In one sense, Jesus makes it easy for us to experience his presence. He said: "Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him." (John 14:24) When we are obedient to Jesus' command to love as he has loved us, then the infinite enters into our lives in a new and transforming way. Simple. Not really. Because of the root of sin in our lives, it is hard to love others as Jesus has loved us. Yet, this is the key to his indwelling presence within us. Our spiritual journey is moving from the darkness of selfishness into the light of selflessness. The bridge is love. Not just any love. The agape love of Jesus, which seeks what is truly best for us and others. It is the love of the cross, where we lay down our life for another, not looking to receive anything in return. It is the obedience to the will of God in the present moment, namely, love this person as you have been loved by God. Pray for the grace to obey the word of God. Then act on that grace out of love of God and the other. This love doesn't happen overnight or automatically. It comes through much discipline and obedience to God's word. The lives of the saints attest to this.

 From Ash Wednesday to the Tridium, our focus is on the death and resurrection of Jesus, Our Lord and Savior. We culminate our Lenten journey on Easter Sunday, when we celebrate Jesus' impact on our lives by renewing our Baptismal promises. From Easter to Pentecost, our focus is on the Holy Spirit, who Jesus promised to send to sanctify, anoint, empower and mission us as disciple/witnesses. During this time we need to be praying for a fuller release of the gifts of the Spirit, given to us in Baptism and Confirmation. "Come, Holy Spirit, come in a fresh new way into my life." Let the life of the early Church, seen in the Acts of the Apostles be our reading and focus during this time. We culminate our Easter journey by celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit. Having been renewed by the Spirit, we need to be more attentive to the grace moments that God provides us to witness and exercise the various gifts of the Spirit. These gifts are given to us for the up building of the Body of Christ, his people.

 Each day of our lives God has divine appointments for us to keep. Many of us are so busy with our own agenda that we miss those grace moments. They are not interruptions but opportunities to be Christ to another person. This is our mission as a disciple/witness. What would have happened if Peter and John walked passed the man begging at the Temple gate, as so many other people did? Here was an opportunity for the Good News of salvation to be proclaimed in signs and words. Because they were opened to the move of the Holy Spirit, they stopped and did what God wanted them to do in the moment. We need to pray every day, asking God to enable us to be attentive to the divine appointments he may have for us. It may be a phone call; it may be an act of love to another person; it may be taking time and actually praying for a person when they ask us to. God calls us to be instruments of his love to others through these divine appointments. Be attentive. Be open. Be responsive.

 

Homily: Fifth Sunday of Easter Year C

 

Reading 1: Paul and Barnabas were signaled out by the Holy Spirit to go to the Gentile world to preach the good news of salvation in Jesus, the Risen Lord. Our reading is about the end of that first journey and their return to Antioch, Syria, where it began.

 

It says in the first part that they went to Antioch, Greece to bid farewell to the house church established there. What they said to the believers can be said to us today. Paul and Barnabas exhorted them to persevere in their faith in Jesus Christ. “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”

 

As the twelve apostles appointed deacons to take care of the needs of the people, so Paul and Barnabas appoint elders (priests) to continue the pasturing of the community as the disciples leave.

 

Then they returned to Antioch, Syria and related to the community that sent them how the Gentiles responded to the proclamation of the truth. And the Church gave glory to God.

 

Why were Paul and Barnabas so effective? They followed the lead of the Holy Spirit. They proclaimed the truth in the power of the Holy Spirit. They acted in love and not for selfish gain.

 

Reading 2: We are given in the Book of Revelation what we will experience if we persevere in faith, if we endure the suffering because of the name of Jesus, if we follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, if we love others as Jesus has loved us. What is that? To be with God forever in glory.

 

What does this look like? We will be in the new heaven and new earth; we will be the bride of Christ, adorned for her husband; we will be fully in the presence of God as his redeemed and glorified people. There God will wipe away every tear. There will be no more sadness, death or mourning, no more pain, because the old has passed and the new is eternal. This is the promise God has made and God has fulfilled in the lives of those who are with him now.

 

There is great joy and anticipation for our coming into the eternal kingdom where the glorified ones are glorifying God with songs, and shouts, with worship and praise. Are you excited?

 

Gospel: We are at the Last Supper. Jesus has washed the feet of the disciples, given them an example of service they needed to imitate. Then he gave Judas a last chance to desist from his intention to betray Jesus. But Judas was determine no matter what.

 

And now Jesus focuses on the eleven. In John’s Gospel the Last Super was an opportunity for Jesus to leave them his Last Will and Testament. He already showed them the example service. He will speak of the coming and role of the Holy Spirit; he will speak of the need for them to be one with him and with each other, as he is one with the Father; he will tell them that his departure, namely his death, will bring them sadness, but his resurrection will bring them joy. For he goes to prepare a place for them.

 

Our present Gospel selection speaks of two other subjects that Jesus left with them. First, that his death on the cross will give God glory and the Father will in turn raise Jesus up, revealing Jesus’ glory as Lord and Savior. The apostles had already heard Jesus talk about glorifying God and they heard the Father’s voice saying he will glorify Jesus soon.

 

The way Jesus will glorify God is the same way we are called to glorify him. Jesus chose to do the will of God, obediently even to the death of the cross. When we seek to do the will of God in all circumstances we are glorifying God. In so doing we are acknowledging that he is God and we are his creatures.

