17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

For the next five weeks or so, we are going to be reading from John’s gospel, chapter 6, which is called the Bread of Life Discourse. in our journey, we are going to listen as Jesus reveals himself as the Bread of Life and gives the world its greatest gift, His Body and Blood in the Eucharist. Christ starts with a miracle and then continues on with a series of teachings, reaching back to Moses and other great moments of the Old testament. Today's readings present us with the story of two different miracles, the story of Elisha, who in the midst of a famine feeds a hundred men with 20 loaves of barley bread and the story of Jesus, who when faced with a great crowd of 5000 hungry people, feeds them with five loaves and two fish. 

Both stories share certain things in common.

Elisha's servant, on being told to feed the men with the offering brought by a man from Baal-shalishah, does not think it possible and complains to the prophet saying: "How can I set this before a hundred men?" With Jesus too, there is a servant, an apostle, who does not think it is possible to feed the people with what is available - the five loaves and two fish offered by the child that Peter's brother, Andrew, had found in the crowd.

In both stories, despite these small beginnings, the hungry are fed and there are leftovers - indeed in the story involving Jesus there is an abundance of leftovers - there is more than when the meal first began. The feeding of the great crowd, as John calls it, is the only miracle that Jesus did that is described in all four gospels.  For this reason alone, we need to pay close attention to it. We need to ask ourselves, “why is this?”  What is it about this miracle that catches the attention of the gospel writers.

I think it has to do with three things.

The first is the fact that this story tells us that Jesus has the power of God. Like Elisha he has God's favor and is able to feed the hungry: much as the people of Israel were fed by God in the wilderness with Manna. In fact John goes on after the telling of this story to speak of Jesus as the bread of heaven come down to earth - the one who is not only able to satisfy the physical hunger of his people but their spiritual hunger as well. Jesus has, and is able to use, the power of God to feed the hungry because he is one with God and the Son of God.

The second thing is that the story shows us not only God's power at work in Jesus, but also God's care. God reaches out through Christ to meet the needs of those who are following him much as God reached out through Elisha to meet the needs of the men who had followed him into the wilderness. Jesus cares for those who seek him out. He doesn’t abandon or forget them, rather, he wants to meet their needs and take care of them.

The third thing this story shows us is that Jesus is able to take what is offered to him and to multiply it - so that where there first seemed too little ends up being more than enough. 

It is this third point that I want to focus on for the remainder of the homily.

It has been talked about a great deal, this miracle of feeding the great crowd of people, and perhaps more than any other miracle, people have tried to figure out how Jesus did it. Most people accept the healing stories, they understand that the mind has a strong effect on health, that faith can in fact bring about healing. But multiplying loaves and fish? This seems more incredible, more difficult, and so theories have arisen to explain how it was done. I don’t have time to go through all these theories but it is sufficient to say that most of them have a common theme, which tries to explain away any divine power or true miraculous happening with a natural explanation. 

The most notable theory is that when the boy who had the loaves and fish shared them with others his example inspired others to bring out what they had brought with them and share as well. In other words, there really was no miraculous power at all but instead it inspired everyone to share the food they already had.

We can't say exactly how the loaves and the fish multiplied, nor do we need to. More important than how is the fact that they did, just as the offering made to Elisha by the man from Baal Shalishah. We really need to meditate on that fact: how too little became more than enough when it was offered to God. How human eyes saw impossibility where Christ and the Prophet Elisha saw enough to feed the people’s hunger.

Aren’t we often like the skeptical apostles or the doubting servant of the prophet? When there is a need in our lives, in our families, among our friends, in our world, don’t we often say something like:

- How can we help with what little we have?  We don't even know how we will we make do ourselves.

- How can we feed so many?  How can we fund so many.  We have so little and the need is so great.

- What we can do is only a drop in a bucket.  We don't have enough money to help out.  We don't have what it takes.

We don't have enough time. 

We don't have enough energy.

We aren't smart enough.

We aren't wise enough.

We haven't been trained in that area.

We aren't professionals.

There aren't enough of us to make a real difference,

there aren't enough of us to get the job done.

