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Homilies are posted no later than during the week
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4 Easter
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Fourth Sunday of Easter - Cycle B - John 10:11-18
The poet WH Auden wrote, "Nothing can save us that
is possible. We who must die demand a miracle."
What will the heaven Jesus of Nazareth offers
us in the
Gospels resemble? The cynic says, "Heaven is the Coney Island of the
Christian imagination."
The satirist, who may be more correct than he
realizes,
writes, "In heaven, roast geese fly around with gravyboats in
their bills. Strawberry tarts grow like sunflowers. Everywhere there
are brooks of bouillon and champagne..."
The theologian borrows a line from today's
first
reading, "...we shall be like Him..."
After all is said and done, though, one point
is certain, "Catholics talk about heaven but few are anxious to get
there."
Courage! One Catholic writer may cause us to
move up our reservations. Says he, "It is my firm conviction that
heaven, to satisfy the whole person, must have all the beauties,
splendors, and material pleasures possible." The author is Luigi
Majocco, SJ. His book is Heavenly Humanism: a New Vision of Paradise.
The volume received good reviews from
publications as
diverse as Civilta Cattolica and from Panorama, the equal of Newsweek
and Time. It has the official approval of the Church.
Professor Majocco of the Jesuit Social
Institute in Turin argues that the usual image of heaven as the angel's
playground has no box office appeal for us. In his heaven, we will be
able "to receive all the caresses we have not been able to receive."
Heaven will be "an entire world of friends and dear relatives and, in a
way of speaking, crazy lovers."
In heaven we will discover "delicate perfumes,
exquisite
birdsongs, rhythmic dances...athletic competitions contested by some,
watched with interest by others, and applauded by all - even the
losers." It will be "impossible for us to be bored because we will be
taking tourist trips through the cosmos and there are so many angels
and humans to meet."
Of course the Jesuit will allow us to taste
the pleasures of the table. However, there is one note of dismal news
for this
pansexual age. There will be no sex. I wonder how much influence Father
Majocco's advanced age and his celibate vow colored his thinking on
this point. So, all you lovers, take heart!
This book may be a target for laughs by TV
comics (ie, if they can read books). Yet the 600 page tome offers
magical pictures and worthwhile discussion points. Also out in
his theological bullpen, Majocco has two formidable relief pitchers -
George Santayana and a fellow Jesuit Teilhard de Chardin. And that is
traveling first class.
Santayana was the late celebrated professor of
philosophy at Harvard University. He wanted to lift heaven out of the
non-excitement that literature usually lends to it. He counters that if
we must discuss heaven, we should do so in "frankly material" terms.
One such is the re-meeting of old friends - a point which, you may
recall, Majocco emphasizes.
Father Teilhard, who needs no introduction,
argues that
heaven will be human, cosmic, social, and material.
Keep in mind heaven has to be material. Our
defined teaching posits that the bodies of Jesus and Mary are already
there. Also the Church teaches that in the general resurrection our
bodies will head there directly.
Could it be that spiritual writers with their
contempt for the material world have sold Jesus short? After all, He
did say, "In my father's house, there are many mansions." Do picture
yourself in a heavenly suite. Or this familiar line, "Come, ye blessed
of my father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world." Consider this exciting line from St Paul:
"Eye has not seen nor ear heard - neither has it entered into the heart
of man the things (my italics) God has prepared for those who love him."
Beware though. Unlike American Express, heaven
is not a
place where one travels now and pays later. And discount
packages are simply out of the question. Nor are there travel agents.
You do your own negotiating with God.
Remember Whitefield's line. "You take care of your
life, and the Lord will take care of your death."
Hopefully the late Mr Auden enjoys the miracle he
demanded.
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http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html
4 Easter
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Fourth Easter: Union with the Cornerstone
A
while back I read George Weigel’s The Cube and the Cathedral.
Honestly, I do read books other than those by George Weigel. It
is just that after Witness to Hope, God’s Chosen, and Letters to a
Young Catholic, I hear Weigel speaking closely to me. Anyway, in
the Cube and the Cathedral, George Weigel speaks about how the leaders
of Europe delight in eliminating all reference to Christianity.
Fifteen hundred years that built up the foundation of Europe has been
rejected by the so called intelligentsia of Europe. They go so
far as to consider themselves “Post Christianity”.
