Archive for March, 2008

Intimate Union with Christ

theophilus March 21st, 2008

This day is one to spend in intimate union with the Lord.  Good Friday – the day to truly be there with Christ in body, mind and spirit as he sacrifices himself to save us and bring us to the fullness of redemption.

Let us all be in church at some point today.  Let us gaze upon Christ on the Cross.  Attending a service.  Kissing the cross.  Truly contemplating the words, “[t]his is the wood of the cross, on which hung the Savior of the world.” 

Let us really listen to the Passion - placing ourselves in the scene.  Placing ourselves in the sandals of the apostles who for the most part spent this day watching from afar.  Placing ourselves with the grieving women, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus – all of whom stepped up in Jesus’ last hours and the immediate aftermath of his death.

Let us pray the Way of the Cross, walking the path that Jesus walked that faithful day – for us.  Let us pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary and join ourselves to the sorrow of our Blessed Mother.  Being with her as she suffers through the death of her son.

Let us fast as an act of love to Christ.  Focusing on pray, not the emptiness of our stomachs.  Eating only what is necessary to give us the minimum amount of  strength and energy for the day – while staying within the guidelines of our Church.  Fasting from all activity except prayer, work, service, and watching at least some part of the first round of March Madness.

Let us truly pray today with all of the faithful throughout the world for the Church, the Pope, the clergy and laity of the Church, those preparing for baptism, the unity of Christians, the Jewish people, those who do not believe in Christ, those who do not believe in God, all in public office, and those in special need.

At the final blessing today, we hear -

“Lord, send down your abundant blessing upon your people who have devoutly recalled the death of your Son in the sure hope of the resurrection.  Grant them pardon; bring them comfort.  May their faith grow stronger and their eternal salvation be assured.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.”

May we live today in the fullness of Christ and be worthy of the promise of this blessing.  May we be worthy of the mercy, forgivenss, and salvation offered by Christ.  May we show our gratitude to the one who has given us all things.

Let us have a truly holy Good Friday.

Lock and Load – Holy Thursday is Here!

theophilus March 20th, 2008

Time to lock and load!

This is it – the highlight of our year as Christians.

Today starts the Easter Triduum – it’s Holy Thursday.

We know what today is about - go to Mass, take the kids, celebrate the Last Supper and the first Eucharist, wash the feet, prepare to fast – truly contemplate how Christ gave himself to us in body, blood and spirit.

Let’s enter into Christ’s world for the next 72 or so hours.  Let’s envision that we are present during the Passion and the three days that followed – from the Breaking of the Bread through the Resurrection.

Let’s truly get in touch with our Lord and Savior and the true depths of his love for us.  Let’s prepare ourselves to be his face in our world from Easter Sunday on.  Let’s truly experience the sorrow and joy of the next four days.

Let’s sink into the awe-inspiring majesty of this sacred moment.

To Serve – Not to Be Served

theophilus March 19th, 2008

Do we serve?  Or do we seek to be served?

Today’s Mass Communion Antiphon quotes Jesus in Matthew 20 when he declares that he “did not come to be served, but to serve.”

Jesus served us throughout his public ministry – throughout the Passion – on the Cross.  He serves us still today.

But do we serve him – do we serve each other?

Think about it – wives, children, parents, friends, fellow parishoners, our co-workers, our employees, others in our community – so many people that need us to step up and serve them.  So many people that Christ expects us to step up and serve.  And by serving them, we serve him.

We need to always be thinking about what we can do throughout the day to serve others – to make life easier for others – to help others with their needs.

We need to become other-centered, instead of self-centered.

And by serving others, we can be the face of Christ to those we serve.  We can help build the kingdom of God here on earth.

Over the next four days, we will journey through the Passion and Resurrection - God’s supreme act of divine service to man.  We need to return this act of love each and every day of our lives.  We do so by serving others – each and every day of our lives. 

Betrayal and Redemption

theophilus March 18th, 2008

Today’s gospel (John 13) has two foreshadowing passages of the Passion. 

“‘Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.’  The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant.”

Hours later, one of the disciples – Judas – would betray him. 

“I will lay down my life for you.”

Hours later, the apostle who spoke these words – St. Peter – would deny Christ three times.

Why didn’t Jesus reach across the table and smack these two across the head?  Why didn’t he get in their faces and tell them what fools they were?  These two were showing such cowardliness – such self-righteousness –  such stupidity.  And it spread to the other apostles.  Only one of the twelve would stay with Jesus until the end – until the Cross.

