Easter Sunday Morning, Year A – Homily

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Easter Sunday Morning, Year A
Acts 10:34a, 37-43
Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 (24)
Colossians 3:1-4
John 20:1-9
April 9, 2023

“On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark.”

What did she find?

The stone covering the tomb had been removed.  How could this be?  They had buried Jesus there. 

Mary of Magdala ran to “Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved.”  She delivers the news that Jesus’ body had been taken from the tomb. 

In turn, Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb, astonished by the news.  Peter, as the first among the Apostles, enters the tomb.  Then, the other disciple went in “and he saw and believed.”

What did he see?  Jesus’ body was gone.  Only the burial clothes remained.

What did he believe?  We are told that they still “did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.”

The other disciple believed even though he did not understand. 

To understand what he believed, we need to take a step back.  Our first reading comes from the Acts of the Apostles after the disciples received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  They had time to reflect on the empty tomb.  They had encountered the risen Jesus.  They received the Holy Spirit.  Now, they understand more.

It is in this context that Peter gives a speech beginning, “You know what has happened all over Judea.”  What has happened?  Jesus, the Son of God, had become incarnate in the flesh.  He experienced life as we do.  “He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”  Peter speaks as a witness to what Jesus did.

Then came something that was very difficult for the disciples to understand.  Jesus, who they had come to know as the Messiah, was arrested and crucified.  How could this be? 

They had not understood the prophecies of the Messiah’s death.  They had not understood when Jesus told them three times that He would suffer, died, and rise.  It didn’t make sense to them.

Today we know the purpose of Jesus’ Passion.  We know that his death on the Cross brings true forgiveness.  Yet, as we meditate upon his Passion, we still wonder sometimes, did it have to happen this way.

It is what God planned all along. 

Jesus’ death on the Cross is not a defeat.  His life was not taken from him.  He freely gave his life as a sacrifice, as THE Sacrifice for our sins.

His death was not a defeat.  Neither was it the end of the story.  This brings us to the empty tomb.  Jesus’ body is gone!  Has someone stolen it? 

No, Jesus Christ is Risen today!

God has power even over death.  God will raise all those who believe in him to new life. 

This changes the way we look at the world.  As Paul writes, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above…Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.”  At least, it should change the way we look at the world.

If earthly death is final, if there is nothing after earthly death, then the things of this world stand at the center of our lives.

However, earthly death is not final.  There is eternal life with God.

We live in this world for a finite number of years.  For most, it is less than one hundred years.  Eternity is forever. 

Which is more important?  The limited number of years in this world or where we will spend eternity?  Do you want to spend eternity with God in Heaven or with the devil in Hell?

I’m assuming you pick Heaven.

Then, seek what is above rather than earthly things.  Seek God’s Truth, not the false ways of this world.  Life in this world is not without its sufferings but the sufferings of this world pale in comparison to what God offers us in Heaven.

Jesus’ death makes possible eternal life for us when we submit our lives to Christ.  What do you need to let go of in this world to put Christ first?

Jesus Christ is Risen Today.  “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.”

Easter Vigil Homily 2023

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Easter Vigil Year A
Genesis 1:1-2:2
Genesis 22:1-18
Exodus 14:15-15:1
Isaiah 55:1-11
Romans 6:3-11
Matthew 28:1-10
April 8, 2023

What we have been celebrating in recent days is nothing short of amazing. 

On Thursday evening, we celebrated the Mass of the Lord’s Supper where Jesus instituted the Eucharist (and with that, the priesthood). 

Yesterday, we celebrated the Passion of Jesus.  He was beaten, mocked, scourged, and crucified.  However, his life was not taken from him.  He willingly gave his life as a sacrifice for our sins.

Following his death, his body was given a proper burial in a tomb but that is not the end of the story.  In our gospel tonight we hear that on Easter morning Jesus’ tomb is found empty!  Jesus Christ is Risen.

Three days yet one event known as the Easter Triduum.

Three very special days of grace but we should not view them in isolation from the rest of history.  The story of our salvation has been going on since God “created the heavens and the earth.”

As we celebrate the salvation Jesus has won for us, the Church offers us in several readings, parts of the story of God’s love for his people, the story we know as Salvation History.

It begins with the first story of creation from the first chapter of Genesis.  Genesis does not provide a scientific explanation of creation.  It isn’t meant to.  It is the story of how God brought “divine order” to the world.  (For the church’s understanding of Big Bang and evolution see my article, “Catholic Teaching and the Question of Evolution,” at http://www.renewaloffaith.org/evolution.html)

Before God created, “in the beginning…the earth was a formless wasteland and darkness covered the abyss.”  Matter existed but without any form.  There was no light.  God created to bring order.  He separated the waters, gathering them, and “dry land appeared.”  God made the day and the night, creating the rhythm of day and night that we live by. 

God created the plants, animals, and humans.  In establishing the divine order in creation, God created it with balance.

When God created humans, He made them as the pinnacle of creation, made in his image, “male and female he created them.”  Some people today do not want to follow the divine order as established by God.  They attempt to redefine their own creation.

God created and then He rested.  In resting, He established the Sabbath as a day of rest.  While most people do get at least one day off each week from work, the sense of it as a sabbath is lost by many.  It is no longer seen as a day for the Lord but a day filled with shopping, sports, and other things that we desire over God.

Where did humanity go astray?  I think it involves how we interpret the “dominion” God has given us.  We no longer see creation as a gift from God to use but our own property.  God gave us dominion, not ownership.  We need to see what He has given us as a gift.

