He is Risen!

The scripture readings for Easter Sunday can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/032716.cfm

Our 40 day journey from Ash Wednesday and through Lent has come to a climax today in the greatest day of all days on the Christian Calendar: Easter Sunday. The Solemnity of the Resurrection of the Lord! Throughout these forty days we were challenged by Holy Mother Church to turn inwardly to examine ourselves and how we are living out our Christian vocation in this world. In this examination we were challenged to turn from self-contentedness to that of a closer relationship with God and with others. How did we do? Is God now more the center of who we are? Did we remind ourselves that we are to serve God through acts of charity towards others?

In the first reading for this Easter Sunday, from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear Peter, with new found courage and wisdom, proclaiming a Risen Christ. "This man God raised (on) the third day and granted that he be visible, not to all the people, but to us, the witnesses chosen by God in advance, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead." (Acts 10:40).  Peter experienced the risen Christ, and through the power of the Holy Spirit had the courage to proclaim that faith to the world. We, too, are called to take what we have experienced throughout the forty days of Lent, and proclaim a Risen Christ in this world.

We, like Peter and the first apostles, are called to bring the Good news that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and, on the Third Day rose from the dead.

In the gospel for today, from St. John, chapter 20, we hear of the empty tomb that Mary of Magdala, Peter, and the disciple that Jesus loved found. The gospel concludes that they did not yet understand the Scripture that he (Jesus) had to rise from the dead. (John 20:9) Throughout these last forty days of Lent, we learned, through scripture, of the mission of love that Christ came into the world to die for our sins, and to bring us into a closer relationship with the Father. It is through this relationship with God the Father, through the love of Jesus Christ, that we can have that peace and contentment in dealing with all our lives difficulties. And we are to bring this Good News of the Risen Lord to others in our lives. We are to be, like Peter, witnesses chosen by God to those we are called to serve. Further, we are to continue to study scripture on a regular basis in order to grow closer to our Creator, and to those around us.

The Lord is truly risen, alleluia!!

Feast of Saint Joseph, Spouse of Blessed Virgin Mary

Today the church celebrates the solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Joseph is what you may call the "strong and silent type." There is not one word attributed to St. Joseph in scripture. We see him being open to the will of God in his life. He was loving and considerate of the Blessed Virgin Mary. When he found out she was pregnant and, as a result, thought wrongly that Mary was unfaithful to him in their relationship, he went about to separate from her quietly. Scripture tells us,  "Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly." (Matthew 1:19) That's the love that he had for our Blessed Mother.

Yet, always being open to the will of God, he was told in a dream about what REALLY happened, "...the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.'" (Matthew 1:20) Joseph responded to the Will of God and took Mary as his wife, and raised Jesus as his son. Without question, he accepted the Will of God. He loved and took care of Mary and raised Jesus as his own Son.

It was in this environment of love and care that Jesus was raised. I can imagine that, all throughout His childhood, that Joseph was always there, caring for Him and for Mary. Joseph provided for the Holy Family as a father should. Working hard as a carpenter, providing food, clothing and shelter for the Holy Family. Always being there for their needs. Yet no word is attributed to Joseph in scripture. But his actions speak louder than words.

We, like St. Joseph, are called to live out our lives in complete acceptance to the Will of God, even when what happens is not what we were expecting. Let's place our trust in God, as Joseph did, in all that happens in our lives. Let us always be open to what God expects of us. Let us always be open to his Holy Will in the different ways he communicates with us, whether through scripture or through those around us.

Do Not Sin Anymore

The Scripture readings for the Fifth Sunday of Lent can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/031316-fifth-sunday-lent.cfm.

This story of the woman caught in the act of adultery did not originate in the Gospel of John, but rather was associated with Luke's gospel. This gospel is not really about the sinfulness and immorality of  adultery, but rather the Pharisees attempting to undermine Jesus' credibility with a question in order to trap him. The Pharisees didn't really care one way or other about the woman. They wanted to trap Jesus in order to get him out of their lives. To them he was a threat to their way of life and their authority. In this story we see Jesus' relationship with the law and his rapport with his own religious officials. Jesus is wonderful in maneuvering around these tests that the Pharisees put to him. Further he shows his deep compassionate care for the woman who has been used almost as a "set up" by the scribes and Pharisees in order to trap him.

Some scripture scholars theorize that when Jesus bent over to write on the ground that he was writing the sins of those who were condemning the woman. Jesus, as God, knew their sinfulness and knew their reasoning for bringing her before him. Probably one of the people there ready to throw the stone was the man she was accused of committing this sin with. Yet the guilt was placed all on her.

Jesus, always ready to respond fairly and justly, simply responds, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7) One by one they drop their stones and walk away. Then Jesus looks lovingly at her, and after finding out that no one has condemned her, he says, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, [and] from now on do not sin any more.” (John 8:11)

Jesus speaks to each one of us in this encounter with this woman. We are to turn away from things that prevent us from developing a closer relationship with God. Jesus is encouraging each one of us to "sin no more." But Jesus also know that there will be times when we can fall short of what he expects of us. We then can turn back to him, receive forgiveness in the sacrament of confession, and then start fresh.

Jesus was often under fire from his critics because they didn't understand the heart of his message. No matter what our faults or sins, God's willingness to forgive is guaranteed. Those who truly follow Christ can be recognized by their willingness to extend the same forgiveness he gave.

The Prodigal Son

The readings for the 4th Sunday of Lent can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/030616-fourth-sunday-lent.cfm

The Parable of the Prodigal Son is one of my favorite parables about the love and forgiveness of God towards all of us. It's also the perfect parable to reflect on in Lent as we journey towards Good Friday and Easter Sunday morning. This parable can be called, also, the Parable of the Older Brother, or the Parable of the Loving & Forgiving Father. Who do you relate to in the story?

We see first the prodigal son who is wasteful and self centered. He demands his inheritance from his father, goes off to a distant country and loses it all. This unnamed "distant country" is more than just a place. It is really a way of living, or a condition of the heart. The "distant country" for many of us could be leaving behind the Church and the Gospel & Christian way of life to lead a life that is not pleasing to God. A "distant country" where we do what we want without the rules and standards of the Church telling us how to live.

We are tempted, or lured, to a place where "sin" is made to look like fun. But as we find out, sin isn't fun for long. Sin is fun until a person becomes addicted to drugs. Sin is fun until drinking harms or hurts another or ourselves. Sin is fun until greed, arrogance or deception distort and bend our life out of shape and leave us isolated from God and from others. We become morally ruined. This is the "distant country" that we all have known in one way or other.

When the prodigal son comes to his senses, we have the moment of recognition: "I have sinned." It is a moment when he no longer blamed his father for being too indulgent, when he no longer blames society for being too immoral, when he no longer blamed his employer for being unfair, when he no longer blamed his own immaturity for being unwise, when he no longer blamed his genetic makeup or birth order for making him rebellious. "I have sinned!" It is in this moment that he can have a different future and a life of peace and hope for the rest of his life.

How often do we remain in our destructive, sinful patterns of living, only to blame anyone and everything else. It is through the grace that comes from God that we can say, and mean, "I have sinned." It is that child in us that we blame others. Blaming our parents for how we turned out, our family for not being supportive of us in all our needs. The boss for not recognizing the good work we do!  The list can go on and on of the people who we can blame for who we are and the choices we make.

It is a moral awakening and spiritual maturity to be able to say, "I have sinned." We are to take responsibility for our lives, our sinfulness and turn to God and say, "I have sinned." The path to Easter  for the prodigal son  and for us lies in the crucial importance and maturity to be able to say, "I have sinned."

The second path for us is the path of the older brother. How many times have we felt that people who repent shouldn't just be able to come back so easily? We feel they should suffer somehow. They should agonize, be humiliated, know pain, pay for what they have done and earn their return.

Because of the love of God, they don't have to suffer, agonize, know pain for what they have done. None of us have to. Because Someone HAS suffered, been humiliated, agonized, known pain and earned our return and that is Jesus Christ. By His wounds, we are healed. Because of Jesus Christ, we can come back home. The prodigal son came back, but now, he has a lot of work to do to restore trust in the family, to make up for lost time, to repair relationships within the family, and to rebuild what he damaged by his leaving. He will need the support, help and love of the family, including his older brother.

This is the path to Easter of the Older Brother, helping those who are coming back.

Finally, there is the father willing to take a repentant son back and seeking to bring reconciliation to his family. In our second reading from St. Paul we are called to a ministry of reconciliation, of "bridge building." There are many people out there who are great at polarization and have made a science of it. The work of bridge building  between divided people is the work of all Christians. The path of the father for all of us is to be bridge builders.

This parable in the middle of Lent speaks to each one of us, whether we're a "prodigal son," "older son," or "embracing father." Through the prodigal son, we learn to say, "I have sinned." Through the older son, we learn that we are to reach out to those who are turning back to God and His church, not resent them for returning and admitting their sinfulness. The forgiving father calls us to build bridges between those who are returning to God, and those who have never left.

Which of these three do you most relate to? The prodigal son, the older son, or the forgiving father? Each one of them shows us towards a path of closer relationship to God and to one another!.

For they did not yet understand the Scripture...

Following is a reflection that I did for the Archdiocesan Union of the Holy Name Society of New York:

During this month of March, the Church enters into the most holiest time of the year. Holy Week starts with Palm Sunday on March 20^th and comes to a climax with the death of Our Lord on Good Friday and his glorious resurrection on Easter Sunday morning.

During this week the we see our Lord fulfilling the will of the Father by allowing to be betrayed by sinful men and being led to Calvary to be nailed to the Cross. With all his suffering and the betrayal that he experienced he still had in his heart love and forgiveness for those putting him to death.

As members of the Holy Name Society, we are called to grow closer to the Lord. One of the best ways to do this is through the quiet and reflective reading of scripture, also known as Lectio Divina. During Holy Week, from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday morning, we have plenty of choices to choose from in order to reflect on.

Starting on Palm Sunday, you will probably hear two gospels. The one I’ll be reflecting on is from Luke 19:28-40, read at the beginning of mass, just before the blessing of the palms. This is the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The phrase that strikes me is: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” (Luke 19:38). Is Jesus truly our king who comes in the name of the Lord? Is he the center of all we are and all we do?

On Holy Thursday, the day that our Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist, we hear the gospel of John, chapter 13:1-15. In this gospel we don’t’ hear the words of institution of the Eucharist (we hear them in the epistle 1 Corinthians 11:21-26). What we DO hear in this gospel is the washing of the apostles’ feat at the Last Supper. The phrase that strikes me, and maybe you can reflect on it, too, is: “If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet.”(John 13:14).What I feel the Lord is teaching us here is if we want to be of service to Him, we are to be of service to one another. This is our call as Christians and followers of Jesus.

This brings us to Good Friday, the most solemn day on our calendar. The gospel is from John, chapter 18:1-19:42. This gospel centers on the trial and crucifixion of our Lord. What I would like to reflect on in this gospel is the part which we, as Holy Name men, could relate to: “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother.’” (John 19:26) In this passage Jesus gives to us, through the apostle John, His mother to be our Mother.

Finally, on Easter Sunday, the most important day in the Church calendar, we read of the Empty Tomb in John 20:1-9. The line that strikes me, after the apostles and the women find the Empty Tomb, is, “For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.” (John 20:9). This is a call for us to always study scripture and attempt always to learn what God is trying to teach us. Scripture is to be the center of our study of God.

So, take time during Holy Week and reflect on these, and all the passages that Holy Mother Church puts before us, and reflect on the love that God has for us in allowing His Son to die for us and for our salvation.

Praise be Jesus Christ, now and forever!