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Homilies are posted no later than during the week
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A patient asked Dr Karl Menninger what he should do if he
felt a nervous breakdown coming on. He expected the famous psychiatrist
to respond, "Call me immediately." Instead, he said, "Go out and find
somebody in trouble and help that person."
I go to many funerals. It goes with the job. Often a dead
man's friend gives a eulogy. Invariably he says, "We come here not to
mourn a death but celebrate a life." I say to myself, "Buddy, if you're
not mourning, you're in the wrong church." Jesus shed copious tears at
Lazarus' tomb. He wasn't celebrating his life. One wag said, "Christ
cried so loudly He woke Lazarus up."
This Gospel reveals much about the generosity of Lazarus
and his sisters toward Jesus. He overnighted with them often. He felt
their home was His house. "Nuestra casa tu casa." There He could chill
out. They would summon Him to a lasagne and chianti supper after a nap.
They would spend the evening playing Scrabble. Next day He would leave
refreshed.
It could be said of this family what Wordsworth's friend
said of him after his death, "Thou had for weary feet the gift of
rest." We would do well to copy their style. In the Bethany
family's case, the guest was the Christ. We shall have to
be satisfied with a surrogate Christ. "Be not loath to entertain
strangers," wrote Paul, "for thereby some have entertained Christ
unawares."
Also, when Jesus received the sisters' messenger asking
Him to
return to Bethany, there was a price on His head. It would be
unhealthy for Him to return behind enemy lines. Yet, He rolled up His
sleeping bag and moved out of the mountain's safety.
Lazarus was in trouble. He would go to his side no matter
the consequences to His person. He believed Woody Allen's dictum that
showing up is two-thirds of life. This beau geste says much about the
character of Christ. It tells us that we can expect the same
consideration from Him also. It suggests He would have us help others
in trouble. A sorrow shared, said Shakespeare, is a sorrow halved. You
know now whose game plan Dr Menninger was following.
The Lazarus story informs us that the Savior hated death.
His weeping is evidence of that. Jesus reveals to us that God is upset
when nasty things happen to people whether saints or sinners.
Jesus is the God of life and not of death. He came to do
battle with death and vanquish it. Ezekiel today tells us this welcome
message from God. "I will open your graves and have you rise..."
If we comprehend the Lord with another mind-frame, then
we are stuck with a faux Jesus. The genuine Christ longs for the hour
when death will go belly up for each of us.
Check what Jesus says to Martha. "I am the resurrection
and the life." The Galilean emphasizes He is the God of the living. Why
do we keep saying over corpses lying in our middle aisles, "Eternal
rest grant unto you." Is it not more correct to take our cue from this
Gospel and say, "Eternal life grant unto you."?Jesus never said,
"I am the resurrection and the
rest."
If we think of Heaven as a place to collect bedsores, why
not dress the dead in cheap pajamas from Wal-Mart rather than in
expensive traveling clothes? Obviously Jesus thinks of Heaven as a
place where we go to party hearty and look our best. To make Heaven
otherwise is to make it dullsville. No wonder even the best of us are
loath to quit this present existence. Who wants to go to a dull party
that goes on for eternity?
Martha replies to Christ that she knows her brother will
rise down the road. Jesus replies sharply, "I am the resurrection and
the life." So, if Jesus becomes the mainstay of our lives, we can
experience resurrection in the now and here. Who really wants to wait
for a resurrection years away?
We say what Jesus did for Lazarus was super. Was it? In
Heaven, every tear is wiped away and all pain removed. Why would
Lazarus want to leave paradise and return to earth with all its
problems? Furthermore, he would have to die again. Once is enough. I
wager an angry Lazarus said to Jesus as he came outof the tomb,
"With friends like you, who needs enemies?"
Jacqueline Kennedy, who unhappily for her was an
authority on death,said, "The Catholic Church is at its best at
the time of death. Its message is that death is not the putting out of
light. It is rather turning off the lamp because the dawn has come." |
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http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html
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The
second reading for today from the First Letter of Peter contains some
of the most reassuring verses in Scripture.We are called living
cornerstones of the Church, built into a holy priesthood. We are called
a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people the
Lord claims for his own to proclaim the glorious works of the one who
called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.