We ask God to “renew the face of the earth,” restoring the divine order that He established at creation.

The story of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac provides an understanding of “gift.”  Abraham saw his son as a gift from God.  As a gift, Abraham did not take “ownership” of the gift.  If God asked for the gift back, Abraham would give it to him. 

So, this is why Abraham was willing to offer Isaac as a holocaust.  Of course, we know that God did not make Abraham go through with it.  That day God provided a ram for the sacrifice. 

We need to understand how this story foreshadows what God will do for us in offering his Son Jesus.  Isaac carried the wood for the holocaust.  Jesus would carry the wood of his Cross.  Isaac did not resist being sacrificed.  Jesus willingly gives himself on the Cross.

Abraham withheld nothing from God, not even his son.  God willingly sacrifices his Son for us.  God holds nothing back.  What are you withholding from God?

The next story we hear in our readings is the parting of the Red Sea.  Here, I would like to point out that we do not hear the whole story of Salvation History tonight.  Right before the parting of the Red Sea, the Israelites, at God’s command, celebrated the first Passover.  (On Holy Thursday the first reading is about the first Passover.)

Then, they crossed the Red Sea, going forward at God’s command.  The task at hand (crossing the Red Sea and escaping slavery in Egypt) seemed impossible at that moment.  God made it possible.  What suffering do you face that seems to make it impossible to move forward?  After crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites would latter lament the lack of food, wishing they had never left Egypt.  Yet, God was with them.

What sufferings do you face that you would like to turn back from?  How is God calling you and aiding you to move forward?

We long for something more.  Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord says, “All you who are thirst, come to the water!…come, without paying and without cost.”

We look for happiness in this world.  We spend our money on “what fails to satisfy.”  To find peace and true joy, we need to seek what we are created for, God’s love.

God is a god of second chances.  Over and over, He will forgive us but time is running out.  “Seek the LORD while he may be found.”  There will come an end to life in this world.  Then, it will be too late.

To seek the Lord, we need to ask his help so that we may see things as He sees that, not as the world sees them.  God offers his Word to use in the Bible.  Through the Holy Spirit He guides us to all truth. 

We need to embrace the living waters offered to us in Baptism.  Tonight, as we witness Michelle baptized, we are called to reflect on our own Baptism.  Paul gives us words to reflect on here, “Are you unaware that we who were baptized were baptized into his death?” 

After Michelle is baptized, we will receive Kathy and Ryan into the Catholic faith.  Maybe we have become stagnant in our faith.  The fact that Michelle, Ryan, and Kathy seek “newness of life” in our Catholic faith should serve as a witness to us that our faith does have something to offer.  We must die to the things of this world to embrace new life.

It is not easy.  In the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, there are four passages known as the suffering servant oracles.  We heard one of them last Sunday as the first reading.  We heard the fourth one yesterday as the first reading for Good Friday. 

The four Suffering Servant oracles find a special fulfillment in Jesus Christ, most evident in the sufferings He endured in his Passion.  However, if we accept our suffering, we too fulfill what was foretold.  We can offer our sufferings up with Jesus’ suffering.

Jesus’ suffering in his Passion was horrendous.  He was crucified.  He was laid in the tomb.  But that is not the end of the story.  Jesus rose to new life.  God is victorious even over death. 

In a moment Michelle will make her baptismal promises.  After she is baptized, we, along with Kathy and Ryan, will renew our own baptismal promises.  We are renewed in the life that God has given us.  Then, we are sprinkled with the same water, the living water of the Holy Spirit, that Michelle is baptized with.

Good Friday Homily 2023

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Good Friday 2023
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25 (Luke 23:46)
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
John 18:1-19:42
April 7, 2023

Jesus is put on trial.  First, He is brought before the high priest who is among those who do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah.

Then He is taken before Pilate.  Pilate asks, “What charge do you bring against this man?”.  The people respond, “If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.”

They present no charge because Jesus is innocent.

Jesus does not say much in his defense.  Rather, He says, “I have spoken publicly to the world.  I have always taught in a synagogue or in the temple area where all the Jews gather, and in secret I have said nothing.  Why ask me?  Ask those who heard me what I said to them.”

Jesus does not offer many words in his defense because He doesn’t have to.  He offers no excuses.  He does not claim to have been misunderstood.  He stands by what He has said.  What has been said is true.

Jesus comes to bring us truth.  He says so himself, “For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.”

Pilate responds to Jesus saying, “What is truth?”.

Those who arrested Jesus were not interested in the real truth.  They had their perception of what the truth was and Jesus didn’t fit that.

There are people today who say there is no truth.  For them, everyone gets to pick what their “own truth” is.  They are wrong!

There is truth.  Factually, we can see it in simple math.  2 + 2 always equals 4.  The only way to change that is to change the definition of “two”, “plus”, and/or “four”.  That would be ridiculous.  If anyone can change the definition of basic words, we would not be able to communicate with each other at all. 

Still, how do we know what Jesus says is true?

As John writes his gospel, the whole gospel is written as testimony to who Jesus is.  The ultimate testimony offered are the seven great signs that Jesus does.  They begin with the changing of the water into wine at the wedding feast of Cana.  It includes the healing of the man born blind and concludes with the raising of Lazarus.  All these reveal that Jesus has power from God.  You can believe what He says.

