"I am the Good Shepherd....I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd."  Not only does Jesus, the Shepherd, seek those of his flock who stray and bring them back, but he also seeks those who do not know him yet as their Savior. This is another indication of God's universal plan of salvation. When Jesus died, his death ransomed all who were alienated from God through sin, whether they acknowledged him or not.  Once he paid the price by the shedding of his blood, the Good Shepherd sends out other shepherds in his name to proclaim the message of salvation to the pagan world. Each of us, who have been blessed and anointed by the Holy Spirit, is commissioned to witness our faith to others, so that there will be one shepherd and one flock.

 "I am the Good Shepherd."  When the shepherd finally locates the stray sheep, out of love he breaks one of its legs and puts it over his neck, as he carries it back to the flock. At night, the shepherd places this sheep next to him while he sleeps. In doing this, he teaches the sheep how important it is to him and the reason he went looking for this strayed sheep. Sometimes, we don't understand why things happen to us. But God allows set-backs, difficulties, even tragedies to occur in our lives to draw us closer to him, because we are  important to him.. As the sheep during the healing time learns to trust in the Shepherd, so we are to learn to trust the Lord, even in things we don't understand. As St. Paul reminds us: "We know that all things work for good for those who love God,* who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) At all times surrender to the will of God.

 

Homily: Fifth Sunday of Easter Year B

 

Reading 1: Why was the Church in Jerusalem afraid that Saul was back in the city? This was the Saul that had concurred with the martyrdom of Stephen; that had arrested a number of believers; that had gone up to Damascus to bring any followers of the Way back to Jerusalem. All that was several years ago. Now, they hear he is back in Jerusalem, claiming to be a disciple of Jesus. Is this a hoax, a trap?

 

Barnabas, a trusted disciple, a man full of the Holy Spirit heard Saul’s story of conversion and his preaching positively of Jesus as the Messiah.  With Barnabas’ assurance Saul was accepted by the community. With the same zeal that Saul persecuted the followers of Christ, now more zealously he goes about speaking boldly in the name of Jesus.

 

Being a Greek and a Jew, he sought to reach out to the Greek converts to Judaism, the Hellenists. Many of these resented Saul’s attempt to convert them to this new Way of life. They sought his life. When this became known to the Christian community, they got him out of the city. He returned to Tarsus in Turkey, his hometown.

 

This was all according to the plan of God for Paull, whom God intended to set aside to preach the Gospel message to the Gentiles. Meanwhile, the number of Jewish believers grew. For the time the Christians experienced the consolation of the Holy Spirit.

 

What can we learn from this passage? Nothing is impossible for God. Secondly, sometimes converts are more zealous in their faith than cradle Catholics. Thirdly, each of us is called like Paul to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, to come to a deeper conversion and to become proponents of the truth of the Gospel in spite of persecution. We are facing subtle persecution today. We need to be bold in professing our faith.

 

Gospel: Last Sunday we heard about Jesus as the Good Shepherd. He shows his love by laying down his life for his sheep. Today, we hear his message concerning the intimacy of his love, for authentic love brings true and lasting intimacy between the lovers.

 

This passage is taken from the Last Supper experience. Jesus tells his disciples of his love first by washing their feet, then by telling them greater love has no one than to lay down his life for his friends. Then he showed the depth of his love by embracing the cross in our stead, giving his life that we may have life eternally.

 

Jesus uses the image of the vine and the branches to express this mutual love: his love for us and our love for him.  There is an intimacy between the vine and the branch, experienced because the life of the vine flows into the branch.  There is an intimacy between us and God, which began in baptism. God out of infinite love recreates and redeems us. He likewise adopted us as his sons and daughters, sharing his own divine life with us, through no merit of our own. As long as we remain in him and he in us, we continue to share in this new life, which is further sustained in the Sacraments, especially Eucharist.

 

Have we ever taken this gift of shared life with God for granted?  Do we reflect with gratitude on this gift of his life and love? We are not conscious of breathing; it is a presumed part of our being. But when breathing becomes difficult, when we struggle for air, we become aware of its importance. Do we have to be separated from God through sin to appreciate his living presence within us? Be attentive and grateful for this gift of God’s life and love in the moments after Communion. I live now, not I but Christ’s life in me is a reality that needs a response.

 

Reading 2: John tells us that the proof of our relationship with God is not the words we speak but the actions we do. To believe in the name of Jesus as our Lord and Savior is a revealed truth. To profess that truth is good. But do our actions and way of life back up our words?

 

Jesus commanded us to love one another as he has loved us. He loved us by laying down his life for us in a gift of service. Do we love others the same way—laying down our lives for them, not thinking of any return to ourselves. This way of life will enable us to remain in Christ and he in us in the bond of the Holy Spirit. Love is an action word more than a lip-service word. Anyone can say I love you, but if it is not expressed in some tangible sign of service and care, it is nothing. It is only hot air. But when we love as Jesus has loved us, then we know that Jesus has made a difference in our lives. Then the intimate life we share with Jesus will bear fruit that will last eternally.

" I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father." Just as there is an intimacy between the Father and Son, so there is an intimacy between us and Jesus. This intimacy is indicated by hearing and recognizing the voice of the Shepherd. Only the sheep that belong to the Good Shepherd follow his voice. When we are in union with Jesus, we will not listen to the voice of "the stranger," the devil. The devil comes to snatch us away from the Good Shepherd and destroy us through the bondage of sin. The voice of the Good Shepherd, whom we follow, protects, loves and gives us eternal life. As long as we remain in union with Jesus we will be safe, and our salvation is assured. He is the Good Shepherd; we are the sheep of his flock.

 FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER B

Jesus said: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. 

· The OT frequently uses the imagery of the vine for the Chosen People in their relationship with Yahweh, who is the vine grower. Here Jesus identifies himself as the true vine in contrast to Israel who did not open its heart to the Messiah. Those committed to Jesus as part of the vine.

· In the Gospel of John, Jesus uses the "I am" metaphor on a number of occasions: "I am the bread of life" (6:35); "I am the living bread that came down from heaven" (6:51); "I am the light of the world" (8:12); "I am the gate for the sheep" (10:7); "I am the good shepherd" (10:11); "I am the resurrection and the life" (11:25); "I am the way, and the truth, and the life" (14:6).

· The Father does two things: removes dead branches; prunes fruitful branches so as to bear more fruit. The analogy is that those who are dead in sin are cut off and those who are in union but not bearing full fruit are pruned.

· What is God doing in your life? What purification is God calling forth so that you can live in his life more fruitfully?

Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

· Jesus uses the metaphor of the vine; Paul in 1 Cor will use the metaphor of the Body to reflect the same mystery of union with Jesus.