But Jesus, like Elisha, didn't listen to this from his disciples and he doesn’t want to hear it from us either. Rather, like the prophet, he takes what is offered to him in faith, blesses it, and gives it back to us so that we might distribute it to those who are hungry, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And if we trust in God, if we follow him and obey his will for us, there will be enough to go around, there will be leftovers, sometimes Even more than we started with.

This is what happens right here, right now, in the Eucharist. We give the meager gift of ourselves to God, and he in turn gives us Himself. By his gift, we are transformed, strengthened, healed, and then sent forth to help others. God wants to take the little we have ourselves, and multiply it so that it can be shared with others. Others who are hungry, lost, sad, searching, abandoned, and hurting. He make the gift of ourselves more than enough for the people he sends us to, there will be something leftover. All we need to do is to do is bring what we have, as did the man of Baal Shalishah to Elisha and as did the boy on the hillside to Jesus.

So, which voice will we listen to? The voices of the disciples and the servants, who say, when told to feed the crowd - there is not enough - it is impossible? Or the voice of the one who tells us "feed the people" and who takes what we have to offer and makes it enough?

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Today’s gospel continues the story we started last week. Last Sunday, the apostles were commissioned and sent to preach the Good News to the surrounding towns and villages. Today we hear about their return as they complete their first missionary endeavor. How long they were gone, we are not sure, but we get to listen as they report their progress. We know from the other evangelists that this moment of reunion was full of rejoicing and energy - they had experienced the power of God working through them, moving people's hearts through their words and deeds. And how does Christ respond when his missionaries return from their exciting and busy adventure? He takes them aside to rest, to be with him again in the quiet intimacy of their small community.

The lesson is clear, but so hard to put into practice: active apostles, Christians who are engaged in evangelizing the world around them, need to balance their activity with contemplation, with time spent in personal conversation with the Lord. Sometimes we can wonder why we get so emotionally and spiritually exhausted by the busy-ness of our lives. It's because we aren't recharging our spiritual batteries. Stress, discouragement, and other strong emotions can wear us out if we aren't constantly reinforcing our faith in Jesus Christ. Only our friendship with the Lord can supply us with the strength and wisdom we need to be truly successful not only in our daily lives but more importantly, in our relationship with Christ.

Without prayer, study, and time alone with God, our well will soon run dry - we will have nothing to offer others. But without action, without giving freely to others what we have freely received from God, our spiritual waters will become stagnant and lifeless. Contemplation and action, prayer and work - this was how Christ lived his life and this is also how he wants us to live. 

Our society tends to stress the importance of action more than prayer, but the two really are meant to go together. Jesus taught this not only in the way he treated his closest followers but also by the example of his own life. Towards the beginning of his public ministry, he and his apostles visited Simon Peter's house, where he cured Peter's mother-in-law and then spent the evening curing the sick and casting out demons. The next morning, the apostles got up early to start what they knew would be a very busy day. But when they looked around for Jesus, they couldn't find him. They searched all around and finally located him in the hills outside of town, praying. And when they told him that people were already lining up outside the house to see him, he said to them that it was time to move on to other towns. Jesus knew that he had a busy day before him, but he also knew that in order to get through it properly, he had to start off with prayer. Jesus led a full and active life, but that activity was fueled and inspired by his prayer - and if that's the case for him, the Son of God, how much more should it be the case for us, who seek to follow his example!

This is true for the spiritual life, but it's also a principle of human nature in general. As human beings we are body and mind, flesh and spirit. And so, everything we do has a material aspect - work, effort, action - and also a spiritual aspect - planning, vision, long-term goals.

Think of a football team.Football players are experts in action - fast action, hard-hits, speed, power and dexterity. But when a football team goes onto the field, how does it organize and direct all that physical potential? By following a game plan, a strategy. For every one minute on the field during a game, the team invests hours and hours of practice, film analysis, discussion, and strategic thinking. That's what keeps the players united, focused, and motivated during the heat of competition: they know what they are there for, what challenges they will be facing, what path to take. Sometimes it even happens that the bigger, faster, stronger team loses, because the other team had a better game plan, a better vision, and executed it well.

A similar pattern occurs in our spiritual life. Every day we are out there battling against temptations, difficulties, and obstacles to fulfilling our vocation in Christ. And it is easy for us to get worn down by the struggle. But if we spend time with the Lord in prayer, if we meet often with the Holy Spirit we will be able to win those battles. In prayer, our faith is renewed, our injuries healed, our weaknesses strengthened, and our victory assured.

St Benedict used a motto that sums up perfectly this Lesson. His motto was Ora et labora, which is Latin for pray and work. Prayer and work are like the two sides of a coin for us Christians. We are called to become close friends of Jesus Christ and we can only do that if we develop our prayer life. But we are also called to be his fellow soldiers, ambassadors of his everlasting Kingdom, and that means we should be putting our talents, time, and energy, into doing things that will make this world a better place, a place worthy of our King.

As we contemplate today’s readings then, we should ask ourselves an important question. Have I found the right balance between "ora" and "labora" in my life? Do I only pray when I come to Mass on Sunday? Do I think of God or speak to him at all during the rest of the week?On the other hand, do I flee to prayer to the point that I neglect my other responsibilities. Do I make excuses as to why it is good enough for me to pray but not to act upon my faith in working for the kingdom?

Some Catholics try to leave all the Kingdom-building activity to the priests, religious, and missionaries. They don't stay on the lookout for opportunities to help others discover the one thing worth finding in this life: friendship and companionship with Jesus Christ. Other Catholics are constantly trying to force-feed everyone they meet with the Gospel, violating common sense and common courtesy. Each one of us needs to find the balance that goes with our personality, our gifts, and state in life. May we be open to God’s grace as he sends us out to his people. May we find that balance between work and prayer, so that we may return with great joy to him each day, telling him of many wonders that he works in our lives.

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Rumor has it that every month, the Department of Transportation gives an award to a distinct class of its employees across the nation. This award is not prestigious, rather it highlight an employee who manages to follow the letter of the law perfectly and refuses to employ common sense. The award I am referring to is the “It’s Not My Job Award” and it always goes to the employee nationwide who best proves to be unwilling to go outside the the scope of their assigned task. My favorite photo of this award took place on a road in Litchfield Park, Arizona. Here a road crew was repainting lane markings when they came across something that was not in their job description; it was roadkill! Since they were assigned to paint the center line of the road, not to remove dead animals, they simply painted the road...and the dead opossum! The picture, worth a thousand words, gives us a pretty good idea of the literal approach these fellows took to their job.

Now I mention this, because, as ridiculous as this “It’s Not My Job Award” is, there are many people who could win this award if it were offered for the way Christians proclaim their faith. By virtue of our baptism, we are all anointed priest, prophet, and king. In our readings today, the Church asks us to reflect most especially on the role of the prophet, the messenger of God’s Word. Oftentimes, when we hear the word “prophet”, we think of someone who can predict the future or see things that others can’t. While it is true that some prophets did predict future happenings, that was not their main task. No, the prophet is someone who is called to share God’s Word and message with the people around him. Even if we understand what a prophet truly is, most of us probably have the thought it is a role best suited for a priest or religious or at least someone who has specialized training. 

It might help us understand what a often prophet looks like by looking at the one who comes to us in the first reading today. His name was Amos and he was a normal, everyday, working man. He was a shepherd and an arborist, of sycamore trees in fact! He lived just south of the border between the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, on the Judea  side. How easy it would have been for Amos to tell the Lord, “prophecy is not my job, that’s not what I signed up for!” But instead, he crossed the border into the North and proclaimed God’s truth to those in the City of Bethel.  The people there were not fully living their faith. They were part-time their devotion to the Lord. Amos told them to change their lives and be committed to the Lord; to go back to what their faith demanded of them. The priest, Amaziah, told Amos to stop confronting the people and go back to Judah. Amos responded: “I am not a professional prophet. I am an arborist, a dresser of trees. But I cannot refuse to proclaim the Lord.”

Nor can any of us. We have to “proclaim the word, in season and out of season” as St. Paul wrote. By nature of our baptism, we have to proclaim the truth we experience within us whether it is a time others want to hear it, or whether it is a time they would rather we just keep quiet. We are all called to be prophetic voices, no matter what our training or vocation. This isn’t just the work of the priests and sisters and religious brothers; it is the work of all the baptized. We cannot simply tell the Lord, “It’s not my job.”

While He was still with us on earth, Jesus sent his disciples to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven. These disciples were ordinary, everyday men entrusted with an extraordinary task. Like Amos, they were not trained missionaries but fisherman. Jesus doesn’t seem too concerned about that. He told them that the mission was urgent.  They shouldn’t be bogged down with the cares and concerns of luggage. But they should wear sandals because they had a lot of ground to cover. They needed to proclaim to all.  Some would listen, and others would reject them, but the message had to be proclaimed to as many people as possible. And, as we know from the gospel, these unqualified missionaries had tremendous success, success that came from God and changed the world, even our own lives!

It is the same for all of us. We need to bring the message, the experience, the very presence of Jesus Christ to the world. This is our call, no matter who we are, no matter what our state in life. Some will listen to you who will not listen to me as a priest.  Perhaps it is people your age, be it senior citizen or child, who will say, “I want to be happy with life as he or she is happy.”  Perhaps it will be people who look to you for guidance, such as your own children or grandchildren.  Perhaps it will be people who respect and love you, such as your parents and brothers and sisters. Many of these people will hear the message clearer when it comes from you rather than from me or any priest.  So proclaim the message. 

And yes, there will be people who will reject the message.  You may indeed have to move on and proclaim the  truth of Jesus Christ to others.  But don’t stop praying for them. And be patient.   Joy, happiness and the Presence of the Lord are contagious, but sometimes it takes time for the peace of Christ to win over a person.

May we embrace the role of prophet and apostle in own lives as they are modeled to us today in the example of Amos and the twelve apostles. Let us not be afraid of the uncertainties or difficulties that will come our way in fulfilling our call, given to each of us at our baptism. Most importantly, each of us, in our own way, has something to share with the world about the Good News of Jesus Christ. Let us not act in a way that would win us the “It’s Not My Job Award” and let us trust that God wants to use our witness to bring others closer to him. 

Homily for Religious Freedom (13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B)

One of the things that helps me keep my sanity around here is regular exercise. And not just here at St. Joe’s, but wherever I have been. Since high school, exercise has been a crucial part of a healthy approach to living. Just last week, for some reason, I was reflecting on the the fact that I have been exercising and working out consistently for the last 15 years. That’s a pretty long time! And yet, isn’t a little sad and frustrating that even with a decade and a half of working out, it only takes a few weeks away from the gym to start losing all that hard work. That is one of the great mysteries of the human body; it can accomplish amazing things, become incredibly strong. Just look at the athletes that are competing for a chance to represent our nation in the Summer Olympics. But if the body stops exercising and challenging itself with resistance training, within a month, muscle mass begins to decrease cardiovascular endurance drops dramatically. I don’t think it’s fair really; that we have to work so hard to get in shape and to stay there but that it can be lost so quickly if we stop exercising those good habits. 

But physical fitness is not the only area which must be exercised consistently or risk being lost. A more important aspect of our lives which follows the same pattern is our human and civil rights. These basic human rights, which are defined as the rights of citizens to political and social freedom and equality, are not something we have to earn. We have certain rights that are due to us, simply because we are human beings, made in the image and likeness of God. As Americans, we naturally think of those rights that protect life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness or fortune and the free practice of religion. We think of them because they are the foundation of our country, the cornerstone of what makes our nation free and prosperous and a symbol of liberty to the whole world. But these rights must be exercised consistently or risk being lost. If we are lazy or complacent or think that these fundamental rights will never be infringed upon, well, then we are already starting to lose them.

How sad it is, that Americans are increasingly blind and apathetic to the dangers and infringements on their God-given rights! Even more troubling that many citizens of this great nation allow those rights to be slowly taken away and even vote in ways that reduce their own rights! (If they vote at all) Did you know that voter participation in nearly every general election has decreased since 1960? That only about half of eligible voters are showing up to choose our nation’s leaders when it is a presidential election and only about a third are bothering to vote when the president is not involved. Why have we gotten so lazy in the practice of our rights? The same rights that so many brave men and women have sacrificed their lives to defend?!

As you know, recent legislation, namely the Health and Human Services Mandate, ignores yet another one of our God-given rights, to freely practice our religious beliefs and not violate our consciences. This unjust law requires employers to provide drugs and procedures for contraception, sterilization, and even abortifacient purposes, regardless of the employer’s religious convictions. In about 31 days, this immoral law takes legal effect for all employers, except religious institutions, which are given an additional year to “comply” with the rule. 

We might wonder, “how did we get to this point?” We might be tempted to simply blame the current administration. It carries a major share of the blame to be sure, but the problem runs much deeper. The only reason our elected officials are able to pass laws that compromise our freedom and violate our religious beliefs is because we put them there, we tolerated their shenanigans in lesser issues, we bought into the lie that our religious beliefs have no place in the public square and policy making and, as a result, with religion removed from the legislation, what fills the gap are secular principles which change according to the fickle winds of public opinion, approval ratings, and in some dangerous cases, personal agendas and ideologies.

We find ourselves face to face with the current threat to our religious liberty in large part because Catholics have grown lazy in exercising and defending their God-given rights and as a result, they are in danger of being lost and taken from us. Now let me make this clear, I have been edified by the faithful and prayerful response of so many in our church, including the bishops, who have spoken clearly and courageously in against the immoral Health and Human Services mandate. But I have also been surprised by how many good, faithful catholics have told us priests that this is none of the Church’s business, that we are getting involved in a political issue, that the Church should not be trying to impose her morality upon others.

But this is simply not true! The Church did not go looking for this fight; it was pressed upon us with no respect for our religious beliefs by our government. The Catholic Church did not make this a political issue, politicians have and it is dividing our country deeper and deeper. Finally, this is not simply a Catholic issue; it is much bigger than that. It is a human rights issue. The problem has less to do with the fact that we believe contraception, sterilization and abortifacient drugs are immoral and more to do with the fact that our government is deciding that it can tell us to violate our consciences and how we will be allowed to practice our faith. As citizens, we have the right and obligation to speak against this unjust law and to disobey it if it goes into effect. And even if we are not Catholic or disagree with the Church on this issue, we should have a problem with this law, which sets a precedent for the government to infringe on the religious liberty and conscience of any person. If we know our history, we know that every dictator and tyrant has made use of this kind of power to commit atrocities and seize power for themselves.

So what can we do to nip this danger in the bud? How can we keep our nation from following in the footsteps of governments that have taken away the rights of its people to freely practice their faith? First, we must pray and offer sacrifice for our country and her leaders. We must ask God to give them a conversion of heart and see the evil they are about to do. We must ask for courage and  strength for those leaders who are fighting to protect our religious liberty and overturn this immoral mandate. Secondly, we have to witness to our faith by exercising our right to vote and participating in the democratic process of our county. Far too long, Catholics have ignored their faith when it came to their vote and have not been good witnesses of Jesus Christ when it came to choosing people who would represent them in our government. We must also be willing to take the time and effort to contact our elected officials and urge them to protect our God-given right to freely practice our faith and obey our consciences. Finally, we must be prepared to suffer for what we believe. It may happen that our religious liberty is taken away and ignored in the next month. We must not, we cannot comply with the evil that is about to take place. If that means that we are fined, then so be it. If it means that some of us are in danger of going to jail, so be it. We must not and cannot abandon our faith in this time of crisis. We must be willing to endure any hardships this law might impose upon us. We mustn't be afraid to stand up for what we believe in. This may be difficult and unpopular, it may cost us dearly but it is the right thing to do and God will give us the strength to do it. So let us pledge ourselves to this moral and noble cause: to defend our liberty and the right to follow our consciences. And not just for ourselves, but for the generations that will follow us as citizens of our great nation. May God give us strength and may God bless America!

Mother's Day Homily

Any preacher who dares to get up and speak on Mother’s Day faces at least three problems or dangers. They are: 1) the danger of appearing to be an “expert” on motherhood, 2) the danger of using Mary as the model of motherhood, and 3) the danger of facing a very mixed congregation. The danger of being an expert: you all know the story of the priest who got up and spoke at great length on the glories of motherhood. And when he walked outside a woman came up to him and said, “ Father, I wish I knew as little about being a mother as you do.” Or the other priest who preached about Mary as the perfect model to be a wife and mother. And a woman came up to him, carrying one baby and with four other children following her, and said, “It’s easy enough for her with her one child!” And then, our congregation is mixed. We celebrate Mother’s Day, we talk about and honor mothers. And yet, many of our congregation are not mothers, and some, like myself are not married and are not women. Nevertheless, what we all have in common is we’ve all had a mother. We’ve all had the experience of a mom and how her love can heal and form us and that justifies speaking about motherhood, no matter what the dangers might be. So thank you, to all of our moms who have shone us countless acts of love. We know that one day is not enough to thank you for all that you do!

On this day where we pause to thank God for the gift of motherhood, I think it is important to note that the concept and dignity of women and motherhood are under a very dangerous attack in our society. Can we ignore the alarming spread of pornography in our homes, in marriages, even among our young people? Or the often-overlooked scourge of domestic violence which breaks the spirit of so many women, hurting and crying out for help? Or what about the shameless objectification of the female body in advertising and entertainment where a person is reduced to an object simply to sell a product.

All of these things sadly, are present in our culture and are accepted by many as the way things are. It is ironic that our society calls us today to honor motherhood while at the same time promoting the very practices that attack the dignity of the women we wish to show our appreciation for. 

Now there are many other evils in our society that are detrimental to women. But I want to zero in on one in particular because it is causing incredible damage and heartbreak. It is devastating to all people but it is harming women most deeply. Therefore, on this Day dedicated to moms and women, let’s honor them by considering what we can do make things better.

The evil that I want to approach is also the most difficult because it is considered a good thing by so many people. It thought to be off-limits by others, something the Church shouldn’t talk about. It has been hailed as the liberation of women, the thing that levels the playing field against men. It was seen as the solution for so many domestic problems and the beginning of new horizons for every female. It would give her control and power, she could be in charge without being subjected to men. This evil is found in the thing known as artificial contraception. 

Since its introduction, especially in the pill more than 50 years ago, it has been touted as the answer to so many problems that plague modern women. It was supposed to improve marriage, increase the quantity and quality of sexual intimacy, free women from the natural rhythm of their bodies. It promises many good things, it looks so perfect, and yet those who use it end up experiencing a deep spiritual sadness and the nagging emptiness of being used.  

Why is it that our society has encouraged women to do things to their bodies, some of these thing very permanent, that go against the feminine nature or “feminine genius” as Blessed John Paul II called it? Why is it that so many women have accepted birth control as the thing that will make them happy or give them control or make them equal with men? And yet, how often the very opposite comes true. More and more, women are seen as objects for men’s pleasure; things to be had on a whim without consideration for the woman or her body. The very thing that was supposed to empower women had led countless women to be used and hurt. The hallmarks of femininity, such as the reception of new life, a nurturing spirit, and quiet gentleness are being replaced by anger, bitterness, and domination. 

If there is one thing that I want every woman, single or married, young or old, to hear, it is this: you deserve better! You deserve the respect of others! You deserve the respect of men for who you are as a daughter of God and sister in Christ, not for the pleasure you provide or the ways you measure up against worldly expectations. You deserve to hear from the Church and from a priest, that artificial contraception is a moral evil, it is lie that will only bring you sadness, emptiness, and pain. 

As a woman you share the privilege of bringing new life into being. Allow this truth to take root in your life and don’t be afraid to respect yourself enough to demand this dignity from others. As men, we need to protect that gift and honor and cherish women as God created them, not necessarily as society sees them. This can be done practically by remembering that each person is made in the image of God and we are all children of God. As a Church we need to support men and women in bringing forth new life and by growing in mutual love and respect. This will strengthen marriages, fortify families, and build up society. This is not simply a nice idea for someone else to try but something that each and every person plays a part in making a reality. As a matter of fact it is one of the most important ways that we live out the love we are called to in our second reading from St. John. So, on this Mother’s day, let us be thankful for the incredible gift of woman and motherhood, and let us, like the psalmist, “give thanks to God for we are fearfully and wonderfully made!”

Easter Sunday, Cycle B

On behalf of Msgr. Callahan, Fr. Post, the deacons, the parish staff, and myself, let me wish you all a very holy and happy Easter. I hope that all of you will experience joy with family and friends on this day where we celebrate the Lord Jesus’ victory over sin and death!

As some of you may remember from earlier homilies, I have a strong love for tools: power tools, hand tools, yard tools, it doesn’t really matter, I enjoy them all. This fascination with tools started at a young age. It was fostered by a kind retiree who lived next door to us growing up. This man had nearly every tool you could think of for every sort of repair. They were all perfectly cared for and organized on several workbenches in his basement and he was always happy to show me how to use them properly. He would teach me how to care for each tool and use it safely, supervising my projects from beginning to end. As time went on and he realized that my interest in woodworking and home-repair was genuine, he would “lend” me a tool or two for projects that I was working on. After several years and many visits to his workbench, he honored me a great deal by giving me some of the tools that he had used over the years. 

Even as a young person, the gift of these tools was very meaningful to me. I knew how special his tools were to him, the time and sacrifice he had spent in acquiring them and the fact that he actually gave some of them to me was no small sacrifice. I also knew that it was a statement of trust that he was making in me; something precious was now handed on to me to care for and use properly. As I continued to use these tools many years later, I was always reminded of this man’s generosity and tried to honor him by caring for them properly. I tried to emulate the skills and techniques that he himself had spent time refining over many years. 

While I know it is a somewhat weak analogy, I feel this experience resonates in a small way with what we celebrate today with Easter. God our Father, infinitely wise and loving, shares with us what is most precious to him. He shares, not some material object, but his very own life. Even when we treated this gift poorly and lost it through sin, he did not give up on us. Instead of pulling away from us, as we deserved, what does he do? How does he love us? He sends his own beloved Son, to become man, and to suffer and die for the sins of the human race. I think it is important for us to remember that God did not do this for his own benefit. He did it so that you and I might be set free from the slavery of sin and death. This divine sharing, which St. Athanasius beautifully described as God becoming man so man might become divine, well, this gift is a mystery that can never be exhausted. 

On this Easter Sunday, where we get together with family and friends and enjoy good food, beautiful weather and the joyful turning of a new season, it might be easy to stay simply on the natural, sentimental level and not go any deeper. But we ought to remember the more important reason that unites us all. It is because of the resurrection that we are here today. If Christ had not risen from the dead, the disciples would not have had the courage or boldness to say another word about Jesus in public, let alone to claim that He rose and is Lord of the living and the dead.

Brother and Sisters in faith - The resurrection is the pinnacle of what we believe in as Christians. It is the center of our faith, it is the foundation of our Christian experience, 

and it is the goal towards which we direct our lives. The resurrection should be of first importance to us, not because it is a nice ending to the story of Jesus, but because it is the beginning of our story, a story in which our faith can triumph over death just as did the faith of Jesus.

As Christians we are urged over and over again to trust in and accept the reality of the resurrection and to make it a part of our lives through faith in the one who rose from the dead. We are a people who are called to believe in the power and the love that it shows -- to believe in the power and love of God to bring goodness out of evil; life out of death; and hope out of despair.

As Christians we are called to trust and believe in this way. Our Lord makes a promise to us that when we believe in the power and love of God, a power and love so deep it can raise the dead to life, then our lives will be blest, and we in turn will become a blessing to others.

We are promised that what we believe will make a difference to us and it certainly does. If we put the resurrection at the center of our lives of faith, we can trust that we will participate in the glory of Christ’s victory over death. If we allow the resurrection to be a part of our daily prayer, especially in the next 50 days, and not just an event that occurs once a year, we can be sure that we will enjoy a new power over sin and death. Easter Sunday reminds us that we have been given a gift beyond all price, the privilege of participating in the very life of God himself.  During this joyful season we ought to ask ourselves how well we are using that gift.

Today is Easter Sunday; rejoice and be glad, fellow Christians, our savior is risen. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad! 

Good Friday Reflection

There is great wisdom in the practices of our Mother, the Church during Holy Week. The Church knows that we can easily forget things as time goes along, even things which are incredibly important. Today is no exception as we contemplate the passion and death of Christ in our liturgy. In the last five days, we have heard two different accounts of the Lord’s passion: one from Mark and today, the perspective of St. John. Each of them offers different details, variations for us to reflect on and to remember, the greatest act of love our world has ever known. The Church gives us these accounts of the Lord’s passion and death on Calvary so that we do not forget, so  that we do not grow numb to the price that was paid for our sins on that first Good Friday, two millennia ago.

With this in mind, let us contemplate the wounds of Christ while the words of John’s gospel are still fresh in our minds. Let us meditate on the depth of his love, the extent of his suffering, so that we may not take for granted, the price of salvation. As we move through this meditation, I invite you to either close your eyes and picture Christ crucified or gaze upon our own crucifix, hanging here above the altar.

Look first at his feet. These are the feet that walked countless miles to spread the saving gospel. These were the feet that Isaiah described when he wrote: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings.” These are the feet that were lovingly cleansed by the sinful women with costly perfume and her own tears and dried with her hair. But now, these saving feet, the feet of God, they are shattered, swollen, bloody. They have been punctured by the rough iron nails carelessly driven through by Roman soldiers to support the weight of Christ’s body so that he won’t die too quickly on the cross. Sense the pain endured by the Savior for you and me and never doubt the evil of sin.

Look next at his knees; knees that spent so many hours in prayer to the Father. Prayer that gave him strength and insight and courage. Prayer that moved him to choose the twelve apostles and to carry on his compassionate mission with endless patience and love. Prayer that asked for mercy for us and for the whole world. Prayer that helped him accept the fatal mission to die for our sins as he spoke to His heavenly Father: “If it be possible, let this cup pass from me, but not my will but your will be done.” Now those prayerful knees, look how they are gashed and torn from the weight of our sins as he fallen three times on the way to Calvary. Look at the knees of Jesus and never underestimate the heaviness of sin.

Imagine now his back; it scarcely resembles human flesh anymore after being pulverized by the whips and scourges of mocking soldiers. As if this wasn’t enough punishment, the cross has made those wounds even worse, even deeper as its weight digs into strong back of the Son of God and the Son of Mary. How destructive the effects of sin, which have completely disfigured the back and shoulders of Jesus! See how much pain they cause the One who has given every ounce of his strength to the human race! How humbling for us to notice that he has spared nothing, not single piece of his flesh to rescue us from the condemnation of our sins. Can there be any doubt in our minds as to how far evil will go to try and destroy goodness and virtue? 

Our eyes would naturally turn to the head of Jesus and his precious face. Those who would have seen him day in and out would hardly recognize him now. He has been punched, slapped, and beaten. His eyes which looked with love on so many who sought him are swollen shut. Blood gushes from the crown of sharp thorns that are embedded in his sacred head in mockery of the king of kings. His appearance, as the prophet foretold, is so disfigured that we might wonder if we are looking at a human at all. And yet we are looking at the most perfect human who ever existed, perfect God and man. If we ever thought our sins were harmless or only affected us, now is the time to look at the face of Christ, so broken and bloody, and realize that sin hates what is good and beautiful and true.

We might then look up and see the hands of Jesus, outstretched on the cross. These are the beautiful hands that healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, raised the dead and cast out demons. These are the hands that spared the women caught in adultery, saved St. Peter when he began to sink in the sea of Galilee, and which celebrated that first Eucharist on Holy Thursday. For all their kindness, how has Mankind repaid the hands of God? They are pierced with nails and crushed under the weight of Christ hanging on the cross! On Good Friday, could we ever explain away our evil choices, seeing what they did to the gentle hands of our Savior?

Finally, to end our meditation, let us gaze upon the side of Jesus, pierced for our sins. When the centurion thrusts his spear through the side of our Lord, blood and water flow forth, symbolizing redemption and new life. Here, we see the heart of Christ, which has literally poured out every drop of blood for love of us. The heart of Christ longed for each and every soul that would ever live on this earth. And that Sacred Heart beat every moment of every day to bring salvation to you and me.

Had another person died for us, we would never forget it. But how often a day goes by where we don’t thank Jesus for laying his life down for our sins!  Every wound, every drop of blood, was worth it to Christ crucified so that we might be prisoners no longer! On this Good Friday, let us thank God for sparing nothing to break us out of our slavery to sin and death. May we never doubt the evil of sin nor the price that had to be paid for them. But above else, let us never doubt the infinite love of our savior displayed for all time in the wounds he bore as he hung upon the cross. Amen.