In his Passion, we see Jesus’ own words fulfilled.  In John 6:39, Jesus had said that He will not lose any of those who the Father has given him.  As Jesus is arrested He says of his disciples, “let these men go.”

So much of what happens to Jesus in his Passion fulfills Old Testament prophecies like those in our first reading and psalm today.  It’s all true, “so marred was his look beyond human semblance…Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured…But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins.”

Isaiah writes, “Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; like a lamb led to the slaughter.”  Jesus could have offered a great discourse explaining everything before Pilate.  He did not.  He didn’t need to.  He had always spoken the truth and He knew that his hour had come.  It was time for him to give his life for us.

Why?  Because, as Isaiah wrote, “We had all gone astray like sheep.”  This is true even today.  We have gone astray from God’s ways.  We have sinned.  What are we to do? 

Confess our sins and repent!  Follow the truth that Jesus brings us.  Jesus, “though he had done no wrong,” took the punishment for our sins upon himself.  That’s the Truth!  Thank you Jesus. 

 Jesus did not hide when they came to arrest him.  In fact, He was in the garden where Judas knew Jesus spent a lot of time with his disciples.  As those looking to arrest him came, He went out to them and freely told them that He was the one they were looking for.

The truth?  Of course, Jesus speaks the truth but He isn’t the only one who provides truth about Jesus.

When they bring Jesus to Caiaphas the high priest, we are reminded that Caiaphas had said, “it was better that one man should die rather than the people” (John 11:50).  When Caiaphas said this he was thinking it was better to kill Jesus than to let Jesus stir up trouble with the Romans.  His thinking was misguided but his words have truth.  It is better for Jesus to die then for all of us to die from our sins.

The Jews were the ones expecting a Messiah.  They should have recognized Jesus as the Messiah but many did not.  So, they said that Jesus was guilty of blasphemy. 

On the other hand, it was Pilate who three times said of Jesus, “I find no guilt in him.”  Jesus is indeed innocent.  To become the Passover lamb, He had to be the one “without blemish.”

What Jesus says is true.  God offers us truth in the Bible as his Word.  God offers us truth through the Holy Spirit.  We should listen to him.

Why? 

I will end with four words that express the ultimate truth, words that should lead us to listen to God.

The four words? 

Jesus died for you!

Why Go to Mass?

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At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I would like to talk about something I have spoken about before. Why do we go to Mass? I write this in the midst of Holy Week. In the events we celebrate this week, we see what the Mass offers us.

For some people, attendance at Mass is an obligation. Actually, for all Catholics it is an obligation.

This slide is from Part I of my series, The Greatest Gift: The Eucharist, available online at www.renewaloffaith.org/greatestgift.

The obligation is important. God gives the Third Commandment, Keep the Sabbath Holy, because it is good for us. We need to give the day to the Lord. Central to this is going to Mass.

Related to obligation is habit. There are people who go to Mass more out of habit than anything else. It is what they have done for years on Sunday. Unfortunately, for many that habit was broken by the COVID pandemic shutdown. The habit was broken and they have not returned. We pray they come to realize what they are missing.

Others come to Mass looking for something to make them feel good for an hour. Now, Mass can help us feel good for an hour but if that is all the we are looking for, we miss the greatest gift and the depth of what the Mass offers us. Mass should lift us up but not simply for one hour. When we truly open ourselves to the depths of what the Mass offers us, it isn’t about feeling “happy” for an hour. It leads us to a deep abiding joy that permeates our lives throughout the week. This joy, the peace of Christ, helps us to see beyond whatever sufferings we face to know that God is with us, leading us forward through our sufferings.

In the Mass we share God’s Word. Before we get to the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we first hear God’s Word from the Bible. Then, the priest or deacon breaks open that Word to help know how God is calling us to be his disciples in the world we live in. (If you are thinking your parish priest/deacon is not a good preacher, pray for them. Ask God to help them preach the message He wants them to hear, not the message you want to hear).

God’s Word leads us to see that life is not all about me. We need to be concerned and do our part to help our sisters and brothers in need. In hearing God’s Word, we can also see how God has been there for his people in the past so that we might know that He continues to be with us today.

The Eucharist we receive is the Body and Blood of Christ. In receiving it, we are strengthened to carry out what God asks of us. We become what we receive.

As we look beyond ourselves, we can realize that going to Mass is not all about me. We go to Mass to give praise and glory to God, knowing He has blessed in the past and will continue to bless us.

At the beginning of this article, I said I am writing this during Holy Week when we celebrate the events that are at the heart of what Mass is about. On Holy Thursday, we celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. This is the night when Jesus gave us the Eucharist when He said this is my body, this is my blood. Yet, the Eucharist is even more. On Good Friday, Jesus sacrificed his life on the Cross so that our sins can be forgiven. Yet, this is not a separate event from the Last Supper. When Jesus gave us the Eucharist, He spoke of his body which will be given up for us, his blood which will be poured out for us. Jesus intimately ties the Eucharist to his sacrifice on the Cross. This is the sacrifice of the Eucharist. The Crucifixion is not the end of the story. Jesus is laid in the tomb. On the third day, He is raised in the Resurrection. The Resurrection is intimately tied to the Crucifixion.

We call it the Easter Triduum, three days but one event. Every time we celebrate Mass, we are celebrating what Jesus does for us in the Easter Triduum.

