We have to be brave in the face of persecution!

3^rd Sunday of Easter Year C:

We gave you strict orders, did we not, to stop speaking in that name.  The stakes were high.  The apostles were given strict orders.  They knew what they were up against.  By now they were already starting to feel the effects of this pressure.  They had been harassed and imprisoned; soon they will start getting flogged, abused, attacked, and even killed.  They are certainly becoming more and more unpopular.  Why not just go with the flow?  Why not just adapt their message to their modern audience?  Why not just conduct a poll to see what ideas are current, what are they trying to do?

The apostles would have made terrible politicians.  I’m sure none of them would have been able to be elected to any office or political position.  The apostles stubbornly refused to compromise, refused to back down.  They laughed in the face of pressure and oppression.  And their response today is so telling: We must obey God rather than men.

Either the Apostles were wise, virtuous, inspired disciples of Jesus Christ, willing to offer their lives in witness to the God made man.  Or they were foolish, silly followers of a traveling preacher, all of whom end up dying because they refused to get with the times.  Our opinion of the Apostles rises and falls with the truth of the faith.  If Jesus Christ is really God made man, if he really came to set us free, if he really rose from the dead and is sitting at the right hand of the Father, if we are really united to him by baptism, and if we will really participate in eternal life by following him, then the apostles are amazing examples, saints worthy of emulation and exaltation.  But, if Jesus was just some guy, just some teacher, if Jesus is not what he said he was, then the apostles were fools.  They should have simply caved in and yielded to the pressures they faced.  But, they didn’t.  They refused.  They were stubborn, almost every one of them gladly died rather than to cave in to the pressures of the majority around them. 

What about us?  Obviously we must have accepted the truth of the gospel or else we wouldn’t be here.  How do we respond to pressure?  How do we respond to persecution?  Are we willing to suffer and to die rather than deny the truth?

There is a profound crisis of truth in our modern world.  No longer do people see the truth as something objective, something received.  Rather, many people see the truth as something personal, something subjective, something each one of us gets to create.  What is true for me is not true for you.  I have to say I ranged between slightly amused to kind of annoyed during the election of the pope.  Many of the media types were saying that perhaps a new pope would set about changing a bunch of things in the church.  Now, it is certainly the case that Pope Francis will make a number of changes, but he will certainly not change the essentials of the faith; because the faith is not made up, it is not subject to opinion polls or the whim of the majority.  I always find it fascinating when people say: I know the church teaches x, but I just don’t believe that.  The apostles would have been baffled by this kind of thinking.  They did not invent the gospel, they did not invent the resurrection.  They were witnesses of the resurrection and they accepted the gospel as being true.  They gladly suffered persecution, even to the point of death, because they could not deny this truth.  Amazing!

No wonder we admire the apostles.  They are Christian superheroes.  And if we want to be like them we need to rely on the same source of strength that they did.  Simon, son of John, do you love me?  It has to be our relationship with Christ that gives us the strength to endure persecution, to overcome societal pressure, to be stouthearted disciples of Jesus who would rather die than to deny the truth of our faith.  What a privilege it is for us then to gather here at Mass and to hear the voice of Christ speak to each one of us again: do you love me?  Feed my sheep.

He is Risen!

Easter Sunday 2013:

Happy Easter to everyone.  Today we celebrate the greatest day in the history of the world.  We celebrate that day when Christ rose from the dead.  Let that sink in: Christ rose from the dead.  We all know it is the center of our Christian faith to believe in Christ, especially in his death and resurrection.  But, sometimes something as important and as central as our belief in the resurrection can become something we get used to, something we take for granted, something that no longer excites us.  So my exhortation for Easter this year is to get excited.  Jesus has risen from the dead.  No wonder we sing Alleluia!

Today in our gospel we hear about Peter and the beloved disciple running to the tomb in order to investigate what they heard from Mary.  Now, let me make a little confession.  I hate running!  Now, I know many people who love running, they love jogging, they run marathons, etc.  But, not me, I hate running.  As soon as I start running my mind starts to second guess this decision: why am I running, I can’t breathe, you know you are never going to make it very far, why not just stop now, eventually you are going to stop anyway…  With thoughts like these, it is no surprise then that I never run very far, nor do I keep it up; I have often started a program of jogging or running in the past, but it never lasts.  As most of you know, I’m the chaplain at Marian and whenever I talk to the kids on the track or cross country teams I always have a running joke with them: I only run if someone is chasing me with a gun or a knife.  Ok, so you get the idea, I don’t like running.