 

The second way Jesus glorified the Father was that he did the will of God out of love, not obligation or fear. He had an agape love for the Father. He gave his total self to the Father in all he did in his humanity. He tells the disciples and us, “As I have loved you, you must love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, your love for one another.” Paul and Barnabas lived this out in their missionary outreach. The saints in heaven are with God because they gave glory to God on earth by doing his will in love in spite of their hardships.  This is our call, to glorify God by doing his will, loving one another as he has loved us.

 When we want to ask God for something, it is on our timing. But when we want to hear from the Lord, it is on his timing. Many times it is hard to wait on the Lord. We would want a quick response. The fact is we are in control only of our own request; we are not in control of God's response. He is God and we are not. We know this but we still wonder why the answer is slow coming. Maybe God is really waiting upon us to be in the right frame of mind to receive his answer. It may not be what we want to hear, but it is the best for us in God's eternal plan for us. God's delay may be because we are not ready. The answer is yes, but not yet. In all this process, God is calling us to surrender to him: to his timing and to his answer. It is not the answer that is most important to God. It is our relationship with him. Will this draw us closer to him or not? Be still and know that he is God.. Wait upon the Lord with confidence in his desire for the best for you.

 Fifth Sunday of Easter Gospel C

When Judas had left them, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and God will glorify him at once.

· Why does Jesus wait until the departure of Judas to betray him before Jesus speaks of his glorifying the Father? Could it be because the glory of God can't be seen in the darkness but only in the light of truth?

· What is the glorification that Jesus is referring to? His embracing of the will of the Father, even to the death of the cross. This is his glory and he does this, so that the Father may be glorified. As Jesus gave glory to the Father by doing his will even to the death on the cross for our salvation, the Father in turn glorified Jesus by raising him up from the dead and seated him at his right hand in heaven.

· What can we do to give glory to the Father?  Someone has said: "I am the glory of God." When we do the will of God in our lives, then we reflect the glory of God. 

· What has God promised us that in turn will bring us glory?

My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.

· Jesus is referring to his upcoming death as well as his return to the Father at the Ascension.

· What do you think the Apostles felt on hearing these words? What would have been your feelings?

 I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

· Why would Jesus make love at the heart of his relationship with us and our relationship with each other?

· Jesus literally gave his life so that we may have life. Does our love for others reflect Christ’s love for us?

· Is our love concrete and evident or is it theoretical and intentional?

St. John Eudes once said: "I am the glory of God." Can I relate with that and proclaim the same truth? This reflects a similar statement by St. Ireneaus: "The glory of God is man fully alive, but the life of man  is the vision of God." Jesus said: "I came that they may have life, life to the fullest." Ponder on the truth these sayings are proclaiming. God created us in his own image and likeness. Jesus redeemed us so that we can reflect the glory of God as we share his divine life. The more we are growing in relationship with God, the more his life becomes our life, then his glory is manifested in and through us. We are the glory of God by his grace and love. We grow in his life and become more fully alive by his grace and love. But when we cooperate and embrace the gift of his life, living in it in love, then the glory of God becomes a visible reality to others. Repeating often "I am the glory of God." may enable the truth to be embraced and lived.

 Jesus said: "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Mt. 16:25) Life is a paradox. It is a mystery we must learn to embrace. The key to this paradox is Jesus. Life is a gift from God. It is not my possession. The moment I try to possess the gift  outside of God is the moment I begin to lose the place of God in my life. My human life is here today and gone tomorrow. But the life that God gives us beyond our human life, namely a share in God's own divine life, will last forever, as long as I live in, for and with God. This is the life of which Jesus said: "I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly." (John 10:10) My human life I can feel; the life of God within me is perceived only in faith. Both are gifts to be treasured and responded to according to the plan of the Giver. What is that plan? Live in God and God will live in us. Apart from him all we do has no positive eternal benefit. The gift is from God. The choice of response is ours.

"Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and ask him more directly to give you joy, peace, and a pure heart. Purity of heart means a heart where God is the center of your attention. Take a simple sentence like “The Lord is my shepherd there is nothing I shall want,” and repeat that quietly during the day until the truth of it enters the center of your being. You will always continue to have feelings of depression, anger, and restlessness, but when God dwells in the center of the storm, the storm is less frightening and you can live with trust that in the midst of all of the darkness you will be led to a place of joy and peace." (Henri Nouwen)

The Lord is our Shepherd. But to what extent do I believe and live in that reality? With all that is happening in our daily life, it is so easy to forget that the Lord is with us and within us. He is with us to lead us. But we must learn to be be aware of his leadership and follow him. He will lead us through the darkness and through the struggles of life. If we keep our eyes on him and follow him, we will be safe. If we take our eyes off him, it will be easy for us to go astray and get lost. He calls us by name, for each of us is important to him. The Gospel for this Sunday will be about Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Listen to it, reflect on it, live it.

During Pilate's interrogation of Jesus, Jesus made this revealing statement: "I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." Pilate's response was: "What is the truth?" Earlier Jesus told the Apostles: "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." The truth is Jesus, true God and true Man! Accepting and believing in the real person of Jesus, opens us to the further mystery of the Father and the Holy Spirit and the plan of God for our salvation. As we embrace the truth of who Jesus is, "the truth will set us free." There are many truths, but only  one Truth. It is in times of prayer and reflection that we will be able to draw from the well of the Truth, without depleting the source. With Paul we can say as we gaze and reflect on the Truth: "At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known." Only in eternity in the presence of God will we have a fuller understanding of the Truth. But the journey begins when we have that transforming encounter with Jesus, the Truth.

