6th Sunday of Easter, Year C – Homily

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6th Sunday of Easter, Year C
Acts 15:1-2, 22-29
Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8 (4)
Revelation 21:10-14a, 22-23
John 14:23-29
May 22, 2022

Some of the people had been upset by teachings they heard. It has disturbed their peace of mind.  This is not what Jesus desires for his people.

Rather, Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid” as He offers the disciples peace. 

What has disturbed the peace of the people in the first reading?

There were some preachers who were telling the Gentile converts, “Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice, you cannot be saved.” 

This caused “dissension and debate.”  This is not a trivial issue.  Circumcision was how people became Jewish.  However, it is not how we become Christian.  Our lives as Christians begin with Baptism.

Because this was no little issue, it was decided that Paul and some others “should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question.”  There was much discussion about this.  After dialogue, they decided with “one accord” that it was not necessary for the Gentile converts to be circumcised.  This was not simply a human decision for as they say, “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us.” 

Yes, our Catholic Church has a hierarchal structure but it is not a human monarchy.  We pray that those in authority engage in genuine dialogue but most of all rely on the Holy Spirit to guide them. 

The Holy Spirit does not act on its own.  Just as the words of Jesus are not his own but from the Father who sent him, so too is the Holy Spirit sent by the Father in Jesus’ name.  The Holy Spirit comes to led us in the way the Father has put before us.

In his rule for monasteries, St. Benedict speaks about leadership.  In a monastery the abbot or abbess is the authority.  Everyone in the monastery answers to them.  However, St. Benedict is explicit in directing that the abbot/abbess needs to consult those in the monastery before they make a decision.  Everyone in the monastery is to seek to be of one accord. 

This type of model is what we see in synods called by the Vatican.  Many people come to discuss the issues placed before the synod.  They make recommendations to the pope.  The pope needs to listen to what they say but the decision lies with him. 

I try to follow this model myself.  I do not seek to make decisions unilaterally.  I consult with our Parish Pastoral Council, our Finance Council, staff, and others as appropriate.  It is for me as the priest-in-charge to make the final decision but I want to build consensus.  I want to know all sides.  Then I make a decision.  Pray for me!

Returning to the events in Acts chapter 15 from which our first reading is taken, after the disciples come to one accord, they take another important step.  Because there were those teaching without a “mandate” from them, the apostles and elders sent representatives with Paul and his companions with Paul to deliver the news so that the people would know that what they were told was not simply Paul’s opinion but that of the whole church.

In the same way, when a synod is finished, the pope writes a concluding document and distributes it to the whole church so that all may know what was decided.  Good communication is necessary.  We need to help people understand.

A parallel for this in our parish can be found in the insert in today’s bulletin.  You may know that we have been running out of Mass intentions lately.  To make sure everyone has a fair chance to have Masses said, I have been in consultation with the staff about what the considerations are.  Now, we are modifying our policy for Mass intentions slightly.  You will find the new policy in the insert today.  However, before you come to the policy, you will find two pages written by me to help people understand what Mass intentions are about and other possible ways to remember people.

If you remember back to last year when I came, I said there are three things I most enjoy in my ministry; saying Mass, hearing confessions, and teaching.

I enjoy saying Mass because the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith.  The bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Jesus.

I enjoy hearing confessions because I want to help people feel God’s forgiveness and mercy.

I enjoy teaching because when we learn more about faith, we can come closer to Jesus.  The closer we are to Jesus, the more peace we have.

Being Spiritual in the World Today

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“This is a book about living. Not about surviving, but living a balanced, meaningful, and attentive life” (1). These are Judith Valente’s opening words in her book How to Live: What the Rule of St. Benedict Teaches Us About Happiness, Meaning, and Community (Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Roads Publishing. 2018).

Life can be a struggle. Sometimes we feel the best we can do is try to survive. In doing so, we are not really living. We are just getting by. God has created us for something more. In the prologue to his rule St. Benedict writes, “Is there anyone here who yearns for life and desires to see good days?” (Valente, 1).

St. Benedict wrote in the 6th century. One might wonder how something written so long ago is relevant today. Valente writes, “The Rule of St. Benedict emerged from an era when a great civilization was under threat from violent outside forces. The economy favored the wealthy. Social norms were changing, and political leaders lacked the public’s trust” (2). Does this sound familiar? It sounds like what we are experiencing today.