· Using this passage spend some time in prayer reflecting on your relationship with Jesus. What is the fruit of your relationship with Jesus?

 "I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."  The characteristic that underlines the goodness of Christ as Shepherd is his willingness to lay down his life for our salvation as well as his decision to so to embrace the will of the Father out of love. For the shepherd, each sheep is important. If one goes astray, he endures whatever it takes to find and bring this stray sheep back to the flock. Jesus makes it clear that he is not forced to lay down his life for us. He freely chooses to do so. As he says, "I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father." It is hard for us to grasp and fully appreciate the love of Jesus for each one of us. But he made it clear when he said: "No greater love has one than to lay down his life for his friend." He sees us a friends not enemies, even though we had willfully separated ourselves from him, like the stray sheep. Where and what would we be if Jesus had not laid down his life on the cross for us?

 "I am the good shepherd." As we continue during the Easter season to reflect of the I am statements of Jesus, we now look at "I am the good shepherd." Jesus is separating himself from the bad shepherds of Israel, the prophets, kings and priests who cared for themselves and not for the people, under their care. In Ezekiel, God said that he would shepherd his people, protecting and providing food and drink for them. He also said that he would raise up a good shepherd. Jesus identifies himself with God, as the shepherd, and as the one promised by God. As the good shepherd, Jesus has provided us the Eucharist as our food; he has delivered us and protected us from the onslaught of the devil; he has healed the lame; he has called us to follow him. He is the good shepherd. What kind of sheep have we been?

 "I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life." We receive the light and life of Jesus so that we may live in the truth and share in his life. But Jesus also said: "You are the light of the world." We share in his light so that, in turn, we may be a light to others, who are seeking the truth. When we witness our faith to others, our light touches their darkness. That witness may be verbal, sharing the truth of the scriptures, or it may be through signs of love and service to those who are in need. Our light is not to blind them but to open their hearts to the love and life of Jesus. It is his light in and through us that makes the difference. We are conduits of the light. Let your light shine in the darkness of the world of indifference and sin, so that God's life and love may transform it. Are we a light to others?

 "I am the Light of the world."  As a created being we have the gift of reason, enabling us to receive data and to come to a conclusion. As a new creation, we have been given by Jesus, who is Light, the gift of faith, enabling us to embrace the mysteries of revelation. By reason I can come to know that there is a God. But only by faith can I accept that the One God is Triune in Person. By reason, when Thomas saw the risen Christ in his glorified Body, Thomas knew it was Jesus. But faith enable him to proclaim; "My Lord and my God." By reason we acknowledge the presence of bread and wine at Mass. But, after the consecration, we believe that we are gazing and receiving the Real Body and Blood of Jesus. Reason and Faith are not in opposition. Faith adds to what reason cannot know on its own. We say that Baptism is an enlightenment because we receive the gift of faith in our role as a new creation. What would our life be without light of faith?

 "I am the Light of the world."  In another part of John's Gospel, Jesus stated: "I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness." Jesus' mission from the Father was to bring the truth of God's Word, which would set us free from the darkness of the lies spoken by the Evil One over the centuries. Those who embraced him as One sent by God, experienced the enlightenment of their minds and hearts. His words gave meaning to their lives. But those who refused to believe and change were blinded by the light and preferred to remain locked up in their world of darkness. It is the choice of each of us to embrace the light or to flee from the light, to embrace his mercy and love or to remain in our sins.

 Fourth Sunday of Easter Gospel B 

Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. 

· The prophet Ezekiel prepared the way for Jesus’ teaching. Because of the unfaithfulness of the leaders, God said: “I myself will pasture my sheep.” (Ez 34:15) and then he said: “I will appoint one shepherd over them to pasture them, my servant David; he shall pasture them and be their shepherd.” (Ez 34:23) Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy.

A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.

· Reflect on your present relationship with Jesus, first from Jesus’ perspective and then from yours. Is there a difference? What is it? How key is Jesus’ decision to lay down his life for you? Is this our stumbling block in the relationship?

I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. 

· This is the basis for all ecumenical outreach in the Church: the desire and commitment of Jesus for unity.

This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father." 

· Why do you think Jesus returns to the point of the Father’s love for him and his decision to lay down his life and to take it up again? Do you think it has anything to do with his suffering, death and resurrection? Reflect on this.

· As you read this passage what new understanding of your relationship with Jesus do you have? What response is Jesus calling from you at this time of your life?

 
"I am the Light of the world." What does Jesus mean? He has come into the word to reveal the mysteries which only can be accepted by faith. What mysteries? He reveals to us that God is one but three persons. He reveals that he has come to reveal the depth of the Father's love by becoming man and giving his life to ransom us from the darkness of sin. He comes to reveal that he shares his life with us so that fed by his Body and Blood, we may live eternally. He reveals that once God forgives us our sins, he forgets them. He is both the revealer of the mysteries and the revelation. As light, Jesus enables our reason and understanding to realize that there is more than we can know left to ourselves. Jesus, enlighten me.

 "I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life."  For the Apostles this was more than a truth. It was a lived experienced. When Jesus died, their hope in him as the Messiah also died. Their world  had now become darkness. When he rose from the dead and appeared to them, they experienced the light that transforms life. As the sun dispels the darkness of night, so the Son of God dispelled the darkness of despair and condemnation. We too experience this transformation when we separated ourselves from God through sin and then are restored anew by the Light of life. We can choose to live in the darkness of nothingness or we can accept and embrace the new life of grace from the Light of the world. 

 
"I am the Bread of Life." What is the key to accepting that as Word and Eucharist Jesus is the spiritual nourishment that gives us eternal life? What was and is lacking among some of Jesus' contemporaries and among us today? Faith. Not just a faith that is an accent of the will to a truth, but a faith based on a personal experience, moved by grace, to embrace the mystery of the revealed word and the real Body and Blood of Jesus in Eucharist. Jesus addressed this lack of faith in him, as the One sent by God, when many of his disciples complained that the words of Jesus were too difficult to accept. In contrast, Peter expressed the faith of one who, without understanding, accepted Jesus at his word. He said: "To whom shall we go. You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe that your are the Son of God." While reason demands tangible, scientific proof, faith makes the leap of acceptance, because of who Jesus is. This faith is a grace that is received and acted upon. 

 "I am the Bread of life."  Jesus was expanding the understanding of the people of his day. Their focus was limited to physical food. Jesus tells them that physical food is necessary but not sufficient for eternity. He desired to give them food that would nourished the spiritual life that God desires them to share now and eternally.  Manna was for the day and their ancestors still died. But the one who eats the Bread of life will live forever even after they died. At the time, people didn't have much of an understanding of life after death, except as a state of nothingness. Jesus told them. "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” This last statement was the stumbling block for them. Because they couldn't fully accept him, they could not accept his word. We truly believe that the bread and wine are the real Body and Blood of Christ, not a symbol. If Jesus meant it to be a symbol, he would have said so.

