rejoice

Luke 1:26-38

Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Today is one of the two days in which we genuflect instead of bow when we pray the words of the creed, "by the power of the Holy Spirit, he was born of the Virgin May, and became man."

We genuflect in order to emulate the divine action of God stooping down from on high and humbling becoming one of us.  

Today we celebrate that God meets us where we are to raise us up to new heights. As the psalm reminds us, "Lord you have set me on heights I was unable to reach on my own."

Today we genuflect in solemn joy, as we recall the first word that inaugurates Jesus into history, the first word that made known God entering history, eternal entering time, the unlimited joining himself to the limited nature of man.  

The first word that inaugurates Christianity into history, is the word of the Angel Gabriel to Mary, "Rejoice."  Rejoice highly favored one.  In deed this day we let the joy of Mary, the joy of Humanity, echo in our hearts as we fall to our knees in the great gesture of solemn joy. 

Today we receive the gift from on high, the gift of rejoicing.

breakfast

John 21:1-14

"Come, have breakfast."

Come, be refreshed from your labors; come, eat and drink and take a reprieve so that you might be re directed; come, refresh yourself in my presence; come, unload the burden you carry of not finding anything; come, rest your sorrowful souls; come, and be filled with my presence; come, find true meaning and satisfaction; come express your gratitude and thanks; come sing my praise.

"Come, have breakfast."

The words of Christ to the disciples is an invitation to live differently; it is an invitation to start anew; it is an invitation to let the worries and troubles pass and embrace the present moment.

"Come, have breakfast."

This is the invitation of Christ every time we gather at the altar and the bread is broken and shared and new life is given as we say "Amen!"

"Amen" indeed, let it be done unto me, let it be true; let this food be for me the newness of life I long for.

"Come, have breakfast." 

The most important meal of the day, this daily bread in which we have our fill. 

Why bother with anything less.  

"Come, have breakfast!"

Emmaus walk

Luke 24:13-35

Today we read a familiar gospel text in which the disciples are leaving Jerusalem and heading toward Emmaus.  A stranger meets them along the way and ask them what is going on.  The disciples, as the gospel writer relates, are down cast, that is they are gloomy. 

This seems a bit strange.  Why would they be gloomy?  They tell the stranger about the good news; how the women met the angels and the angels informed them that Jesus was alive.  They tell the stranger how some disciples from their group went to the tomb and verified what the women had found.

They were aware of the reality of the resurrection  yet they remained downcast and gloomy.  Why?

It seems upon speculation that the reason the disciples were sad was because they were awaiting Jesus to appear to them personally.  They were selfish in their desire to see Jesus rise.  It wasn't enough that he rose, but they wanted him to rise for them, make himself known to them just as he did to the women and the other disciples.

It is always amazing how good news revealed to one can be bad news to another, simply because it wasn't given to him personally. 

The beauty of the resurrection, however, isn't that Jesus reveals himself to each individual disciple, but rather when he reveals himself to one he reveals himself to all.  When Jesus speaks to one he necessarily speaks to all and this is the true power of the good news.  We do not need t0 be eye witnesses to be transformed by the resurrection.  Faith is not self-centered, it is God-centered if it is to be faith at all. 

Jesus through his radical love for us, in which the heart of God touches the heart of man, takes light from heaven and brings it to earth and enflames love that is immortal in each of us.   This immortal love moves us beyond the sensible, beyond the selfish, and helps us to seek the things above, empowering us to truly see and experience the resurrected Christ in the breaking of the bread. 

Easter laughter

Acts 2:36-41; JOhn 20:11-18

As I approach my trip to Australia this summer, I have decided to do a little research, especially regarding the animals.  There are many intriguing species, as well as, many poisonous species.  There is the box jellyfish that can kill in minutes, the red back spider that is like the black widow, the brown and tiger snakes that are not your ordinary garden snakes. There is the salt water crocodile and sharks that are always hungry.  There are also Kangaroos and dingos.

But the most intriguing animals by far is a bird, the Kookabura.  The Kookabura, is a creature that looks like a cross between a duck and barn swallow.  It is small and squatty with a big bill. It is known for its laughter.  It laughs.  The bird will laugh predominantly when its mate has returned from along absence.  Upon its arrival it will be greeted with laughter, almost as if the joy as returned.

When one begins to laugh they all laugh and before you know it the tree comes alive with laughter.  

In today's gospel Mary Magdalene is weeping and sad for Jesus is dead.  She sits outside the tomb filled with emptiness and grief.  Only when she looks into the empty tomb does she open herself up to conversion.  Upon realizing the tomb is empty she  is able to be open to reality,  and soon she encounters the risen Lord.  The empty tomb begins to fill her emptiness.

Her tears of sorrow and grief soon become tears of joy, as she clings to Christ, the source of joy itself.  Mary is sent on a mission to spread the news.  She is no longer the same.  She is now filled with laughter, she now begins to laugh in the laughter of God for the bridegroom has returned.   He had been absent for three days, and having returned from the dead, love now has a reason to laugh, not unlike the Kookabura bird.  The whole world now becomes charged with laughter and with the news that Mary spreads, all are invited to laugh.

Jesus has returned, love returns to bring us home, now we may laugh in the laughter of God. 

Friend

Matthew 26:14-25

Judas of Iscariot, one of the twelve, always looms large in the face of every Christian.  His willingness to betray Jesus at the mere wage of 30 pieces of silver strikes to the core of every human heart that seeks to follow Christ.

The reality remains that Judas was chosen by Jesus.  Judas was on the inside, one of the chosen ones, who was in intimate proximity to Jesus on a daily basis.  Yet, he succumbed to temptation, as St. John tells us in the gospel, the devil put it in his heart to betray Jesus.  