Homily: Fourth Sunday of Easter Year C

 

Reading 1: “They were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.” Why? They just got themselves thrown out of town. They have experienced persecution and rejection. They experienced violent abuse. How can they still be filled with joy and the Holy Spirit? What was the source—besides the Holy Spirit—of this joy? The message they preached, they believed and lived. But more, the person of Jesus Christ.

 

They were convicted of the Father’s love for them and the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit.  They were committed disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. They were doing what God told them to do. Their focus was not the persecutions or rejections, but on doing the will of God who chose them and sent them.

 

Are we filled with joy and the Holy Spirit right now? During this past week? Is it possible that our focus has not been on our relationship with God, on doing the will of God consciously? Is it possible that we allowed ourselves to be so caught up with just getting through the day but forgot about the real purpose of our existence?

 

God was the center of their lives. Like Jesus, his will was their food. Does God want us to be filled with joy and the Holy Spirit? What needs to change and be done?

 

Reading 2: Who are these before the throne of God? Men and women from every place, time and culture, who in their life-time were filled with an inner joy and peace and the Holy Spirit. They survived the great period of trials and persecutions for their faith was in Jesus Christ. They kept their eyes on the Lord and his promises. They made choices that would bring them in right order with the will of God for them. They entrusted themselves to the Lord and longed for the joy of being in the Lord’s presence forever.

 

Were they any different from you or me? They were born, lived and died. They struggled, suffered, sinned. But the reason they are now at peace is that they came to the truth that set them free, the light that dispel the darkness, the path that leads to eternal life. They experienced Jesus and his saving message. They believed and embraced him and it. Everything from that point was measured against this relationship and reality.

 

Gospel: Do we want to be filled with joy and the Holy Spirit? Then follow the Lord Jesus, our Shepherd. Listen and be attentive to his voice in the silence of our hearts. Make him the reason why we do or not do something.

 

We have been given to Jesus by the Father. Nothing can snatch us from his hand. But I can choose not to follow him, listen to him. I can choose to leave him and focus on something else. But if I remain with and in him, then he promises eternal life with him.

 

This was the same message Paul and Barnabas preached, the same message those who washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb heard and acted on. It is the same message we hear. Do we want to be filled with joy and the Holy Spirit? The plan is clear. All we have to do is act on it. True, it is not easy. But we have the lives and witness of the countless number of people who are celebrating with God in eternity. They are interceding for us before the throne of God. 

 Have you ever felt a deep loneliness? If you have, did you ask the Lord what was this loneliness within you? Sometimes we try to fill this feeling with temporary fixes. But the loneliness comes back. Is it possible that God is permitting you to experience this emptiness for a reason? St. Augustine confronted this hole in his heart by coming to the truth. "My soul is restless until it rests in you, my God." Only God can fill this sense of loneliness. What appears to us to be a pain, my in reality be a grace, calling us into a deeper intimacy with God.  We may be afraid of this intimacy with God because of our many sins. But God is not thwarted by our sins. He forgives them, so that we may be one with and in him. It will not happen overnight. It will entail dying to what is not of God and surrendering ourselves into the hands of the Lord's love. As long as the lover is away from the beloved, there is a sense of loneliness. But it the mutual love between them that enables them to wait for the day of union once more. 

Fourth Sunday of Easter Gospel C

Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

· Sheep become accustom to the voice of the shepherd and respond to his call. They don’t respond to the voice of a stranger. How in tune are we to the voice of Jesus within us? Can we distinguish his voice from that of others? Do we follow him?

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.

· Jesus desires to share his life with us. How desirous are we of that life? How protective are we of that life? Do we really believe that even when we die, we will live in him because of this divine life we share?

No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.

· There is one thing that can separate us from God. That is sin. Sin is not something from the outside but from within. It is our choice to sin or not to sin.

· The evil one can tempt us, but doesn’t snatch us away from the hand of God. We choose to remain with God or choose to separate ourselves through sin.

· Jesus gives us life. It is up to us to remain in that life with him or to squander the gift for something much lesser and lasting only for a short moment.

 The Father and I are one.”

· As long as we follow the voice of the Shepherd, as long as we live in his life, we will be one with the Father and the Son. This is the will of God. What is our will?

· Be attentive this week to the way you listen to the voice of Jesus. Be conscious of the divine life within you and resist the attempts to draw you away from the Lord.

 

 As we look at the situations of the world around us, we may sometimes wonder does God really care. How can there be so much destruction, disregard for human life, so much injustice, so much poverty and pain? Does God really care? Maybe the question is not does God really care, but do we really care? From the beginning God created all things good, including human beings. Then, came sin into the world at the will of human beings. God cared enough to promise to restore human beings back to the order of grace. Human beings continued to sin. God cared enough to become man, to give his life as a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the world. He was falsely condemned to the cruelest of all deaths, crucifixion. He rose  from the dead and gave us a chance for a new start. God indeed cares. Do we care is the real question. If we choose to follow the way of the Lord, then we care. If we choose to follow the way of the world, flesh and devil, then we do not care. If we expect to continue our journey outside of relationship with God, why should we expect him to fix our mess. He cares enough to offer us the grace of repentance and restoration. He has not abandoned us. But have we abandoned God by choosing sin over him? As an individual I cannot change the world, but I can change myself in grateful response to God's loving care for me.