 

Homily Third Sunday of Easter Year B

 

Reading 1: What is the background to this passage? Peter and John healed a crippled beggar in the name of Jesus. The people who recognized the beggar, now healed, praise God. Peter took this teachable moment to speak basically the same message he had proclaimed to the crowds on Pentecost Sunday.

 

He begins by setting the record straight.  The man was healed in the name and power of Jesus Christ. He reminded the crowds that together with their religious leaders had rejected Jesus and had his crucified. But God has raised him up. On the cross Jesus prayed that the Father would forgive them for they did not know whom they were crucifying. Peter said that they acted out of ignorance. But God has brought to fulfillment what he announced through the prophets, namely that the Christ, the Messiah would suffer greatly but would be raided.

 

Then Peter ends where Jesus began his public ministry, calling for a response of repentance for the forgiveness of their sins. This was also the farewell instruction that Jesus gave the Apostles: “Go and proclaim repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

 

When Peter preached this message on Pentecost three thousand responded and were baptized. Here many more came to believe and acted on his word. As we hear these words today, do we recognize what our sins did to Jesus? Do we repent and turn back to the Lord?

 

Gospel: The different Gospel writers give us their remembered account of the post- resurrection appearances of Jesus. The experience is the same. Jesus extends his peace and mercy. Each time they initially do not recognize him. In this case, he does four things: 1) He shows them his wounded hands and feet; 2) He ate with them; 3) He explains the scriptures that foretold his suffering, death and resurrection; 4) He commissions them to preach a message of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

 

What happens in our celebration today? We are gathered in this place of worship. The Risen Jesus will come to us. He has shared the scriptures with us, which show that the Christ had to suffer and die for our sins. He will change bread and wine into his crucified, risen Body, showing himself to us. He then will share a meal with us. He will send us out to preach a message of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

 

As each appearance was meant to solidify their faith in the risen Lord and to strengthen their resolve to share this message with others, fearlessly of the consequences, so our weekly gathering is meant to accomplish the same. As we come to worship the Lord, offering him worthy praise and thanksgiving, God strengthens us for the different divine appointments we will have this week, in which we will be able to share our faith in the risen Lord with others.

 

Reading 2: We have sinned and have been forgiven. But we continue to sin and fall short of the glory of God. John reminds us that we have an Advocate before the Father, Jesus, who is the expiation for our sins. 

 

In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we have the grace of God for reconciliation. It is not that we sin, but that we choose to become indifferent to sin by remaining in Jesus. Then we will do what he has commanded us to do. We will choose to live more in love than in darkness and alienation.

 "I am the Bread of Life." Some Christians limit the meaning of Jesus to nourishing us with his Word. They cannot accept or believe that he meant both and, both his Word and his Body and Blood. His emphasis on this fact that as Bread of life he will give us his Flesh to eat and his Blood to drink is clear from the number of times he repeats this. Not only are we nourished for eternal life by his Word, but we share in his divine life by eating and drinking his Blood. If he could change water into wine, if we could restore limbs, if he could feed the multitude with a few loaves and fishes, it he could create the universe, if he, as God, could take on our flesh, it is not impossible for him to change bread into his sacred Body and wine into his precious Blood. Nothing is impossible to God. As the Bread of life, he was challenging people to think outside of their limited mental box. 

 Third Sunday of Easter: Gospel B

Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread. 

· The two disciples are recounting the Emmaus apparition of Jesus to them.

While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 

· Do you think your reaction would be any different if Jesus appeared to you? How do you think you would react if Jesus would appear to you now?

Then he said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have." And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 

· What questions do you imagine were going through the disciples’ minds? Were they anticipating Jesus to condemn them for their abandoning him? Was it shame or guilt that they felt? Where they wondering why they didn’t believe the women and didn’t believe the two disciples on their way to Eammaus?

While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them. 

· They had seen Jesus raise someone from the dead. But the countenance of Jesus was not that of one having been dead and coming back to life. He was resurrected and glorified and yet still had the normal human qualities. His eating of food is meant to confirm this in their minds, so that their witness may be credible. The resurrected body is different in many ways.

He said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. And he said to them, "Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

· Recall that Jesus also broke open the scriptures to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. How often do we read and reflect on the Word of God as a guide to our life? The full understanding of Jesus needs the revealed Word of God to lead us to the truth.

 You are witnesses of these things. 

· They were witnesses of the resurrected Jesus; now they were being sent to proclaim their witness to others.  Do we see ourselves as witnesses for Jesus? When was the last time we actually shared our witness?

· How strong is my awareness of Jesus in my life today? Does the witness of my life reflect this?

 Jesus told the people of his day: "I am the Bread of life." He feeds us through his Word and through the gift of his Body and Blood. Recall when Jesus was tempted to turn stones into bread to satiate his hunger. Jesus responded, "Not by bread alone, but by the word of God." Mere physical food will satisfy the body. The spiritual food of God's word will nourish the soul for eternal life. In rejecting Satan, Jesus was choosing to obey God's will and live by his word. Jesus said at the Last Supper, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." Listening and acting on the Word of God prepares us to receive the gift of his life through the reception of Eucharist. How attentive are we to God's Word at Mass? Do we regularly nourish our minds and hearts by reading and reflecting on God's life-giving word? 

 During this Easter season, I will be reflecting on the various "I Am" statements by Jesus in the Gospel. Jesus said: "I am the Bread of life." (John 6:25). He said this in the context of having taught and fed the multitude with a few loaves of bread and a few fish. The next day, the people sought him out, looking for more. When Jesus said that "I am the Bread of life", he meant it with a double meaning. My word will nourish you. My very Body and Blood will feed you. The people were looking for something different and therefore did not fully understand or accept Jesus' message. They were looking for another sign from heaven. Jesus was telling them that he is that sign, both in his word proclaimed to them and in the gift of his Body and Blood. We are nourished by his Word and his Body and Blood every time we celebrate the Eucharist, fulfilling his word to us. Are we like the people of his day, that want something different and fail to embrace fully the gift of Jesus as the Bread of life?

 He is risen! Alleluia! There is new hope. Not only are our sins forgiven and bondage of Satan is broken, we have the hope that we will see God face to face, as he is in glory. The disciples did not hope to see Jesus, once he died. His resurrection enlivened their hope. Each post Easter appearance solidified that hope, that once he returned to the Father, he was with them and they would see him in the fullness of life. This hope sustained them during the rest of their earthly journey. Each time we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus, that same hope is stirred in us. We see him now in faith as we receive his Body and Blood. But one day our hope will be attained. We will see him as he is and will be with him forever, according to his providential plan. He created us and adopted us, so we will share in his glory. Alleluia! Thank you, Jesus, for that living hope.