Mass ends with a blessing and a dismissal. In the dismissal we are called to “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your lives.” When we walk out the door after Mass, we do not leave our faith at the door. We are called to take what we have celebrated and share it with the world. We glorify the Lord outside Mass by living as He teaches. We glorify the Lord by putting our faith into action. We share our faith with others in the way we live our lives.

If you want to grow in your faith, attend the Easter Triduum liturgies, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the Good Friday service, and the Easter Vigil. These services are not obligatory but they are at the heart of what God offers us.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, Year A – Homily

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Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, Year A
Matthew 21:1-11
Isaiah 50:4-7
Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24 (2a)
Philippians 2:6-11
Matthew 26:14 – 27:66
April 2, 2023

Today we start Holy Week.  It is called holy because it contains the most important events that have ever happened.  These are the events that make our salvation possible. 

It starts with Jesus receiving a joyous welcome as cloaks are laid on the road and they wave branches from the trees.

The prophecies of the coming Messiah are fulfilled in the events of this week, like Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem “riding on an ass, and on a colt.” 

As it began, his disciples showed a strong faith.  When Jesus tells them to obtain the ass and the colt, “The disciples went and did as Jesus had ordered them.”  When He told them where to prepare for the Passover, “The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered.”  They do not question.  They simply do.

As it begins to unfold, Jesus knows his “appointed time draws near.”  Imagine being Jesus and knowing all that was going to happen.

 He fulfilled what Isaiah said, “The Lord God has given me a well-trained tongue, that I might know how to preach to the weary.”

In the coming events of his Passion, He knows He will fulfill the words we hear from Isaiah, “I gave my back to those who beat me…my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.”  Likewise, what we hear in Psalm 22 of how the Messiah will be mocked, his hands and feet pierced, his garments divided, all these things are fulfilled in Jesus.

Jesus is the Son of God.  He had been with God but He willingly “emptied himself…humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death.”  Would you have done the same?

Jesus knew everything that was going to happen and He accepted it to save us.  It was not easy.

He knew one of his disciples would betray him.  He even knew it would be Judas but He did nothing to stop him, even saying to Judas, “Friend, do what you have come for.”

He knew his blood would shed for us “for the forgiveness of our sins.”  He submitted himself to it so our sins would be forgiven.

He knew that the faith of his disciples that seemed strong as they entered Jerusalem would be shaken and told them so.  Peter said that he would not deny Jesus.  I wonder if Jesus wept at Peter’s words, knowing that Peter would deny him.?

Jesus willingly accepted his Passion but that doesn’t mean it was easy for him.  He knew the good it would accomplish for us but still in the garden He prayed three times, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will but as you will.”

Do we persevere in our suffering?

Or are we like Peter, James, and John who couldn’t even keep watch for one hour before they fell asleep?  How we are you from your suffering?

Jesus knew it was time.  He was betrayed with a kiss.  What should have been a sign of affection became a sign of betrayal.  I wonder if Jesus wept for Judas as he betrayed him.

This was God’s plan all along as foretold through the prophets.

As He is arrested, Jesus’ disciples fled.  It was the chief priests and entire Sanhedrin who should have rejoiced at Jesus as the Messiah who “kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus.”  I wonder if Jesus wept for them.

Peter did indeed deny Jesus three times.  When Peter realized this, “he went out and began to weep bitterly,” a sign of his sorrow for his sin.  Peter repents.

Even Judas shows repentance as he “deeply regretted what he had done.”

Do you regret your sins?  Do you repent?  Do you return to Jesus?

There was a custom on the feast for the governor to realize one prisoner.  The governor gave them a choice of Barabbas or Jesus.  The people chose Barabbas. O, how Jesus must have wept!

He was stripped of his garments, mocked with a crown of thorns, and spat upon. 

He did not choose to save himself from this.  Instead, He chose to endure his Passion.  Why?

For us!  So that we might be saved!

Thank you Jesus.

More on Respecting the Dead

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Last Sunday (5th Sunday of Lent Year A), the first reading began, “Thus says the Lord GOD: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them.” This points us to a future resurrection.

In the gospel, we heard how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Jesus has power even over death.

On the Second Sunday of Easter, we will hear the story of doubting Thomas (John 20:19-31). Thomas is not present when Jesus first appeared to his disciples after the Resurrection. “He showed them his hands and his side” (verse 20). Why? To show them that He is the same Jesus with the same body who had been crucified. Thomas was not there. He doubts what the others tell him. When Jesus appears a second time, Thomas is present. Jesus says 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” (verse 27). Jesus wants Thomas, Jesus wants us, to understand what it means to rise body and soul.

The body is part of who we are. It is to be treated with dignity and respect even after our death. As we approach Good Friday, we can read in all four gospels (Matthew 27:57-61, Mark 15:42-47, Luke 23:50-56, John 19:38-42) how Jesus’ body was given a proper burial after his death. The burial of Jesus is the Fourteenth Station of the Cross. As soon as a person is conceived in their mother’s womb, we must understand that their body is a gift and part of who they are. Given a body a proper burial is part of being Christian.

In May of 2022, I wrote an article here, “Respecting the Dead,” following the release of a Letter from Cardinal Luis Ladaria, S.J., Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on new methods of “disposing” (that word turns my heart upside down in this context) of human bodies (available online at https://trentonmonitor.com/Content/News/Diocese/Article/CDF-Care-for-bodies-of-deceased-must-align-with-Church-teaching/4/36/30466 ).