 “The Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). What does this mean? Listen to a reflection from Pope Francis:  “The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness”. How blessed are we to have God's presence within us! We are Temples of the Spirit. We are never alone or unloved. God is within us, sharing his divine life with us. Yet, it is like breathing. We take it for granted. Where will we be without the breath of life? Who will we be without the presence of God within  us? 

Acknowledging Jesus' presence within us, we have to ask ourselves to what extent is he the center of our lives? He is within us by grace but other things that are not of him are also in our hearts. How much attention do we pay to Jesus in comparison to these other things? The answer may tell us what really is important in our lives. What we would like to be most important may not be in reality. Take time to be attentive to the presence of the Lord within for when we die it is this presence that will determine our eternity.

"Eternal God, you are a mystery as deep as the sea; the more I search, the more I find, and the more I find the more I search for you. But I can never be satisfied; what I receive will ever leave me desiring more. When you fill my soul I have an even greater hunger, and I grow more famished for your light. I desire above all to see you, the true light, as you really are." (St Catherine of Sienna)

This is the journey of the soul: a journey of searching and finding, of hungering and of being satisfied only to hunger for more. Why can't we possess God here on earth? God in his mercy knows that the fullness of  our life is beyond our earthly existence. What we can know and experience of God in this life is merely a glimpse of the fullness of who he is. As St. Paul came to understand: "At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known." (1 Cor 13:12) 

It is so easy for us to settle for the bird at hand than to push forward towards the flock of birds just beyond our immediate reach. God creates this hunger for him, so that we will not be satisfied with a temporary fix, like the addictive person, but seek what will satisfy us completely. God is the beginning and end of our life. Until we are with him completely, we will always be incomplete. Continue the journey. In the words of St. Paul: "It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity, but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ [Jesus].Brothers, I for my part do not consider myself to have taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12-14)

 Jesus reveals many divine mysteries to us. He reveals that the God of the universe is the God who is with us and within us, both as a people and individually. When the Son of God became man he took upon himself our humanity and made his dwelling with us. This is how much he loves us. Though he ascended back to the Father, he told us that he will be with each of us until the end. He left us his Eucharistic presence as a reminder. But Jesus also said that he would send the Holy Spirit to be with  us and to be within us. This reality is accepted and experienced in faith. In Baptism we became the adopted sons and daughters of God, sharing his own divine life. Each time we receive the Eucharist we are strengthened in this life, as Jesus comes into us. The more conscious we become of God with us and within us, the more we will grow in union with God.

 

Homily Third Sunday of Easter Year C

 

Reading 1: This is the second time that the Apostles were brought before the religious leaders of the people. The first was after Peter and john healed the crippled beggar at the Temple gate. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit proclaimed that the healing took place in and by the name of Jesus, whom they had crucified. They were threatened and forbidden to speak about Jesus any more.

 

They and the others continued to give testimony that Jesus, the Messiah, has risen from the dead and is alive. The religious leaders tried to stop them. They were thrown into prison. But an angel released them and told them to go back to the Temple and share the Good News of salvation. When questioned by the religious authorities, their response was clear. We must obey God who has given us this mandate rather than men who opposed Jesus. Again, they testified to the resurrection.

 

Again, they were told to cease. They were flogged. They left rejoicing that they suffer dishonor for the sake of the name of Jesus. What made these ordinary men act this way? What brought about such a dramatic transformation in the lives of these men who abandoned Jesus in his time of need? What transformed them was the resurrection of Jesus and the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost. They saw the Risen Lord and they experienced the anointing power of the Holy Spirit.

 

Gospel: In John’s gospel this is the third appearance of the Risen Lord to his Apostles. The first time was on Easter Sunday, when Jesus revealed himself and conferred on them their mission in the poser of the Holy Spirit. The second time was a week later, when Jesus appeared to them with Thomas present. As a result of seeing the risen Lord, Thomas made the first public profession of faith in Jesus as Lord and God.

 

Remembering that Jesus had told them to go back to Galilee, they returned. While waiting, they decided to go fishing. After many tries, they caught nothing. Jesus, not recognized by them, tells them to cast their nets on the opposite side of the boat. In doing so, they caught a net full of large fish. It brought to mind the miraculous catch of fish they netted on first meeting Jesus.  In response, John, with the insight of faith cries out: “It is the Lord!”

 

Unlike that first experience in which Peter asked Jesus to depart from him for he was a sinner, this time Peter jumps into the water, swimming towards Jesus. He couldn’t wait for the boat to bring him to the shore. When the others came, no one asked who he was. They knew in faith that it was Jesus, the Lord. His resurrected body was different, but he was the same person who had made a difference in their lives.

 

As significant as the miraculous catch was, what follows is more important and applicable to us. Peter had denied Jesus three times. Jesus never brought that up because Peter was forgiven. That was the past. What is more important was for Peter to profess publicly his love for Jesus. So Jesus asked him three times: “Do you love me?” Peter answered: “Yes, I love you.” To each response Jesus confirmed Peter’s role as the Shepherd of his people. Then Jesus tells him that his love and service will lead him eventually to lay down his life for the Lord.