 He is risen! Alleluia! It is the news of great joy. Not only does it confirm that Jesus fulfilled his promise to rise again after death, it confirms that he has delivered us from our sins. Our joy is in the fact that we can live a new life in him and with him now forever. He is risen is the dawn of a new day for all who accept and believe in him. We don't have to live in the darkness of hopelessness, but can now live in the promise of the fullness of our lives. As the Psalm says: "The joy of the Lord is my strength."  This joy is both external and internal. It is external because we approach life differently. It is internal because it is his life in us that enables us to live each day as a new day in the Lord.

 

Homily: Second Sunday of Easter Year B

 

Reading 1: Initial conversion is a beautiful time in one’s life. Initial conversion manifests a special fervor in one’s relationship with God. In our first reading, we have a glimpse into the life of the first Christians following Pentecost, when some three thousand were baptized.  We are told they came together for further apostolic instruction, for community life and sharing, for personal and communal prayer and, at the heart of their life, was the Eucharist, the breaking of the bread.

 

The first five chapters of the Acts of the Apostles convey the scene for us. They were of one heart and one mind. This is the ideal, which we are called to live. It is possible to so, as seen in the life of the early Church community. It was the honeymoon time in their relationship with Jesus. They are sustained by a deep love for one another, enjoying being together.

 

The early Christians saw that what they possessed was not theirs to use in a selfish way but to be shared with those in more need. Up to this time, there was no negative reaction to them from the outside. Then comes the first sign of persecution. They turned to the Lord for his protection. They were committed to proclaim the message of salvation, centered on the death and resurrection of Jesus. What disrupted their bliss was not extern but internal pressure.

 

They began to see certain faults in others in the community. Similar to what happens in the honeymoon stage of marriage. The couple become more award of each other’s faults, which become a bone of contention in their relationship. The earlier community lost the idealism of being one mind and one heart. This is what must be sought again.

 

Gospel: The resurrection of Jesus is a mystery of faith. No one witnessed the actual event itself. But many were witnesses of the Risen Savior himself. Here, we have two of those confirming appearances of the Risen Lord to his disciples. The resurrection is a mystery because it is beyond our natural comprehension. The characteristics of a glorified body are not limited by space and time. It is different in appearance but the same person. Jesus is not recognized so much in his appearances but in his words and actions.

 

But there are other mysteries in the Gospel narratives. Why does Jesus appear to those who did not at first freely believe, those who betrayed him and abandoned him? Why did he not chastise them rather than greet them with peace? Mystery. The commission he gives them seems impossible. As he was sent by the Father as Savior of the world, so they will be sent to bring this message to the world in the power of the Holy Spirit. Mystery. He tells them: “Whose sins you forgive in my name will be forgiven. Whose sins you retain in my name will be retained. Mystery.

 

How was it that the hardness of Thomas’ heart changed so quickly? He was angry that the others had an encounter with the risen Jesus and he didn’t. He not only wanted to experience Jesus but he wanted to verify in a tangible way that Jesus was truly alive by putting his finger into the nail wounds. And yet when he does experience the risen Jesus, his anger and his need to touch vanish. He is the first to proclaim in faith that Jesus is truly his Lord and God. Mystery.

 

Jesus’ response also reveals a mystery of our faith. “Blessed are those who believe in me without seeing me.” We are those prophesied by Jesus, who believe on the word of witness of others. Then John concludes. Through belief in Jesus we have divine life in his name. In him alone can we be one mind and one heart. In him can our life make a difference in another’s. The gift we have receive in mystery we are to give as a gift in the Holy Spirit.

 

Reading 2: What enables us to regain the ideal of one mind and one heart? John says the centrality of Jesus in our lives and loving the way he has loved us are the keys.  Centering our lives on Jesus and truly loving God and others will give us the power to overcome the external and internal pressures of community, whether that is Church or family.

 

Is Jesus in fact the Lord of our lives? Do our lives revolve around him in every aspect? Are we motivated by love in all we do? Do we see ourselves as victims of victors? Do we conquer our passions or do they control us?

 

We have been begotten by Christ in the waters of baptism. We have received the outpouring of the Spirit in Baptism and Confirmation. What does the Spirit testify about us? How committed are we to walking with Jesus on our daily life? How committed are we to living and acting in love in our family? Even though the reality of one mind and one heart seems at times distant, are we committed to follow Jesus’ plan, so that it can become the norm in all of our relationships?

 He is risen! Alleluia! The bondage of Satan is broken. The second death has no power over us. We have been reconciled and restored to God as his adopted sons and daughters through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Physical death is not to be feared. For it is only an instant in the whole spectrum of one's life. Before Christ, death meant entering into a state of nothingness. Now, because of Jesus, death opens us to the eternal life with God, our destiny, if we have lived with him in this life. That is why we proclaim, Alleluia! What joy! What expectation! What celebration! Thank you, Jesus! How important it is that I live in Christ and Christ lives in me. 

 Second Sunday of Easter Gospel B

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."  

How often are we paralyzed by fear and lack of trust in the word of God?

The women have already announced to them that he is risen, but they still do not believe and are locked in their fear.

Notice that Jesus= resurrected body is different yet the same: different, it is not limited by a closed door; the same, it is the person of Jesus.

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."  

·       His appearance in resurrected glory confirmed the message of the women.

. What is it that Jesus was sent to do by the Father that the disciples and we are equally sent to do?

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 we can=t separate the death and resurrection of Jesus from the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Together the two events make up the Paschal Mystery of God=s plan.  In Luke the two events are separated by fifty days.

Just as Jesus received the anointing of the Spirit after his baptism, empowering him to do the work of the Father, so the disciples and we are given the gift of the Spirit for the same purpose. How have we responded?

This mandate to forgive sins is one of the scriptural foundations for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Do we take advantage of this gift of reconciliation from Jesus?

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." 

Following what Jesus told them to do, the first person the disciples witnessed to was to Thomas.

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." 

Have we found ourselves at times in the same place as Thomas was, struggling with doubts, in spite of what others tell us about Jesus and what he has done?

Have we at times put conditions to Jesus to fulfill before we acted in faith?

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."   Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"  

·       Why do you think Jesus waited for a whole week before revealing himself to them again?

Jesus does not chastise or condemn Thomas for his unbelief. He reaches out in compassion and love.

Of all the confessions of faith in Jesus found in John=s Gospel this is the highest.

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

To believe without seeing is a greater sign of faith than seeing and then believing.

Is our faith in Jesus based more on signs or his person, who he is?

 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 Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name. 

The closing verses are addressed to us today.  How has our faith in Jesus impacted our lives?

Pray for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon you to enable you to do what Jesus has sent you to do in his name.

Other reflections?

 He is risen! Alleluia! He is the same but different. His risen Body is glorified, not just come back to life. The disciples do not immediately recognize him, except in faith. Mary of Magdala thought he was a gardener, until he spoke her name, Mary. The Apostles were fishing but caught nothing until the seeming stranger told them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. Once they caught a net full, John says: "it is the Lord." When they come on shore he has breakfast waiting them. "No one ask who he was. They knew it was the Lord."  His glorified Body is a foreshadowing of our future glorified bodies in the resurrection, if we are in union with him when we die. Our mortal bodies will have immortality. Our corrupted body will become incorruptible. This is the gift of the resurrection of Jesus to us. It is a mystery that only faith can embrace. Alleluia!

 He is risen! Alleluia! What does that mean? He is truly who he said he was: God/Man, Messiah, King, Lord and Savior. He has fulfilled all the prophesies written in the Old Testament, from Genesis to Malachi.  Those of his day were demanding signs from him. His resurrection is the final miracle and sign that would firm up the faith of those who truly were awaiting the Promised One. For the rest, both his crucifixion and resurrection would become by choice a stumbling block to them. They rejected the stone that has become the corner stone. If they did not believe the scriptures, the works of the Father, the testimony of many witnesses, they would remain in this disbelief. His appearance as the risen Lord was not wasted on the hardened of hearts but to those who truly mourned his death. What does his resurrection mean to us? 

 After six hours of hanging from the cross, at three o'clock, the time of the sacrificing of the pascal lamb, Jesus, the Lamb of God,  cried out "Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit. It is finished." And bowing his head he gave himself to the Father, the sacrifice of his life, the perfect sacrifice of obedience and love so that we may be saved. It was business as usual in Jerusalem. It was business as usual for the soldiers who returned to their barracks. But to those who followed him even to the end, must now bury him with haste, for the Sabbath was near. In their love for him, they did not know that though it was Friday, Sunday was to come. They did not remember that he said that he would rise again. Rolling the stone over the entrance of the tomb seemed a finality. He will reveal more to those who believe. In the Friday's of our lives, we must never lose faith in the Sunday to come.

 While on the cross for six hours, the pain of being crucified is felt in every fiber of Jesus lacerated body. But he doesn't think of himself. He thinks of others. He forgives those who falsely accused him and those who crucified him. He extended forgives to one of the thieves crucified with him, because of the latter's repentance and request. He provided for his mother and for his beloved disciple and for us. He offered his sufferings to the Father, whom he knew loved him and was there with him. He thought of you and of me as he gave his life for our sakes, so that we may be able to be free from the bondage of sin and share in his life. Greater love has no one but to lay down his life for his others. How do we respond to such great love?

 When Jesus finally arrives at the place of execution, the soldiers roughly ripped his stained, tattered, outer garment, renewing the flow of blood from his scourged body. They quickly nailed his hands and feet to the cross, opening more wounds in his lacerated body. What new pain Jesus must have experienced at that moment with muscles and nerves being shattered!  They raise the cross and drop it into the prepared hole. The jolt exasperated anew the pain throughout Jesus' body. Why did he allow himself to suffer so much? Was it because of the extent of sin from Adam until the end of the world? It was also for my many sins, which needed to be brought to the fire of purification, so that I might become righteous again. Greater love has no one than to lay down his life for a friend.

 The decision has been finalized, Jesus, though innocent, was condemned to death by crucifixion. Mob rule won over truth and rationality. Weakened from lack of food or drink from the night before, from a sleepless night, from scourging and crowning with thorns, now Jesus is forced to carry the cross of execution to the place outside the walls. Each step was painful under the weight of the cross. No wonder he fell three times on the journey. The crowd that shouted, "Crucify him" continued to line the narrow streets, shouting mockery upon mockery, even though he was going to give his life for their salvation. The only relief or comfort he experienced was from the silent meeting with his mother, Mary, after his fall, from a woman that wiped his faced from the sweat and blood, and from a stranger who was forced to help carry his cross. Otherwise, he was alone in his sufferings for our sakes.  What character would we have been in the passion narrative? 

 If it was not enough to scourge Jesus beyond the norm, the soldiers tortured him more. The accusation against him was he claimed to be a king. So they weaved a crown made from thorn branches, forced it upon his head, causing more bleeding and pain. Then they mocked him by putting a reed in his hand and pretending to do him homage. Jesus could easily have destroyed each. He remained silent as he fulfilled the prophesy of Isaiah. If the scourging was for the sins of the flesh. The crowning was for our sins of the mind. In his physical weakness he was bullied and abused. What was Jesus' thinking during this ordeal? "If you only knew who it is that you are abusing." When we sin, if we only remember whom we are abusing. 

 The passion of Jesus intensified when he was scourged by the Roman Soldiers. They took delight in tearing into the body of their prisoners. More so for Jesus. He was accused as a king and insurrectionist. The more Jesus remained silent, the more they were determined to break his spirit and his body. They showed no mercy to their prisoner. He bore our sins upon him, especially the sins of the flesh. He gave his body up to torture, so that we may be freed and healed.  Isaiah prophesied many centuries before: "He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed." (Isaiah 53:5) Lord, how can I respond to your substitution for me? I can't, except to choose not to sin again in the flesh. Lord, have mercy.

 The passion of Christ continued through the night of his arrest. After condemning him, he was thrown into a cell hole for the rest of the night. No food, no water, no place to rest. Only silence and darkness. What did Jesus do during those hours of imprisonment? I think he continued his prayer started in the Garden. He prayed for strength to endure what was ahead of him, death by crucifixion.  He didn't have to endure any of this. He chose to be mistreated and judged, though innocent, for our sake, because of his great love. Can we choose to spend some time with Jesus in silence to comfort him, not focusing on ourselves but on him? Lord, thank you for your love.

 The suffering that Jesus, the God/Man, endured in his pre-decided trial was both to his divinity and to his humanity. The decision that he should die was made before the trial. The trial was an excuse to find something substantive the Sanhedrin could justify their pre-decision. When Jesus finally breaks his silence and acknowledge the truth of who he is as the Son who became Man and will return to the Father, he was accused of blasphemy. They refused to accept his true identity. For to do so, they would have to acknowledge their sin in rejecting him as the Messiah. For speaking the truth, he was buffeted and spat upon. Our suffering for speaking the truth is nothing in comparison to Jesus'. Speak and suffer for the truth we must, if we wish to remain at one with the Lord.