We
are precious in the eyes of the Lord.We are invaluable.We
are cherished.We are highly esteemed.We are loved.
Why?Does God love us so much because of something or other that
we have done?Why are we so precious?
Well, why do you, why do we love our children?Why are our
children so precious to us? Is it because of what they do?I
don't think so.Sure, there are many times that you are proud of
your children's accomplishments.But you love them even without
their accomplishments. When you first held them as infants you could
not believe you had so much love in you.Yet, the baby did not do
anything.Why, then did you love that baby?Why do you love
your children?You love them for whom they are, not for what they
do.Your child is your love for your spouse, now a unique person
loving you back.You see God's love in your child.You see
a reflection of God's beauty in your child.
Why
does God love us?Why are we so precious to Him?He loves
us for whom we are, unique reflections of His love in the world.
He loves us because he sees in each of us the love He has for his Son,
Jesus.He loves us because each of us carries on the life of
Jesus in the world.
Jesus is the rock that has been rejected by the world but has become
the cornerstone of the New World.We are the living
cornerstones.The Church is the building of the spirit of
God.Jesus is the great high priestwho was rejected by the
status quo and thrown out of the Temple, crucified outside the
city.We are the holy priesthood, people carrying on the priestly
presence of the Lord making God present to others and others present to
God. Jesus is the Light fo the World, the one who dispels the darkness
of sin.We are the light of the world.Those who are called
to bring hope and light to a world living in fear and darkness.
We
are precious to God because He sees his Son at work in us.
Therefore, we have to be aware and attune to our dignity as children of
God.We have to treat ourselves and each other with the respect a
child of God deserves.There are many times that we are tempted
to go along with a philosophy of life that treasures actions that are
in themselves self destructive.Every evening on TV the same
basic steps are repeated: 1) A person looks for self gratification. 2)
That person does not consider the impact of his or her actions upon
himself or herself or upon anyone else. The person reasons that he or
she has the right to this action. 3) The person's actions hurt
themselves and those whom he or she loves the most. and 4) The person
has lost respect for himself and for others. Fill in the blanks any
immoral action you want: infidelity, greed, pride, or just plain
selfishness, the result is always the same: the person loses his or her
self respect.
I've
done this in various degrees.And I am sure that if you are
honest, you have done this too.I've started with thinking that
something is OK for me, even if it isn't necessarily, totally
proper:maybe a bit of a lie, maybe a nasty remark, maybe
something a lot worse.Then I and you have witnessed the results
of our actions and felt pretty low.The only thing worse than
being called a fool is knowing that it is true.
Out
of respect for myself, out of respect for yourself, out of respect for
the dignity that God has given us in calling us to be children of God,
out of respect for the precious image of his Son that you and I have
been called to bring to the world, we have to avoid these self
destructive situations.We have to convince ourselves that it is
just beneath our dignity to do this or that.
We
are precious to the Lord.We carry the image of his Son within us
and among us.We have to hold our heads up through the muck of
society.We have to have enough self respect to avoid degrading
ourselves by giving in to what everyone else says is acceptable in this
modern day but what we know is unacceptable in any day.
We
have to stand tall with the Lord.For we are the Church, we are
the royal priesthood, we are the people whom God has chosen to bring
light to all who live in darkness.May the choices we make in
life be only those that reflect the dignity we have been gifted with by
the Lord of life.
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http://www.geocities.com/seapadre_1999/
* available in Spanish - see Spanish
homilies
5 Easter
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Bottom line: Jesus is the one Way to salvation, but he reserves a
virgin path for each person.
Pope Benedict's visit to our country could not help but evoke
comparisons with his predecessor. Although they both shared a firm
commitment to Jesus as the one Way to salvation, they have very
different personalities and backgrounds. And the problems - and
opportunities - Pope Benedict faced in 2005 are much different than
those Pope John Paul II faced when he was elected in 1978. The
difference between these two pontiffs underscores the fact that each of
us must come to Jesus by a particular path. The Spanish poet, Leon
Felipe, has a lovely verse about this:
No one went yesterday
nor goes today
nor will go tomorrow
toward God
by this path
that I go.
For each man
God reserves
a new ray of the sun's light
and a virgin path.*
There is a paradox here. We hear about staying the "straight and
narrow." We can get the idea that if we go toward God, he will box us
in, limit us. But instead of getting boxed in, something remarkable
happens. When we go toward God, we find ourselves on a path that no
other person has walked. On the other hand, the person who says, "I am
going to do it my way," finds himself falling into tired, predictable
behavior such as overindulgence in alcohol, food and sex. He becomes
bloated and bleary-eyed, impotent and bitter.
This does not mean the way to God is a primrose path. It does involve
suffering, but it is a high adventure. The path to God is unique for
each person. For sure, we can learn from others' mistakes - and
successes. But, so far, no one has published a foolproof guide, for
example, how to raise perfect children or how to be a perfect pastor.
We can learn from one another, but each must take a virgin path. John
Paul had one path. Benedict has another.
Every person faces unique problems and opportunities. God has a reason
for setting things up that way. A wise pastor once said: "I bless God
because he has allowed a thousand problems and difficulties to come
into my life. They have made me grow in character and in faith."
Jesus tells us, "Do not let your hearts be troubled." God has a purpose
for every trial he sends. God has marked out a particular path for you
and for me. St. Therese of Lisieux wrote about this. She proposed a
"little way" to God. It begins with a conviction of God's mercy and a
desire to do God's will in small, everyday tasks. Jesus is the one Way.
No one comes to the Father except through him - and he gives each a
particular path - whether pope or pastor or parent - or hospital
patient. Our individual paths are unique. As Leon Felipe expressed it:
For each person God reserves a new ray of the sun's light and a virgin
path.
**********
*This poem is cited by Fr. Jose-Roman Flecha Andres in his fine book
Dios Con Nosotros - Reflexiones Sobre los Evangelios Domingos y Fiestas
"Ciclo A"
Spanish Version
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http://www.agreeley.com/homilies.html
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Background:
There can be no reasonable doubt that the Shepherd metaphor dates
to Jesus himself, though different conclusions are drawn from it be the
various evangelists. It was a favorite metaphor in much of early
Christian art. Perhaps it means less to us today because we do not live
close to the fields and the flocks and think of sheep usually only when
we're buying lamb chops or shivering at Dolly the cloned sheep. The
image in today's Gospel may be closest to the original though John's
Story is often heavily overlaid with theological reflections. Jesus
takes care of his own. We are his own, even if like sheep, we are often
not very bright, not very quick, not very perceptive. The Story today
says that it doesn't matter Jesus will still take care of us. None will
snatch us out of his hand.
Story:
Once upon a time two little kids and their father were out
sailing on the lake in their small sail boat. The kids were scared
because the wind was kind of picking up. Their daddy said, don’t be
scared, it’s still a light wind. We’ll head for shore if it gets any
worse, but the weather person says there’ll be no problem. I’ll take
care of you. Of course they were all wearing life jackets, right? Well,
it began to get a little dark and the wind became mor brisk. The Daddy
said, all right, crew we’re heading for shore. Just then two crazy
teenagers in one of those awful wave runners rammed the boat, cut it in
half and went right. The daddy and the kids were in the water, clinging
to the remains of the boat. The sky grew darker, the wind became fierce
and it started to rain. Hang on to me said the Daddy and we’ll swim to
shore. The kids were afraid to swim, even to let go of their ruined
boat. You’ve got life jackets on he told them. Don’t be afraid, just
hang on to me. The kids were really frightened but they hung on to
their daddy. You know what happened? Sure you do, they made it to the
beach just fine. Their mother was waiting for them and she hugged and
kissed them all. Nothing to be afraid of, kids, she said. You can
always trust your daddy. Really she did say it! Then they went looking
for those crazy teenagers.
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http://benedictine.stvincent.edu/archabbey/Weeklywords/Weeklywords.html
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Apr, 20, 2008
John 14: 1-12
Campion P. Gavaler, O.S.B.
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Gospel Summary
That the Church gives us this Last Supper discourse of Jesus for an Easter Season
Eucharist is illuminative. These words are spoken to us now by the Risen Lord,
truly alive and present in our midst. In this gospel we find things that Jesus
taught before his death beautifully combined with John's inspired interpretation
of these teachings, written in full confidence of guidance by the Spirit of Jesus
(Jn 16:13).
Jesus tells his disciples not to be troubled, but to have faith in him as they
have in God. He must leave them to be with the Father, and to prepare a place
for them so that they may again be with him. Jesus explains that he is the way
to the Father. He lives in the Father as the Father lives in him, and the Father
does work through him. Those who believe Jesus and go with him to live in the
Father will have the Father also live in them, and the Father will do even greater
works through them.
Life Implications
With the disciples and with the Christians of John's church, we have plenty of
reasons to be troubled as we gather to celebrate the Eucharist. The good things
of life are so fragile and so short-lived: health, security, marriage and family,
friendships, peace of mind. The life implication of this gospel is profound because
it touches upon the fear of death, that pervasive fear which can take the life
out of life.
To hear the words of Jesus "Do not let your hearts be troubled" is the liberating
good news that we can live and work in a fragile and violent world and not be
overcome. Jesus, too, experienced things which trouble the human heart: misunderstanding
and rejection, betrayal and abandonment, torture and dying. Yet in the deepest
center of his heart Jesus was still able to know peace and joy because of his
trust that he lived in the Father as the Father lived in him and did his work
through him.
The Easter grace that we can receive today is the liberating faith that the Risen
Lord desires to give us. In that faith we too can trust that with Jesus we live
in the Father as the Father lives in us and does even greater work through us.
And even in the troubling circumstances of our lives we will know the peace and
joy which is beyond understanding, and which nothing in the world can take from
us.
Campion P. Gavaler, O.S.B.
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http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/lowhome.html
Meeting Christ in the Liturgy
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Acts 9, 26-31; Psalm 22; 1 John 3, 18-24; John 15, 1-8
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
"Jesus says, 'I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me,
and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can
do nothing." (Jn 15:5)
"The fruit referred to in this saying is the holiness of a life made
fruitful by union with Christ. When we believe in Jesus Christ, partake
of his mysteries, and keep his commandments, the Savior himself comes
to love, in us, his Father and his brethren, our Father and our
brethren. His person becomes, through the Spirit, the living and
interior rule of our activity. 'This is my commandment, that you love
one another as I have loved you.' (Jn 15:12)" (CCC 2074)
The branches exist to draw life from the vine so as to bear fruit.
Failing to do so they are useless: cut down, thrown out, good only for
fueling the flames of a fire. "If a man does not abide in me, he is
cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered,
thrown into the fire and burned." (Jn 15: 6) So that we may live as
fruitful branches in intimate union with Christ, the true vine, he has
given us the Church, his true body in the world.
"The mission of Christ and the Holy Spirit is brought to completion in
the Church, which is the Body of Christ and the temple of the Holy
Spirit. This joint mission henceforth brings Christ's faithful to share
in his communion with the Father in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit
prepares men and goes out to them with his grace, in order to draw them
to Christ. The Spirit manifests the risen Lord to them, recalls his
word to them and opens their minds to the understanding of his Death
and Resurrection. He makes present the mystery of Christ, supremely in
the Eucharist, in order to reconcile them, to bring them into communion
with God, that they may 'bear much fruit.' (Jn 15: 8,16)" (CCC 737)
The Church is not a way to Christ, as simply one choice among others,
but the way to Christ. "Thus the Church's mission is not an addition to
that of Christ and the Holy Spirit, but is its sacrament: in her whole
being and in all her members, the Church is sent to announce, bear
witness, make present, and spread the mystery of the communion of the
Holy Trinity." (CCC 738)
St. Cyril, patriarch of Alexandria (d. 444), teaches why our communion
with the Triune God happens in the fullest and most perfect way in this
life in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church:
"All of us who have received one and the same Spirit, that is, the Holy
Spirit, are in a sense blended together with one another and with God.
For if Christ, together with the Father's and his own Spirit, comes to
dwell in each of us, though we are many, still the Spirit is one and
undivided. He binds together the spirits of each and every one of
us,...and makes all appear as one in him. For just as the power of
Christ's sacred flesh unites those in whom it dwells into one body, I
think that in the same way the one and undivided Spirit of God, who
dwells in all, leads all into spiritual unity." (CCC 738)
Seek the opportunity for daily participation in the liturgy; draw from
the Eucharistic sacrifice the life-blood of Christ the vine that you
may bear fruit that will last: heart, mind, soul and strength aflame
with God's love unto life eternal!
Let us pray: God our Father, look upon us with love. You redeem us and
make us your children in Christ. Give us true freedom and bring us to
the inheritance you promised. (From opening prayer for today's liturgy.)
I look forward to meeting you here again next week as, together, we
"meet Christ in the liturgy" -Father Cusick
(Publish with permission.) http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/
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http://www.ctk-thornbury.org.uk/
5 Easter
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Contact Father at cbonar@cfl.rr.com;
information about his book of homilies is available at www.clydebonar.com.
5 Easter |
"I Am the Way and the Truth and the Life"
Introduction
A few years ago, I was with a group visiting Lourdes and Fatima. One
day, after reaching Lisbon we watched the driver search for the hotel.
He'd check the map, drive several blocks, turn left, turn right. Then,
check the map again. Same results, drive a few blocks, up and down the
streets.
Finally, the driver pulled up beside a taxi and asked the driver how to
get to the hotel. The taxi driver said, "Follow me. I'll show you the
way." The taxi driver was the way to our hotel.
Today we hear Jesus tell his disciples, "Where I am going you know the
way." Thomas says to Jesus, "We do not know the way." Christ replies,
"I am the way and the truth and the life."
"The Way"
Strange words from Christ. Calling himself "the way." Not, I can show
you the way. Not, here is a guide book to follow. Rather, Jesus says,
"I am the way."
Our human experience helps us understand Christ as "the way." Here's an
example. A television documentary crew wanted to film a traditional
African dance of the Chewa people. Problem was, the Chewa only did this
traditional dance for funerals or teenage initiations. And, only for
tribal members.
One possibility, a mission priest might be able to make special
arrangements. The elders of the tribe agreed. The dance began. The film
crew watched as masked creatures emerged from the forest as the drums
sounded deep, commanding rhythms. For one day, the film crew entered
into the traditions of the Chewa people.
The mission priest was the way. Without him, no stranger would see the
traditional dance of the Chewa people.
More common to our experience, ask a convert how he or she became
Catholic. More often than not, a person provided the way. Perhaps a
husband or wife, coming to Mass together with their children. Until one
day, the non-Catholic has an impulse to find out more about our
Catholic Church. A person: the way for the convert.
In our families, we learn the way of living as a family. Tom has twelve
brothers and sisters. Evening meals were always family meals. At the
dinner table, conversation flowed. The happenings of the day, upcoming
events, work and school. Family activities filled the evenings and the
weekends.
The mother and father were the way, models of a family enjoying each
other.
For Christ to tell us he is "the way," that's not so strange. Most of
the time, other people show us how to behave, with family and with
strangers. Christ says, "I am the way." Jesus showed us the way, how to
enter the Father's house.
"The Truth"
Christ tells us, "I am the truth." When Jesus speaks of God, Jesus
speaks the truth. The truth that God loves us; the truth that God comes
to us through the Sacraments; the truth that what we do to each other,
we do to Christ.
A first truth, we are loved by God. We read today from the First letter
of Peter, "You are a chosen race, a people of his own." Precious in the
eyes of the Lord. God's people.
Within our families, we love our children because they are ours, the
fruit of a husband's and a wife's love for each other. God loves us for
the same reason. God made us in his own image (Genesis 1:26-27), God
loves us because we are his.
A first truth, God deeply loves us; loves us so much "he gave his only
son" (John 3:16).
Another truth, God is present to us in the Sacraments. In Communion,
Jesus tells us this is my Body, this is my Blood. Our firm Catholic
belief, God touches us, we touch God, when we received Holy Communion.
In all the Sacraments, God is present to us. In the Sacrament of
Reconciliation, the priest speaks the words. The forgiveness of our
sins comes from God himself. In marriage, husband and wife bring God's
love to each other in a very personal way. God, the third person of the
triad, husband, wife, and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus says, "I am the truth." A second truth, the Sacraments,
instituted by Christ, make God present to us.
A third truth. In today's Gospel, Jesus told us, "whoever believed in
me will do the works that I do." We also remember Christ tells us, as
often as you give food or drink to one of my least brothers, you give
food and drink to Christ (Matthew 25:34-40). The truth, as Christians
we do God's work. Just like Christ did, you and I bring the personal
touch of God.
The Acts of the Apostles tells how widows were being neglected in the
daily distribution. Seven reputable men were appointed to the tasks of
helping the widows.
A third truth, we do as Christ did. Christ cared for the helpless,
Christ told us about God the Father. So do we. We do good works, we
pray, we tell others about God.
Christ tells us, "I am the truth." When Jesus speaks of God, Jesus
speaks the truth. The truth that God loves us; the truth that God
touches us through the Sacraments; the truth that what we do to each
other, we do to Christ.
"The Life"
Then Christ says, "I am the life." Christ rose from the dead for two
reasons. One, to give us eternal life; second, to make us fully alive
now. His Spirit animates every moment of our lives. To be fully alive
is to be in God.
Start with life itself. Eternal life. In our funeral Mass we say, "life
is changed, not ended." By his death and resurrection, Christ conquered
death. Paul wrote to the Romans (6:23), "the wages of sin is death, but
the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus." Those who
believe in Christ, the righteous, inherit eternal life (Matthew 19:29;
25:46; John 3:15).
"I am the life," Jesus tells us. Eternal life. Saints have eternal
life. We know the saints are in heaven by the miracles we receive. When
we lose something, we turn to St. Anthony. Or, for the next to
impossible, there's St. Jude to answer our distress calls. The saints,
with life eternal, close to God, the saints put in a good word for us,
ask God to grant us a favor.
Of course, Christ makes life good now, not just for eternity. Austin
and Laura tuned out stress and discovered the meaning of Christ words,
"I am the life." Taking an assignment at St. John's University, a
college run by Benedictine monks, the couple and their two children
toned down the volume on life.1 They would hear the abbey bells call
monks and students to stop and pray, and Austin and Laura fell into
that pattern, to stop and to pray.
With a simpler life, the family no longer collapsed into bed at night.
A new happiness entered their marriage. Instead of complains about each
other, Laura and Austin became again for each other the husband and
wife each wanted to marry.
"I am the life," Christ tells us. Life with God is better. God's Holy
Spirit puts joy and laughter and wonderful feelings into our day to day
lives.
A missionary visited a family in the remote hills of South America. One
evening, he was thinking, how far we are from everything, miles up a
dirt road, no indoor plumbing, no electricity. Then the man of the
house looked up at the night sky, and said, "I often think how very
lucky we are." When we are in Christ, we are fully alive; when we're
not in Christ, we make a list of all the things we do not have, we list
things others have that make us jealous.
"I am the life," Christ says. God's Spirit animates every moment of our
lives. God gives us life, life eternal; God makes each day fully alive.
Conclusion
Then Christ says, "whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,
and will do greater ones than these."
The risen Christ calls us, you and me, to be for others "the way and
the truth and the life." As we imitate Christ, we are to be for others
the way to the Father; so that others might know God, we are to live
God's truth and speak God's truth; by our being fully alive in Christ
we are to show Christ to others. We are to be for others "the way and
the truth and the life." |
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These
homilies may be copied and adapted for your own use;
however, they may not be commercially published without permission of
the author.
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