 

Jesus, today, asks us the same questions. “Do you love me?”  Even though we have sinned and turned away from God, Jesus asks us to profess our love and faith in him publicly.  Hopefully, our response is similar to Peter’s. Hopefully, our response will prepare us to live our lives in such a way as to bear witness to Jesus’ love and life in us.

 

Reading 2: This reading gives us a glimpse of the promise life of heaven. There will be countless number of people there. Hopefully, we will be among them. And what will they and we be doing?  We will be praising and worshipping God for what God has done in our life: bringing us to salvation and sharing with us his eternal life. We can never thank God enough. But we can show our gratitude now by living in a way that will one day enable us to fulfill our identity and purpose of existence.

Some of us are like the absentminded professor who was asked "who are you?" could only answer, "I don't know." Over the  years he had forgotten who he really was. Who are we really? What is our purpose in life? St. Paul gives us the revelation of God which answers our question. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved." (Ephesians 1:3-6)

Who are we? We are the beloved sons and daughters of God, chosen by him to share his eternal life and be with him forever. Through sin, Adam and Eve lost this awareness of their identity. We came into the world without awareness of our true identity. The Son of God became Man to restore us to our true relationship and true identity. He reminded us that we are the Beloved of the Father, called to be with God forever. He pours forth his Spirit upon us to place his seal upon us: we belong to the Lord. Living in the Spirit we maintain our identity. Living apart from the Spirit, we become like the absentminded professor. We must claim, embrace and live in the freedom of our identity, so that one day we will find fulfillment as a person in union with God.

 

 Third Sunday of Easter Gospel C

At that time, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.

· This is another name for the Sea of Galilee.

· This would be the third recorded Easter appearance of Jesus to the Apostles according to John. The first two were in Jerusalem. This is in Galilee just as Jesus had told the women to tell the disciples. But if we combined all the Easter appearances found in the four Gospels, we will see there were more than three.

 He revealed himself in this way. Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We also will come with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. 

· Notice again the similarity of a previous time the disciples fished all night and had caught nothing until Jesus joined them. Can we relate to this in our own lives?

· Like other Easter appearances Jesus is not recognized because the risen body is different.

Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.” So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.”  

· Notice the change of address for Jesus after the resurrection. “It is the Lord.” Why do you think they so address Jesus?

·        Recall that this was the same direction Jesus had given them at their initial encounter.

When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea. 

· What is the significance of Peter’s reaction?

·        At the first miraculous catch, Peter fell on his knees, acknowledging that he was a sinner.          Now he can’t wait to be with the Lord.

The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish. When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord. 

· The risen Lord’s appearance is different from the previous ways they had known him. But they recognize the voice and the actions.  In faith they knew it was Jesus.

Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish. This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead. When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He then said to Simon Peter a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” Jesus said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that Jesus had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 

· Why did Jesus ask Peter the same question three times? Do you think it has anything to do with the triple denial of Jesus by Peter during the arrest scene?

· Imagine yourself in Peter’s place and listen in your heart to the same three questions to you by Jesus. What is your response?

Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

· According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside down in Rome.

· This was the second time Jesus told Peter to follow him. The first was at the same Sea when Jesus first encountered Peter and invited him to become a fisher of men. Peter followed but was not yet ready to give himself totally to Jesus. Is the same thing true in our lives? We have heard an initial call and followed Jesus but now we are fully ready to follow him no matter what. This is the response Jesus is looking for.

How often we try to control the direction of our life! We live in the illusion that we alone know what we most need, what is best for us, what we should do next, what we desire to accomplish.  There is a saying which we may have heard before. "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." In reality, when we are in total control of our lives, how often we have made a mess of things. We fail to remember that we belong to the Lord. He created, redeemed, adopted us for a purpose: to be fulfilled in him and to live with him eternally. He has a plan for us. It is not always clear what it is. But the more we learn to surrender to the Lord, the more we can better be able to be in tune to that inner voice of the Spirit of God within us. His voice and direction are gentle and soft, like a quiet whisper. As we learn how better to be attentive and responsive to the lead of the Spirit, we will be in the place God wants us to be in the present moment. "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening."

 God is present at all times in all places and circumstances. That is the nature of God. He is. He is the cause and continuation of every thing that exists. Yet, there are times as human beings we have a sense of God's distance and even absence. We do not feel that he is near. At those moments we feel alone an abandoned. These moments are actually grace moments to draw us closer to him. They are moments to remind us of our total dependence upon God, lest we take him for granted. 

Like Jesus on the cross we may cry out: "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me." Jesus was feeling the depth of separation from the Father, because he had become sin for our sake. But as he continued to pray Psalm 22, he acknowledged that the Father had not forsaken him and will raise him up from death. Even though in those moments we do not see nor sense God's presence, our faith in God's consistent and unconditional love affirms he is and will remain with us.  In the words of St. Paul, "we walk by faith not by sight." (2 Cor 5:7) Pray for that grace.