Valente describes St. Benedict as “a young man disillusioned with the conflict, greed, injustice, and lack of compassion he saw around him” (2). It sounds like how I feel sometimes. I don’t understand much of what goes in the world today. Society is changing. Unfortunately, I feel it is changing in way that is not for our betterment. Instead, the changes are “liberating us to be our worst selves” (Valente, 3).

How did St. Benedict seek to answer the problems he saw in his time? He “didn’t amass an army. He sought to build community. Instead of the false security of personal wealth, he endorsed the freedom of simplicity” (Valente, 2). Our lives are complicated and too busy today. I am trying to turn to simplicity. It is better. There is too much noise today. We need some silence to reflect and prayer.

In this book, Valente seeks to help us apply The Rule of St. Benedict to our lives today. It helps us find balance (Valente, 8). We cannot pray all the time but we need prayer as much as we need to work, eat, and rest. St. Benedict set a rule for monasteries where the monks and nuns lived apart from the busy world. We are not all called to live a fully monastic life but we can strive to improve our interior life for “The true monastic enclosure is the human heart” (Valente, 9).

Developing the interior life in our heart requires listening with the ear of our heart (from the prologue of the rule, Valente, 11). In the Benedictine tradition, Valente describes “listening” as “an act of will” (12). We need to be active in our listening, engaging in the words we receive. Our lives should never be too busy to engage what is being said. We need to make the time to genuinely listen, for our own good as well as the good of others. We need to be present in the moment (Valente, 27).

What I have written here covers the first three chapters of Valente’s book. I expect to write more soon. Always remember what I write is only a brief portion of what Valente writes. My articles do not replace what she writes. I write to help you take first steps.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

5th Sunday of Easter, Year C – Homily

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5th Sunday of Easter, Year C
Acts 14:21-27
Psalm 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13
Revelation 21:1-5a
John 13:31-33a, 34-35
May 15, 2022

Paul and Barnabas continued to proclaim “the good news.”  Through their ministry and God’s grace, “a considerable number of disciples” were made.

God gives us grace as his disciples.  The Sacraments are a vital part of this.  It begins in Baptism but there is more. 

We hear the disciples today say, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” 

God knows this.  So do Paul and the others.  That’s why they “exhorted them to persevere in the faith.”

God loves us.  God strengthens us in faith.  He gives us the Eucharist, the very Body and Blood of Jesus as a free gift of his grace.

This weekend we have four children making their First Communion.  It is something new for them.  They have put effort to prepare for. 

In receiving the Eucharist, Jesus, Son of God, consubstantial with the Father, dwells in us.  In the Eucharist, God makes “all things new.”

We have a total of seven sacraments. We call three of them Sacraments of Initiation.  Of course, this begins with Baptism.  Then comes Confirmation, followed by the Eucharist.

In Baptism we are initiated as children of God.  Confirmation is our affirmation of what began in Baptism as we mature in faith.  Thus, both are Sacraments of Initiation.

What about the Eucharist?  We receive it over and over.  How is it a Sacrament of Initiation?  Each time we come to the Eucharist, God strengthens us anew.

I already spoke of the work the children have put into preparing for their First Communion.  They have been learning what it means to celebrate and receive the Eucharist.

It is a good time for us to think about the Eucharist.

To start with, have you thought about how many times you have received the Eucharist?  Most receive their First Communion at age seven.  How many years have you been coming and receiving?

What is it we receive?  It is not simply bread and wine. We don’t know how but God transubstantiates the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus; his Body which is given us for us on the Cross; his Blood which is shed for us.

It is a priceless gift, a gift that we do not earn.  It is a gift God gives to us because He loves us.

As our children prepared for their First Communion, part one was preparing for and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation so that God could cleanse them of their sins.  Do you open yourself to receive God’s forgiveness, confessing your sins, so that you can be reconciled to him?

As we come to the time to actually receive Communion at Mass, we come forth in procession.  As you come forth, it can be a moment for us to reflect on what it is what are about to receive. 