But, I love basketball and I love racquetball.  Put me in a little court with white walls and I will run back and forth for hours chasing down a little green or blue ball.  Put me on a basketball court and I will sprint around for hours trying to dribble a basketball and put it into a metal hoop.  I hate running, but I will run all day if I chase a little ball or dribble a basketball.  What is the difference?  I can run all day if I have goal, if I have something to chase.  I know myself well enough to know that if I run without a goal, and without a sufficient motivation, I will never be able to keep it up, I wear down, I start to have doubts, I end up giving it up.  But, put a ball in front of me, give me something to chase, and I will run for hours.

I think this can be a certain analogy of life.  St. Paul calls it a race, run so as to win he says.  All of us are running.  That's just life.  But, do we have direction, focus, and motivation?  Why are we running?  Unless we have something concrete and inspirational in front of us I think the run becomes too grueling.  I mean life is hard.  We battle trials and temptations.  We have doubts and concerns.  We face tragedy, turmoil, sickness, death, and sadness.  What are the thoughts and feelings going through our minds?  If we let the doubts, the fears, the anxieties of life have the upper hand, life becomes unbearable, it becomes a torturous slog that we plow through.  But, if we are excited, if we have a goal in front of us, if we have a reason, we will bear the hardships and fight through whatever adversity we might face.

Our gospel today gives us just such a goal.  The disciples ran for that empty tomb.  They ran to investigate the resurrection.  They ran to encounter the risen Jesus.  In our own lives, our motivation should be the same.  We run to see Jesus.

However, today, Easter Sunday, it is easy to be excited about the resurrection.  Today it seems natural for us to run to the empty tomb.  But, it is certainly the case that sometimes we lose our motivation.  Sometimes we might forget why we are running.  Sometimes those doubts, anxieties, and trials of our lives can cause us to forget why we are running.  So, we need constantly to renew our interest in the resurrection.  We need to renew our interest and excitement for that empty tomb.  Here at this mass, and at every mass, every day, and especially every Sunday, we renew our faith in the resurrection.  We celebrate anew the saving mysteries of our faith.  Here at this Holy Eucharist, we see Jesus, we see our goal, our motivation.  No wonder we all go to Mass every Sunday, it helps us to run the race of our human lives.  Here at Mass we see why we are running, and through the power of this sacrament we receive the grace, like Peter and the beloved disciple, to run all the way to the resurrection.

Marian All School Mass

All School Mass at Marian 3/20/13

Today in the gospel Jesus sets up a contrast, on the one hand there is freedom, and on the other there is slavery.  Now, if I asked every one of you which you would prefer, slavery or freedom, you would all surely pick freedom I would think.  I don’t think anyone would want to be a slave.  Nothing could be more harmful to the human spirit than to be enslaved by another. 

But, as is often the case, Christ is talking about deeper concepts of freedom and slavery.  In fact, he is talking about the freedom and slavery of the spirit.  If you remain in my word you will be my disciples, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.  The people Jesus was speaking to in the gospel immediately bristled at this concept: they remarked, we are slaves of no one.  Jesus replies, anyone who sins is a slave to sin.  This is a huge contrast to what our culture thinks about slavery and freedom.  Today in our world, freedom is the ability to do what you want whenever you want it.  Slavery, on the other hand, is listening to other people.  Freedom is getting to decide for yourself what is right and what is wrong, slavery is accepting objective moral truths.  The Catholic Church has been in the news a great deal over the last couple of weeks, and I just find it amazing how wrong people can be about truth and freedom.  I have read a number of articles in newspapers, websites, and blogs wondering if the new pope will change church teaching on sex, marriage, contraception, homosexuality, celibacy, abortion, and on and on.  The articles always go the same way, “people are calling for the church to update its teachings on a number of issues…”  Our culture has got it exactly wrong, freedom is not doing whatever you want, freedom can only come from truth, we learn the truth by being disciples of Jesus, we become disciples of Jesus by listening to his word.

And what is Jesus’ word?  Remember that Jesus did not come to accuse us, to push us down, to discourage us, Jesus came to liberate us.  Come to me all you who are burdened and I will give you rest.  God sent his only begotten Son so that all those who believe in him might not perish but might have eternal life.  Over and again, Jesus reaches out to us to lift us up, to help us, to inspire us.  He came to bring us the truth, and this truth will set us free.  Don’t you want that, don’t you want to be free? 

