Pope Benedict on Divine Maercy

God’s passionate love for his people — for humanity — is at the same time a forgiving love. It is so great that it turns God against himself, his love against his justice."


Think about that for a moment as we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday.

Jesus, I trust in You! These are the words centered on Divine Mercy. To have these words pressed upon our lips throughout the day speaks of a faith that is profound, a hope that is a live and love that is burning with zeal. This is how we become like the son for the world around us.

Jesus, I trust in you.

Words from JPII

At difficult moments in the Church’s life, the pursuit of holiness becomes even more urgent. And holiness is not a question of age; it is a matter of living in the Holy Spirit. [...]

Do not let that hope die! Stake your lives on it! We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son.

Heart to heart

This morning in the letter of Peter I encountered this phrase; really it is more an invitation to vitality in faith, to be alive in God.

St Peter states the following. "venerate the Lord, that is Jesus christ, in your heart!"

There it is. There is the invitation to be alive in God, to be alive in the world, to be alive. We must venerate the lord in our heArt that is to speak to Him heart to heart.

To have a heart to heart is given new direction and purpose. Here we encounter prayer as the ground if vitality in out heart.
Today look into your heart and see the love of the universe present and waiting for you there. Enter in, have a heart to heart.

Hymn to get you started:
Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm;
for love is strong as death.

Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it.

Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm;
for love is strong as death.

He has appeared

The gospel today recounts the road of encounter as the disciples meet Jesus after the resurrection. Jesus walks with them unknown to them.

Pause there for a moment. Jesus is present to them and they remain imperfect to him. How often is this the case in our life? Jesus is near to us yet we fail to recognize him who journeys with us along the way.

Then only in the breaking of the bread does his appearance materialize before them. In the action of the Eucharist, Jesus makes himself known.

The disciples describe it as an appearance, "he has appeared to us" they recall.

In fact more correctly Jesus doesn't appear but rather he makes himself seen. He chooses the action of the Eucharist, the breaking of bread to make himself known. What was hidden and out of sight is now visible to the senses. Jesus makes himself seen.

This means that Jesus after the resurection is different. He belongs to a sphere of reality which is normally withdrawn from our senses. In the Eucharist he invites us to step into this reality that is beyond our senses. He invites us to enter into this "new" way of being that belongs to God.

This is his gift to us in the breaking of the bread. What a gift this is? Already in the Eucharist we get a taste of what lies ahead for us. This is truly an anticipation and a making present of life in the Blessed Trinity.

He has appeared to us. How often? Every time we gather at the altar and enter into the action of breaking bread. This us why in the Acts of the apostles we are told that the early church devoted themselves daily to the breaking of the bread. Who could ever just limit themselves to once a week? Who would dare refuse to be drawn into reality itself as Jesus makes himself seen in the bread that us blessed, the bread that is broken, the bread that is given for the life of the world.

The Eucharist and the resurrection are inseparable; the resurrection makes the Eucharist and the Eucharist prepares us for the resurrection:"he who eats my body and drinks my blood will not die but have eternal life."

In deed he has made himself known. What a gift!

Your father and my father

Today in the gospel we encounter Mary looking for Jesus. The tomb is open and the body is missing. In her haste she sees a man who She thinks is the gardener. This gardener as she assumes is really Jesus but she cannot recognize him in that moment.

Why can't Mary recognize Jesus who is right in front of her nose?

Two things...
One) she can't see Jesus because of her grief. Her grief blinds her. The darkness of sorrow keeps her from recognizing the face of Jesus that stands before her. Grief does this. It keeps us from seeing clearly.


Second) Jesus is different. He is not the same. The resurrection changed how Jesus is to be recognized. He has entered into suffering and redeems it. He has entered death and brought light. Thus, he stretches our limits, the limits we place on how God can be and is in our life.

The thing that remains the same is the sound of Mary's name from the lips of Jesus.

Faith comes by hearing. Though our eyes may fail the call of Jesus remains the same.

Jesus' call brings Mary back to reality and leads her through her Grief. It also empowers her to speak the nAme of Christ to others since she has heard her name in him. Having heard our name pulls us from ourselves and empowers us to speak to others. It changes how we speak the names of those around us. Once he has addressed us we now address others with that same compassion.

We speak the name of others as he speaks ours.

Only then can we recognize the reality of belonging to the same family;; thus we can say with Christ, my father and his father. And your father is our father.

The resurrection is the tie that binds us all together.

He was buried

Today is easter saturday, which the name already suggest a joyful end to the destruction we experienced yesterday.

Our creed simple states about today that "he was buried."

He was buried. Think about that for a moment. Goodness itself has entered into the dark, damp, cold ground. The one who was the light of the world, the one who brought the warmth of eternity to earth has now embraced the coldness of death.

He is really dead. He fully participates in all that is human. Jesus travels the path of death right to the bitter and seemingly hopeless end in the tomb.

This is why we visit cemeteries today, at least traditional. We go to visit the dead for is this not what Christ does today. As we anticipate this evening vigil of resurrection we pause to remember that reality that Jesus descends into the place of the dead and visits them, he talks with them as only one who is dead can do.

As Christians it is here that our liveliness emanates; from this place of of sorrow, of anguish, of defeat, of desolation, of doubt we will encounter life.

For we anticipate the empty tomb and it is in this emptiness that we begin to be filled anew. But first we sit with Christ in the silence of his tomb, knocking, waiting, longing for truth to be known, he is risen. But in order to be risen, one must first die.

good friday: speechless

As we meditate on the Crucifixion of Our Lord here are a few words to guide our meditation.

Isaiah 52:13-15

"See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted. Even as many were amazed at him-so marred was his look beyond that of man, and his appearance beyond that of mortals-so shall he startle nations, because of him kings shall stand speechless: for those who have not been told shall see, those who have not heard shall ponder it."



Speechless.....

My favorite part of the gospel of the passion of John is where it simply states the fact that "he bowed his head and handed over his spirit."

Think about that for a moment. It this simple gesture he speaks volumes. Bowing his head and handing over his spirit he reminds how salvation comes to us in trust and surrender. This is the way of salvation. All the suffering, all the pain and hurt, all of this and more culminates and finds its strength in trust and surrender.

This is always and the only way to salvation. Salvation comes into our world by way of trust and surrender. Father into your hand sI commend my Spirit.

All we can think is What wondrous love is this....

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