At that point in Mass, we have heard God’s Word proclaimed in the readings and broke open in the homily.  We have professed our faith in the Creed (Do you ever reflect on the words we say in the Creed? On my website there is a five-part series of presentations, We Profess, We Believe on the Creed.).  We have prayed for the needs of God’s people in the Prayers of the Faithful.  The priest has led us in the Eucharistic Prayer. We have prayed the Our Father and offered the Sign of Peace.

Then comes Communion. 

We come forward to receive Jesus.  How awesome!  With our human eyes, we see a little piece of bread but in faith, we know it to be so much more.

How do you receive?  Both receiving on the hand and on the tongue have long traditions in the church.  In the early church Communion was received on the hand as evidenced by St. Cyril of Jerusalem’s instruction to receive by placing one hand over the other to make a throne to receive Jesus.  Then, the tradition of receiving on the tongue developed.  Then, in the 20th century came much study on the early church and receiving on the hand once again became the common practice.

The word “Eucharist” means thanksgiving.  We thank God for this priceless gift.

Is There Hope?

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Those of you who are long-time readers of my blog know that from time to time, I like to write about the importance of following the news. As Christians we are called to pray for the needs of our brothers and sisters. To do so, we need to know what is going on in the world.

I would like to propose two questions for your reflection. “What in the news depresses you?” and “What in the news gives you hope?”

One does not have to look far for depressing news. My primacy source of news is the internet. When I go to news websites (national or local), it seems like most stories that come up on the first screen are negative stories.

The two recurring negative stories that it seems we can’t help but see in the news are the continuing COVID pandemic and the war between the Ukraine and Russia. We have been dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic for over two years now. On a positive note, there are those who say we have moved from “pandemic” to “endemic.” This is a move in a positive direction for which we can be thankful. We can also be thankful that most cases are not serious now. Yet, I struggle to understand how we move forward with. What does it mean to move from “pandemic” to “endemic”? Lord, please help us move forward, knowing what precautions to take and how to be set free from too much worry about COVID.

Turning to the war between Ukraine and Russia, it is difficult to see the people of Ukraine lose their homes, schools, and lives. I find this very hard to accept. I pray for the people. For me, part of what discourages me is not having any real understanding why Russia is attacking Ukraine. Just this morning I read a news story where Putin said in a speech today that he started the attack because of the expansion of western ideas and the possibility of the expansion of NATO, including Ukraine. I don’t understand how this justifies war. I pray for Putin, and for everyone involved, to allow their actions to be led by the Holy Spirit. I know I can’t fix this but God can, if people would let him.

Now, for the second question, “What in the news gives you hope?”. I have been looking for stories of hope for the last couple of days. Since Mother’s Day was Sunday, I hoped for some stories about the wonderful mothers who I know are out there. I only saw one story about Mother’s Day.

Does the fact that I haven’t seen stories in the news recently about good things mean there is no good news? No, I believe it is a matter of choice of what stories make the “front page.” Here, I pray for the news media to bring the good news to the front. I know they sometimes do stories of amazing things people to help others. We need to see these stories!

There is hope! Even in the negative events, there is hope. As Russia invaded Ukraine, there were amazing stories of help for those fleeing the Ukraine as refugees. People do care.

The pro-life movement in the United States received some hope this week. While I believe the work of the Supreme Court should never be leaked, one sees hope in the possibility of a court decision open to life in the womb. I feel discouraged by the negativity by those who support abortion. However, I am not surprised. The Supreme Court has not made a decision. We pray for them to make a decision in accord with God’s will. For more on this case, see https://www.prayfordobbs.com/. For help understanding the pro-life teaching of our Catholic faith, please see my four-part series of video presentations, Treating Life with Dignity and Love. Part I focuses on why all human life deserves dignity. Part II discusses abortion in particular (as well as the death penalty).

There are many troubles in the world. I would love to fix them all but it is not for me to do it all. I try to do what I can. Please share stories of hope. I would like to end with the Serenity Prayer composed by Reinhold Neibuhr (for my previous reflection on the Serenity Prayer, click here).

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change; 
courage to change the things I can; 
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time; 
enjoying one moment at a time; 
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; 
taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it; 
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will; 
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next. 
Amen.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

A Time of Distress

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As we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Easter in Year C, our first reading continues to come from the Acts of the Apostles. The Acts of the Apostles tells the story of the early church. In chapter 2 the disciples receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. They then go out to proclaim the good news. Who do they proclaim the good news to? Our second reading from Revelation speaks of John’s “vision of a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue.”

