Third Sunday of Easter, Year C

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3rd Sunday of Easter, Year C
Acts 5:27b-32, 40b-41
Revelation 5:11-14
John 21:1-19
April 14, 2013

The Apostles are now arrested and on trial.  They are zealously preaching the faith.  They had previously given orders to ‘stop teaching in that name.’

Those who have arrested them won’t even speak Jesus’ name (that name).  To the questioning Peter and the Apostles reply “we must obey God rather than men.”

They are going to keep on preaching.  They are bold enough now to condemn those who arrest them for having Jesus crucified.  They are not afraid.  In fact, they now find it an honor to suffer in Jesus’ name.

The Apostles have come a long way.  Just last week we heard how, after Jesus’ Crucifixion and the discovery that the tomb was empty, they were gathering in a locked room for ‘fear of the Jews.’

They have come a long way in a short time.

Even after Jesus appeared to them twice after his Resurrection, they still didn’t know what to do.  Simon Peter tells the other disciples that he is going fishing.  They go with him.

It might seem like they are giving up when times are tough.  We can give them some credit here.  Remember many of them, including Peter, were fishermen by trade.  They are not going up to have fun.  They might be going to make a living to provide for their family.  Perhaps they are still confused by all that has happened and just want to do something they can understand.

Whatever the reason for their fishing trip, they once again see the Risen Jesus but they don’t know it is him.  They have had no luck fishing.  A man appears on the shore and tells them to throw the net over the right side.

This would seem ridiculous to me.  They are professional fishermen.  Do you really think they won’t have tried that?

But they do it!  They don’t know it is Jesus but they are open to Jesus and listen to what he says.

What is the result?  They catch 153 fish.  What is the significance of 153?  Scholars have found that in that time there was a total 153 different types of fish identified.  So, 153 symbolized “all.”  All belong to God.  All are to be evangelized.

Alone they caught nothing.  With Jesus, they caught “all”.

Another way to look at it – when they come to the shore with the fish, Jesus already had fish cooking.  When we go in search of something we need, Jesus already has it.

Are we doing what Jesus asks of us or are we still behind locked doors?  Do we help other people or do we keep silent about our faith?

Sometimes we don’t know where to begin.  There seems to be too much to do, making it all seem impossible.  I think of all the things that come across my desk with ideas we could do.  I think that we can’t possibly do all these things.  That can be true.  The danger in thinking this is that it can lead us to do nothing.

As the annual priest/administrator convocation was ending this week, they were giving us an update about the Governor’s desire to expand abortion in New York.  This was not new information to me and I hope it isn’t new information to you.  There has been a brief article in the bulletin for the past few weeks about this and we have posters up talking promoting a prayer vigil in Albany on Monday.

As I listened, the thought did cross my mind that there are just too many things to do, how can we possibly do them all?

We don’t have to do them all.  We can prioritize, determine what we can do, what God is calling us to do and do it well.  In this case, the sanctity of life is a priority.

What are you doing?  Are you trying to do it all yourself?  Have you given up and do nothing?  Or have you set priorities and doing something?

Peter had denied Jesus three times.  Essentially, Peter said no to Jesus three times.  But seeing the Risen Jesus three times, Peter was given an opportunity to change his ways.

Jesus asks Peter “do you love me three times.”

Isn’t once enough?  Why three?

Peter denies Jesus three times.  He must accept three times.

Is saying I love you once ever enough?

Don’t we like to hear we are loved over and over?

The words “I love you” are powerful.  We should say them to the ones we do love.  We also need to live the words “I love you.”

Actions speak loud.  Look at the Crucifix.  Jesus’ Crucifixion ‘screams’ “I love you.”

How do we say “I love you” to Jesus? By living as He calls us as the way and the truth and the life.

 

 

My Last Presentation – “Talking About God: Sharing Our Faith”

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When I did my last presentation on March 18th, it was a snowy night so not many were able to attend.  The good news is that the video is now ready and available on my website at http://renewaloffaith.org/evangelization/sharingfaithvideo.htm.

Check it out and see what I have to say about deepening our own faith and sharing it with others.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Doubt

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2nd Sunday of Easter, Year C
Acts 5:12-16
Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19
John 20:19-31
April 7, 2013

Jesus has been crucified.  They know the tomb is empty.  The disciples are locked in a room.  Why did they lock themselves in a room?

It wasn’t for a conclave.

We are told it was for “fear of the Jews.”  Jesus has been crucified and the disciples are likely afraid that the same fate awaits them so they hide from the Jews.