The image of Judas reminds each of us the potential the human heart presents to the world, the potential to be perverted, the potential to be unfaithful, the potential to give in to temptation even when we think we are close to Christ.

This is why we must build a daily communion with Christ.  Only on a daily basis do we choose to be on the side of Christ, and thus seek to purify our heart with the saving words of Christ. 

Yet what the gospel reveals most truthfully about Judas isn't what he does or how he fails, but rather what Jesus does to Judas.  

After Judas plans the betrayal he must execute it in the garden.  When he approaches Jesus in  the garden to give him the kiss of betrayal, Jesus addresses him with the word, "Friend."

Here in lies the truth of the gospel, the strength of grace, the reality of mercy.  Though our hearts might be perverted, though we might be unfaithful, though we might deny Christ time and time again, Jesus remains faithful, Jesus' heart remains unperverted.  His heart remains pure and reaches out to us in fidelity regardless of what we do or how we fail. 

Just as Jesus calls Judas "Friend" so to does he address us as "Friend".  This is the hope of Holy Week.  Jesus' heart remains filled with mercy and love towards us; this is especially revealed in the Easter Tridiuum.    

On Holy Thursday, Jesus stoops on his knees and washes our feet and we become friends; on Good Friday, Jesus exposes his heart for the world to see as he embraces the cross, his side is pierced and love pours forth; he remains faithful to us as friends.  On Easter Vigil, we celebrate the power of love which is stronger than death, the bond of friendship reaches beyond the grave and brings new life to all. 

In deed despite the wretched reality of the human heart that is always a potential rebel; the human heart of Jesus remains a sign of hope, for the purity of friendship can never be sullied by our flaws it can only be embraced as a gift for all, take and eat this is my body given for you, take and drink this is the blood shed for the all.  

Friends we remain in Him.

  

 

Passion of Christ

Matthew  26:14-27:66

Palm Sunday has arrived, Holy Week begins as we conclude our journey of lent with a more detailed look at Jesus' journey to Jerusalem, Jesus' journey to Calvary.  

 As the Passion of Christ is prayed around the world, people will gather, congregations will unite and all will be moved by the passion of Christ proclaimed, as the past echoes forth into the present, as history is re lived so that that those in the present might have life.

In the midst of the passion we will encounter many characters: 

Judas the betrayer makes himself known also as the one who laments his betrayal; his tears are filled with despair and he betrays life by betraying mercy.  Peter the rock on whom the church is built (Mt 16:18) reveals himself as a denier who is also a penitent, one who knows sorrow; he sheds tears filled with hope and clings to the prospect of mercy that the Christ reveals.  

The other disciples reveal themselves as followers who abandon their leader; they scatter when their leader is fallen, lacking the courage to take a stand, in need of strength  that will come from the shepherd's hand.

The high priest and the pharisees reveal themselves as conspirators; they are religious leaders who have forgotten their call to be shepherds and they lead the flock a stray; they are the false prophets who take advantage of the faithful and pull them along by the string of emotion, leaving them empty and void of truth.  Pilate is revealed as one who procrastinates in the presence of truth; he is too cowardly to choose sides and lets  innocent blood stain his clean hands. 

The crowd reveal themselves as  fanatically inspired seeking blood; they have abandoned reason and are pulled along by the thread of emotion that is easily manipulated and always fleeting; they put their faith in feelings yelling "crucify!" "crucify!" and abandon truth revealed in Christ, but will be awakened by the cross.  Barabbas reveals himself as one who is guilty, he reaps what he did not sow, owing his life to the one who gives his own.

Mary, the mother of Christ, and the women stand fast; they remain faithful followers through it all; they persevere to the cross, lending their support all along calvary, seeking to be true disciples no matter the cost. 

The Passion of Christ reveals the true identity of many but it especially reveals the true identity of Christ: Jesus shows himself as one who though innocent suffers punishment, he embraces death to bring life; he takes a chance to give so that we might receive.  He proves us all to be liars.  For none of us, though we call our selves lovers, have ever loved as much.  His crucified face is given for all to see, not as condemnation or judgment, but as hope for the future.  In his face wee see just what love can do, what love can endure, how love to the end transforms.  In his crucified flesh our loves is purified, and we are encouraged to love more.

As we pray the passion we must remember that it begins with chapter 26 verse 1: when Jesus had finished all his teachings that is when all the words have been said, it was now time for action as Jesus says, "now it is time for the son of man to be crucified."  

It is action in adversity that reveals true character.  Jesus is a man of his words, who silently fulfills what love demands.

May the passion of Christ strengthen us to let words fall silent and our actions remain crucified.

Vengeance

Jeremiah 20:10-13; Jn 10:31-42

In today's gospel, Jesus' life is being threatened.  The Jews pick up stones to stone him.  It sounds almost like an adventure/action film, where the hero is being threatened only to later get revenge.  

Revenge is certainly on everybody's mind.  Everybody wants vengeance.  Usually vengeance has to do with getting even, doing unto others worse than what they did unto us. 

This is certainly what Jeremiah speaks of in the first readings as he seeks vengeance, "Let me witness the vengeance you take on them."  It is particularly evil to do vengeance to another, but there is something more depraved to want to see it happen, witness it.  Just like the prophet, even the best of us can get carried away in wanting vengeance.

On Sunday we will pray the Passion of Christ, Palm Sunday.  As we pray that reality, we come in contact with God's vengeance.  God's retribution on mankind is revealed.  In the face of Christ crucified we see the vengeance of God.  

God's retribution is mercy; God's retribution is not seeking death to  others but about bringing new life to us.  The cross is the vengeance of God revealed; we witness it every time we look upon the crucified face of Christ whose vengeance is one of love.