But, we shouldn’t look too smugly at these two because we are all Judas and Peter at various points in our lives – when we betray Christ – when we deny him.

And, that’s why Jesus didn’t rebuke Judas and Peter.  He let them betray him so that he could save us all.  So that when we act like Judas or like Peter, we know his mercy can flow to us and his saving power overwhelm us.  That no matter how badly we screw up, he is there to redeem us.

Judas never got to see Christ’s saving grace played out.  He was too self-absorbed.  St. Peter did get to see Christ’s saving grace first hand.  He would be the first to witness the saving power of the Cross.

We’ve heard it said so many times before - but do we truly believe it?  That no matter what we have done – no matter the mistakes we have made – no matter what obstacles are in front of us – we can be redeemed and start anew.  We don’t have to stay on the wrong path – doing the same wrong thing over and over again.  We can receive Christ’s forgiveness and start walking the path intended for us by God.  We can pick ourselves up and be on our way to building Christ’s kingdom.

We just need to put our betrayal behind us, ask for forgiveness, and move forward in union with Christ.  We just need to believe there is a better life.

And it starts with talking with the one we’ve betrayed – talking with Jesus, man-to-man.  He will forgive us.  He will lift us back up.  He will show us the way.

Why Couldn’t the Pharisees See?

theophilus March 17th, 2008

It’s the great unanswered question of our time – it’s the great unanswered question of all ages since Christ walked the earth.

With so much good happening in our world – why can’t people see?  Why can’t they believe?  Why can’t they acknowledge that Christ is real – that he walked among us in his divine humanity – that he walks among us still through the actions of his disciples – through us?

Today’s gospel (John 12) has the chief priests coming to Bethany to see Jesus and Lazarus.  They knew Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead – they knew that a great miracle had occured.  Yet, upon seeing Lazarus, they wanted to kill both Jesus and Lazarus.

Why were they so blind?

Today’s first reading (Isaiah 42) talks about a “light for the nations” and “open[ing] the eyes of the blind” and freeing “those who live in darkness.”  These references are important because we all walk in darkness at various points in our life.  It’s only through our faith in Christ that allows our eyes to be opened and our blindness lifted.

But too many of us are like the high priests.  We do not allow our sight to be restored.  We do not allow ourselves to see.  We do not allow ourselves to receive the mercy and salvation that can only come from walking in faith with our Lord. 

In today’s gospel, Jesus is getting into it with Judas who is complaining about Mary annointing Jesus with expensive oil.  Jesus responds by saying “You always have the poor with you.”  I always took this passage as saying we would always have those in material need.  But, I wonder whether Jesus instead was referring to a knowledge that there would always be those who would refuse to believe despite any miracles or good deeds he would work.  He knew there would always be some who would just simply refuse to see.  They may not be materially poor – but they are certainly spiritually poor. 

On this Holy Monday, let’s assess how well we are seeing Christ.  Let’s resolve to open our eyes to the world around us – and see Christ’s work in our lives.  Let’s rise up and do what is asked of us so that others may see Christ’s work in us.  Let us escape whatever spiritual poverty we may have and help others escape their spiritual poverty.

Let us refuse to be blind any longer.

Reflections on the Passion

theophilus March 16th, 2008

As I was listening to the Passion Narrative this morning at Mass, several events struck me in ways different than the other scores of time that I have heard this passage.

- Peter, James and John couldn’t stay awake with Christ in the Garden – Judas outright betrayed him – the apostles scurried away from him after the arrest – Peter three times denied him – the people (who moments before had been proclaiming him as the Messiah) turned him over to death in exchange for a revolutionary criminal – the Pharisees still wallowed in their disbelief despite witnessing the mystical and natural miracles upon the moment of Christ’s death.

But that’s not all.

- Simon of Cyrene took up the cross – John was there as Christ “gave up his spirit” – Joseph of Arimathea took down his body and buried him – Mary, the mother of James and John, and Mary Magadalene sat vigil at the tomb – the Centurion proclaimed that “truly, this was the Son of God!” after witnessing the mystical and natural miracles.

So, we have two groups of folks to emulate – one group was full of fear, disbelief, fatigue – the other group was full of courage, faith, perserverance.  One group was composed of people who had followed Christ but stumbled and those who would never believe.  The other group was composed of those who had remained faithful and those who were newly converted.

Which group do we want to emulate?  Which group do we in reality emulate?

Most of us want to be counted with the likes of Simon, John, Joseph, the centurion and the two Mary’s.  But, in reality, most of us go through life too often like Peter, James and John (asleep), or Peter (in denial), or Judas and the people (outright betrayal), or the Pharisees (disbelief), or the apostles (fear).