Shortly after that I attended the graduation ceremonies of a prominent
Catholic University. During the Baccalaureate Mass, the priest
giving the homily very correctly commended the graduating seniors for
reaching out to the poor and hurting in the community. He spoke
about how this shows that they understood and put into practice
the ideals of service to fellow man and woman. I’m sure
Christianity was implied, but it was never acknowledged. In fact, Jesus
never made an appearance anywhere in the homily, or in the invocation
before the graduation the next morning. There was no reference to
Matthew 25, “As often as you did this for the least of my brothers, you
did it for me.” The charity of these young people was
disparaged. Instead of Christian action, it has been reduced to
secular humanism.
What
is wrong with this? Well, if Jesus is not the foundation of
our lives, we have no foundation. And we have no life, at least,
none worth living.
The
question we all need to ask ourselves is: Do we want the
Cornerstone? Do we want Jesus? Or have we fallen for the
blasphemy of the DaVinci code, and become Arians–people who reduce
Jesus to a good man, but not the Son of God and not the foundation on
which to build our lives.
If
we are determined to be like everyone else in our society, at
least society as presented by the media and the so called academia
intelligentsia, then we will not sense any need for Christ. We
live in a society that focuses heavily on self-interest, and on
self-gratification. For example, when someone is asked for his or
her help, the question that many respond with is, “What do I get in
return?” This is not the way of the Christian.
The
only concern of the Christian is Jesus Christ.
Peter lays this out clearly in the first reading for this Sunday from
the Acts of the Apostles. Peter, the disciple who denied the Lord, was
radically changed by the experience of the Risen Lord. No longer was he
focusing on himself. He realized that the meaningful in life did
not revolve around him or the other disciples. In the reading a
crippled man was healed. But Peter is adamant that the crowds
know that this was the work of Jesus, not the work of
Peter. It was in the name of Jesus that the man was able to
get up and walk. Everything worthwhile is about Jesus. It
must be the same for us. We have been called to proclaim that the Glory
of God is present in the world. Jesus is this Glory. He is
the Way the Truth and the Life. He must be the Cornerstone of our
lives.
It’s
all about Jesus. It’s all about you, Jesus.
There is a cost, though. Sure, when we preach the good news, when
we stand up for Jesus, we are often accepted by others who, like
us, wish to change the world. But we are also rejected by many
who want nothing to do with Jesus, His Way, or His Life. Have
others asked you to join them in something that is against the
Life of Jesus within you? Have you ever had to say, “No”. No to
drugs. No to alcohol. No to sex outside of
marriage. No to gossip. No to destroying someone’s
reputation. No to excluding someone from the love of the
community. No to cheating, lying, stealing. And when you
and I do say “No”, what happens? Quite often, you and I are
rejected by others. We need to pray for these people. They are
not just rejecting us. They are rejecting the Lord. The stone
rejected is Jesus. We live for Jesus. We share His Life,
His Love. We also share His rejection, His crucifixion. We
also share in His recreation of the world into the Kingdom of God.
All
this is also reflected in today’s gospel, the gospel of the Good
Shepherd. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He offers Himself up
completely for His people. The hired man doesn’t care, but the
Good Shepherd does care. He does not count the cost. Nor is
He concerned with what He is going to get for Himself.
Selfishness is never a factor in the Divine Equation. Jesus loves
us so much that He gives all for us. And then He calls us to give
this same love to everyone.
So,
are we Post Christian? Absolutely not. In fact, we, the
young of the Church whether we are 8, 18 or 88, we have made it
abundantly clear to the so called intelligentsia of the world that we
are diametrically opposed to being beyond Jesus. We are united to
Jesus Christ. We will proclaim His presence with our lives.
And yes, we know that because we are united to the stone that was
rejected, we also will share in that rejection. But we also know
that the stone rejected is the Cornerstone.
He
and He alone is our life. In the name of Jesus Christ the world
is healed. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are healed.
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http://www.geocities.com/seapadre_1999/
* available in Spanish - see
Spanish homilies
4 Easter
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Basics
of Salvation
(May 3, 2009)
Bottom line: We are saved by Jesus alone; that salvation involves
taking up our role as members of Jesus' flock, the Church. (The Annual
Catholic Appeal is a vital part of our participation in the Church.)
Today is Commitment Sunday for the Annual Catholic Appeal.
Interestingly enough, the readings describe the basics of salvation.
Now, I am not going to tell you that you that your salvation depends on
how much you give to the Annual Catholic Appeal. :) But it does have a
place in salvation. Let me explain.
In the first reading Peter speaks about Jesus, crucified on account of
our sins and raised from the dead. Then he says - and I hope this does
not come as a surprise to anyone here - Peter says "there is no
salvation through anyone else." Buddha, Mohamed, Confucius - they all
have there place in history, but only one person can save us, Jesus.
Peter makes clear that there is no other name given to the human race
by which we are saved. That is pretty basic.
In the Gospel, Jesus mentions an element of this salvation: He is the
Good Shepherd who knows us and guides us. Even though some sheep have
strayed off on their own, Jesus wants to bring them back. He desires
"one flock, one shepherd." We are saved by following Jesus - and that
means we become part of his one flock: the Church.
As members of that flock, we depend on him. We also help each other. I
remember when I was in the highlands of Peru, visiting some of our more
remote villages. In the evening you could see sheep huddling close to
each for warmth and security. At a distance you could sometimes hear
the howl of some potential predator. Like those sheep, we not only need
the shepherd, but we rely on each other for warmth, safety and
encouragement.
That is where the Appeal comes in. It provides for the training of
seminarians. They will become the priests who will shepherd in Jesus
name. The Appeal also make possible a structure of religious education
and youth ministry in the Archdiocese. It provides ministry for
brothers and sisters in hospitals, jails and homeless.
A couple of weeks ago - on Divine Mercy Sunday - Fr. Frank Pavone spoke
about receiving God's mercy and extending it to others. He described
ways we reach out to women who are in crisis pregnancies, as well as
healing for those who have been involved in the tragedy of abortion.
The Annual Catholic Appeal, by supporting Catholic Community Services
and Project Rachel, is an important part of that effort.
I could say a lot more about the Appeal. After all, it funds some 63
outreach agencies...
Before asking you to fill out your pledge envelope, let me sum up: We
are saved by Jesus alone. That salvation involves taking up our role as
members of Jesus' flock, the Church. The Annual Catholic Appeal is a
vital part of our participation in the Church.
************
Intercessions for Fourth Sunday of Easter (from Priests for Life)
Spanish Version
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http://www.agreeley.com/homilies.html
4 Easter
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http://www.saintvincentarchabbey.org/homilies/index.lasso
4 Easter
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Fourth Sunday of Easter
Gospel Summary
In our largely urban society we tend to glamorize sheep herding. In
fact, and especially in Jesus' day, it was a lonely, harsh and
dangerous occupation. Jesus was not using hyperbole, therefore, when he
says that the good shepherd must be ready to lay down his life for the
sheep. It is only the bad shepherd, for whom the sheep are of merely
utilitarian value, who flees because he is unwilling to risk his own
life when they are attacked.
Jesus is not really talking about sheep herding, of course. He is
speaking instead about the intimate, personal bond that must exist
between him and his followers. He offers his life for them, and they
respond in total trust, so that they know and love Jesus in the same
deeply personal way that Jesus knows and loves his heavenly Father.
Life Implications
We live in a world that seems to prize personal freedom above
everything else. The problem with that is that one person's use of
freedom may easily infringe upon the rights of someone else. In such
cases, one must recognize that, in a society of many individuals,
personal freedom cannot be absolute. When Frank Sinatra sang, "I did it
my way," he was making beautiful music but expressing very dubious
theology. The ideal is to live life, not in my way, but in the right
way.
When Jesus says that he is the good shepherd, he certainly means that
he sacrifices his comfort and safety for the sake of others. There is a
graphic description of bad shepherds in Ezechiel (34:2-3): "Ah, you
shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not
shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with
the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep."
Such selfish shepherds do not care for their sheep at all but instead
mistreat them as they use them for the satisfaction of their own needs.
If we wish to be followers of the good shepherd, we must have that same
relationship with God that Jesus did. This means that we must open
ourselves to the reality of God's love for us and then do all that we
can to make that love a reality in the lives of others. This will often
mean that we will place the interests and needs of others before our
own wishes and preferences. In other words, we will often "do it their
way." This may, at first glance, appear to be a recipe for
disappointment and servitude, but such a conclusion will be reached
only by those who have never tried it. The good shepherd is also a
happy shepherd!
This concern for others will create in us that wonderful sense of
"knowing" Jesus and being "known" by him. In other words, we will sense
the presence of Jesus in our lives in a way that transcends all the
external elements of religion. These elements will remain important but
we will understand that they are really meant to lead us to a personal
and mystical experience of Jesus in all the circumstances of our lives.
When that happens, we will recognize instinctively the voice of our
good shepherd and gladly follow him into God's wonderfully mysterious
future.
Demetrius R. Dumm, O.S.B.
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http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/lowhome.html Meeting Christ in the Liturgy
4 Easter
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Fourth
Sunday
Acts 4, 8-12; Psalm 117; 1 John 3, 1-2; John 10, 11-18
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Jesus Christ is truly risen. Through the glory of the Resurrection the
triune God reveals himself so that we may believe. "Christ's
Resurrection is an object of faith in that it is a transcendent
intervention of God himself in creation and history. In it the three
divine persons act together as one, and manifest their own proper
characteristics. The Father's power 'raised up' Christ his Son and by
doing so perfectly introduced his Son's humanity, including his body,
into the Trinity. Jesus is conclusively revealed as 'Son of God in
power according to the Spirit of holiness by his Resurrection from the
dead.' (Rom 1:3-4; cf. Acts 2:24) St. Paul insists on the manifestation
of God's power (Cf. Rom 6:4; 2 Cor 13:4; Phil 3:10; Eph 1:19-22; Heb
7:16) through the working of the Spirit who gave life to Jesus' dead
humanity and called it to the glorious state of Lordship." (CCC 648)
But, many ask, how do we know here and now that this God-Man has risen
for us, that we now share in his life, that we too will rise again? "I
am the Resurrection and the Life", says the Lord, "he who believes in
me, though he die, yet shall he live." (Jn 11:25) Our belief is his
gift that we may have life "abundantly". (Jn 10:10) But by this faith
we are to live in relationship to Christ, finding security and
sustenance in him: "I am the door; if anyone enters by me, he will be
saved, and will go in and out and will find pasture." (Jn 10:9)
There is a door through which all of us must pass: the door of death
which leads beyond this earthly life. Jesus Christ has gone through
this door, having died according to the flesh, and he has revealed that
death has no power over him because he is Lord of life. He has returned
from that journey to tell us the way, to show us how to live so that
when we die we need have no fear of death's danger. Again and again he
greets us with the words "Peace be with you" after his Resurrection.
Peace is ours because all fear is cast out when we place perfect faith
in Him who is Life and who gives life. For those who love Him and
surrender to His lordship Christ is the door. Whoever departs this
world through him will be "safe". How do we enter the sheepfold? Where
in the world is the "gate" of which Jesus speaks? Who are the thieves
and hirelings of whom we must beware?
"You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates
of Hades will not prevail against it.' ( Mt 16:18) Christ, the 'living
stone,' (1 Pet 2:4) thus assures his Church, built on Peter, of victory
over the powers of death. Because of the faith he confessed Peter will
remain the unshakable rock of the Church. His mission will be to keep
this faith from every lapse and to strengthen his brothers in it. (Cf.
Lk 22:32)" (CCC 552)
An ancient saying helps us to find our way: "where Peter is, there is
the Church", ubi Petrus, ibi ecclesia. "Jesus entrusted a specific
authority to Peter: 'I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,
and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever
you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.' (Mt 16:19) The 'power of
the keys' designates authority to govern the house of God, which is the
Church. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, confirmed this mandate after his
Resurrection: 'Feed my sheep.' (Jn 21:15-17; cf. 10:11) The power to
'bind and loose' connotes the authority to absolve sins, to pronounce
doctrinal judgments, and to make disciplinary decisions in the Church.
Jesus entrusted this authority to the Church through the ministry of
Peter, the only one to whom he specifically entrusted the keys of the
kingdom." (CCC 553)
The choice is ours to make. If we are to be preserved from the "powers
of death", the curse of those who pass through the "gates of Hades",
then we must live in the Church against which the jaws of death shall
never prevail. We must surrender to the governance of the Holy Father
as to Christ himself: in absolution, doctrine and discipline.
The Church, in union with Peter the rock throughout the world, is the
gate through which all men go to eternal life. Blessed be God who has
given the gift. Now it is up to us to preach and live the truth about
the Church, "house of God and gate of heaven", in which we confidently
and joyfully look forward to passing safely through the danger of death
into the eternal embrace of the triune God.
Let us pray: Almighty and ever-living God, give us new strength from
the courage of Christ our shepherd, and lead us to join the saints in
heaven, where he lives and reigns with you and the holy Spirit, one
God, for ever and ever. (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/
4 Easter
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Having
just heard the Gospel passage in which Christ describes himself as the
Good Shepherd you will not be surprised to learn that this is called
Good Shepherd Sunday. Nor perhaps that it is a Day of Prayer for
Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life—and nowadays thankfully
we must also add the Diaconate.
I was talking to one of my brothers who lives in a parish twice the
size of this one which has only one priest. A retired priest used to
help out with the masses just as Father Charles does here. But sadly
that priest died, and now they must look seriously at the situation and
may have to make some difficult decisions.
More and more parishes across the country are facing a similar
situation. The number of priests in active ministry has dropped by over
20% in the last 20 years and this trend looks set to continue.
I wrote in my annual report to the parish about the vocations crisis
saying that I thought had been a boom in vocations since the war and
that now we are returning to normal levels. And I stick to this opinion.
What I didn’t say was that before the war the Catholic population was
concentrated in certain parts of the country whereas now it is spread
much more evenly throughout the population. Catholics are about 9% of
the population in England and Wales with higher numbers only in London
and the North West.
What this means is that we have a lot of small parishes in relation to
most other countries. Many parishes in England have a mass attendance
of only 200-300 people. This parish has about 400 weekly mass
attendance, but that includes 30 women at the Saturday morning mass in
Eastwood Park Prison.
The Bishop told us during his homily at the Chrism Mass recently that
there would be more parishes without resident priests. He said: Already
this summer it looks as if there will be more gaps than priests to fill
them.
He went on to say: This may provide the opportunity for greater
responsibility to be taken on by lay people and deacons and an
opportunity for everybody to reflect upon the ministry of priesthood.
We need to promote vocations to the priesthood and this needs to be a
concern for us all. But I believe until we all have a deeper
understanding of what it is to be the Church and share in the mission
of the Church, there will not be an increase in those offering
themselves for ordained ministry.
The Bishop is saying something significant to us all. He is asking each
one of us to deepen our understanding of what it is to be Church. He is
asking each one of us to take a greater share in the life of the parish.
He reckons that it is only when we play a fuller role in parish that we
will see an increase in the number of priests.
I think the Bishop is absolutely right. I discovered my own vocation
here in this parish of Christ the King and I think I did so because I
was surrounded by people who were very active in the life of the
parish. Yes, there were some good priests here but it was the fact that
most of the people I knew took their share of responsibility within
this community that made all the difference.
Although there are less people coming to mass here now than there was
twenty years ago there are just as many activities, just as much going
on here now as then. This is a good parish. There is more going on here
than in most parishes of its size. There is a high proportion of people
who do a lot more than just come to mass.
With this being the case our parish ought to be a good seedbed for
vocations. And indeed it is, certainly for the permanent diaconate. But
we still need priests and this is something we ought to think about,
something we ought to talk about and certainly something we ought to
pray for.
We have also benefited from the service of religious Sisters for many
years and yet there is only one sister who came from this parish and
that was forty years ago.
So it seems that although we do a lot of things very well there is
still work to do. We involve young people in a tremendous number of
areas of parish life. And Octopus and the Guide and Scout Movements
enable lots of young people to develop their talents and gradually
assume responsibility.
But do we challenge our young people in the area of faith-development?
Do we provide them with an adequate forum in which they can examine
their faith? I suggest that we do not. And this is an important area in
which we need to do more as a parish.
Please let me know if you have any ideas in this regard.
The Bishop is right, we have to learn more what it is to be Church and
we have to take responsibility for mission. If we each do this then we
will not have to worry overmuch about a shortage of vocations.
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Father Bonar will not be posting homilies for Cycle B to allow himself
time for other projects. His collection of homilies (including homilies
for Cycle B) is available at www.clydebonar.com.
4 Easter |
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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
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