My friends, there is no other way around it.  Sin is terrible.  It will kill us.  There is only one pathway to life, happiness, holiness, and the eternal life of heaven, and it is Jesus. 

The election of Pope Francis has caused me to reflect upon the office of the Pope, and even upon the Church itself.  Who is the pope?  What is the Church?  This is an important question that we should ask ourselves.  The Church is something that the secular media just doesn’t understand.  They think of the Church as some kind of democratic club or organization.  But, that is not what the church is; rather, the Church is the body of Christ.  The Church is guided and directed by God.  Its main mission is simple.  Jesus said remain in my word, become my disciples, and you will know the truth.  That is what the Church is: the Church spreads the word of God, it is the union of Jesus’ disciples, it is where we find the truth. 

In our first reading we hear about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, these three men were enslaved by Nebuchadnezzar.  But inside they were free.  They knew God, the trusted in him, and no matter what the pagan king told them, they did what was right.  Can we say the same thing in our own lives?  Do we know God, are our hearts free, are we able to reject the lies of our world and hold fast to the truth?  If so we will experience a freedom unlike anything the world can offer us.  You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.

St Pius Penance Service

Fr. Bill Schooler asked me to give the reflection at his annual Lenten penance service.  The gospel of the prodigal son was read during the service...

This evening we gather here for the purpose of celebrating and receiving God’s bountiful mercy.  I thank Fr. Bill for inviting me back.  I think this is my 4^th straight year of coming to St. Pius for these talks, so you haven’t gotten sick of me yet!  Thanks.

What a crazy couple of weeks this has been.  I for one was somewhat saddened by the news that Pope Benedict was going to resign.  But, recently we have been quite energized along with Catholics throughout the world: habemus Papam, we have a pope, and what a pope we have too.  I don’t know if you are like me, but I have been on the Vatican’s multiple websites every day reading whatever I can about the words and activities of the pope.  In fact, I got up at 3:30 this morning so I could watch the Pope’s Mass of inauguration on TV.  Francis is a compassionate and simple man who speaks with a kind of directness I find very appealing.  As I was composing my thoughts for this penance service today, I thought the best thing I could do would be to share with you a couple of things the Pope has said in recent days.

  Tonight we just heard the story of the Prodigal Son, or, as it can be called, the parable of the Older Son.  I don’t think anyone is exempt from the parable.  We are all sinners, we all need God’s mercy.  We are like one of the two sons, or sometimes a combination.  Maybe we have wandered far from God in our sinfulness, maybe we have squandered what God has given us by our sins and selfish choices.  God is looking for us and ready to run out to meet us.  Perhaps we don’t see ourselves in the Prodigal Son, but one pitfall of being a disciple of Jesus is that it is quite easy to become that Older Son.  It is quite easy to forget just how much God loves us, it is easy for us to think we somehow deserve God’s love, his gifts.  Sunday morning, Pope Francis celebrated Mass at a small parish church in the Vatican.  His homily that day touched on mercy.  He said something quite profound: “he has come for us when we recognize we are sinners; mercy is the Lord’s most powerful message.”  How beautiful: he has come for us, but we have to recognize we are sinners.  We all need God’s mercy.  Christ cannot be our savior unless we recognize that we are in need of saving.  The prodigal son certainly recognized this, he found that his life of sin left him totally miserable, so he decided to return to his Father: he has come for us when we recognize we are sinners.

Maybe some of us have experienced this profound conversion experience.  We find ourselves, like the prodigal son, fed up with our sins and we can only turn to God for help.  Maybe that is what is bringing some of us here tonight, and that is great and wonderful.  God rejoices to welcome us back.  But, for most of us conversion is an ongoing process.  I don’t know if you are like me, but I really do get sick and tired of confessing the same things over and over again.  Believe me, I know my sins, I struggle against them, but I also find myself falling.  It can get quite discouraging.  How many times can we find ourselves in the pig slop, how many times must we slog our way back to the father’s house?  Again, Francis said something about this that was quite beautiful.  Sunday during his angelus message he said: “let us not forget this word: God never tires of forgiving us, but we sometimes tire of asking him to forgive us: Let us never tire of asking God’s forgiveness.”  No matter how often we find ourselves in the pig slop, God never tires of forgiving us, of welcoming us back.  It is we who sometimes tire of asking. 

My friends we are here to encounter our merciful God in the sacrament of confession.  Let me leave you with some final words from Pope Francis that he spoke to the people of Argentina this morning that I think apply quite well to confession: “draw near to God. God is good. He always forgives and understands. Do not be afraid of him. Draw near to him.”  This is precisely what happens in confession, we draw near to God, who never tires of forgiving us.

