Peace I Leave You

Peace Be With You

Today's Gospel talks about the disciples recognizing Jesus in the breaking of the bread.  The disciples are still confused and troubled about the recent occurrences, but Jesus says something that is very familiar to them to help ease their minds.

            “Peace Be With You”

Jesus knows their hearts and minds are unsettled and when he asked them, why they are troubled, he goes right to the reason without delay.

“Look at my hands and my feet . . .” Jesus eats a piece of fish in front of them just to be sure they understood this was no trick

When we come before Christ in the Blessed Sacrament,  Jesus recites these same words, and so do we at Mass.

            “Peace I leave you My Peace I give you.”

That’s no ordinary Peace, this Peace is found in the breaking of the bread. The Blessed Sacrament holds within it all the food our soul needs for the journey of life.

Spend time in front of the Blessed Sacrament that you may come to know Peace and all the treasures unlocked by our communion with Jesus.

He never leaves us.  Jesus will never abandon us. We have His word  

Cling to Him

Reflection Tuesday of Easter

We meet Mary Magdalene at the tomb, weeping, in the Gospel today.

She is weeping the loss of Jesus and she just wants to be as close to Him as she can.  She is at the tomb, crying, when she hears a voice she thought was the gardener:

            “Woman, why are you weeping?”

Jesus, understanding the emotional state of Mary, wants to make it clear that it is He that speaks and He calls her by name.

           

“Mary!”

Immediately she knows His voice and calls out to Him in a term of endearment and respect;

           

“Rabbouni”

She clings to him as we cling to people that we miss.  We just want to be able to hug and hold those we so deeply miss and this will be the last hug she gets.

Jesus has to go to the Father, his time and mission is finished here, but, He leaves her with words that reveal, once and for all, that He is the Messiah, the one that came to this world to give new life.

After seeing the horrible crucifixion and death, watching her beloved beaten and bloodied, He comes to say good-bye and reassures her that it was all true and He is Going home.  What an act of humanity.

Jesus leaves her with such joy and peace that she tells the others that she saw the Lord.  This encounter drives home the point that death is conquered and we no longer fear  the death of this world.

Cling to Him!

The others wait for the knock at the door and He will come.

An Encounter With The Divine

Reflection 1st Monday of Easter 2016

 

There is a theme that runs through the life of, Jesus, and the entire love story we know as Sacred Scripture.  The theme is; the encounter drives us to witness to the Divine.

 

When there is an encounter with the Divine we are never the same again.  Something forms us in ways we never thought possible. 

 

The apostles encountered the Divine, and with the exception of John, were martyred for being witnesses to the Love Christ brought to share.

 

Some believe without much coaxing, some have had experiences in their lives that have made it difficult to seethe Divine. 

 

Matthews Gospel tells of the encounter Mary Magdalene had and that she was “Fearful” yet “Overjoyed” and that joy is Hope. 

 

Calvary was joyful, not fun.  Calvary was full of Hope. Jesus is Hope.

 

Then we see the hardened hearts of the ones so tortured in their misery that they pay-off guards to tell a lie to hide the truth.  The Romans were full of fear.  Fear of losing out on whatever they thought they had in this world.  This fear leads to death. 

 

The encounter that we have with Jesus allows us to be Joyful and that is the message of Easter. 

 

Be joyful brothers, we have Hope!

 

 

 

Alleluia!

                What a glorious day!  

The gospel of John takes us from the beginning "in the beginning . . ." and places us at the tomb.  The tomb is where death is lying.  

When Mary of Magdala arrived at the tomb it was still dark. John, tells us that the tomb was empty and Mary ran to tell Peter. 

When the others heard the tomb was empty they ran to see what the situation was at the tomb.  

Last night was filled with memories of their life with Jesus and the death of Jesus on the cross, and today there was hope as they ran to see. 

John saw and believed, but, he also said:

"For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead."

The one that laid his head on Jesus' chest and heard his heart beat knew that it was true. 

There was still confusion about and John showed compassion in his attitude and writing.  He was not bitter or angry.  

Being understanding and merciful to others that still doubt or have real questions are a lesson at the tomb.

Death is defeated, death is a lie and an intimate relationship with Jesus throws that fear of death away. 

For John it was a fact.  He received it in his heart and nothing would change his mind.

It would take Jesus revealing himself in many ways and in many encounters, some publically, until the "others" would believe.

And so it is with our lives today.  People don't believe for many reasons and it's up to us to be that steadfast witness to our encounter so that they might all believe.  Be compassionate and understanding to all that we meet. 

We are a people of Hope, Faith, and Love and none of those possesses a mean spirit. 

Alleluia!  He is Risen! 

An Ancient Homily On Holy Saturday

The second reading from the Office of Readings for Holy Saturday is one of my favorites.

Tomorrow We Will Rise With HIM!

The Lord descends into hell

Something strange is happening—there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.

He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: “My Lord be with you all.” Christ answered him: “And with your spirit.” He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated.

For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.

See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.

I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.

Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.

"Here is Your King"

Good Friday Reflection 2016

John purposely avoids the title “King” throughout his gospel, but that is what the focus is during this arrest and crucifixion.

What we also see from this Passion reading is that the bloody details are glazed over to continue the theme of the mission of Jesus. 

The Passover Lamb is unblemished.  Jesus came into this world to speak the truth.

The Good Shepherd was obedient to Truth, and accepted His death at the hands of humanity, and the sins that we commit that we may have everlasting life.

When the mob comes to arrest Jesus He uses the “I AM’ which is known to the Jews and so that they may understand the meaning and connection of this night. 

There is no fighting from Jesus, only the impulsive actions of, Peter, who cuts the ear of, Malchus, a slave to a high priest.  Peter, a lone swordsman, against an army of armed men is once again stopped by the calming authority of Jesus and is told to scabbard his sword. Peter must have been baffled at this response.  All he wanted to do was to defend Jesus.  He couldn’t see that this act of violence in the face of violence could only make things worse.

“Shall I not drink the cup my Father gave me?”

The Jews are still stuck on the law when they wouldn’t go inside the pagan Praetorium to see Pilate, and practiced their purity forcing Pilate to come outside so they could still be pure and celebrate the Passover.  They were blind to the unblemished Lamb that was about to be sacrificed before their eyes.

Pilate questions Jesus in front of everyone and tries to pin him down as king.

Remember what happened when the Israelites ask Samuel for a king?  Jesus moves away from the king title and answers;

           

“It is you that say I am king.  For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.  Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”  Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

Well, Truth is right there, bloody and beaten with our sins and the sins of the whole world.  The perfect sacrifice to the Father is about to die for you and me.

The act of Love that drives home the point is with John and Mary.  Many women in this time period would have been left to prostitution without a man to take care of them and Jesus asks a friend to take care of his mom.

“Woman, behold, your son.”  Then he said to the disciple, Behold, your mother.”  And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.”(John 19:25-27)

One question I have encountered all of my life when dealing with people that try to trap me in my faith is “Where was God when this all happened?”

The answer is very easy: Dying on the cross for you and me an act of Love and freedom we can only come to know by entering deeply into the Passion.

Holy Saturday awaits us.

It Was Night

Reflection Holy Thursday 2016

The night is tense and filled with rituals  remembering Moses and Aaron and the Passover instructions, and John the Baptist already set up the night when he called Jesus “the Lamb of God” reflecting the first Passover meal and connecting it to this night.

Jesus, knowing His hour had come, breaks from the tradition.  There is something new here.  Jesus takes off His outer garments and very deliberately takes each disciple’s foot and washes them.

“He rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist.  Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel around his waist.” John 13:4,5

After Peter contested this and very honestly tells Jesus that he will always be there to support Him, Jesus, tells of a betrayal using familiar words from a psalm of David.

           

“He who shares my table takes advantage of me.” John 13:18

Jesus doesn’t reveal the betrayer in front of the others and Judas now realizes that Christ will remain silent.  There is only instruction from Jesus to Judas.

“What you are going to do, do quickly.” John 13:28 29

It was night.