At that time I said the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) was working to provide some teaching on this. I find it fitting as we prepare to celebrate the death of Jesus and his proper burial that the USCCB has released a formal document called “On the Proper Disposition of Bodily Remains.” It’s a short seven page document from the Committee on Doctrine that you can read for yourself.

In the document’s opening paragraph, we read, “Enlightened by this Easter faith in the resurrection of the dead, the Church has always taught that we must respect the bodies of the deceased. Every human being has been created “in the image of God” (Gn 1:26-27) and has an inherent dignity and worth. Human bodiliness is an essential aspect of this “image and likeness,” for through the body the human person’s spiritual nature manifests itself” (1). Our body is part of who we are.

In paragraph 3, it continues, “Burial is considered by the Church to be the most appropriate way of manifesting reverence and respect for the body of the deceased because it “honors the children of God, who are temples of the Holy Spirit” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2300) and clearly expresses our faith and hope in the resurrection of the body. As for cremation, the Church permits the practice “unless it was chosen for reasons contrary to Christian doctrine” (Code of Canon Law, can. 1176.3 Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2301.)

A funeral Mass ends not in church but at the burial afterwards. The USCCB continues, “Accompanying the body itself to the place of its rest reaffirms in the hearts and minds of believers the faith of the Church that it is this body that will rise” (3).

This document examines new methods for “dispositions of the body” in light of Ad Resurgendum cum Christo written by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.  (August 15, 2016. Available online at https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20160815_ad-resurgendum-cum-christo_en.html).

The USCCB next reiterates that cremation is acceptable as long as the remains are given a proper burial. The remains are not to be “kept permanently at home or divided among various family members” or worn as jewelry (6). We burial the remains in a cemetery where their place of burial can become “places of prayer, remembrance and reflection ” (7, originally in paragraph 5 of Ad Resurgendum cum Christo).

The USCCB then turns to two new methods for disposition of bodily remains, Alkaline Hydrolysis and Human Composting. Personally, I find the very name, “human composting” signifies the method’s lack of respect for the human body, seeing it as nothing more than material to be made into fertilizer.

The USCCB writes, “Not unlike cremation, both techniques work by dramatically accelerating the process of decomposition of the human body. In alkaline hydrolysis, the body is placed in a metal tank containing about 100 gallons of a chemical mixture of water and alkali and then subjected to both high temperature and high pressure in order to speed decomposition. In a matter of hours, the body is dissolved, except for some bone material. In human composting, the body is laid in a metal bin and surrounded by plant material (such as alfalfa, wood chips, straw, etc.) that fosters the growth of microbes and bacteria to break down the body. Heat and oxygen are added to accelerate the decomposition process. After about a month the body is entirely decomposed into soil” (9).

Is this the way you want your body treated after your death?

Maybe it doesn’t sound too bad yet. The USCCB continues, “The major difference between these newer practices and cremation is found in what is left over at the conclusion of the process. After the cremation process, all the human remains are gathered together and reserved for disposition” (10).

As to the new methods, the USCCB writes, “After the alkaline hydrolysis process, there are also remnants of the bones that can be pulverized and placed in an urn. That is not all that remains, however. In addition, there are the 100 gallons of brown liquid into which the greater part of the body has been dissolved. This liquid is treated as wastewater and poured down the drain into the sewer system (in certain cases it is treated as fertilizer and spread over a field or forest)” (10). Do you want your remains treated as “wastewater”?

The USCCB writes of human composting, “The end result of the human composting process is also disconcerting, for there is nothing left but compost, nothing that one can point to and identify as remains of the body. The body and the plant material have all decomposed together to yield a single mass of compost. What is left is approximately a cubic yard of compost that one is invited to spread on a lawn or in a garden or in some wilderness location” (11). Do you want your body treated like leftovers from dinner thrown onto a compost pile?

Our bodies have been given to us by God. They are not a temporary living place to be thrown out when we die. In the Resurrection, Jesus will raise us up body and soul. Until the resurrection, we must honor the body with proper Christian burial.

I hope this helps you understand the problems of these new methods for disposing of the body. Indeed, they dispose of the body. They do not respect the body.

Let us pray for all to see the body as given by God as part of who we are and treat the body accordingly.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

I am the Resurrection and the Life

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In the midst of the Babylonian Exile God offers Ezekiel a vision that points to the Resurrection and new life (first reading – read all of chapter 37 for the whole story).

The Lord promises that He will open our graves and have us rise from them. He offers this promise having just offered a vision of raising dry bones to new life. God offers us his promise of Resurrection. We can count on his promise.

God also promises that He will bring his people back to the Land of Israel. He offers this promise to the Israelites who are in exile in Babylon. We know that God did later do this. So, we have proof that God keeps his promises. We can trust in the Lord and his word.

We are not in geographic exile from our home (There are people who are. One name for them is refugees. We pray for them). Yet, we are a shrinking church. Can the church be restored to its former greatest? Of course for nothing is impossible for God! God promised, “I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land, thus you shall know that I am the Lord.“

God can restore his church. Are you willing to do your part? Remember the Samaritan woman at the well who, although she did not yet fully understand who Jesus is, shared her encounter with Jesus with the townspeople. Because of this, they came to know Jesus for themselves.

Returning to the Lord’s promise to Ezekiel of Resurrection, Jesus fulfills that promise in his own Resurrection. He makes it possible for us to share in the resurrection through his death on the Cross so that our sins can be forgiven.