Everyone is called to be part of God’s house. Where did the disciples begin?

They begin with God’s chosen people, the Jews. That’s why every time Paul and his companions enter a new town, the first place they go to is the synagogue. We see this in our reading from Acts today. “Many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God.“

People are excited by what they hear from Paul. “On the following sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.” This is good news. However, not all see it that way. There were some Jews who became “filled with jealousy.” They “contradicted what Paul said.” Please note it does not say they “disproved” what said. They couldn’t for it was true. They contradicted because they wanted the attention Paul was getting.

Paul did not tell the Jews to abandon their Jewish ancestry. He told them to remain faithful. What God had taught them through the scriptures (what we today call the Old Testament) remains true. In fact, Jesus is the fulfillment of what was foretold in the Old Testament. The New Testament is in continuity with the Old Testament.

Why did Paul and his companions go to the synagogue first? Because, as Paul says, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken” to them first. It was God’s will that they be the first to hear it. Yet, once they reject it (and thus reject the salvation Jesus offers), Paul and his companions now turn to the Gentiles as the Lord commands. By this time, even Gentiles were gathering to listen to Paul. When they heard the message was for them too, they “were delighted.”

“The word of the Lord continued to spread” exactly as it should. Yet, there were the Jews who continued to stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas. They would expel them from their territory.

Did the disciples give up when they faced persecution? No, they merely “shook the dust from their feet” and moved on. This is what the apostolic age was like, a time of persecution. For the first 300 years, the church faced a “time of great distress.” Through God’s grace, the Church persevered.

In 313 A.D. Emperor Constantine instituted the “Edict of Milan” legalizing Christianity. People could worship Jesus openly. In time, Catholic Christianity would become the religion of the western world. Over time, it would even spread some to the whole world. Over the centuries, enough people became Christian that societal values were based on Christian morality. Not everyone wholly lived Christian faith and morality but it was generally accepted as the basis for societal values. This age is often called “Christendom.”

Are we still living in Christendom today? Is Christianity a cornerstone today? Can it be when so many are not going to church? Society is loosing its Christian foundation. In the challenges we face today in living out our faith, in some ways, we are returning to the challenges Christians faced in the apostolic age (see my blog article, “We Need to See as God Sees” on University of Mary, From Christendom to Apostolic Mission: Pastoral Strategies for an Apostolic Age. Bismark, ND: University of Mary Press. 2020 at https://blog.renewaloffaith.org/blog/?p=6083).

The early disciples “survived the time of great distress.” They did so in faith and we can do the same. They put on white robes. We put on white in our baptismal garment. As they “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb,” we do the same in submitting our lives, most especially our sufferings to Jesus who is lamb who takes away our sins. Jesus is the shepherd who leads us to “springs of life-giving water.“

We hear his voice. Do we follow Jesus?

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Respecting the Dead

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God has given us life.  “God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).

God made us body and soul.  We are called to care for each person, body and soul.  When a person dies, we offer a funeral.  At the funeral we pray for God’s consolation for the family.  At a funeral Mass, we offer the sacrifice of the Mass for our loved one to be welcomed into Heaven, body and soul.

Then, we do not discard the body of our loved one as a waste product.  We lay them to a dignified place of rest.  We care for the cemeteries because we care for our loved ones.

The Catholic Church prohibited cremation until the last 50 years.  Why?  Because there were cultures that cremated all the deceased based on beliefs that denied the Resurrection.  The Catholic Church has come to allow cremation as long as it is not based on a belief that denies the Resurrection,keeps the remains intact of the deceased, and their remains are given the same dignified burial as a full body.  In calling for the remains to be kept intact, it remains impermissible in our Catholic faith to scatter ashes, divide them, or leave them sitting someplace until a later date.  We are to treat the cremains with the same respect do the person.  (See 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 )

Now, there are new means of “disposing” of bodies being developed that are considered better for the environment.  I cringe at the use of the word “disposing” with regard to the bodies of our deceased loved ones.  They are not a piece of trash to be discarded. 