 Jesus had warned Peter of the temptation to deny him. This Peter rejected. Now, during the trial before the High Priest, Peter failed in his commitment to the Master. He denied his three times to save his own life. Jesus looked at Peter with such tender mercy and forgiveness at that moment. Peter wept over his weakness. What a poignant moment that was. How often each of us have promised God never to sin again, but then failed in our resolve for selfish motives. No matter the graces God gives us, we fall into sin. Does Jesus look at us at those moments with the same eyes of compassion and forgiveness? Do we weep for our sins and start again? Jesus, thank you for your eyes of mercy and not of judgment at those moments. 

 Jesus' passion continues as he sees his disciples desert him at the moment of his arrest. Even though he knew they would under the fear of persecution and imprisonment, it still pained Jesus to be left alone. As the soldiers led him away bound, they led him to the high priest,  Ananias. He was mocked and buffeted, falsely accused and threatened. Still he said nothing. He endured all for our sakes. He knew he was innocent. Silence was his defense. How often we seek to defend ourselves, rather than embrace the verbal torments for our own sins! Jesus, help me to share in your passion by enduring the false accusations or judgments in silence, knowing the truth. 

 That Judas rejected the grace to change his mind caused Jesus pain. But when he identifies Jesus with a kiss this only magnified the betrayal. Jesus could have easily stopped Judas from this act. But he chose to suffer this indignity from one who was one time a disciple/friend. How often we act similarly, when we choose to sin grievously. Is this not also a betrayal kiss to one who has given his life for us? Jesus suffers the same way as he did with Judas's kiss. Even though Judas later regretted his betrayal, instead of repentance he chose despair. After we have sinned against Jesus, hopefully his mercy will move us to repentance and conversion of heart. Jesus awaits us with open arms.

 As Jesus goes with the Apostles after the Last Supper to the Garden of Olives to pray, his awareness of the upcoming passion intensifies. He felt the need to pray to the Father for the strength he needed to endure the crucifixion. He was tempted at the beginning of his ministry as the Messiah. Now, I suspect he was tempted again, not to follow through with his decision. The first temptations dealt with his relationship to the Father. The temptation in the Garden was to convince Jesus his suffering and death will mean nothing to millions of people. The mental struggle of Jesus with the thought of the pain and suffering in crucifixion was so intense that, we are told, he sweated drops of blood. As he remained faithful to the Father in the first temptations. so he remained committed to the will of the Father in what laid ahead for him for our sake. "Not my will, but yours be done." We will never suffer like Jesus did, but we can in our sufferings surrender to the will of the Father.

 

Homily Fifth Sunday of Lent Year B

 

Reading 1: The theme of Covenant continues In the first reading of each Sunday in Lent. First Sunday, we heard the covenant God made with Noah and the sign was the rainbow. Second Sunday, it was the covenant with Abraham and the sin was circumcision and the need to trust in the Lord. Third Sunday, it was the covenant with Moses and the Israelites and the sign was obedience to the Ten Commandments. Fourth Sunday, because the Chosen People continually broke the covenant, adding infidelity to infidelity, they experienced exile from the Promised Land for seventy years. A savior, Cyrus, would restore them to the land so they could rebuild the destroyed Temple.

 

Today, Jeremiah prophecies that God will make a new and final covenant, a covenant of the heart, a covenant of love. The Law of the Mosaic Covenant was external relationship with God. The Law of the New Covenant will be internalized, written on their hearts.  The sign of this New Covenant was the forgiveness of sins. God no longer remembering them. The response to God’s faithful love is to love in return, not out of obligation or just externally but by living in a right relationship that brings intimacy and union with God.

 

That prophesy of Jeremiah was fulfilled at the Last Supper and on the Cross. Do we not hear this promised renewed when the chalice of wine in consecrated? “The is the Blood of the New and eternal Covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

 

We personally entered into that covenant the day we were baptized. We experience the grace of our covenant when we celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation, where the words of God are fulfilled: “I will forgive their evil doings and remember their sins no more.” We renew our covenant each time we celebrate Eucharist, as we do today.

 

Gospel: The focus of the First Sunday of Lent was the Temptations Jesus experienced at the beginning of his ministry. The Second Sunday, we reflected on the scene of the Transfiguration. The Third Sunday, it was the cleansing of the Temple by Jesus. Last Sunday, we heard that as Moses was lifted up, so the Son of Man will draw all to himself when he is lifted up.

 

Today, Jesus returns to that reality. “Once I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all to myself.” His focus is on the central theme of our Lenten journey, the death and resurrection of Jesus as Lord and Savior. He came to the earth to bring humanity back to God.

 

Last Sunday, the theme of the Gospel was faith in Jesus leads to salvation and eternal life. Even the beginning statement of Jesus points to his upcoming suffering and death. “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” “Unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it does not bear much fruit.”

 

The salvation Jesus brings about requires a response from us. That response is to follow him as a disciple in the service of others. How? We do this by laying down our life for others, by surrendering it to Jesus, so that others may see the power of selfless love.

 

Reading 2: Each of the second readings in the past four Sundays has focused us on Jesus’ death and resurrection. First Sunday, we have been saved in the waters of baptism. The Second Sunday, we saw that even though God spared Abraham’s son, he did not spare his own Son but handed him over to death because of his great love for us. The Third Sunday, Jesus’ death and resurrection seem like foolishness to the Jews and weakness to the Greeks, but in truth they show the strength and power of God. Last Sunday, we heard that God, rich in mercy, saved us through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

 

Today, we heard that Jesus out of love for us and the Father gave his life for ours. In his humanity he cried to the Father to spare him, but at the same time out of love and obedience he embraced the wood of the cross to be an example to us. In our trials we cry out to the Lord, but in obedience we are called to embrace them so that through them we can be perfected and brought into the full life of God.

 

 

 

 Having confronted Judas at the Last Supper, Jesus confronted Peter for his upcoming denial. Peter was closer to Jesus, one of his inner circle. As Jesus gave Judas a chance to change his mind, so the Lord gave Peter a forewarning of what he will experience at his arrest. Jesus loved Peter as he loved Judas. Each received grace to overcome their time of temptation. Each failed. Jesus' heart must have been heavy with a sense of betrayal after all he had done and shown each of them. But we are no different. Jesus has loved us beyond measure. Still, we reject the grace he gives us not to sin. Each sin is a betrayal and denial of who he is and all he has done for us. Yet, his love does not change, even though we waver.

 Fifth Sunday of Lent: Gospel B

Now there were some Greeks among those who had come up to worship at the feast. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, "Sir, we would like to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 

· How strong of a desire do we have to see Jesus? What are we doing to make that desire known to Jesus?

· For Jesus, his glory would be made known through his death and resurrection. The cross, though an instrument of human cruelty, would be the throne of glory for Jesus.

Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. 