" Mercy is always a gratuitous act of our heavenly Father, an unconditional and unmerited act of love. Consequently, we cannot risk opposing the full freedom of the love with which God enters into the life of every person. Mercy is this concrete action of love that, by forgiving, transforms and changes our lives. In this way, the divine mystery of mercy is made manifest. God is merciful (cf. Ex 34:6); his mercy lasts for ever (cf. Ps 136). From generation to generation, it embraces all those who trust in him and it changes them, by bestowing a share in his very life." (Pope Francis)

There are many instances in Jesus' life that he ministered the mercy of God as a healing salve to the wound of human misery. Without misery there is no need for mercy. Recall the case of the woman caught in adultery, who, according to the Mosaic Law, should be stoned to death. Jesus, the Icon of mercy, shows mercy first to the accusers, who are equally sinful, and then to the woman. The accusers left in their misery. But the woman heard the words of mercy and forgiveness. Jesus indicated the response to mercy: "Go, and sin no more." The grace of mercy gave  her an opportunity to change her way of life and to embrace the life of grace being offered her.

Each time we go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation,  we walk in aware of our misery. We walk out renewed in the shared life of God, because of God's mercy. We hear the same challenge: "Go, and sin no more."

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 God is rich in mercy! When the Son of God became man and dwelt among us, he was demonstrating his great mercy for us. In its root the word mercy means to have compassion for those in misery. We were in a state of eternal misery, both because of the Original Sin of Adam and Eve, which alienated us from God, but also because of all our own personal sins. Imperfect and broken as we were, we could not atone for our sins. No merely human being could. God the Son, in his infinite mercy, chose out of love to become one like us in all things but sin, in order to offer the perfect sacrifice to the Father. This act in itself would have been sufficient to atone for our sins. But God wanted to show the depth of his mercy for us. He chose to suffer and die the cruel death of crucifixion, offering himself as the perfect sacrifice of love and obedience. It is hard for us to comprehend these great mysteries. All we can do is acknowledge, give thanks and choose to respond by living a life worthy of the grace we have received. Alleluia! He is lives and because of him, I live. Alleluia!

 

Homily:  Second Sunday of Easter Year C

 

Reading 1: Signs and wonders occurred at the hands of the Apostles after Pentecost. The sick and those disturbed by unclean spirits were cured. What was the focus of this happening? Jesus was proclaimed as Lord and Messiah by those who were witnesses of the Risen Lord and his teachings. As a result, others believed and were added to their numbers.

 

Faith in Jesus. The Apostles did what Jesus told them to do. They received the anointed power of the Holy Spirit and they were led by the Spirit, as Jesus was, to pray for those who were sick and those influenced by evil spirits.

 

Faith in Jesus Christ entails committing one’s life to Jesus Christ as Lord and Messiah and openness to the grace of the Holy Spirit. This opens one up to the manifestations of God’s power. That is the plan of God. Should that not be happening now?

 

Reading 2: Why was John persecuted? Because he proclaimed God’s word and gave testimony to Jesus. As a result he was exiled to the island of Patmos. Even there he experienced a gift of the Spirit—divine visions.

 

In this vision Jesus reassured him and said “Do not be afraid” to proclaim God’s word and continue to give testimony about him who is the first and the last, the one who died and is alive.

 

Is it fear that prevents us from proclaiming God’s word by our life and actions? Are we afraid of what others may say or think of us? Where should our focus be? On Jesus or on others?  He has the keys of death. Others don’t.

 

Gospel: Again, the focus is on the plan of the Father, the person of Jesus and the gift of the Spirit. The Apostles were in fear of being arrested and may be put to death like Jesus. Jesus met them where they were. He addresses their fear by simply saying: “Peace.” That is Jesus’ word to us today. No matter our concerns, worries, fears or problems: “Peace”.

 

Then he reminded them of the Father’s plan for him and for them. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” The Father sent Jesus out of love for us to bring us Good News that would set us free, forgive us our sins and bring us once more into God’s life. The Apostles, and we, have the same commission.

 

Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit in his humanity, so that led by and in the power of the Holy Spirit the words of truth proclaimed would be confirmed with signs and wonders. So Jesus breathed on them and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

 

But for all this to happen there was an essential piece needed. Thomas would give the example. Not only are we called to be disciples, followers of Jesus—but we must have a deep personal relationship with Jesus. Our faith/commitment must be based on the full reality of who Jesus is. Many knew and followed Jesus the man who was crucified and buried. Thomas had not made the leap of faith to accept, acknowledge and commit himself to Jesus as Lord and God. Like others his faith was based on a memory not on the reality of the person of the Son of God. His faith was built on his need to determine what will bring him to accept what the others had seen and experienced, the risen Lord. But once he witnessed Jesus, risen, he proclaimed: “My Lord and my God.”

 

Acknowledging Jesus and “My Lord and my God”, we are called to proclaim God’s word, to give testimony to Jesus, to be led by the Spirit and to be open to the gifts of the Spirit so that others may believe in Jesus as Lord and Messiah.

Second Sunday of Easter: Gospel C

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 

· Why do you think Jesus greets them thus? Could it be because they had abandoned him and ran and he wanted them not to think he had come to condemn them? Imagine yourself in that situation as one of the apostles, what would you be feeling or thinking if Jesus so appeared to you?

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 

· What did the Father sent Jesus to do that Jesus was now sending the apostles to do? To be witnesses of his love and mercy. Do we have the same commission from Jesus? What are we doing about it?

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” 

· In John’s theology the Paschal Mystery is unified: The Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus and the Coming of the Spirit. In Luke’s Gospel there is a time factor between Easter and Pentecost.