It is only in the last month that I heard of a new development so my understanding is very limited.  It seems to be based on chemistry that “dissolves” the body in a way that can be released into nature as a fertilizer of the soil.  Again, I cringe.  The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is working to provide some teaching on this.  For now, the Vatican has said such methods are not permissible because it does not keep the remains intact (Letter from Cardinal Luis Ladaria, S.J., Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith available online at https://trentonmonitor.com/Content/News/Diocese/Article/CDF-Care-for-bodies-of-deceased-must-align-with-Church-teaching/4/36/30466 ).

This is what I know at this point.  As our Catholic Church offers more, I will share it with you.

If you would like to read more about our Catholic understanding of funerals and burial of the dead as well as grieving check out some articles on my website at www.renewaloffaith.org/funerals.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

3rd Sunday of Easter, Year C – Homily

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3rd Sunday of Easter, Year C
Acts 5:27-32; 40b-41
Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13 (2a)
Revelation 5:11-14
John 21:1-19
May 1, 2022

Last week we heard how the disciples gathered in the locked room for fear of the Jews.  This happened not once, but twice.  Both times Jesus came to them.

The disciples have left the locked room.  Peter announces to the others, “I am going fishing.”  The others respond that they will go with him.  This is not a bunch of guys taking the weekend off to go fishing. Peter, as well as several others of the disciples were fishermen by trade. 

Much has happened.  Peter and the others might be looking to go back to do something familiar.  However, I think another possibility is likely.  They are preparing to move forward in faith.  To do so, they go fishing to make some income.

However, when they go fishing, “they caught nothing.”  This would be disappointing.  Sometimes we feel we struggle to accomplish our goals.

From the boat, they see a man standing on the shore but we are told they did not know who it is.  The man tells them to “cast the net over the right side of the boat.”

They don’t know who it is. They are professional fishermen.  So, who is this man to give them advice?  They might have easily dismissed his words but they do not.  They do what the man says.

What happens?

They caught so many fish that they couldn’t pull the net it for it was so full.

They had not recognized Jesus but perhaps something in their hearts told them to listen to the man.  Good choice!

Sometimes it is hard to recognize God’s voice speaking to us.  We need the Holy Spirit to help us know what God says to us.  When we try to do things our way, we may catch nothing but if we listen to Jesus and follow his commands, we can accomplish great things.

We are told that they caught 153 fish.  Why 153?  There are a couple of different explanations for the number.  They point to the same thing, that 153 becomes a number that symbolizes the whole world.  Jesus sends the disciples out to all nations.  All are children of God.

Now, the disciples know it is Jesus.  They go to him on the shore by the fire.

Do you remember what Peter did when Jesus was arrested?

He denied Jesus three times.

Now, Jesus asks Peter to affirm his love for him three times. 

Peter had a weak moment in faith.  It was hard for Peter to understand how Jesus could be arrested.  Now, having seen Jesus crucified and risen, Peter knows better.  Peter is ready to serve the Lord.  In response to Peter’s profession of love for Jesus, Jesus calls Peter to tend his sheep.

Peter and other others will now go out and boldly proclaim Jesus. 

For this, they are arrested.  As the high priest spoke to them, he says, “We gave you strict orders, did we not, to stop teaching in that name?” 

Yes, the Jewish leaders had told the disciples to stop teaching about Jesus.  The disciples did not.  Why?  They reply, “We must obey God rather than me.”

There are people today who tell us to stop preaching about what Jesus teaches.  They say everyone must be free to choose to believe what they want.

Yes, God gives us free will, but we are not really free to choose if we have not heard what our options are.  People need to hear what God teaches.  We must proclaim Jesus.  We must do so not in judgment but in love.

The disciples have witnessed great acts by Jesus and shared them with us along with Jesus’ teaching.  We need to do the same.

The disciples faced suffering and persecution for proclaiming Jesus to others.  Once again, “The Sanhedrin ordered the apostles to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, and dismissed them.”

How did the disciples feel about being persecuted?

They left “rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.”

How do you feel when someone speaks against you for your faith?

Are you embarrassed?  Are you fearful?  Do you become silent?  Or is it a sign that you are doing exactly what God wants you to do?