We are at the end of Lent.  Hopefully, we have undertaken the introspection needed to determine where we are concerning our relationship with Christ and how we are living our lives.  Hopefully, we have grown and are ready to move forward to build Christ’s kingdom.  But, even if we are not, we can use this coming week – Holy Week – to listen to God and be ready to rise on Easter morning refreshed, renewed, and ready to move forward in service to our Lord.

And, even if we find ourselves in that first group, we can take comfort from knowing that Peter, James, John, and the rest of the apostles all redeemed themselves.  They were all forgiven and went on to lay the foundations of our Church. 

All except for one.  Judas didn’t accept Christ’s promise of mercy and salvation.  He didn’t allow Christ’s saving grace to deliver him from the pain and sorrow of his betrayal.  He took matters into his own hands and turned away from Christ one last and final time when he hung the noose from the tree.  Even Judas could have gone on to do good works – to spread Christ’s word – to build his kingdom.  St. Paul did it – why couldn’t Judas.  But he never gave Christ a chance.

So, again, let us ask – who are we and who do we want to become.  Are we the apostles who stumbled and picked themselves back up to continue along Christ’s path?  Or, are we Judas, who fell and wouldn’t/couldn’t get back up?

We have one last week before Easter to pick ourselves up and continue along the way.  Let’s truly listen to God and take advantage of all that Holy Week has to offer (e.g. Tenebrae on Holy Wednesday, Mass of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday, the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday, Easter Vigil, the Mass of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday).

Let’s make it a great and truly holy week.

Mary & Martha’s Faith

theophilus March 9th, 2008

How could they not believe?  They had just seen a miracle surpassing anything Jesus had done to date – he had raised Lazarus from the dead!

Today’s gospel (John 11) tells us that after witnessing the miracle “Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him.”

How could they not believe?

But some did not.  Prior to the miracle, we learn that “some of them said ‘Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?’”  While I would hope that the “some” who uttered this nonsense saw the miracle and believed, we know that some did not as John refers to “many” and not “all” when referring to those who believed.  There were “some” who still failed to see that this man was Christ.

Why is this?  Why the stubborness?  Why the ignorance?

Jesus had earlier told his disciples that “If one walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”  Those who believed started walking in the day.  Those who failed to believe continued to walk in the night.

But let’s bring Mary & Martha into the discussion.  We know that Jesus had a special place in his heart for these two sisters.  Lazarus was their brother and Jesus’ special affection spread to him as well.  These siblings were a special and holy family. 

When Lazarus died, Martha told Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.”  Mary likewise exclaimed to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  These blessed sisters believed – they believed that Christ could have saved their brother from death. 

But, even Martha couldn’t comprehend the depth of Jesus’ power – Jesus told her that her “brother will rise.”  Her response was “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.”  Jesus then solicits from her an incredible and profound profession of faith – “Yes, Lord.  I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

At the 1980 Winter Olympics as the Americans were about to defeat the mighty Soviets, Al Michaels asked of us, “Do you believe in miracles?”  And we must ask ourselves today, “Do we believe in miracles?”  Do we believe in Christ so fully and so completely that we believe he can do anything – that he can work miracles?

Mary & Martha believed.  “Many” of those witnessing the rising of Lazarus believed.  Too many did not.

Do we believe?  Do we have Mary & Martha’s faith?

Do we? 

“You are Not From Here, Are You?”

theophilus March 8th, 2008

We always seem to be afraid of other people who don’t look like us, think like us or hold our same customs and practices.  This fear is especially acute when these “other people” are new to a community or culture.  We have seen it time and again in our American culture – even among those of the same faith.  For example, here in Cincinnati, we have churches that started as Irish parishes and those started as German parishes – with some of these parishes being within a 5-iron of each other.

In today’s gospel (John 7), Jesus is preaching in Galilee and the people don’t know what to think of what he is saying.  He is opening eyes, ears and hearts with his word.  Some were proclaiming him to be the “Christ.” 

But others couldn’t believe – especially the Pharisees.  They retorted – “Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”  Galileans were looked down upon by the Jewish authorities (as were the neighboring Samarians).   The Pharisees just couldn’t believe that anyone holy could come from Galilee.  They were the “other people.”

It is also interesting that some who knew their scripture correctly pointed out that “The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he?  Does not Scipture say that the Christ will be of David’s family and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”  They knew their scripture but they didn’t know enough to ask a very basic question of Jesus – “where were you born?”  If they had thought to ask this question, I’m sure Jesus would have told them and they would have been that much closer to believing that Christ had come.  But, they didn’t ask.  Why?  They didn’t ask because we tend not to ask questions of the “other people.”  We tend to avoid getting to know them.  As long as they are the “other people,” we do not need to consider them as individuals and fellow children of God.

The American culture has been characterized as a “melting pot.”  Eventually, the “other people” become assimilated into the American identity and cease being the “other people.”  They become Americans.  And that is the good news and the hope for America.

But, it starts with us individually.  We have to be treat people as individuals and be accepting of their cultures and traditions.  On the flip side, they need to assimiliate into the American melting pot.  We can’t be distrustful of each other and avoid living together as Americans.  We have to ask questions of each other and get to know each other – as individuals.

The Pharisees were distrustful of Jesus because he was a Galilean.  We cannot make the same mistake – because in the end, we are all children of God and supposed to be on the same path – the path of Christ.

Our Sons Are Watching!

theophilus March 5th, 2008

There is a song by Phillips, Craig & Dean with a verse something along the lines of . . .

“Lord, I want to be just like you, ’cause he wants to be just like me.”

It’s a song about a father realizing that he needs to be more like Christ and our Father in heaven because his son wants to be just like him.

And all I need to do is watch my 4-year old and know that he does want to be just like me – and it scares the heck out of me.

Today’s gospel (John 5) brings home the point when Jesus teaches that -

Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own,
but only what he sees the Father doing;
for what he does, the Son will do also.

I know my son is watching – he sees what I am doing – what I do, he also will do.  I see it in how he plays, how he battles his temper, how he loves his mother, how he cares for his sister, his fearlessness in some things and his timidity in others.  He insisted that my wife buy him a toy razor so he could shave.  He occasionally will insist that he wears ties.  He pounds away on the keyboard of a dead laptop. 

And better yet, he looks just like me and has my sense of humor. 

But, like any man, I fail – I have faults and weaknesses – I sin.  And I know my son will look at me and repeat my failures, my faults, my weaknesses, my sins – unless, I strengthen my own character, deepen my own faith, correct my own faults, and teach him the difference between right and wrong.  I need to give him a sense of moral certitude and a foundation of masculine confidence.  He can build on my strengths without replicating my weaknesses.

And that’s the case for all of us fathers.  Our sons are looking to us to learn how to be a man.  So, each and every day, we must look through their eyes at who we are and how we act.  Do we want them to become the man we are today?

But, we need not worry about our son’s perception of us if we follow Christ – if we obey our Father in heaven – if we walk the path set before us.  If our sons see a good Christlike person, they will emulate us.  They may see our weaknesses – but it’ s ok for them to understand that even the most Christlike of men can fail.  The important issue is how we deal with our shortcomings.

We also must remember that we cannot be in tune with our sons if we are not with them.  We cannot replace our presence in their lives.  They must not be left to their mothers alone (no matter how great their mothers may be – and I am blessed that my son has a great one).

Let us rise up to the challenge of being like Christ in the eyes of our son.  Let our sons look at us and learn how to be a good and Christlike man.  Let’s ensure that we are their role models.  And no matter what we do, let us always remember that they are watching our every move.  
 

“Do You Want to Be Well?”

theophilus March 4th, 2008

“Do you want to be well?”

It’s the question Jesus asks of the disabled man in today’s gospel (John 5). 

It’s the question Jesus asks of each of us – do we want to be well?

I tend to think that I go through life with a healthy dose of optimism balanced by an equally healthy dose of pessimism.  I believe that we are all sick in some way or another – some of us physically – some of us emotionally – some of us spiritually – some of us a combination.  Yet, we all have the capability to be healed – we just need to turn to God and ask for mercy and forgiveness.

But, the first step is in realizing and admitting that we are sick – that we need healing.  We are so inundated with a watered down sense of what is right and wrong that I believe most of us have lost our moral compass.  We move about our lives believing that we are doing right, when in truth we are so far afield of Christ’s path that we can’t even see the path we are supposed to be on.

This conversation is especially pertinent during Lent – when we are asked to review our lives and ask for forgiveness in the areas where we are falling short.  But, if we do not know our shortcomings, how can we ask for, nevermind receive, forgiveness.  Our culture has rationlized morality downwards to such an extent that most of us do not even have the self-awareness to realize we need Christ’s mercy.

Called by Name and Ten Reasons recently have had some good posts on this topic.  It’s a conversation worth having, because how can we heal if we don’t even know we are sick?

Do we want to be well?  Of course, we do – but we first must acknowledge that we are in need of healing.

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