At the time of the events in today’s gospel, Jesus had not yet been crucified. So, it is not yet time for The Resurrection but it is time for Jesus to do a great sign that shows that He has power even over death. In the Gospel of John, Jesus does seven great signs as testimony to who He is. The seven signs began with the Wedding Feast at Cana when Jesus turned the water into wine. The signs include the story of the healing of the man born blind that we heard last week. The seven sign is the raising of Lazarus that we hear today.

Lazarus, a great friend to Jesus is ill. His sisters “sent word to Jesus saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.” They know Jesus cares for Lazarus. He cares for each one of us. They know that Jesus can help.

What is Jesus’ response to the news that Lazarus was ill? He remained where He was for two days. This is likely not what Martha and Mary expected. They probably thought Jesus would come immediately. Why didn’t He?

Remember last week when Jesus was asked who sinned that the man was born blind? His response was “Neither he nor his parents sinned, it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.” So it is with Lazarus. If Jesus had gone immediately and “simply” healed Lazarus before he died, it would have “just” another healing. Jesus is going to do something far greater through Lazarus.

By the time Jesus arrived in Bethany “Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Given it had been four days, everyone thought there was no chance of Jesus doing anything. (Spoiler alert – they were wrong!)

When Martha hears Jesus is coming, she goes out to meet him. She said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” She has complete faith in Jesus’ power to heal. She continues, “But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will you give.” The death of Lazarus did not cause her to lose faith. She does not grumble to Jesus that He should have come sooner. She doesn’t just believe that God the Father will do what Jesus asks. She knows it. I desire faith like that.

Jesus speaks to her of the resurrection. She professes her faith in the resurrection. Jesus professes, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” Jesus is pointing us to eternal life.

Mary, the other sister of Lazarus, will also profess her faith that Jesus could have healed Lazarus. She weeps. Jesus “became perturbed and deeply troubled.” He was not upset at her physical act of weeping. He was concerned that she had not yet come to understand the resurrection, that God has power even over death.

Some of the people asked, “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?” They think it is over with. This too perturbs Jesus. It is not too late. In fact, Jesus’ timing is perfect! It is the time that God has prescribed for a new type of miracle.

Jesus calls Lazarus forth from the grave. The man who was indeed dead has been brought back to life. This, as the seventh great sign, reveals the power of God at work in Jesus.

What Jesus does is restore Lazarus’ life here but it clearly points to the Resurrection in the way it shows God has power over death. Probably one of our Christian beliefs that most draws people to Christianity is our belief in the resurrection. We want to know that there is more to life than what we experience in this world.

Jesus fulfills God’s promise of resurrection. Remember, God also promised through Ezekiel to restore his people. How many times in the Old Testament did the Israelites turn away from the Lord? Every time they did, things got very bad for them; slavery, military defeat, exile. At times the remnant who still had some faith would repent and cry out to God for help. He always heard their cry and would restore his people.

We are a shrinking church today. Many people have fallen away from the faith. Some because they made a decision to say there is no god. Some because they believe that maybe God exists but He doesn’t seem to care about us. They think that if they don’t get what they want, then God either doesn’t care or doesn’t exist.

God does care. God does exist.

Then why does He do something to fix everything?

What makes you think He isn’t doing something?

The fact that things don’t change the way we want, doesn’t mean that God isn’t listening. It doesn’t mean God can’t help us. Well, maybe there is one thing that stops God from helping us. Us!

How can we, who pale in comparison to God, stop him from helping us? God gives us free will. God will not force himself upon us. We may say we want God to fix everything but do we stand in his way by insisting He does things our way? Our way is what got us into trouble in the first place. God has laid a way before us. He reveals to us in his Word. We hear it in his commandments.

For instance, God tells us to keep the Sabbath holy. Do we? Keeping the Sabbath holy begins with coming to church. It doesn’t end there. Do we give God just one hour or do we make it a day for the Lord? What about the rest of the week? What right do we have to demand that God take care of our problems if we spend the rest of our week living in the ways of the world rather than his way?

No wonder people stop coming to church when they see us living contrary to our faith. If you want to change the world, if you want God to change the world, it starts with ourselves.

If you want to see more people coming to church, if you want to see more people practicing their faith, it starts with us. It’s not going to happen overnight. The church has been in decline for a long time. Do not be afraid! There is reason for hope. Pray! God can and restore his church if we let him. He called Lazarus out from the tomb of earthly death. God can bring us to new life from our death in sin.

Let God who has begun a good work in you, bring it to completion (see Philippians 1:6).

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Maybe You Heard (or Maybe Not)

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You may have heard there are changes coming to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The changes will be mandatory as of Divine Mercy Sunday, which falls on April 16th this year (2023). (The changes were optional as of Ash Wednesday this year so some of you may have already experienced the changes).

When one hears of changes in the way we do something in church, one’s thoughts might go back to 2011 when we implanted the latest translations of the Mass. There were a lot of changes then. We had to let go of being able to say the old translations without having to think about it and learn the new translations. It caused some angst but over time we learned the new translations.

The current changes to the Sacrament of Reconciliation are much smaller. In fact, you might not even notice the changes. There is nothing changing about how we go to confession. It is only wording that is changing and even that is minimal.

The suggested Act of Contrition(s) (there is more than one Act of Contrition provided in the rite) are changing some. Add to that that the rite says, referring to the Act of Contrition, “which the penitent may do in these or similar words.” So, unless your parish/diocese mandates a particular Act of Contrition, if you have an Act of Contrition memorized, you can continue to use the same Act of Contrition. If you don’t have one memorized, I suggest you learn one of the new ones. (For parishioners at the two parishes I serve, I will be updating the materials we have to reflect the new translations but you may continue to use what you have memorized).

The new translation of the first Act of Contrition provided in the rite goes as follows:

O my God,
I am sorry and repent with all my heart
for all the wrong I have done
and for the good I have failed to do,
because by sinning I have offended you,
who are all good and worthy to be loved above all things.
I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace,
to do penance,
to sin no more,
and to avoid the occasions of sin.
Through the merits of the Passion of our Savior Jesus Christ,
Lord, have mercy.

I would like to take a moment to reflect on these words. The second line includes the word “repent.” Here I think of the message offended by John the Baptist and continued by Jesus, “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.” When we realize we have sinned, we are called to repent, realizing that God offers something far greater to us than anything in this world to all who are pure of heart. This should motivate us to repentance.

Then, the prayer speaks of the wrong we have done. These are sins of commission. They are sins where we do something that goes against what God has commanded. These are the sins most people confess. However, we must not forget the next line, “and for the good I have failed to do.” These are sins of omission. For example, maybe we saw a person in need and chose not to help them. We omitted something we could have done (It is not a sin if we were unable to help them). When we examine our conscience, we need to ask ourselves if there are things we could have done but didn’t.

Next, in this Act of Contrition, we acknowledge that in sinning we have offended God. In sinning, we offend God because we think we know better than God. We fail to trust in God as the one who knows what is good and evil. We choose our own way or the way of the world over God’s way.

Then, we come to the part that some people wonder if they mean it when they keep committing the same sins over and over, “I firmly resolve…to sin no more.” We can desire real change but fall short. The only way we will overcome our sins is with the help of God’s grace. Even then, we fall short at times but not because God’s grace is insufficient. We fall short because we seek earthly ways over God’s ways. Do not allow the devil to weaken you in his efforts to point out that you keep committing the same sins. If you come to Sacrament of Reconciliation with a repentant heart, God will forgive you each time.

If we desire to sin no more, then we must be willing to “avoid the occasions of sin.” Just as an alcoholic should avoid bars, we need to avoid things that lead us to sin. We can’t always do this but we must try.

I encourage to reflect in prayer on whatever Act of Contrition you use. They are not just words we say. The words mean something. What do they mean to you?

The words of absolution are also changing. It is just two lines that are changing. Here is the updated prayer of absolution with the changed words bolded:

God, the Father of mercies,
through the Death and Resurrection of his Son
has reconciled the world to himself
and poured out the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins;
through the ministry of the Church may God grant you pardon and peace.
And I absolve you from your sins
in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.

The priest will now say “poured out the Holy Spirit” where he used to say “sent the Holy Spirit among us.” God has not changed how He absolves us. These changes are not a change in theology. They are a sincere attempt to find the best words possible to describe what God is doing for us. When I see the word “poured” I think of two things. First, in the Eucharistic Prayer at Mass, the words of consecration for the wine becoming the Blood of Christ say, “which will be poured out for you,” referring to Jesus’ blood poured out for us in his Passion. Secondly, I think of how passages like John 7:37-39, speak of the Holy Spirit as living waters. In forgiving us, God pours the living waters of the Holy Spirit upon us.

The other change in the Prayer of Absolution is more subtle. We move from God giving us “pardon and peace” to God granting us “pardon and peace.” It is a small change in words but I see it as pointing more to the divine action of God. In his greatness, God chooses to grant us pardon. God does not have to forgive us. He chooses to. God grants us pardon and peace from his divine nature.

Before concluding I would like to speak briefly about how we end the Sacrament of Reconciliation. As soon as the priest finishes the words of absolution people respond “amen” and rightly so. Then, many people typically say, “Thank you father,” and leave. I understand they are thankful for the priest hearing their confession but who is it that actually forgives us? God!

There are various options given in the rite to conclude the Sacrament. I’m going to point to just one:
Priest: Give thanks to the Lord for his good.
Penitent: For his mercy endures for ever.
Priest: The Lord has forgiven your sins. Go in peace.

Never forget, it is God in his goodness, his divine life, who forgives us.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

From Darkness to Light

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In today’s gospel we hear the story of the man who was born blind. In those days, serious illnesses like blindness were seen as punishment for sin. So, seeing the man who was been blind from birth, Jesus’ disciples ask him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?“.

His blindness is not punishment for sin but it does have another purpose. Jesus tells them that the man was born blind “so that the works of God might be made visible through him.” Jesus, who is “the light of the world,” is bringing light to his disciples’ understanding of suffering.

Jesus then “spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay of his eyes, and said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam”…So, he went and washed, and came back able to see.”

He who was born blind can now see. This should have been a time for rejoicing. Instead there is questioning, doubt, and even rejection of Jesus. It starts with what might have been legitimate wondering. Those who had seen the man born blind before, wonder if the man who can now see is the same man. He tells him that he is the man who they know was born blind.

So, they ask him, “How were your eyes opened?”. He tells them how Jesus made clay, anointed his eyes, and told him to wash in the pool at Siloam.”

Then, they take him to the Pharisees. The Pharisees ask the man how his eyes were opened. He tells them what Jesus did. Do they rejoice in his healing? No! They say, “This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath.” They fail to see the power of God at work. Yet, there are those who realize something great has happened. They say, “How can a sinful man do such signs?“.