· Where is this mystery of death and life happening in your spiritual life? What area of sin needs to die so that new life may come? What are we afraid to give up in order to live?

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.

· As you reflect on these words, what is the response welling up in your heart? What is your struggle?

 I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name." 

· By doing the will of the Father even to the death of the cross, Jesus glorified the name of the Father. How are you called to glorify God’s name?

Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it and will glorify it again." 

· What are the two times have we already seen where God has glorified Jesus? His Baptism and his Transfiguration. What will be the next time the Father will glorify Jesus?

The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder; but others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come for my sake but for yours. 

· This was another confirmation of who Jesus was and what he was doing was of God.

Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself." He said this indicating the kind of death he would die. 

· Spend some time viewing the crucified Jesus. Through this sign of love he seeks to draw you closer in relationship with him. Listen to him as he speaks to you from this pulpit and altar.

· What is your response? If you are keeping a journal, write your response in it.

·    The season of Lent is drawing to an end? Are we still persevering in our commitments to turn away from sin and to return to God?

 Jesus began his passion during the Last Supper. First, he washed the feet of the disciples as a servant. Then, he confronted Judas with the truth of his betrayal, giving him a chance not to go through with it. It pained Jesus to know that one of his closest disciple would betray his love and friendship for monetary gain. By dipping the piece of bread in the sauce and giving it to one at table was a sign of love. It both pained and saddened Jesus when Judas took, ate and left to seal his decision. How often does God out of love give us the grace not to give into the temptation that would separate us from him and we still sin? The rejection of love is a terrible wound. We know what that feels like humanly. What must it felt by Jesus, who is both God and Man?

 We are told that God so loved us that he sent his Son to redeem us through his passion and death by crucifixion. His passion begins with his Last meal with his disciples. Washing the feet of the twelve was a preparation for what he would do on the cross. Though he was Lord and Master, he humbled himself by becoming a servant, washing the feet of those who were under him.  As the suffering servant of God, prophesied by Isaiah, Jesus would humbly embrace crucifixion, so that we would not have to endure eternal damnation and alienation from God. By his sacred blood he washed us from the stains of our sins. He freely chose to wash the feet of his disciples out of love. He freely chose to endure the debasement of crucifixion out of love. How can we imitate Jesus, the servant, in our life?

 One of the ways we show our love for God is to avoid sin as much as possible. This can only be done with his grace, of course. But it takes an intentional decision on our part to recognize the temptation and to choose to love God rather than to satisfy ourselves. Like Jesus has shown us, we keep our eyes on the Father and remember his love for us. That is what it means to love God with our whole being. Every part of our being is given to the praise, honor and service of God. It is not the fear of punishment that motivates us, but the love for the God who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. This is not easy. We may fall short at times, like Peter. But if God's love for us is important, we will learn how to grow in our choice to love him rather than sin.

 Lent is a time to heed the call of God to love him with our whole being. This seems impossible at first glance. It is if we depend on our own strength of will alone. But if we depend on the grace of God, all things are possible. God does not ask the impossible from us. This grace of God is there, if we ask for it and respond to it. The difference, in a sense, between the saint and the sinner is the former makes and acts on the choice to love God totally, while the latter chooses to love self or other things more than God. So basically, it comes down to choice.  Adam and Eve could choose to love and be obedient to God or to choose to serve their own purposes.  So, ask God for the grace and then make the choice to love God with your whole being. The devil wants us to think it is impossible, but it isn't. But it takes practice and commitment.

 
The final lesson we learn from Jesus' Passion and death is his perseverance from the agony of the Garden to his death on the cross. At any time, he could have said, "I've done enough." But he chose to endure until the end every suffering and pain he received. So often, we want to stop, rather than persevere until the end. At those moments we need to enter into the sufferings of Jesus, asking him for the strength to go on. One of the temptations of the Evil One is to have us stop. I think one of the pains of Jesus in the Garden was this effort of Satan, telling Jesus that his suffering will be in vain for countless of people. Jesus responded by praying to the Father, "Not my will, but yours be done." Many of the saints had this experience in their sufferings. Their torturer would say, "If you renounce your God, I will stop the torture." They chose to persevere even until death, without giving in to the temptation. Lord, give me the grace of perseverance in all my trials.

 As we continue to reflect on the death of Jesus, we recognize and respond to his great love. As he said: "Greater love has no one than to lay down his life for his friend." It is not only through his death on our behalf that he shows us his love, but the manner of death by crucifixion, shows the depth of his love for us. Paul makes it even clearer. Jesus died for us when we were alienated from him. He gave his physical life that we might have eternal life. Do we have the same type of love for others? Striving to imitate Jesus' love is difficult. None of us will be crucified for another person. But we can choose to forget about  ourselves and truly be loving to others, especially those who have hurt us or estranged from us. Our love does not depend on them, but on our choice, in response to God's love for us.

We continue to reflect on the mystery of the Passion of Jesus. What can we learn and strive to imitate? In his humanity, the cross was a experience of obedience to the will of God. St. Paul stated it thus: "he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross." Philippians 2:8

 During this season of Lent we meditate on the Passion and Death of Jesus for our salvation. What do we learn from his embracing the cross of suffering? First of all, we recognize his sublime humility. He submitted to the cruel tortures, mockeries, insults and indignities without uttering a cry of retaliation. From the betrayal kiss of Judas, the scourging and crowing of thorns, the buffets, the mockery of a trial, the false accusations, and the inhumanity of crucifixion. He suffered all humbly, because there was something greater to be achieved, our salvation. How often we retaliate at the slightest indignity or affront, rather than silently accepting it, knowing the truth of who we are and what we have done. Lord, help me to learn how to imitate your humility.

 

Homily Third Sunday of Lent Year B

 

Reading 1: On the First Sunday of Lent we heard about the covenant which God made with Noah after the flood and the sign of that covenant was the rainbow. Last Sunday we heard the test that God put Abraham through by asking him to be obedient to their covenant by sacrificing Isaac his son. The obedience of Abraham to his relationship to God spared his son.  Today, we see the covenant that God made with the Israelites in the desert during their exodus from slavery in Egypt.

 

The Commandments were the way the people would reflect their relationship with God through obedience. The first three focus primarily on God.  The first Commandment acknowledges the oneness of God, who had delivered then versus the many humanly created gods of the pagans. Commandments two and three reflect the holiness of God and the need to reflect this through worship. The last seven commandments deal with right relationship with each other. Love of God and love of neighbor.

 

Though the people confirmed their acceptance of their relationship with God and one another and offered sacrifice to seal their covenant with God, we know it took them 40 years of wandering in the desert before they could truly affirm their relationship. They were a rebellious, stiff-neck people, who were still self-centered rather than other-centered. They complained continually and did not trust God but sought rather to do things their way.