· As the Spirit was essential in the ministry of Jesus so the Spirit would be necessary in the ministry of the Apostles and ours as well.

· Why did Jesus emphasized the power of forgiveness at this time? Who needed to know they were forgiven?

· What is the relationship between the gift of the Spirit and the experience of forgiveness?  How do you connect this to the Sacrament of Reconciliation?

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 

· Why do you think Thomas responded this way? Was he reacting out of human resentment that Jesus had not appeared to him or was there something deeper? Have you experienced doubts in your life about faith issues?

Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” 

· How did Jesus know Thomas’ heart? Does he know your heart as well?

Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 

· Notice Thomas is not said to have put his finger in the nail marks or his hand in Jesus’ pierced side. Rather he moved from doubt or anger to faith and love.

Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” 

· Can we relate to what Jesus said to Thomas? Is our faith based on “seeing”? 

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

· Is our faith in the person of Jesus whether we see signs or is it depended on signs and confirmations?

 

"The mystery of the spiritual life is that Jesus desires to meet us in the seclusion of our own heart, to make his love known to us there, to free us from our fears, and to make our own deepest self known to us. In the privacy of our heart, therefore, we can learn not only to know Jesus but, through Jesus, ourselves as well." (Henri Nouwen)

In the Easter events Jesus appears to those who believed in him. They saw him with their eyes of faith. Occasionally today, Jesus appears to a few people, who also see him with eyes of faith. But for the most of us we encounter Jesus in a different way. With the ears of faith, we hear him speaking to us in the Scriptures. With the eyes of faith we see him sacramentally in the Eucharist. With a heart of love we encounter Jesus in one another. With a heart of faith we encounter Jesus silently in times of prayer. In this latter encounter, Jesus reveals his intimate love for us and receives our love in return. It is these prayer moments that prepare us to better hear his Word, receive his gift of shared life and love as a disciple. Long for these moments of intimacy in prayer.

 There is a common thread in all the Easter appearances of the Risen Lord. In each, there is a personal encounter with Jesus in his resurrected life and a commission to witness to others this experience, attesting to the resurrection. Mary Magdalen sees the empty tomb and begins looking for the body of Jesus. Jesus appears to her. Initially, she doesn't recognize him, until he calls her by name. She wants to cling to him. But he tells her to go and witness to the Apostles the Good News of his resurrection and new life. Our encounters with Jesus are not to make us feel good. They are opportunities for us to share with others what God has done for us and wants to do for them. Encounter and witness. How often have we have had an encounter with the Lord, whether in prayer, on in Mass or in other ways and have not done more than enjoy it? We are called to be witnesses, not of the resurrection but of the love flowing from the resurrected Christ. Watch for those encounters. Then proclaim the marvels of Christ's love to others.

 

Homily: Easter Sunday Year C

 

    Since Ash Wednesday we have been on our annual, spiritual pilgrimage to the celebration of these Easter mysteries. On Ash Wednesday we entered a penitential time. Having heard the words: “Turn away from sin and believe in the Good News of salvation, we have hopefully heeded these words.

 

   Now we come to this new moment in our journey. Like those who stood with Jesus as he hung from the cross and died for our sins, we are now told the Good News. He is risen! He is alive! And with him, if we have walked faithfully on this Lenten pilgrimage and died to sin, we have risen with him. We share in his life. We are a new creation. We have been saved and set free from the bondage of sin.

 

   The women heard the Good News and believed. But that is not the end or only purpose of the Good News of his Resurrection. They were told that they had to tell others, to witness to others this message of hope, the event that has changed the history of the world, the truth that will set others free.

 

   What would have happened if they heard the Good News and went back to their ordinary way of life, first because they did not believe or secondly because it wasn’t something they wanted to get involved in, or thirdly, they hoarded the Good News as a treasure for themselves alone? Would the Good News had died with them?

 

   Instead, they accepted the message of hope as a revelation of truth, and shared it with the eleven disciples. Though the disciples did not understand it at first, their hearts were opened and questioned: Is it true?

 

   Jesus confirmed the message by revealing himself to Mary Magdalene and then to the Eleven. But again, they were told not to keep this for themselves but to witness this new life to others.

 

   What has happened to us this Lent? What has died? What has come to new life? What experience of God’s grace and mercy did we experience? When we look upon the presence of the Lord or receive him in Eucharist, what do we feel? How has Jesus spoken to our hearts on our journey?

 

   Was all of this just for us alone or are we called by Jesus to share it with others? In what ways do you experience new life in Christ? In what way has a new sense of love enveloped you? What will you do? He is risen! It is true! Tell the world the Good News, for the world is enveloped in a darkness of hopelessness and fear, of insecurity and mistrust, of anger and non-forgiveness. The world needs a message of hope and truth, a message of light and life. You have been told that message. Go and live it. Go and tell it. Whether the other believes or not, tell it anyway to fulfill your call and mission.

 

   Should not the Good News excite us, energize us, be reflected on our face, in our way of life, in our relationship to one another? But if Christians do not live it, if Christians buy into the sad news of the world, then the Good News will not be heard. Our excitement and conviction should be contagious. He is risen! Alleluia! Go and proclaim it! Go and live it!

 Easter Sunday Gospel C

On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. 

· She had come to finish the burial ritual of anointing the dead body of Jesus, since, because of the Sabbath, they could not do at the time of his burial.

