luke's Acts of the Apostles, the second volume and a sequel to his Gospel (The Acts of Jesus.) We will hear how the irrepressible Word of God encountered opposition from Jewish leaders, Roman authorities, unscrupulous Christians, and sea storms as it continued the mission of Jesus. Where he had advanced upon Jerusalem, the Gospel now advances to the ends of the earth. It's a story that must include us. 

Friday in the Octave of Easter

Lectionary: 265

When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

 T he several resurrection appearances of Jesus in the four Gospels and Acts of the Apostles have much in common; but beyond the obvious presence of Jesus, few details with which they all agree. Although he is immediately recognized by women, men don't know who -- or what -- he is. Luke's disciples on the road think he's a visitor returning from Jerusalem who, incredibly, knows nothing about the recent disturbances. When he reappears in the Cenacle, they think he's a ghost. In today's gospel he appears as a helpful stranger with a preternatural knowledge of how to catch fish. 

In all of these stories, the disciples recognize him not by his face or voice but by a sign he gives them. Luke's Jesus showed them his hands and his feet. Or he took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. John's Thomas knew him by the nail wounds in his hands and side. In today's story, "the disciple whom Jesus loved" recognized the divine signature in a supernatural abundance of fish. But that was not the first of his appearances. Only in John's story of his appearance in the Cenacle on Sunday evening, do his disciples recognize him without confusion or terror. 

Today's reading is clearly a sequel added to the original Gospel of John, but its connections are tenuous. As the NABRE footnote says, it bears resemblances to the synoptic gospels and to John's. But it appears in all the ancient manuscripts and is unquestionably a gospel text. 

The disciples' incomprehension reminds us to recognize our own. Too often, as catechized Catholics or Christians, we assume we know the answer to the question, "Who is this man who appears to us and demands our attention?" We're like the boy who responded to the priest's question: "What wild animal looks like a cat, raises its tail high like a cat, and shoots out an awful smell?" After much hesitation and head scratching one brave lad replied,
    "I know you're talking about Jesus but it sounds like a polecat!" 

Was the Risen Lord only a ghost, as some misguided Christians still suppose? Was his breaking the bread at Emmaus only a sign and not the gift of his flesh? as others suggest? 

Do we know the voice of the Lord when he calls us out of the tombs of our slack prayer routines, poor attitudes, and resentful memories? Do we recognize the beauty of his wounded hands, feet, and side in our own wounds and those of others around us? Do we understand that we have no knowledge of the wind and where it blows, and must wait upon him to understand where we should go and what we should say? 

    Lord, teach me to wait in darkness and silence until I hear you call me out? 

Thursday in the Octave of Easter

Lectionary: 264

The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus...
God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.
And by faith in his name, this man, whom you see and know, his name has made strong;
and the faith that comes through it
has given him this perfect health,
in the presence of all of you.

 In this new age of technocratic wizardry, history in general -- and prehistoric names and stories in particular -- seems hugely irrelevant. The patriarchal names of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob may have seemed equally irrelevant to the citizens of Jerusalem. They remembered Moses since the Pharisees pondered and endlessly parsed the Law of Moses; and they could not ignore the tomb of David, the founding king of Jerusalem and their fallen nation. 

But the patriarchs of that ante-Babylonian, ante-Mosaic period stirred little resonance among Peter's contemporaries as they dealt with the Roman occupation and Herodian kings. Why would anyone invoke Abraham in an argument about a healed cripple? You might as well invoke Paul Bunyan or Br'er Rabbit in the U.S. Senate.

The question may be more relevant today as we hear Peter refer to the patriarchs in today's first reading. It's hard enough to cite Jesus in today's world, and those citations are often made without reference to the twenty centuries that have passed since his ascension. For many Christians he is more mythological than historical, a remotely familiar name from the long-forgotten past. People often invoke his name with little reference to the Gospels and New Testament, much less the Old Testament; although he preferred the title Son of David, and personally knew Abraham! 

Ignorance of history, however, does not excuse one for not knowing its powerful influence on everything we do and say. As William Faulkner said, "The past is not dead; it's not even past." And Christians who feel adrift in this new age of climate disintegration and technological chaos must find their prehistoric roots in the study of our scriptures and history. Knowledge of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Eli, Samuel, Ruth, Deborah, David, Hezekiah, Cyrus, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Qoheleth; plus the Apostles, Mary, the martyrs, saints, and patristic fathers helps us know who we are, whom we represent, and how we should respond now. There should be no end to our study and curiosity; and the more we know the more we want to know. 

With that wisdom we will be more delighted than astonished by the healing of a crippled man. We'll say, "Yes, of course! He was healed by faith in his name, and...

his name has made him strong,

and the faith that comes through it

has given him this perfect health.....

In fact, we see God's marvelous presence all around us, and we feel his guiding presence continually. Unlike our contemporaries, we know who we are. 

Wednesday in the Octave of Easter

 Lectionary: 263

Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.” Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong. He leaped up, stood, and walked around, and went into the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God.

 T hroughout his brief career the Lord healed hundreds, perhaps thousands of people. They were not miracles as much as signs of God's compassion for his sad, unfortunate people; and especially for the forgotten and neglected. And, so immediately upon taking up the mantle of prophecy from Jesus his disciples began their healing ministry. 

Luke describes the joy of the lame fellow as he began to walk, jump, and dance around; and the excitement of the crowds in the temple precincts who saw and recognized him. But we can also imagine the delight of Peter and John as they saw the authority that had been given to them. Peter's speaking to the fellow and his command to rise and walk may have come as an impulse. Suddenly the Spirit rushed upon him and he knew precisely what he should say and do. From this moment on the disciples will preach the good news in season and out of season with a joy their enemies find insufferable! 

Luke's duology, which might be called "The Acts of Jesus and the Acts of the Apostles," is filled with the healing, invigorating Spirit of joy. We remember Elizabeth's delight upon welcoming the young Virgin Mary to her home. Despite her own excitement over her late-life pregnancy, she was thrilled to welcome "the mother of my Lord!" to her home. We had to notice the joy of the angels as they announced the newborn Messiah and Lord to the shepherds; and their eager search for a baby in a manger. Luke's infancy stories of Jesus are saturated with the joy of salvation. 

That happiness will continue as the Lord heals, delivers, and protects people -- especially the poor and lowly -- from oppressive religious and civil authorities. We saw it too in the Lord's chiding his terrified disciples when he stilled the stormy waters of the Galilean Sea, "Why were you frightened, O ye of little faith?" 

The joy of the gospel is evident also in the Wedding Feast of Cana and the freedom of Jesus's healing the wounded servants ear, and the comedy of his appearing to the bewildered disciples on the road to Emmaus. 

I have long believed that faith and humor are very nearly the same thing. Faith is that ability to trust in God and laugh at both myself and my fears. When Isaiah recounts the Lord description of Jacob as a worm and Israel as a maggot, we hear God teasing his frightened children. "How can you be afraid? You know I have everything in hand, and will always protect you!" The children who take such teasing seriously may complain of abuse because they have yet to discover that their experience, history, and being are not All That Important! 

If the Gospel does not inspire us to joy, we're missing the point. The eight solemnities of Easter, as we sing or recite the Gloria each day, must leave us with a deep, trusting, patient, and joyful spirit. 

Tuesday in the Octave of Easter

 Lectionary: 262

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart,
and they asked Peter and the other Apostles,
“What are we to do, my brothers?”

 H earing the strange news that God had restored the Crucified to life, and stricken with remorse, the crowds called the Apostles brothers and asked, "What are we to do?" 

The leaders of Jerusalem will soon have the apostles arrested, tried, convicted, and flogged; but they will never use the word brother when addressing them. In fact, they use no address at all, but simply command them to cease and desist. And, as Saint Luke tells the story, the city fathers soon disappear into the background where they continue to harass, oppose, and plot against the Lord and his anointed.

Jerusalem's citizens and visiting pilgrims, however, call them brothers. They recognize their own faith in the disciples' enthusiasm, and discover their hope renewed in the Apostles' words. There readiness shows that the Holy Spirit is in their hearts. Like Simeon and Anna, whom we met in Luke 2, they know the Spirit of the Holy City Jerusalem. 

However, hearing Peter's announcement, they are horrified by the memory of the recent Passover and the crucifixion of Jesus. Told of his resurrection, they repent and are saved. 

Perhaps this is why Pope John Paul II renamed Low Sunday as Mercy Sunday. Here is an opportunity for all those who skipped Lent and ignored Easter to realize what they missed and return to the faith of their ancestors. As we sing 26 times in 26 verses in Psalm 136, "His mercy endures forever!" 

Monday in the Octave of Easter

 Lectionary: 261

Speak, Mary, declaring
            What you saw, wayfaring.
“The tomb of Christ, who is living,
            The glory of Jesus’ resurrection;
bright angels attesting,
            The shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen;
            to Galilee he goes before you.”

The Easter sequence sounds happier and more exciting in its original setting than the Lectionary's English translation.

 T he women who first reported the Lord's resurrection to his disciples, and thence to the holy city, had some advantages over the soldiers with their fabricated story. First, no one in authority would take a woman's testimony seriously; and, secondly, everybody knows a watchman's word, because he often sleeps on the job, can be bought. 

Strange things happened in Jerusalem during that most unusual year when the Passover and Sabbath fell on the same day. They continued as the city went back to work. And the story of the Lord's resurrection remains as outrageous as it was on that Sunday morning. 

As Isaiah said, "Who would believe what we have heard?" Isaiah's skeptical question only adds to the intrigue for, in that same passage he goes on to prophesy the impossible: 

Therefore I will give him his portion among the many,

and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty,

Because he surrendered himself to death,

was counted among the transgressors,

Bore the sins of many,

and interceded for the transgressors. (53:12)

The excitement that ended on Friday but erupted anew on Sunday was enough to make the Lord's followers hesitate before returning to their former lives and abandoned families. Perhaps they were like the crowds who gather around any unexpected spectacle. They might have said to one another, "Let's wait and see what happens next." 

Faith is born in wonder, and then verified by facts, reasons, and rationality. Something unexpected, amazing, and wonderful happened that weekend; and a fellowship that was disbanded suddenly regathered to share their experience with the entire world. If the original witnesses of his resurrection have all died, the community is as alive and sure as the women who approached him, embraced his feet, and did him homage. 

The Resurrection of the Lord 2025

 The Mass of Easter Day Lectionary: 42

We are witnesses of all that he did
both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.
They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.
This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible,
not to all the people, but to us,
the witnesses chosen by God in advance,
who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

 I t's not hard to enjoy the celebration of Easter. We love the Easter parade of springlike dresses, shirts, trousers, and hats. We can take our children to an annual Easter egg roll or an Easter egg hunt. We can thrill the children with reported sightings of the Easter Bunny. And there will certainly be family gatherings with televised broadcasts of whoever is playing basketball, baseball, hockey or golf -- while the women gather elsewhere. Easter is springtime and we're glad to see it come. 

It may not be so easy to celebrate the unexpected reappearance of the crucified prophet whom we know as our Christ Messiah. If we have not observed Lent, or tried and failed to observe it, Easter can be a reminder of what might have been; of the joy we were supposed to feel after forty days of penitential practices. You can be sure that someone somewhere drove through a church parking lot yesterday afternoon, a few minutes after four pm, and was surprised to find it empty. They did not know today is Easter. What were they looking for? 

Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?

Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.

Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.

We might ask the same question of those who appear in the churches on Christmas and Easter despite their disinterest in Advent and Lent. Perhaps they want to see a prophetic church. They want to see people who have relented – that is changed their decisions – about bad attitudes, rotten habits, and seedy companions. They have repented for their sins, atoned for their misdeeds, and in the process discovered the freedom of God's children. 

This kind of freedom is remarkable, rare, desirable, and even enviable. The strangers who appear on Easter might ask, “Where are you coming from that you enjoy such freedom?” Disciples of Jesus, we follow the promptings of his Holy Spirit. We are not compelled to do what we want to do. We’re habitually suspicious of our own wills, preferences, desires, and needs; and not afraid to consult with others, listen to them, and even to obey our authorities. 

Because the only new idea is the Good News of Jesus Christ, we can smell evil within the shiniest new rights, privileges, or freedoms that the world can offer. We’ve learned from the collective experience of the Church, "all that glitters is not gold." 

Last week we heard the story of Shadrack, Mishak, and Abednego; and of their being thrown into Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace if they refused to worship his golden statue. They replied:

There is no need for us, o King, to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If our God whom we serve can save us from the white hot furnace and from your hands, o King, may he save us. But even if he will not, know that we will not serve your god, or worship the Golden Statue that you put up.”

We have seen that defiant freedom in our crucified Jesus Christ and in our Christian martyrs. Those who fear God fear no one else. 

In 1943, in Auschwitz, Saint Maximilian Kolbe, under the impulse of the Holy Spirit, suddenly stepped forward and volunteered to take the place of a man who had been condemned to death. When the astonished camp commandant asked "Who are you?” he said, “I am a priest.” He might have said I am a Catholic or a Christian. Like the Lord, he could not deny himself. He was free to obey the Spirit of God when no one expected him to do so. He stepped forward and spoke when most people would have told him to be quiet and say nothing. 

This is the freedom and the prophetic spirit that a prophetic church celebrates on Easter Sunday. This feast reminds us that those who have re-Lent-ed – that is, who have turned away from sin, atoned for their misdeeds, and learned to walk in the footsteps of Jesus – can speak to the powers of this world about God with authority and conviction. We can defy presidents, kings and tyrants, senates and congresses, mayors and aldermen. We can challenge ideological movements with their bizarre notions of identity, sexuality, economics, security, prosperity, and freedom. We have not sold our souls for a bowl of pottage, for bad ideas, insane fantasies, and golden idols. The world needs to see a prophetic Church and they want to hear what we have to say. They might not like what we have to say. They might disagree violently, but they still need to hear it, and they have a right to hear the truth spoken freely, boldly, and clearly without anger, without rancor. Because God so loved the world that he gave his only son for its redemption should we fail in our mission of being a holy, prophetic Church, we will have cheated the Earth and ourselves of God's mercy.

Saturday of Holy Week

Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed.
On the seventh day God completed the work he had been doing; he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.
God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.  Genesis 2: 1-3

Christ, the Good Shepherd, in death you lay hidden from the world. Teach us to love a life hidden with you in the Father.

Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion

Lectionary: 40

Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth;
like a lamb led to the slaughter
or a sheep before the shearers,
he was silent and opened not his mouth.

 Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. When two of his disciples heard John the Baptist make that mysterious proclamation, they got up and followed the Stranger. 

When they caught up with him, he turned and asked, "What are you looking for?" We might ask ourselves the same question, and try to answer. We, who hardly know what we want and are often wrong about what we need, must stop there on the road if we would know this fellow or where he lives. We'll have to answer that simple question, and the answers will not be something we learned in the second grade from a catechism. 

What does your heart want? What does your soul need? How far will you go to find what you need and what you want? How deeply will you search your own mind and heart to discover the Lord's searching question?

We can't answer. It's a simple question but we don't know the answer. And so we asked another question, "Where do you stay? 
And he replies, "Come and see."

Today we have come to Calvary, outside of the city, outside of everything that is familiar and makes sense to our way of thinking, to find that the Lord stays here. 

"But of course!" we might say. "Where else could we find the Lamb of God?" 

Then I saw standing in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures and the elders a Lamb that seemed to have been slain. He had seven horns and seven eyes; these are the [seven] spirits of God sent out into the whole world.

He came and received the scroll from the right hand of the one who sat on the throne.

When he took it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones.

They sang a new hymn:

“Worthy are you to receive the scroll

and to break open its seals,

for you were slain and with your blood you purchased for God

those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation.

You made them a kingdom and priests for our God,

and they will reign on earth.”

I looked again and heard the voices of many angels who surrounded the throne and the living creatures and the elders. They were countless in number,

and they cried out in a loud voice:

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain

to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength,

honor and glory and blessing.”

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, everything in the universe, cry out:

“To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be blessing and honor, glory and might,

forever and ever.”

The four living creatures answered, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Holy Thursday -Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper

 Lectionary: 39

How shall I make a return to the LORD
            for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
            and I will call upon the name of the LORD.

 L ong before the scriptures tell us about the blood of the sacrificial heifer, or the blood of the lamb, or the blood which Jesus commanded his disciples to drink on the night before he died, we hear God's interrogation of Cain, "What have you done? Your brother’s blood cries for revenge from the earth to heaven!" The story of our salvation, to use a horror film expression, is drenched in blood.

On the night before their Passover out of slavery, the Angel of Death searched every home in Egypt. Where he did not find the blood of a pascal lamb splashed on the doorposts and lintels, he invaded the home and killed the firstborn son of every female: of cattle, sheep, and human. That sacrificial blood saved the Children of Abraham from the last and worst of the ten Egyptian plagues as God led them to freedom. 

For that reason then, upon arriving at Mount Sinai, Moses killed and butchered a heifer, and then…

… took half of the blood and put it in large bowls; the other half he splashed on the altar. Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people, who answered, “All that the LORD has said, we will hear and do.” Then he took the blood and splashed it on the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to all these words.”

God, represented by the stone altar, and his people were bonded in the blood -- that is, the liquid life -- of a heifer. By that strange ritual, the Lord reestablished the ancient covenant with the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They also received on that occasion the Ten Commandments and the new Law of Moses there in the wilderness. 

Centuries later, during the trial of Jesus, the same people demanded of Pontius Pilate, "His blood be upon us and upon our children!" But we should recognize the intentional irony of the Evangelist, Saint Matthew. While this mob apparently wanted to kill the Lord, they were actually calling for the blessing of a new covenant. That’s how the Evangelist placed us in the middle of this drama.

By our Eucharist, we call a curse upon ourselves if we fail to honor the sacrifice of Christ, and a blessing upon ourselves if we live by it. It is the unhappy consequence of being a Holy People, a peculiar people, in a hostile world. And it is the blessing of knowing the saving, healing, reconciling Blood of Jesus Christ. His blood atones for Abel’s blood which cried to heaven for revenge. As the Gospel of Luke insists, “Much will be required of those entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of those entrusted with more.” 

Whenever we attend the Mass, and eat his body and drink his blood; we are like the Hebrews with Moses on Mount Sinai who said, “All that the LORD has said, we will hear and do.” And we are like the mob in Matthew's gospel who shouted, "His blood be upon us and upon our children!"

This evening, Holy Thursday, we begin our Triduum, a drama remembering the Lord's Last Supper, his passion and death on the cross, the silence of Holy Saturday, and the miracle of Easter. And so we remember tonight another story of blood, when Jesus said, "Eat this; this is my body. Drink this; this is my blood. And do this in memory of me."

Having made that statement, his sacrifice was all but complete. From that moment, He must be crucified so that he might become our Eucharist. Jesus must die so that we might eat his flesh and drink his blood and be saved.

Perhaps that is why he went to the Garden of Gethsemane. These words are so important and so heavy that Jesus had to stop everything and pray. St. Luke tells us that, "He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground."

We might, as his friends, urge him to turn back. We might say, "There's still time to get out of Jerusalem. People will protect you. People will hide you. You don't have to go through with this." 

But we also might pray, "Jesus. Please stay here. Please go through with this. Please save us from our sins, and the people who hate us. Please save us from the world we have polluted with our plastics, chemicals, and the blood of innocent lives. Please restore the world you made for us." 

But we already know the Lord's decision as he agonizes in Gethsemane; for we know his teachings, his miracles, and his life. None of that would mean anything if he had fled from Gethsemane. As Saint Paul said, he could not deny himself. 

When we come together tonight we cannot deny ourselves. We are sinners, we are the people who eat his flesh and drink his blood. We are drawn through the sacrifice of the Mass, into the life and vitality of God. Because he has called us here, we do not turn away. Like the disciples in Gethsemane, like his mother Mary he met on the way to Calvary, and the women who stood lamenting and beating their breasts as he was crucified, we want to be with him; we will stay with him during this Triduum. 

Enough blood has been shed. We need no more bloody sacrifices of criminals, murderers, Jews, aliens, enemies, or strangers. We have in Jesus Christ our salvation, freedom, security, and prosperity. 

And we have enormous authority now. Just before he murdered his brother, the Lord told Cain, “...sin lies in wait at your door: its urge is for you, yet you can rule over it.” 

Eating his flesh and drinking his blood has given us dominion over our envy, jealousy, lust, sloth, anger, avarice and pride. We need no more bloody sacrifices, for his blood flows through our hearts, minds, and bodies. It appears on the doorposts of our hearts as God's Angel of Mercy comes to save us.