That fear is a very real fear but I suspect their fear was more than that.  They would have been full of confusion.  How could this happen?  They thought Jesus was the Messiah.  In their thinking, there is no way Jesus would have ended up crucified.

If that wasn’t confusing enough, the tomb of Jesus has been found empty.  Jesus is risen but what does that mean?  No one had risen before so for now the empty tomb and word that Jesus is risen might only add to confusion.

Confusion and doubt.

Jesus knew how the disciples were feeling.  That’s why his first words to them were “Peace be with you.”  He knows their hearts are not at peace.

He brings peace.

He also knows they do not understand the Resurrection.  He showed them his hands and feet so they could see the nail marks to know that he is not just a ghost but is risen with his body.

Then he breathes on them, giving them the Holy Spirit so that they might understand.

Peace.

But Thomas wasn’t there.  When Thomas hears what has happened he tells the others unless he can touch Jesus’ wounds he will not believe.

For this he gets a bad rap as “Doubting Thomas.”  Did he doubt?  Yes.  In some way, so did the other disciples until they saw the risen Jesus.

If they had no doubt in Jesus, they won’t have locked themselves in the room.  They won’t have been confused and troubled by what happened.

Jesus did not give up on the disciples for their doubt and neither did he give up on Thomas.  He appeared again to the disciples a second time.  This time Thomas was there and when he saw for himself he called out to Jesus, “My Lord and my God.”

No more doubt.

Jesus then says “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

We have not seen for ourselves but we believe in Jesus because of what the scriptures tell us, what the Holy Spirit tells us, and what we believe.

Do we have doubts?

I do.  I like to think my doubts are more about what I do myself but they involve God.  How do we know God exists?  Sometimes the way I know God exists is the simple fact of what I accomplish as a person, a priest, and a pastor.  I have NO DOUBT that I could not do what I alone.  There must be a God for me to do these things.

Doubt is not denial that God exists.  Can we deny God’s existence?  Yes but that’s not the same as doubt.

Doubt comes from a lack of understanding.  We don’t know why things happen as they do.  But we can have this doubt and still believe.

If you look up the word “faith” in a dictionary, you find a definition that says “to believe in what cannot be proven.”

We might not understand.  We might not be able to understand but we can believe in faith, trusting in God, seeking his peace.

And when we trust, we find peace.  When we don’t have all the answers, we can try to find answers but in faith we trust.

Do we have doubts?  Sure, hopefully they are minor and based on simply not understanding but trusting.

When does “doubt” become a problem?

I think there are two key points to knowing when doubt is a problem.  First, if our doubt leads us to reject the faith and the existence of God or to think that God might exist but doesn’t care is problematic.

I’m not talking about doubt for just an instant moment like in tragedy.  We turn that over to God.  That doubt comes from not understanding but we can still believe in faith.

The other point when I see doubt as a big problem/sin is when doubt puts us behind locked doors that keep us from acting.  This looks like the doubt we see in the disciples in the gospel.  Note for them, it is not the end.  They still have faith and in that faith, Jesus comes to them.

What doubts do you have?  Is it real unbelief or a lack of understanding to be handed over in faith?

 

Passion

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When we use the word “Passion” with a capital “P” in the Church we are generally speaking of Jesus’ Passion that we just celebrated during Holy Week.  Out of his passion for us, Jesus freely gives his life for us on the Cross so that we can be redeemed.  We must never forget this.

How much Passion do we have for faith?

In today’s first reading, we see the passion that Peter has as an Apostle.  Peter is arrested along with others for preaching faith in Jesus Christ.  The people who arrest him are some of the same people involved in the arrest of Jesus.  So, Peter would have valid reason to fear.  Will they crucify him like they crucified Jesus?

Peter is not deterred.  When questioned about his faith, Peter does not waver.  He stands up for what he believes in and is so bold as to speak out against the people who arrested him as rejecting the faith.

How is Peter so bold?  First, the reading tells us that Peter was “filled with the Holy Spirit.”  One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is courage.  Peter certainly needed to rely on that gift but also on the gifts of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding to know what to say.  Peter was also strengthened in his faith having known Jesus before his Crucifixion and having seen the Risen Jesus (see today’s gospel).

With all this in mind, one might think it was easy for Peter to be strong in faith.  We must remember that Peter’s faith wasn’t always perfect.  After the Transfiguration, Peter rebuked Jesus for Jesus’ prediction of his own Passion.  Peter is the one who denies Jesus’ three times.  In today’s Gospel, even though Peter has seen the Risen Jesus twice already, he doesn’t immediately recognize Jesus.  If you read the Acts of the Apostles, we hear how God had to keep leading Peter in faith.