So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him."  

· Her immediate reaction to the empty tomb was someone has broken in and stolen the body. How often we jump to an apparent logical conclusion without realizing that God may have moved in a different way?

So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. 

· The other disciple is probably John the author of the Gospel, also the “beloved” disciple.

· Why do you think the other disciple didn’t go into the tomb first? Was it because of his respect for his elder?

When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.

· A clue that something other than the theft of the body was the fact that the cover for the head was rolled up neatly and placed separately from the burial cloths.

 Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.  For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead. 

· The beloved disciple saw, believed but did not understand. What does this mean to you? Have there been times you believed in something or someone but did not fully understand what was happening?

· Did the disciple had to see before believing? Or did he believe that something miraculously happened without understanding or connecting Jesus= prophetic statement about his resurrection from the dead?

· They saw evidenced of an empty tomb but failed to remember that Jesus had told them both about his death and his resurrection on the third day.

· According to the Law it was necessary that there would be two witnesses to any event to bear weight or to give evidence. Their initial

· The theme of believing in Jesus is a major emphasis in John’s Gospel.

· There were three signs given to the disciples to lead them to know what had really happened: (a) Jesus had previously prophesied that he would die and rise again on the third day; (b) the tomb was empty; (c) The head piece was folded neatly and the burial cloth was there as if a body had been under it at one time. It wasn’t crumple up in corner. If someone had stolen the body they would have kept it wrapped in the burial cloth. They saw two of the signs but failed to recall the third.  How often we too fail to recognize the signs God gives us?

· Other reflections about the reading.

 

"It is finished!" All is accomplished and completed. The work the Father had sent him to do has been finished. Jesus has accomplished the mission he was given by the Father.

 

What is finished? The Father’s plan for our salvation has been completed. The sin of Adam and Eve has been addressed, fulfilling the word of God that was said to the serpent: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel." (Gen 3:15) God’s promise in Eden is precisely what happened at the cross. In Christ’s death, he breaks the devil’s power: We read in Colossians: “Having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:15).

 

Jesus came to confront the power of Satan, to break his strongholds. The gauntlet was thrown at Jesus’ temptations in the desert. Jesus over and over delivered many from the power of Satan. Where Satan thought he had won when Jesus was crucified, Jesus brought the final defeat of Satan. The war has been won. Only the clean-up skirmishes remain. Amen. Thank you Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

 "It is finished."

The hour of his glory is the hour of his death. At the end of the first creation God said it is finished. Now at the beginning of the new creation, Jesus says it is finished. The sting of death is removed. The gift of new life with God begins.

 

It is now nearly six hours that Jesus has been hanging on the cross. This is the end of a long night of suffering beginning with his agony in the Garden, where he sweated tears of blood. The pain and suffering that has wracked his body, draining his blood and sapped his life breath has taken its toll.  This was the cup of baptism that he had spoken of to his disciples. "But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! (Luke 12:50) This was the cup that he asked John and James if they could share with him. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" (Mark 10:38)

At the Last Supper, which was the Passover Supper, there are four cups of wine that are taken. The third cup was the wine that was consecrated into the Blood of the new and eternal covenant. But instead of consuming the traditional fourth cup at the conclusion of the Passover meal, Jesus says: “Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God” (Mk 14:25)

He had just cried out, "I thirst." And they gave him a sponge soaked in wine. Having tasted it (the fourth cup). He cried out, "It is finished."

 "I thirst"

Jesus thirsts for our love in response to his love. He says:  I thirst for purity, I thirst for poverty, I thirst for obedience, I thirst for that wholehearted love, I thirst for that total surrender.   

Like the deer our hearts long for the springs of running water in the Church. These springs are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jeremiah testifies that the Father is like a fountain when he says: "They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, to dig for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water." These broken cisterns are where we go when we sin. In another passage we read about the Son: "They have forsaken the fountain of wisdom." Is that not true again when we sin? Then where should we go?  John says of the Holy Spirit:  "Whoever drinks the water I will give him, that water shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into eternal life." The evangelist explains that the Savior said this of the Holy Spirit. 

"My heart thirsts for God, the living fountain." Do we burn with desire and thirst for God?

 "I thirst."

Jesus' cry "I thirst" is a very personal statement spoken to each individual today, at every moment.  Jesus is constantly awaiting our response to His thirst.

Listen to the heart of Jesus as reflected by one of the saints: “I thirst for you. Yes, that is the only way to even begin to describe My love for you: I THIRST FOR YOU.  I desire that I should come with my Father and make our abode with you (Jn 14:23). I thirst to love you and to be loved by you - that is how precious you are to Me. I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore have I drawn you, taking pity on you (Jer 31:3). I THIRST FOR YOU. Come to Me, and I will fill your heart and heal your wounds. I will make you a new creation, and give you peace, even in all your trials. I THIRST FOR YOU. You must never doubt My mercy (Ps. 33:19). Turn to my mercy, and even if your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow: and if they be red as crimson, they shall be white as wool (Isias 1:18).   Ask me every day to enter and take charge of your life - and I will. I promise you before My Father in heaven that I will work miracles in your life. Why would I do this: Because I THIRST FOR YOU. All I ask of you is that you entrust yourself to Me completely.  Fear not and "give me thy heart, and let thy eyes keep my ways" (Prov 23:26).  I will do the rest.”