In the midst of those who reject Jesus, because of their questioning, the man who had been born blind came to see Jesus as a prophet. He has not only gained physical sight but is now gaining spiritual sight. Those who reject Jesus see only what they want to see. They have closed their own eyes, becoming spiritually blind. We need to ask for the grace to see as God sees.

The people do not relent in their rejection of Jesus. They tell the man, “Give God the praise! We know that his man is a sinner.” The man does not fully understand who Jesus is but he knows they are missing the significance of what has happened. He said to them, “If he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see…This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes.”

It is the man who had been born blind who knows that Jesus “were not from God, he would not be able to do anything.” He knows Jesus has been sent by God.

Those who reject Jesus threw the man out. It is in that moment that Jesus comes to him and says, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?“. The man wants to believe, asking, “Who is he, that I may believe in him?“. Jesus says He is the Son of Man. The man first had his physical eyesight cured. Now, his spiritual eyes have been opened. He sees Jesus as the Son of Man. He who lived in the darkness has come to see the light. Those who had been given a great faith have become blind because they closed themselves off to seeing the works that Jesus did as the signs they were from God.

How well do you see?

Do you see as the world sees or do you see as God sees?

We live in this world but we are created for something greater. We are tempted by the pleasures of this world. That can lead us into the darkness of sin. We need the Light of Christ to see what is really going on. The devil wants to trap us in darkness, preventing us from seeing the bad consequences of our actions. He makes evil look good.

You have been given the Light of Christ in Baptism. Allow this Light to help you see in the darkness. The world must not dictate how we see our faith. It is our faith that should dictate how we see the world.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Our Needs vs. Our Wants

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I write this today as the northeast portion of our country is dealing with a major snowstorm. There are parts of eastern New York State that may see 2-3 inches/hour. Today, I am going to begin by talking about the weather but today’s snowstorm is not the inspiration for this article. The content here is something I have been reflecting on since the last snowstorm.

As I was conversing with a friend about the weather, in particular the clearing of snow, we both spoke of while we may not like having to shovel, we need some snow. Yes, I said “we need some snow.”

Probably most people’s idea of perfect weather includes sunny days and temperatures in the 70’s (maybe 80’s for some people). I personally enjoying sunny days in the upper 70’s with a gentle breeze. However, I know that if every single day was 70’s and sunny, we would have a problem.

Why? Because we need water. The plants and the trees need water to grow. We need water to drink. Without water, the plants and trees would die. Given enough time without rain, we might even die ourselves, either from lack of water or from lack of food because the plants died.

So, we need rain to maintain the water table. In western NY where I live, winter snow is a major provider of water. Whatever the temperature may be, whether it comes as rain or snow, we need the precipitation.

There are people who enjoy the cold and snow (skiers might the largest group here). We all have our preferences for weather, we need balance. We need some sunny days so plants and trees have sunlight for photosynthesis to happen. We need rainy days to provide water. This is the way God created nature, to operate in balance.

As part of this, God created the four seasons. I am fortunate to live in a part of the country where we experience the full effect of the changing seasons. It is the cool Fall weather that triggers the color change in the leaves, making for beautiful scenery. Throughout the winter, plant life lies dormant. Spring comes and we see new life as the grass turns green and the flowers come out. Is not an image that provides us with hope?

God knew what He was doing when He created nature, including the weather and the four seasons.

Of course, I am not writing today just to talk about the weather. With the weather, there are good days and bad days. Is life not the same way? We have days that are full of blessings. We also have days when we face suffering.

I think we all have a natural preference for the days full of blessings. We want things to be easy. We embrace Jesus’ words, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden light” (Matthew 11:30) while his words, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). We don’t want to suffer. We don’t want to take up a cross.

Yet, suffering is a natural part of life. Sometimes suffering lasts only a short time. We give thanks to God when the suffering ends. Sometimes the suffering lasts a long time. Then, we ask God to walk with us through the suffering. God is always with us. Our sufferings can help us be aware of our need for God and to be aware of his presence.

Here I think of Paul’s words to the Corinthians, “Therefore, that I might not become too elated, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated” (2 Corinthians 12:7). What thorn have you been given that keeps you humble?

We struggle. It is in our weakness that we are made strong (see 2 Corinthians 12:10). It is in our weakness that we realize how much we need God. Paul first prayed that his suffering be taken away. “Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness“(2 Corinthians 12:8-9). Here I think of the poem “Footprints.” It is when we suffer that God not only walks with us, He carries us.

It is in our suffering that we might most be aware of God’s presence. It is in our response to suffering that we can give the greatest witness to God as we place our trust in him. Paul writes, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church” (Colossians 1:24). Jesus endured his Passion, giving his life for us on the Cross for us. How could anything be lacking? And how could we possibly fill what would be lacking?

The only thing lacking in Jesus’ suffering is for us to accept our sufferings. We are called to accept our sufferings and offer them to God with Father with Jesus’ suffering. This is our witness to others.

Jesus speaks of the yoke He provides in Matthew 11:28-30. Yokes were placed on the farm animals so they could pull their load. The yoke was not a burden. In fact, the yoke made it easier for the farm animal to do their work.

We all suffer. We don’t always respond well to our sufferings. At least I know I don’t. Jesus gives us the yoke of faith so that we may bear our sufferings well. Without faith, suffering may be impossible to bear. With faith, our burdens become lighter. Trust in God.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff