When the time was fulfilled

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The reading from the Acts of the Apostles begin with, "When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all gathered in one place."

"When the time for pentecost was fulfilled..."

"When the time..."

Time is an amazing thing. 

We are often told in life to take our time that is to slow down, or not to take it that is hurry up.

We often waste time only to discover we have no time to waste.

We are often told that time will tell yet we are taught from early on how to tell time.

 

We are always expected to be on time, and never be late; yet how many times have we arrived  only to be asked to give them a little more time!

Many of us have a lot of time under our belts and for some time is just beginning.

Time...

We are always wanting time to go quickly when we are young, because we can hardly wait for our time to come; when we get older we want time to slow down because we all know our time is coming. 

most often in life we are looking for ways just to pass the time.

When death approaches, we all just want more time. 

Time is baffling for us.  We spend a lot of time thinking about time that has passed or time that will come and yet we know that the past is no more and the future is not yet and the present is always somewhere in between time.

Time is always slipping through our finger tips.

And the more we ponder time, we wonder do we really know what time it is?

Today in the first reading, we discover that God knows perfectly well how to tell time and to use it wisely.   No time goes wasted in God's watchful eye.

He is always in charge and makes every moment the right time.  

As the people gather for pentecost, the perfect time arrives.

The feast of Pentecost was one of the three principle and mandatory celebrations.  Every male within 20 miles of Jerusalem was obligated to go and celebrate. 

It was a feast that took place in June which meant it was the ideal time to travel.  This explains the large number of people, the international gathering from all over (Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Mesopatamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya, Rome).

A good time to travel is a good time to travel.

This feast was a feast commemorating the giving of the law to Moses and the people at Mt. Sinai 50 days after the passover, the crossing of of the Red Sea, freedom from Egypt and slavery.  The law was given to inform the people how to be godly in their life, to walk according to God's way, to live on God's time.   

It was a time to remember God's saving deeds in past time. 

It was also a feast of thanksgiving.  The first fruits of the harvest were brought forth to the temple as a sign of gratitude to God for the gifts he bestowed.  A time to give thanks for God's generosity in the present time.

It was also a time of holiday.  No servile work was to take place.  Thus, the streets would be packed and people would be every where enjoying this time and having the time of their life in the big city of Jerusalem.

In this moment, when the people were remembering the saving acts of God, the giving of the law, and giving thanks, God sends his Spirit to awaken in the people a sense of a new time beginning.  You could say God comes in the nick of time to help people begin to tell time anew.

The time was now for salvation had come.

The Spirit comes and Peter and the eleven are empowered to speak and Jesus is made known, the one who came in the fullness of time to fill time with grace upon grace. 

Jesus comes in  time to offer salvation in time to free us from the enslavement of time.  We are no longer bound by time in Jesus.

This is the lesson of Pentecost: God is never late; God is never early; God is always right on time and that time is always right now. 

To receive the Spirit of God is to live in the moment and to take hold of the time offered trusting that if we walk where the Spirit leads, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, generosity, faithfulness, and self-control, then time will always be on our side.

In the end, if we trust the Spirit of truth, time won't matter; time as we know it will give way to eternity and in eternity we will all finally be in the fullness of time.

As we celebrate the Eucharist, that fullness of time is made present in us.  Each celebration of the Eucharist is a "new pentecost", a new outpouring of helping us learn to tell time, to use time wisely, and to walk anew in the newness of time.

Mary continued

Below is a quote from St. Gregory the Great concerning the Blessed Mother:

"The most blessed and ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God, can be called by this name, "mountain".  Yes, she was a mountain, who by the dignity of her election has completely surpassed the height of every creature.  Is Mary not the lofty mountain?  For God, to achieve the conception of the eternal Word, raised the summit of her merits above the choirs of angels, up to the threshold of the Godhead.

Isaiah said in a prophecy,"In the last days, the mountains of the Lord's house will be made the highest mountain" (Is 2:2).  And this mountain has been made the highest mountain, because Mary's height has shined above all the saints.  For, just as a mountain implies height, so the house signifies a dwelling place.  Therefore, she is called mountain and house, because she, illuminated by incomparable merits, prepared a womb for God's Only-begotten to dwell in...Mary is justly called mountain rich in fruits, because the best fruit was born from her, namely, a new man.  And the prophet, considering how beautiful she is, adorned in the glory of her fruitfulness, cries out: "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow from his roots" (Is 11:1).  

Blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.

Do you love me...

Acts 25:13-21; Psalm 103 The Lord has established his throne in heaven; John 21:15-19

Slowly as we have gone through this week we have begin to see the church turn toward Rome.  Paul in the Acts of the Apostles is slowly making his way to Rome as he appeals to Caesar.  

As a roman citizen, Paul had to the right to have his case heard by the Emperor. 

Rome is his destination. 

Into day's gospel we read the end of the gospel of John.  Jesus and Peter are standing on the beach.  Jesus ask Peter, "do you love me more than these?"

Three times Peter is asked and three times Jesus gives him a command, "Feed my sheep...tend my sheep...feed my sheep."

We begin to understand the primacy of Peter as head of the twelve more clearly and distinctly.  Peter is entrusted with the supreme leadership.

Just a note:  When Jesus ask Peter, "Do you love me...?"  Jesus uses the greek term, agape, which is considered to be God's love for man, sacrificial and heroic in every manner. 

When Peter responds, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you," Peter uses a different word for love.  Peter uses a greek word, philos, which is more or less a brotherly and affectionate love that might be better rendered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I like you." 

Peter becomes aware of his weak love.  He understands that he may not have what it takes to love fully and completely.  

Jesus in the third question, "do you love me?" actually uses the same word Peter uses in his response, Philos.  Jesus basically came down to Peter's level and ask, well Peter do you at least like me?

The beauty of the passage is that Jesus knows the love of Peter and chose to come down to his level.  Jesus meets us where we are and will strengthen and empower our love in time. 

How does our love become strength?  Simply put, "follow me."  Jesus reminds us as He reminds Peter, in following after him our weak love will be strengthen and our "like" will turn into true and authentic "love."

If you go to St. Peter's square in Vatican City, you will encounter a huge obelsik.  It is a 25 meter high piece of granite that weighs a million pounds.  It is believed to have been in the circus of the Emperor at the time of Paul and Peter in Rome.  Tradition tells us that it marked the spot where Peter was crucified upside down. 

It stands today as a silent witness to Peter's love being transformed from "philos" to "agape" from like to sacrificial love.  Crucified upside down, Peter could finally answer the question,"Peter, do you love me more than these?" with a resounding  "yes, Lord, you know everything you know that I love you."

Rome, as the place of martyrdom of St. Peter and St. Paul, today stands as a reminder of how grace can transform our weak love and make it strong.  This is why today Rome stands as the standard of authentic apostolic tradition. This is why the fullness of faith resides in the Roman Catholic Church.  The primacy of Peter sent forth to feed and tend the sheep is made complete in the eternal city where upon the cross upside down Peter was empowered to feed and tend with true and authentic love.

scripture quote to put to memory:

"and I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.  I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven."  Matthew 16:18-19

for the cause

Acts 22:30, 23:6-11; Psalm 16 Keep me safe, O God; You are my hope; John 17:20-26

We encounter Paul being interrogated and questioned before the Sanhedrin.  Paul's life is beginning to look a lot like  Jesus' life.  Paul finds himself in hot water because of his preaching just as Jesus found himself against all odds for proclaiming the truth.

At the end of the first reading we encounter the moment where , "the Lord stood by him [Paul] and said, 'take courage.  For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome."

What is the cause of Jesus?

Two things. 

First of all Jesus does not come to preach a cause.  He comes to preach himself.  The cause of Jesus is nothing other than himself, his person, the reality he breathes forth in the incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension.

Secondly, the cause is reality itself.  Jesus reveal reality to humanity; he reveals the reality of God and also the reality of man's ultimate destination.  

Paul takes a stand for reality revealed in the person of Jesus who works the work of redemption and stands victorious over death and offers new hope to all who believe. 

The cause of Jesus is Jesus.  

As the sadducees and pharisees dispute over the existence of angels, spirit, resurrection, it is ironic.  They are disputing over what is real and Paul is inviting them to embrace reality in Jesus who comes to settle the dispute, once and for all.

"I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them." Jn 17:26

The cause of Jesus is that Jesus desires to live within each of us, the in dwelling of God in man.

Here is a cause worthy fighting for, living for, dying for.

Scripture quote to put to memory:

"I have written this to you to make you realize that you possess eternal life-you who believe in the name of the Son of God." 1 John 5:13

rehabilitate the truth

Acts 20:28-38; Psalm 68 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; John 17:11b-19

Paul in the first reading warns the presbyters about men who "will come perverting the truth."

Jesus in the gospel in his priestly prayer for his disciples prays to the Father that the disicples might be "consecrated in the truth."

Truth!

What a fascinating reality that lies before us.  In our society we must ask the question, what is truth?  Where do we find it?  Why do we need it? 

Jesus in his prayer tells the Father, "Your word is truth." 

Pope Benedict tells us that we must "Rehabilitate the question of truth in a world filled with relativism."

He warns us that "if we can no longer recognize what is true and distinguish it from what is false then it is impossible to recognize what is good."

He later reminds us that "only if the Christian faith is true does it concern all men."

Paul and Jesus alike direct us to guard the truth for it is truth that sets us free. 

As Pope Benedict directs us, "truth can never be replaced by good intentions."

For if it is not caught up in truth, then the intentions themselves are lacking in goodness.

Just a few words to ponder as we continue to rebuild the society that has fallen from the the truth itself.

"As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world.  And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth."  

As we pray at the mass during the Kyrie, "Lord Jesus you have given us the consolation of the truth.  Lord, have mercy."

Truth given is mercy offered.  Truth embraced is mercy received.

Lord have mercy because truth has been revealed in him.  He who offers truth offers mercy.

memorial day

A prayer for Memorial Day:

We gather this day with hearts and minds filled with gratitude, pride, and sorrow for those men and women who have enabled us to stand on the land of the free.  We look upon their many sacrifices, their sweat and blood, their youth and vigor, their hopes and dreams, their livelihood itself, and with awe and wonder we pause beneath the reverential silence we bring beneath the flag flown at half mast.   

As the flag flies low, our eyes soar upward, seeking the strength that comes from praise, from gratitude, from remembrance.  We ask our Heavenly Father to bestow upon us the grace to remember so we might live a lifeworthy of the sacrifices made lest they be in vain and to bestow upon those men and women who have fallen on the field of battle the grace of eternal rest, that their gift for us might be a gift of peace for themselves for no sacrifice shall go unrewarded and love is never in vain.  

Heavenly Father, countless men and women have generously given their all, though they knew us not and their gift draws us all together this day.  Though strangers they are to us, by their sacrifice they have made us friends with their final breath upon the field of combat, and we pause in silence breathing forth love to make good on this bond of friendship forged by the blood they shed and the wounds they bore.  We set aside this day to remember their valor, their love, their life laid down, and their gift of friendship undeserved, wrought with great adversity and greater compassion for us fellow countrymen.  

Bless us with your mighty hand, and welcome our fallen soldiers  into that promised land,a land that is eternally free, a land that has been open wide for all by the blood of the cross that remains the truest battle of all.  May the victims of wars share in the victory over all.  

Bless us who remain with the strength to carry on; may we live a life of honor so one day we may be reunited with the ones for whom today we pause to remember.  As their names ring out here below may their courage and fidelity gain them entrance into the heavenly choir above.  

Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and perpetual light shine upon them.  May they rest in the peace they fought to achieve.

Ascension of the Lord: the standard of Hope is raised

Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47 Alleluia; Ephesians 1:17-23; Mark 16:15-20; 

"God is rich in mercy; because of his great love for us he brought us to life with Christ Jesus when we were dead in sin.  By this favor you are save.  Both with and in Christ Jesus he raised us up and gave us a place in the heavens."  Ephesians 2:4-6

Hope has arisen.  The Christmas celebration has reached its climax.  What Christ was born to accomplish, what took his suffering and death to bring about, his ascension reveals.  Our destiny is forever laid before us.  Our destination is made clear. 

The hope of our faith shines forth from above as the cloud rises.  We forever live beneath the blessing arms of Christ who intercedes for us forever. 

Often time the polish in Warsaw during the War would stop at the many gateways of the many buildings where altars  would be present and the tenets of the buildings would sing this song seeking hope in the midst of the german occupation: "Listen, Jesus, how your people plead/ Listen, listen, and intercede."

The faith in the ascension could not be denied. 

So we join our hearts and minds in this moment of hope for all: listen, listen and intercede.

Previous post on the Ascension: click here