Go and sin no more

5th Sunday of Lent Year C:

            In today’s gospel we hear the story of the woman caught in adultery.  This is a helpful and insightful gospel.  But, unfortunately, it really only applies to people who are sinners.  So if you are not a sinner you can stop paying attention for the next couple of minutes.  Now, for the rest of us, we are all included here.  Whether our sins are more like that of the woman, or that of the Pharisees and scribes, either way you look at it, this story is talking about us.  I think that if we reflect on this passage we will gain a terrific insight into God's mercy, especially the sacrament of reconciliation.

At the heart of this story is Jesus. He is put in a terrible position.  The scribes and Pharisees are trying to trap him.  According to the law this woman should be put to death for her sins.  If Jesus simply overlooks the woman's sin he would give the impression that sin does not matter and that we should overlook the commandments. But, stoning this woman contradicts his message of mercy: God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son so that all those who believe in him might have eternal life. Jesus came to lift us out of sin, not to smite us on account of sin. His solution to the problem is very simple and beautiful. He reminds the scribes and Pharisees that none of us are free from sin, if we remember that we are all in need of God's mercy, we will be more merciful to others. But, then he tells the woman, go and sin no more.  Jesus tells us that we all need God’s mercy, and we need to move away from sin.

            When I meditate on this passage I think about the sacrament of Confession because it really covers all sinners.  Sometimes we are like that woman.  Maybe there is someone out there who is struggling with grave sin.  If so, we have absolutely nothing to fear.  God is all love, all the time.  Christ did not come to condemn, but to heal.  The woman in the story must have seen that compassion written on his face, or else she would have reacted quite differently.  Of course confession makes us nervous, don't you think the woman caught in adultery was nervous?  But, we have nothing to fear.  Jesus came not to condemn, but to heal.  This is what the condemning men in the story did not understand at first.  More than likely, this is what we fail to understand as well.  It is easy to pick up those rocks and hurl them at others who may be sinners, or have offended us personally.  But, as Jesus says, let the one who has not sinned be the first to throw the stone.  The central message of this story is that mercy is for everyone; confession is for everyone, it is only in our sacramental experience of the merciful Christ that we can hear him speak to each one of us: neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.

            Remember, Jesus did not come to condemn, to accuse us, or to discourage us. Jesus came to inspire us, to lift us up, to heal us. In the sacrament of Confession we see the compassionate face of Christ; he forgives us, heals us, and then sends us away with a challenging but inspiring message to go and sin no more. As we enter into the last two weeks of Lent, it is a wonderful time for us to make use of the sacrament of confession. We will have many extra hours of confessions in the next couple of weeks, so check the bulletin. I'm sure that most of you are already planning to go to confession. But, maybe somebody here is nervous or afraid.  Maybe someone thinks they have done something so bad that they cannot be forgiven, think of today's story and trust in the compassion of Christ.  Or, maybe someone thinks they are not sinners and don't really need forgiveness: be inspired by the example of those scribes and Pharisees and remember that we are all in need of God's healing, a healing we find in the sacrament of reconciliation. 

Second Scrutiny

Fourth Sunday of Lent Year C (Scrutiny readings) 2013:

Today we celebrate the second rite of scrutiny.  There is a marvelous continuity between the gospel readings chosen for these three weeks. Last week we heard the story of the woman at the well.  Central to that story was the notion of thirst.  The woman came to that well thirsty for water.  Jesus came to that well thirsting for that woman’s faith.  In the interaction between that woman and Jesus, he also was able to show her that she had a deeper longing, a thirst that can only be satisfied by God.  My friends, Christ is thirsting also for us.  That is why he came to earth, and we are all thirsting for him. 

But, today’s gospel highlights an obstacle, a difficulty in finding that water for which we all thirst.  Today’s gospel focuses on blindness.  This story about the historical encounter between Jesus and a blind man tells us much more than simply about one of Jesus’ miracles.  Rather, this miracle sheds light onto the very mystery of faith.  We are that blind man.  We are born into blindness.  Because of Original Sin, we are unable to see God, to perceive him in this world.  As men and women, made in God’s image and likeness, we have never lost our innate capacity for God, we have never lost our innate desire for God; yet, when our first parents were expelled from the Garden of Eden they lost their vision, they were no longer able to see God. 