 

St Augustine described sin as being caved in on oneself. Sin closes us in on ourselves whereas love draws us out of ourselves. As long as they remained in that state of rebellion and disobedience, they were not ready to enter the land of promise and the joy of freedom.

 

Gospel: On the First Sunday of Lent we reflected on the temptations of Jesus. He came to confront Satan and to restore right relationship with the Father, who loves us. Last Sunday, we reflected on the Transfiguration, when Jesus was prepared for his upcoming death on the cross for our sake. He experienced the glory that he had before his becoming man and the glory he would experience again in his resurrected body. At the same time the Transfiguration was also meant to be a grace for the three disciples, preparing them for Jesus’ passion and death on the cross. They were told to listen to him.

 

Today, we see where Jesus’ focus is on, namely, restoring the right relationship between the people and God. Though they had entered into a covenant with God, they were not faithful to it. Like us they made their own human adaptations and gave it their own interpretations. The Temple was the sacred place of God’s presence among his people. It was a place of worship and praise. In time, for human reasons and some personal benefits, it became also a place of commerce.

 

Jesus by his actions showed the zeal we should have for the Lord. “My Father’s house is a house of worship.” The response of the religious leaders, who had sanctioned the commercial activities, was to demand the source of Jesus’ authority. What sign supports Jesus’ actions?  Jesus pointed to his upcoming death on the cross and the resurrection. These will be the sign to the people who he really was, the Messiah. It would demonstrate his zeal for the Father, by doing his will and being obedient even to the death on the cross.

 

How zealot are we for God? How zealot are we in the discipline of Lent? How zealot are we in seeking the Lord’s will in our life?

 

Reading 2: On the first Sunday of Lent we were reminded that Jesus suffered and died for our sins and brought back to life by the Spirit. We experience salvation through the waters of baptism as Noah was saved by water. Last Sunday, we were reminded that if God did not spare his own son but allowed him to give his life for us because of his great love, what more can God do to show us the depth of his love. Today, we heard that a central mystery of our faith is Christ crucified. This sign of the Father’s love was a stumbling block to the Jews, who sought signs and to the Greeks, who accepted what was rational. For a man to die on a cross was foolishness. It does not make sense rationally.

 

How can the death of a man on the cross be anything but weakness? Where is the victory? Paul said the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. For Jesus didn’t just die but he rose from the deal. By these events he saved us from eternal destruction. We have been reconciled back to God. We now have access to eternal life with God, when before we were doomed to eternal alienation by virtue of our sins. Praise God for his mercy and love.

 By his sacred Blood we have been redeemed. Now united with him and restored, we are nourished and strengthened by his Blood in the gift of Eucharist. In the Old Testament, blood was a sign of life. In the Eucharist,  his Blood is a sharing in the Divine Life of God. We are renewed, refreshed and revived by the Blood of Jesus. This is not ordinary blood, it is the Blood of the Incarnate God. When we drink his Blood from the sacred chalice, we are doing what he himself told us at the Last Supper. As his sacred Body feeds us spiritually, so his sacred Blood, uniting us in faith and in reality to the One, True God. Through the sharing in his Blood, we are anticipating and longing for the eternal banquet that awaits us in glory. For it is by his Blood that the gates are heaven are once more open to those united with him on earth.

 Third Sunday of Lent: Gospel B

Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 

· This is the first of three Passovers that John mentions in his Gospel. The other two are found in Jn 6:4 and 13:1.

He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves as well as the money-changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, "Take these out of here, and stop making my Father's house a marketplace." His disciples recalled the words of scripture, "Zeal for your house will consume me." 

· In the synoptic Gospels of Matthew and Mark the cleansing of the Temple by Jesus takes place at the end of his ministry just prior to his passion. But for John it fits better theologically here. It sets the stage for his ministry.

· The sheep and oxen and doves were the animals offered in sacrifice in the Temple. The doves were what the poor could afford. Recall that this was what Joseph and Mary could afford when they presented Jesus in the Temple. (Lk 2:24)

· “Zeal for your house…” Look up Ps 69:10.

· When have we felt such zeal for God’s glory?

· Do we feel at times the same is happening in our churches today?

At this the Jews answered and said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?" But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 

· This is one of the charges that will be hurled against Jesus during his trial before the leaders.

· How often do we look for signs, when God is looking for response to the signs he has already given us of his love?

· The greatest and final sign of Jesus’ true identity is his death and resurrection. But even this will not be enough for some.

Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the scripture and the word Jesus had spoken. While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.

· Even though many people believed in him, their faith would be shaken by his arrest and death. Even the apostles faltered at the time of his death. Only the fact of the resurrection restored them.

· How strong is our faith in Jesus? Where have we faltered in our journey?

· Our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. What needs to be cleansed within us so that God may be better glorified?

 We have been saved by the Blood of the Lamb. Let us reflect on this mystery. Why did Jesus shed his blood as part of our salvation? First of all, we are cleansed and washed from the defilement of sin, which we have incurred through our disobedience to the will of God. The people of the Old Testament splashed blood on the lentils of their doors, so that the angel of death would pass over them and not enter. The priests would sprinkle blood upon them to ritually purify them. But their sins remained. Our sins are removed from us, not because of anything we did, but what Jesus did in our name. By his blood we are redeemed and set free. Because of who Jesus is and what he has done for is, his blood is sacred.

"Jesus’ command, “Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate,” is a command to participate in the compassion of God himself. He requires us to unmask the illusion of our competitive selfhood, to give up clinging to our imaginary distinctions as sources of identity, and to be taken up into the same intimacy with God which he himself knows. This is the mystery of the Christian life: to receive a new self, a new identity, which depends not on what we can achieve, but on what we are willing to receive. This new self is our participation in the divine life in and through Christ. Jesus wants us to belong to God as he belongs to God; he wants us to be children of God as he is a child of God; he wants us to let go of the old life, which is so full of fears and doubts, and to receive the new life, the life of God himself. In and through Christ we receive a new identity that enables us to say, “I am not the esteem I can collect through competition, but the love I have freely received from God.” It allows us to say with Paul, “I live now not with my own life but with the life of Christ who lives in me.” (Gal. 2:20) Henri Nouwen

Dying to the old self and rising with a new self is one of the goals of Lent. That is the image of the seed falling into the ground, dying and producing something new. That is the image of the pruning of the vine. The old barren branches are cut off, so that new growth can occur. What is in you that is the old self, the self of sin and unrepentance? Is what you are doing for Lent addressing the roots of the old self? By the grace of God, what new life is beginning to bud forth in you? Are you more compassionate, more forgiving, more considerate, more loving, more patience, more other-centered? Pray for the grace to die to the old and to rise with a new self image, one in harmony with Christ.