Leadership Advice from St. Bernard of Clairvaux

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Prompted by some other recent reading, I just finished reading Five Books on Consideration Advice to a Pope written by St. Bernard of Clairvaux (translated by John D. Anderson and Elizabeth T. Kennan. Athens, OH: Cistercian Publications. 1976, Third Printing 2004). St. Bernard of Clairvaux wrote this work as a series, offering guidance to Pope Eugene III, who had been a monk under St. Bernard.

As Keenan writes in the introduction, Bernard “scrutinizes the papal calendar and exposes a disastrously overloaded schedule” (12). (How many people today face an “overloaded schedule”?) Kennan continues, “Bernard discusses the necessity of leisure within the confines of responsibility. Leisure is the source both of vitality and of wisdom” (12). We need to remember to take time for ourselves. We need to do this so that we can continue in the long-term to be there for others. We can’t help them if we don’t take care of ourselves. For, as Bernard himself writes, “a sick man who is unaware of his condition is in greater danger” (25).

Bernard writes to Pope Eugene III, “I am aware of the pleasant delights of solitude you enjoyed not long ago” (25). Bernard’s advice is based on the fact that Pope Eugene had been a monk, perhaps exacerbating all the more, the challenges of the busy life of the pope. Moving from the quiet life of a monk to the busy life of the pope would be a challenge in itself. While Bernard writes in a particular context, I would like to offer some thoughts from the book that I think are relevant in our world today.

For example, we can’t simply ignore our challenges. Bernard writes, “A scab forms over an old, neglected sore, and it becomes insensible, it becomes incurable…If it is not relieved by something external, it must provide its own relief. It is a fact that it will either obtain relief quickly from a cure or produce numbness by its own persistence” (26-27). We either need to face our problems or they will take over us. We may think we are doing okay but, in reality, we may have simply become numb to the problem. At times we may need to accept our sufferings but we still need to pay attention to what they are telling us.

Pope Eugene is leading a church, not a business. Here, Bernard points us to 2 Timothy 2:4, “To satisfy the one who recruited him, a soldier does not become entangled in the business affairs of life.” The reality today is that, in leading the church, we need to be aware of business concerns but we cannot let them become our priority. Our top priority is to bring Christ to the world. We do so with two swords, “that is, the spiritual and the material” (Bernard, 118, cf. 134). We just need to make the spiritual the most important).

Bernard reminds Pope Eugene, “You cannot suddenly correct every error at once or reduce excesses to moderation. There will be an opportunity at the proper time for you to pursue this little by little, according to the wisdom given to you by God” (43, cf. 2 Peter 3:15). I would love to fix everything today but I know that is not realistic. First of all, we need to observe and note what really needs fixing. We must also realize that it is not for any one person to fix everything. We must remember the Serenity Prayer that begins, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

We must also remember to let others handle items that do not need our specific attention. Bernard puts it this way to Pope Eugene, “Therefore, let it be your custom to become involved in only those cases where it is absolutely necessary” (44). My challenge here is to know when I need to get involved. Do I have information about what is going on that others don’t? Am I to share the information I have with others and let them handle it or am I to get more directly involved? Lord, help me to know what to do.

One is not called to leadership for one’s own good. Bernard writes, “You have charge over them not to oppress them but to feed them” (62, my emphasis). The pope is called to feed people spiritually. As a priest, part of my calling, part that I love to do, is to feed the people with the Eucharist and to feed them by teaching them. Speaking of the early disciples, Bernard writes, “their only desire was in some way to be able to prepare them as a perfect people for the Lord” (113). He later writes, “To preach the Gospel is to feed. Do the work of an evangelist and you have fulfilled the office of shepherd” (117). Bernard writes these words to Pope Eugene but they are words I take seriously in my calling. How is God calling you to share the gospel?

As Bernard nears the end of this work, he calls Pope Eugene to reflect on who God is. Bernard writes, “Who is he? Clearly no better answer occurs to me than, “He who is” (155). This points me to God’s answer to Moses when Moses asks his name, “I am who I am” (see Exodus 3:13-14). Bernard points us to John 1:3 when he describes God as “That without which nothing exists” (see also Romans 11:36).

In contemplating God, Bernard writes, “Do you ask: if all things are in him, where is he? I can answer nothing more inadequately than this. What place can contain him? Do you ask where he is not? I cannot even answer that. What place is without God? God is incomprehensible” (157). This is not to say we cannot know God in some way. Rather, it reminds us that to totally comprehend God is beyond us. This does not mean we cannot believe. In faith, we trust in God.

If we are to be followers of Jesus, then, knowing that He willingly lays down his life for us on the Cross, we can trust him. We may not understand but we can believe.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Divine Mercy Sunday, Year C – Homily

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Divine Mercy Sunday (2nd Second of Easter), Year C
Acts 5:12-16
Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24 (1)
Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19
John 20:19-31
April 24, 2022

It is not always easy to follow God.  We see this with the prophets in the Old Testament.  For example, in 1 Kings 19, Elijah flees and hides in a cave when Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab tries to have him killed.  God comes to Elijah in his fear.

Now Jesus has been crucified.  His disciples fear the Jews will do the same to them.  So, they are gathered behind locked doors. 

In their fear, “Jesus came and stood in their midst.”  Why?  Because He knew they were afraid and needed assurance.  He said to them, “Peace with you.”  His coming to them was an act of Divine Mercy.

Today we celebrate the Second Sunday of Easter.  In 2000, Pope John Paul II declared this to always be Divine Mercy Sunday.

When we think of God’s mercy, we might often think of God’s forgiveness.  God’s forgiveness is a key part of his Divine Mercy.  Thus, Jesus “breathed on them” and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”  Jesus gave the power to forgive sins to his disciples and to priests today so that we may experience his forgiveness.

We need God’s forgiveness but his mercy is more than forgiveness.  He comes to his disciples in the locked room in Divine Mercy.  He offers them peace three times.

The first time Jesus came to them in the locked room, Thomas was not there.  When he hears what has happened, Thomas does not believe.  He says he needs to see for himself.  Would we have been any different?  After all, no one had risen from the dead before.

Jesus does not reject Thomas for his weak belief.  A week later, Jesus returns.  This time Thomas is there.  Jesus speaks directly to Thomas.  Why?  Because, rooted in his Divine Mercy, Jesus wants Thomas to believe as He said, “do not be unbelieving but believe.”  

Thomas’ response?  He says to Jesus, “My Lord and my God.”  Thomas now believes.

Do we believe?

At times our faith is weak.  We pray it grows over time.  It doesn’t always happen all at once.  The other disciples had already seen Jesus on the evening of his Resurrection when He came to them in a locked room.  Where are they a week later?  In a locked room. 

Jesus sends them out just as the Father had sent him.  How does this go for them?  In our reading from Revelation, John says he found himself “on the island called Patmos.”  Patmos is a Roman penal colony.  John is there because he “proclaimed God’s word and gave testimony to Jesus.” 

There he had a vision where the Lord says to him, “Do not be afraid.” 

God had come to Elijah in his fear.  God came to the disciples in the locked room in their fear.  God speaks to John in his difficult moment.  This is God’s Divine Mercy.  “His mercy endures forever.”

God will empower the Apostles to do “many signs and wonders.”  These would have been acts of mercy to those who were ill and possessed.  They are also acts of divine mercy in revealing God’s mercy to the rest of us.

The message of Divine Mercy was offered to Sr. Faustina in Poland in the 1930’s.  There she received the Divine Mercy Image, Chaplet, and novena.  However, the message of Divine Mercy was not new.

God has always been merciful.  I think of Bible passages like Luke 6:36 where Jesus says, “Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful.”

What is the most direct expression of God’s mercy?  Jesus’ Crucifixion for as Jesus says, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).  This is exactly what Jesus does for us.

However, Jesus does many acts of mercy.  He feeds the multitudes.  He cares for the sick.  These are the Corporal Works of Mercy that Jesus himself presents to us in Matthew 25:31-46.  There are also Spiritual Works of Mercy like instructing the ignorant and admonishing sinners given throughout scripture (See my presentation, The Journey to Jesus, Acts of Mercy – http://www.renewaloffaith.org/video—the-journey-to-jesus–acts-of-mercy.html ). 

If we are to be merciful like our Father, we need to do acts of mercy.  We are not to do them simply so we can receive mercy ourselves.  We are to do acts of mercy as acts of love. 

We need God’s Divine Mercy.  In his perfect love that endures forever, He is merciful to us.  May we share the mercy we receive with others.