Like Peter, our faith might not be perfect but do we have a passion for our faith?

Our passion for our faith can be expressed in different ways.  I know of some people who have a very deep faith expressed only in personal prayer.  Others might not see it but it is there.  These people do not always express their faith outwardly, not out of fear, but simply it is not their personality to do so.

For others, their zeal for the faith is obvious.  Peter and Paul are great biblical example of this.

We might think as long as we have faith, it doesn’t matter if we express it outwardly.  Individually, it might not matter but we are not concerned just with individuals.  If we let our faith be seen, we can be witnesses to Christ.  When we let our faith be seen, we become a light for the world to Christ.  We can lead others to Jesus.

Just like everyone else, my faith is not perfect.  After knowing Jesus’ love for us on the Cross, one of the things that helps me to keep the faith is to see others who are passionate about the faith.  I can wonder if people really care.  When I see others who are interested in faith, it gives me hope.  That’s why I love questions about our faith.  I believe that if people are asking questions, then their faith is important to them and that makes my ministry worthwhile.

Who has shown you their passion for our faith?  Whom have you shared your passion with?

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

 

Easter Vigil 2013

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Easter Vigil 2013
Genesis 1:1-2:2
Genesis 22:1-18
Exodus 14:15-51:1
Isaiah 55:1-11
Romans 6:3-11
Luke 24:1-12
March 30, 2013

Tonight we hear the story of Salvation History.  We hear it in the readings but also in our Exsultet.  We are reminded of how Christ is the light of the world in our opening fire, fire that cleanses and brightens the world.

We hear the story of Creation but it is not a story mean to tell how God created.  The Creation story is meant to give meaning to our existence.

In the beginning there was nothing but God.  God has always existed and will always exist. As the one who is eternal, God created all else.  God set about an order to creation.  In that order, God created humans beings in his own image.

Thus we can be assured that we are fundamentally good because that is what God is, good.

God put humans at the top of creation, giving the human race dominion over the whole world, a primacy of place.

All that God asks in return is faith.

Abraham serves as an example of faith to us, faith without end.  God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son, the son Abraham had waited so long for.

How could God ask Abraham to do such a thing?

Even more amazing though is that Abraham is willing to do it until God stops him.

We must not forget Isaac.  Isaac carries the wood for the sacrifice.  Isaac asks “where is the sheep?” to which Abraham replies that God will provide the sheep for the sacrifice.  Even when Abraham binds Isaac for the sacrifice, Isaac does not resist.

When God stops Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, God does provide a ram for the sacrifice that day and God will provide a lamb for the greatest sacrifice.  Abraham does not sacrifice his son but in the end God will sacrifice His Own Son.

We are told the story of the parting of the Red Sea, reminding us of God set the Israelites free from the Egyptians foreshadowing setting us free from sin.

Throughout Salvation History, God is present for his people when they recognize and admit their need for God.  All are invited to the water, to receive grain and eat.  What is the cost?  There is no cost.

Through Isaiah, God speaks of sending His Word, His Word that has been received through the prophets throughout Salvation History.

And it is God’s Word that becomes incarnate for us.  Jesus is Son of God and Word incarnate that does not return to God without accomplishing God’s Will.

God’s Will is for all to be saved.  Jesus comes to make that possible.  He does so in His Crucifixion.

But the Crucifixion alone would seem like a defeat but the Crucifixion is not the final end.  This brings us to Easter.  After the Crucifixion, Jesus’ body was laid in a tomb.  Now, the tomb has been found empty.

The women who find the tomb empty as “puzzled.”  How can this be?  Has someone stolen the body of Jesus?

Two men appear in dazzling garments appear to the women and tell them that Jesus has been raised.

This is our faith.  Jesus, Son of God, Word Incarnate come into the world for us, teaching us what it means to be disciples, giving His life for us on the Cross, making possible our own resurrection.

Again, this is our faith.

In just a few minutes, we will welcome James, Anacheliz, Angel, and Anamarieliz into our faith through Baptism.  They will be asked to make the baptismal promises of our faith tonight.

We will receive John and Theodore into Full Communion in the Catholic Church. Having already been baptized, they will attest to our faith.

We will renew our own baptismal promises.  We promise to reject Satan and all evil.  We acknowledge our faith in God as Father, in Jesus Christ who died and rose for us, and in the Holy Spirit.