So, we are all thirsting for Christ.  We long to find him, and yet we are blind.  What a miserable state of existence.  But, God had mercy on us and looked upon us in our lowliness.  For, in the fullness of time he sent his only begotten son to be the light of the World.  Our passage today can only be understood in light of the beginning of St. John’s gospel.  There he says: John 1:1-4  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2 He was in the beginning with God.  3 All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be  4 through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; and later The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.  Jesus Christ is the Word through whom all things were made, and the true light, which came into the world.  Christ is not only the font of water for which we thirst, he is also the light that can cast away our darkness.

How does he do this in the reading?  We notice that he heals the blind man, but does it with some pretty ordinary means: he makes clay and then the man washes in water.  Very simply, very humbly, Jesus works an amazing sign.  He doesn’t heal the blind man with a flash of lightning, nor with a violent earthquake or tremendous thunderclap, rather simply and humbly through ordinary signs and means.  This is why I see this healing in the gospel is a clear type for the sacraments.  In the sacraments God works amazing signs, but he does it by humble means.  We should see in the healing of this blind man a representation of baptism.  When we were baptized, and when these catechumen are baptized, there is washing and the healing of blindness.  Even today, Christ continues to work great signs through simple and humble ways.

But, I think this passage has another important insight.  Notice that while the man is instantly able to see, he doesn’t yet clearly perceive Christ.  He seems to grow and change through the course of the story.  I think this is a good reminder for each of us.  That while our eyes may have been opened to faith in baptism, that is only the beginning of the story.  We all grow, we all change, we all need to deepen our understanding, our vision of Christ.  But, just as that healing came through that simple, humble sign, so will our growth.  The sacraments, especially confession and Eucharist, are the principle means willed by our Savior for us to grow in faith.  As we celebrate this Holy Eucharist, we pray for our catechumen, that God will heal their blindness and give them faith, but let us also pray for all the baptized, that through this Eucharist we will grow in our faith and come to see in Christ the true light which enlightens everyone.

Repent...

Third Sunday of Lent Year C 2013:

            Lent is a season of prayer and penance.  It is a time to enter the desert with Jesus, a time to look at our lives and repent of our sinfulness.  And I believe that the theme of repentance is the proper context for us to understand our gospel reading today.  This is an interesting, if not strange passage in the gospel.  What is Jesus getting at?

            First, Jesus addresses the concerns that some of the people have about certain tragedies or atrocities that happened in his day.  There was the massacre of Herod and the loss of life when a tower fell.  We could add tragedies from our own times: the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Katrina disaster, the Newtown massacre, just to name a few.  Jesus responds to what must have been an idea prevalent at the time, namely that these bad things happened to these people because they were bad people, and God was punishing them.  I heard similar things about our own tragedies, that 9/11 was God's response to abortion, or that Katrina was God's way of cleansing the sin of Bourbon Street.  But, Jesus instantly rejects this idea and so should we.  Why does Jesus do this?  I think there are two reasons.

            First, if we say that God does bad things to bad people, what does that say about God?  Do we really want to think of disasters or tragedies as God inflicting punishment on sinners?  This doesn't sound loving or merciful.  This kind of behavior sounds petty and vindictive.  Do we really want to say that God is petty and vindictive?  We must remember that God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son, so that all those who believe in him might not perish but might have eternal life.  Also, God sent Jesus not to condemn the world, but to save the world.  We will often hear in times of sadness or tragedy, that God has a plan.  But, we must always be careful to remember that God never causes evil.  It is certainly true that when evil occurs, whether it is natural evil like hurricanes or moral evil like the Newtown tragedy, that God can bring good out of the suffering, he aids us in our times of need.  But, God does not cause evil.

            The second reason Jesus dismisses this idea is that he wants to remind us that repentance is for everyone.  If we think that God inflicts tragedy on bad people, and we are not the recipients of a tragedy, then we must be perfectly fine.  This kind of thinking goes like this: "Well God punished New Orleans with Katrina, those people must have been bad, good thing I am so awesome..."  A certain lack of humility will set in and we will forget about our basic need for repentance.  We are all sinners and we all need to change.  And, the stakes are high: Jesus says that if we don’t repent we will perish.

            This doesn’t mean that God is out to get us.  So you don’t have to worry that if you sin the St. Matt’s bell tower is going to fall on you when you leave the church today.  But, it is definitely true that sin kills the sinner.  It is not that God kills us if we sin; rather, it is that we are killing ourselves by our sinfulness.  And this is not a physical kind of death, but rather a spiritual death.  Sin is not good for us, it leads us away from God, it detaches us from one another, it leads to loneliness and isolation, hardship and suffering.  So, we should repent of our sinfulness not simply because we are afraid that God will “get us.”  Rather, each of us should move away from our sinfulness because we want more.  We were made for life, not death; for happiness, not sadness; for peace, not for violence.

            Jesus doesn’t call us to repentance so as to accuse us of our sinfulness; rather, hear his words as a loving invitation.  We stand at the crossroads, one way leads to sin, sadness, and death.  The other leads to life, happiness, and peace.  Which way will we choose?  

Who is Jesus?

            Today we hear about the transfiguration of Jesus.  This is a very interesting and mysterious event in the life of Jesus, where we see and learn many things about Christ.  When Jesus is transfigured there we catch a glimpse of the glory that awaits our savior on the other side of his crucifixion.  So as we journey towards Easter in this season of Lent, we can keep this image of Christ in glory before us.  This image should fill us with hope as we enter again into the suffering and death of our savior.  We see here Jesus conversing with Moses and Elijah.  This reminds us of the continuity of the gospel with the Law and the Prophets.  Jesus comes to fulfill the promises of old. 

            So there is a great deal for us to contemplate in this story of the Transfiguration, but as I was praying with this passage over the past week, something really stood out to me.  The words of God the Father can be heard: this is my chosen Son, listen to him.  The gospels were written not just to tell us about the life of a man who lived 2000 years ago.  The gospels were written to tell us who Jesus is.  And the words and actions of Jesus take on much more importance when we realize just who Jesus is. 

If we really believe and acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God, then the command of the Father is really the only choice: listen to him.  There is no other option.  If Jesus is God, the Word through whom all things were made, then he alone will have the words of eternal life.  He alone will be able to guide us where we long to go.  I always find it somewhat troubling when I'm conversing with someone who will say: I know the Church teaches x, but I don't really believe that.  How can that be possible?  How did we get into this situation where it seems acceptable for good people simply to reject the teachings of the gospel that they don't like? 

            I think it is a problem of identity.  We believe and profess that when the Church teaches in the name of Christ, it is Christ himself who teaches.  And who is Jesus: he is the chosen Son of the Father: listen to him.  The season of Lent is a great time to listen anew to the voice of Christ in the Scriptures and in the teachings of the Church.  We believe he is the Son of God, and we believe that if we follow him, he will lead us to new life, not only in the eternal life to come, but also new life in this present age.  This is the promise of the Gospel, if we follow Jesus we have citizenship in heaven. 

            We have a great example of listening to the voice of the Lord in St. Paul.  St. Paul, of course, heard the voice of Christ that day on the way to Damascus, and his life was never the same.  He saw in Jesus the only one who could lead him to eternal life.  This is why he knows that our citizenship is in heaven.  And, today he tells us to imitate him: to listen to the voice of Christ, to follow his guidance.

            During the rest of the season of Lent we will hear the words of Jesus in our scripture readings.  We should keep the message of God the Father in our minds and hearts: this is my chosen Son, listen to him.  This Lent will be a wonderful opportunity to deepen our faith in Christ, to recognize him as the Son of God.  And when we recognize him as the Son of God, it gives new vitality to his words.  Not only will we hear the words of Jesus, we will also celebrate the Holy Eucharist, the sacrament of Christ's body and blood.  As we hear his voice in Scripture and see him present on this altar, hopefully the voice of the Father will resonate in our hearts: this is my chosen Son, listen to him.

Pope Benedict resigns

By now all of you have heard the news that Pope Benedict is going to resign his office on February 28th at 8:00 PM Roman Time (2:00 PM our time in Indiana).

What does this mean?  It means that at that precise hour the See of Rome will become vacant.  The norms that can be found in Universi Dominic Gregis are to be followed.

These norms are the special legislation that govern the death of the Roman Pontiff, the interim government, and the election of the new Roman Pontiff.  In these norms there is only brief mention of the possibility of resignation.  So, unless the Pope issues new norms in the meantime, it would seem to me that these norms will become active, and the rules that kick in when the pope dies will begin at that precise moment.

Someone asked me recently, does this mean we are shepherd-less?  No.  First of all, we are all still under the care and direction of our local bishop.  Remember that the local bishop is a true pastor, he is not just a branch manager for the pope.  So, we still look to the bishop for his leadership.

Secondly, it is true that there will be no Pope for a period of time.  As a result, no name will be mentioned in the Eucharistic prayer at the place where the Pope's name is usually mentioned, only the local bishop will be mentioned (if you live in a diocese where there is currently a vacancy, neither name will be mentioned, odd isn't it?).

However, the governance of the Universal Church is taken up by the College of Cardinals.  They will begin meeting immediately following the pope's resignation.  It will be their job to guide the church in this interregnum period.  However, one principle is to be maintained: sede vacante, nihil innovatur.  In other words, while the See is vacant, nothing is to be changed.  In fact, in Universi Dominici Gregis, John Paul II proclaimed that any action that the College of Cardinals undertakes that is properly seen as the responsibility of the pope alone is rendered absolutely invalid.

Normally, when the college of Cardinals has this responsibility there are 2 major tasks for them to care for.  First, they are to conduct the funeral rights of the deceased Pontiff.  However, in this case that would not apply obviously.  Second, they are to make all of the necessary preparations for the Conclave that will elect the successor of the apostle Peter.

This conclave is to be held no earlier than 15 days after the vacancy and no later than 20 days.  Unless the pope issues norms to the contrary, the conclave cannot begin this year until March 15th.

It takes a 2/3 majority to elect the Roman Pontiff.  Only 1 ballot will be held on the first day, with 2 ballots per day after that.  My completely amateurish prediction is that it will be within 5 days.

People have asked me who I think will be elected.  I think it will not be me.  Other than that, who knows!  Let's just pray that the Holy Spirit guides the election process.

God bless Pope Benedict and the College of Cardinals.
Fr Jake

Jesus is Tempted

1^st Sunday of Lent year C 2013:

In the Liturgy of the Hours, which is the Church’s official daily prayer book, every day begins with the recitation of the Invitatory Psalm.  And this psalm, like most psalms in the Liturgy of the Hours, is framed by the reading of an antiphon.  During the season of Lent, there are only two options to choose from.  Both of which give us a great perspective on the season of Lent.  One option is: if today you hear the voice of the Lord, harden not your hearts.  This is a great way to think about Lent, a chance for us to be open to the voice of the Lord.  But today’s gospel made me think about the other option: come let us worship Christ the Lord who for our sake endured temptation and suffering.

Today we hear about Jesus’s temptation in the desert, and I think the antiphon from the Liturgy of the Hours gives us a key for interpreting this passage.  I have always thought of this passage as somewhat strange: Jesus is tempted.  But, Jesus is God, how could Jesus really be tempted?  Well, in an amazing way, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, truly becomes fully human.  He experiences everything we experience; he is like us in all things, but sin.  So, Jesus is truly tempted, and this shows us the fullness of his humanity, but we might still be left with a question: why would Jesus allow this temptation?  Here is where the words of our antiphon come into play: for our sake Jesus endured temptation and suffering. 

In the temptation of Jesus we see one like us in all things, and yet he overcomes temptation.  Even though Adam and Eve fell to their temptation, even though we fall to our temptations, one like us overcame.  When Jesus overcomes temptation in and through his full humanity, he raises all of humanity with him.  Through his union with us, Christ lends new strength to fallen humanity, first as exemplar and through grace.

Today we hear that Jesus faces three temptations, temptations that might be part of our experience, and our passage shows us a way through temptation.

First, Jesus is tempted with bread.  It certainly would have sounded great to have the pleasure of eating that bread, as hungry as he was.  We too might be tempted by the pleasures and good things of this world when our appetites are moved.  Jesus encourages us in our temptation: Man does not live by bread alone.  When we are tempted by those appealing things in our life, we should make a conscious effort to think of higher things.  I’m a total sucker for sweets, and this year for Lent I gave them up: so when I’m tempted to reach for chocolate I will employ the words of Christ: Jake does not live by sweets alone!

Second, Jesus is tempted with power and prestige.  He is shown all the cities and lands, the devil says: I will give you power and glory.  Rarely is it put so boldly, but aren’t we often tempted to power and glory?  Don’t we want to be noticed, liked, and appreciated?  In a way this is the Original Sin, where Adam and Eve placed themselves above God and his commands, taking God’s place, his power, his glory.  That didn’t work out too well for them.  What does Jesus recommend when we are faced in a similar temptation: you shall worship the Lord your God.  Worship transforms us into humble people because when we worship we acknowledge that God is God and we are not!

Lastly, Jesus is tempted to throw himself down.  This is an interesting temptation and Jesus’ answer is telling: you shall not test the Lord your God.  We know that Jesus always did the will of his Father.  Think about the night before he died: if this cup may pass from me, but your will be done.  How often are we convinced that if God would just listen to us, we would straighten everything out?  I always say it is a good thing I’m not omnipotent, because if I were things would be different, but certainly not better.  We might be tempted to frustration and dissatisfaction sometimes in our spiritual life, we might be tempted to tell God how to be God; how much different is Christ: you shall not test the Lord your God.

So Jesus shows us the way through temptation, but he also gives us the strength to battle temptations.  Especially here in the Holy Eucharist, we receive the gift of God’s very life.  As the antiphon says, it was for our sake that Christ endured temptation and suffering, so that when we suffer, when we are tempted we might be lifted up by the example and power of Christ.

Duc in Altum

5^th Sunday of OT Year C:

Our readings for today’s mass focus on discipleship.  Jesus tells his disciples to set out into deep waters.  John Paul II would often reflect on these words.  He thought this image of being on deep water captured what it means to live our faith in the world.  Deep water can be dangerous and intimidating, but in those deep water we find the great catch of fish.  So, the idea is not to run away from the world, but to engage it as disciples of Jesus.  About these words, John Paul wrote, “These words ring out for us today, and they invite us to remember the past with gratitude, to live the present with enthusiasm and to look forward to the future with confidence: ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.’”

First, we are to remember the past with gratitude.  St. Paul says it so well today, “I handed on to you what I first received.”  It is true that we believe in the timelessness and eternity of God.  But, the eternal Word of God became man and dwelt among us.  As a result, Christianity is a historical religion.  As I say often, we do not believe in Jesus-ness, these stories are not mere myths.  We believe that a historical concrete person was in fact the eternal Son of God.  So, remembering the past with gratitude is an essential component to Christian life.  By remembering all that God has done for us, we should be filled with joy.  God loved us so much that he sent his son to be with us, and Jesus offered his life for the salvation of the world.  How often do we stop to remember this amazing truth?  Hopefully every day!  Actually, every time we celebrate the holy Mass, this is precisely what we are doing.  By celebrating these mysteries they become new again in front of us.  Setting out into deep water is challenging and intimidating, and we will only have the courage to do this if we recall the life, death, and resurrection of Christ our savior.

When we celebrate these great mysteries they come alive for us in the here and now.  This is why we are able to live the present with enthusiasm.  For Christians, Christ is a real historical person, but he never remains a person stuck in the past.  Christ is just as present to us now as he was to St. Peter in our gospel story today.  When we live a life of faith, Christ dwells in us and works through us.  With Christ present and active within us we find a boundless source of energy to carry out his work his mission.  And we shouldn’t worry too much about our own weaknesses and sinfulness, Isaiah said he was a man of unclean lips, Peter said depart from me Lord, Paul reminds us today that he persecuted the Christians.  But, God worked great things through these people.  If we acknowledge our weaknesses, then rely on God’s strength, we will see that we can live the present with great enthusiasm for the faith.

Finally, John Paul tells us to look forward to the future with confidence.  By reflecting on the past, and living the present tense with Christ present and active in our lives, we will be ready for whatever the future might bring.  If tomorrow brings joy and prosperity, we will give thanks.  If tomorrow brings sadness and affliction, we will call on God for help.  No matter what tomorrow brings, we put our trust in Christ who said: behold I am with you always until the end of the world. 

Living our faith in these interesting times can be quite a challenge.  Sometimes it seems like the culture is directly opposed to Christian living.  But, with these three principles in mind, we can have the courage to put out into deep water, to live our faith with enthusiasm so as to bring it to a new generation.

This week has been a sad week for our diocese.  We lost a beloved shepherd and mentor this week with the death of our bishop emeritus John D’Arcy.  But, I think it is fitting that this gospel passage is our reading for the week, because I often heard Bishop D’Arcy referring to these words.  And I feel that Bishop D’Arcy truly lived John Paul II’s call.

He gratefully remembered the past, he was certainly a man of Catholic faith and conviction.  There was nothing he liked better than celebrating the mass and preaching about Christ and all he had done for us.  He certainly lived the faith with great enthusiasm.  He was remarkable, I never met someone as hard-working.  He was always on the go, but he always made time for us.  And, he certainly looked to the future with confidence, even in his last moments he was praising God and prayerful.  Bishop D’Arcy will truly be missed by all of us.  But, I will miss him especially because I saw in him someone who was not afraid to put out into deep water.