Our Catholic faith teaches much.  It is not always an easy faith to live.  God knows that.  That is why God sent Jesus to redeem us.  That is why Jesus nourishes us with his Body and Blood in the Eucharist.

This is our faith.  We are proud to profess it in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Good Friday Homily

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Good Friday 2013
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9
John 18:1-19:42
March 29, 2013

The news is devastating. Jesus, the one they thought to be the Messiah, has been arrested, beaten, mocked, scourged, and crucified.  He is now dead.

How could this be?

He was supposed to defeat the enemy.  The Israelites were ready to be rid of the Romans.  Now, it seems, he has defeated by them.

Or so it seems….

Jesus was not defeated by the Romans.  In fact, Pilate gets a bad rap for being responsible for the Crucifixion of Jesus.  Yet he is the one who repeatedly says “I find no guilt in him.”  Pilate only has Jesus crucified to satisfy the “mob”.  That’s not a good reason but, again, it is not his desire to crucify Jesus.

We see prophecies fulfilled like the dividing of his garments.

In Jesus’ Passion, the words of Isaiah of the Suffering Servant are fulfilled, “so marred was his look beyond human semblances” and he had no stately bearing and he was spurned.

All this is fulfilled in Jesus’ Passion.  Jesus willingly submitted to it.

Jesus knew what was going to happen.  As John tells us, when it was time for his arrest, he went out to them.

So perhaps we can find comfort in knowing this is the fulfillment of God’s plan.

But we can ask ourselves why.

In human terms, Pilate asks for a charge to which the crowd gives a non-answer “If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.”

We find the beginnings of the answer in the words of one of the people responsible for Jesus’ Crucifixion, Caiaphas.  Caiaphas said “that it was better than one man should die rather than the people.”

Caiaphas got it right but for the wrong reason.  He thought it best for Jesus to die so he would not cause trouble with the Romans.  That doesn’t matter.

For the real reason we turn to God’s plan.

Jesus was not crucified to satisfy human power.  Remember Jesus’ words “You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above.”

We find the answer from God in the same place we heard prophecies about Jesus’ Passion, in the words of the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah writes, “Yet it was our infirmities he bore, our sufferings that he endured…. But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins.”

Our sins have offended an infinite God and thus call for an infinite price of restitution.  We are finite creatures and cannot offer an infinite sacrifice.

Christ can… and does.

Jesus really does defeat the real enemy, sin.

Jesus died for our sins.

Holy Thursday Homily

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Holy Thursday 2013
Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
John 13:1-15
March 28, 2013

Tonight is a night like no other night but neither is a night that stands all by itself.

It was the night of the Passover.  The Passover is the greatest of the Israelite feasts that they celebrated as a perpetual institution at God’s command.

It was a memorial feast to celebrate a great moment, the Exodus, when the Israelites were set free from the Egyptians.  It was celebrated with the sacrifice of a lamb and unleavened bread.

Jesus would have grown up celebrated the Passover every year with Mary and Joseph.  And it is no small coincidence that God chose the night of the Passover for what happens tonight.

We call it the Last Supper.  One of our school children asked me this week shouldn’t it be the “First Supper” because it is the first time the Eucharist is celebrated.  The Eucharist is a meal of spiritual food so the child had something there, they understood the significance of the Eucharist.

We call it the Last Supper, of course, because it is the last earthly supper that Jesus shared with his disciples.

But Jesus didn’t just celebrate the Passover with his disciples and call it good.  He took the Passover and made it something even better.

It is at this meal where Jesus says ‘this is my body’ and ‘this is my blood.’  He doesn’t say “pretend” this is my body and blood.  He says it is.

We’ve got a big word for it, transubstantiation, changing of the substance.  It still looks like bread.  It still looks like wine but in a way we cannot understand God takes it and transforms it into the Body and Blood of Christ.

It is His Body and Blood that is given up for us.  When it is given up?  The answer to that goes back to what I said about this not being a night all by itself.  I already spoke of how it ties back to the Passover that had been celebrated for centuries.

We also need to look forward from this night to understand the Eucharist.  Tomorrow we celebrate the Crucifixion where Jesus gives up His Body and Blood but Jesus unites that sacrifice with the Eucharist.

So as Paul says “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.”  Every time we celebrate the Eucharist we remember how Jesus gave up His Body and Blood for us.  It is not a new sacrifice we celebrate but making Jesus the sacrifice at Calvary.

But as if that wasn’t enough, that wasn’t all that Jesus did that night.  For us to eat the Body of Christ and to drink the cup is to want to become like Jesus.

To become like Jesus is to serve the needs of others.  Knowing the need to teach this, Jesus did something that would not be expected from a Messiah.  As Messiah, he had every right to expect people to wait on him but he didn’t.  At the Last Supper, he took on the role of servant and washed the feet of his disciples.  At first, Peter refused but Jesus told him it must be so.

In washing the feet of his disciples, Jesus shows humility to others.  We need to do the same.

I’m Sure God Exists

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This has been a busy week.  There is a lot of preparation that goes with the celebration of the Triduum.  There was also the Diocesan Day of Penance on Tuesday during which I spent 8 1/2 hours hearing confessions.

So after Mass was over last night for Holy Thursday, I finally found some quiet time to sit in church.  This was a very much-needed time of reflection and peace for me.  As I sat there tired and exhausted before the Blessed Sacrament I came to realize, as has happened to me before, that there is no way I could do what I do as a priest and pastor by myself.  This is nothing new for me.  The prayer cards at my ordination cited 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”  I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.  Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ, for when I am weak, then I am strong.

What was new last night in my reflection was thinking about this in the context of questions I get from people who doubt if God exists.  For me, the simple fact that I know I do more than I am capable of for me is proof that God exists.  For me, it is clear that God is the one who makes it possible for me to do more than I could ever do alone.

If we look for answers of how things happen, science may have explanations like ‘Big Bang’ for creation but science can never give meaning to live or answer the question “why?”.  God is the origin of everyone and everything and God gives us meaning.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

The Easter Triduum is Upon Us

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It is Thursday morning of Holy Week.  At 7 p.m. this evening, we will celebrate the Mass of Lord’s Supper where Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples, washed their feet and gave us the gift of the Eucharist.  I’ll be saying more about that in my homily this evening.

But tonight is not an isolated event.  To understand the significance of tonight, we need to understand the Triduum really as one event spread over three days, tonight, Good Friday, and the Resurrection at Easter.

I encourage people to come tonight, tomorrow afternoon, and for the Easter Vigil to experience the full event.  There will also be Mass on Easter Sunday morning of course (in fact, we add an extra Mass).

Back in 2008, I wrote an article for my website, “The Meaning of Easter” where I speak of the interconnectedness of the days.  You might want to read it now to look ahead to see the connections between the days or you might read it afterwards to pull it all together.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

People Want to be Forgiven II

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Today’s readings (3/27/13), contrast two “people”.  In the reading from Isaiah we hear of the Suffering Servant.  Ultimately this prophecy finds fulfillment in Jesus but we can all fulfill in some way as Christian disciples seeking to God’s Will.  In the gospel reading, we hear how Judas Iscariot goes to the chief priests and ask what they will give him if he hands Jesus over to them.  Judas is the one who betrays Jesus.

Clearly, the Suffering Servant is the model we should follow, not Judas Iscariot.  Are there times when we are like Judas?  Do we betray Jesus?  What does it mean to betray?  The definition used with regards to Judas is to turn one over to the enemy.  Another definition of “betray’ is to fail to follow the person’s teaching.

We don’t hand Jesus over to the enemy but do we fail to follow Jesus?

Of course, ideally the answer should be no but the reality is that we do.  We call it sin.  We need forgiveness for our sins.  We want to be forgiven.  Last week I wrote about our desire to be forgiven in coming to the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  It continues this week.  Last weekend, we have a small group of parishioners on retreat.  Saturday morning I joined them to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation with them for almost two hours.  In the afternoon, I heard regular confessions in the parish which lasted for almost another two hours.  Yesterday was our Diocesan Day of Penance with the opportunity for individual confessions scheduled from 12:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Honoring the Seal of Confession, I cannot and will not say anything about the individual confessions.  Starting the day, I figured a few people would come but that I would have signficant periods without anyone there.  I was wrong.  I entered the confessional at 12:28 p.m. and heard confessions continuously, except for one restroom back, until 9:00 p.m.

It’s not that we are terrible people but neither are we perfect.  It doesn’t take a genius to figure this out.  God was very much aware of this when He sent his Son Jesus to die for us on the Cross.  That’s what we will celebrate on Good Friday.  Come and hear the story and know God’s forgiveness.

To learn more about the Sacrament of Reconciliation check out http://renewaloffaith.org/ls/reconciliation.htm.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff