Pentecost Sunday
On the feast of the Pentecost, it is generally customary to focus on the spectacular. The awesomeness of tongues of fire, the speaking in multiple tongues, the mighty wind and the fiery speech of Peter are indeed representative of this event that transformed the history of the world. But that is in the Acts of the Apostles. Our gospel reading is from the gospel of John and in this gospel the Pentecost is associated more closely with the death of Jesus and the resurrection appearances. So, for example, John has Jesus give the spirit to the people present at the foot of the cross. Jn 19:30 says, “When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, "It is finished." And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit. Scripture scholars tell us that John was referring not just to Jesus’ death but that he also meant that Jesus handed over the Holy Spirit. Similarly, in today’s gospel reading, Jesus said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This is John’s Pentecost. John does this because for him the church is born at the foot of the cross with the blood and water flowing from his side.
Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle
We have come to the last day of the Easter Season, and with it to the end of the Gospel of John, which we have been following throughout the Easter Season. We also celebrate today the memorial of St. Barnabas, a close companion to the Apostles and especially to Paul in his mission outside of Jerusalem.
As we see in today’s first reading, Barnabas was specifically called by the Holy Spirit, set apart for the work of spreading the gospel (Acts 12:2). He followed with zeal and a joyful hear, even disagreeing with his companion St. Paul on several occasions. Barnabas’s heart was consumed by God’s grace, on fire with the Holy Spirit, such that he held nothing back when it came to bearing witness to Christ. That word, “witness” is the translation of the Greek word “martyr.” Martyrs are so called because in dying as Christ did, they offer ultimate witness to Him. While we don’t know exactly when and how Barnabas died, the end of Acts of Apostles points to Paul’s martyrdom. It’s at least possible that Barnabas’s fate was the same.
Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter
So many people do not REALLY have faith in Christ or in his resurrection. They see Jesus as a nice guy who said good things like "Love each other." But today's reading in Acts (25:13b-21) shows that faith in Jesus must be something deeper than that. In my reflection today, I set some context for this passage in Acts, in order to discuss this deeper faith.
Festus is the current governor of Caesarea, an area that includes Judea; Agrippa is grandson of Herod and king of an area north of Judea; Bernice is his sister. Festus has been holding Paul in prison because of charges made by some of the Jewish members of the region. Paul is charged with inciting violence, disturbing the peace, and desecrating the temple and has been imprisoned for two years already. He was first charged with these crimes when the previous governor, Felix, was in charge.
Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Pentecost is quickly approaching, and the liturgical season of Easter finally coming to an end. What does the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost signify? Unity, for one thing. We see this foreshadowed dramatically in Jesus’ words of prayer in the gospel of John in today’s passage: “I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me” (Jn. 17:20-21). The unity of his followers is something for which Jesus prays, and the cause of unity is one reason for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Published in 1942, “The Screwtape Letters” gathered together a collection of letters that were originally published in a weekly Anglican periodical. These letters were from a higher ranking demon, Screwtape, to a tempter in training, Wormwood, who happened to be this demon’s nephew. At the heart of the letters was advice as to the best methods for destroying the soul. While this book is satire the truth with which it speaks can be convicting at times. The temptations Wormwood tries to inflict are calculating and very cunning in their approach.
Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
I love to see my five month old daughter smile. It’s contagious. When I see her smile I can’t help but smile myself. I’m also reminded of Jesus’ words at several places in the Bible (for instance, Matthew 13:3) that to really have faith we must become like children. Sometimes I find myself become so overburdened by the cares of the world and the busyness of daily life that I forget that my life is a gift of God. It seems that what Jesus is encouraging us to do by teaching us to be like children is to get us to treat each moment of our lives as a gift, to prevent us from losing sight of the ways that we are dependent to God. It occurs to me that we can even find joy in this realization if our lives are centered on God and we are living in the light of his presence.
Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Our celebration has now passed, and we are nearing the end of the season of Easter. In this final week, we turn our attention to the Holy Spirit, and the coming of the Holy Spirit on the disciples at Pentecost. By this time in Easter, it’s easy to feel that the Easter spirit has fizzled out. Those Easter egg hunts and the newness of the “Alleluia” seem to have been so long ago. But we should not be led to complacency in these last days of Easter. We are called to march on in the joy of the risen Lord, looking forward to that great gift given to us after the risen Lord Jesus ceased to walk the earth and ascended into heaven.
Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord
Of all the feasts in the church, Ascension is my least favorite feast. After all, I am not very fond of goodbyes. It could be because my first real goodbye was also the hardest. I left home when I was barely seventeen. Leaving one’s family to join the seminary is unlike going away to college. There is a certain finality to that leaving. Ascension reminds me of that finality. No wonder, then, that the excitement that characteristic of the resurrection of Jesus is missing from the disciples at ascension. In fact, they are portrayed gaping at the sky, in doubt and questioning. So for me, the meaning of the feast of the Ascension rests less in the fact that Jesus went out of the sight of the world and is now seated at the right hand of God in heaven. That is no cause for feasting. For me, the meaning of Easter comes from this one statement, “You will be my witnesses….” In the gospel reading this command reads, “Go and make disciples.” Here lies the meaning of the feast of the ascension. The ascension of Jesus opens a new horizon for those who follow the path laid out by Jesus. The ascension of Jesus offers new possibilities for his disciples. Today I want to explore these new horizons, these new possibilities.
Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter
In a little more than a week we will celebrate the great feast of Pentecost, when the disciples receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit, who makes the Church into the Mystical Body of Christ. This feast is the conclusion of the fifty days of the Easter season. For now, we continue to celebrate the great mystery of Easter.
Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and his companions, martyrs
One of the things that I've realized as a parent is that I'm more worried about life and death. I'm often wondering: What if something happens to them? What if something happens to me? How can we best make sure that our kids are cared for if something happens? And I worry, too, about this world into which my children have been born: the economic downturn, the world's shrinking access to water, and the wars we wage all figure utmost in my mind. How is it that we bother having children?
Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter
The psalm response for today is “The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power” (Ps. 98:2b). This theme emerges in the two readings for the day.
The first reading continues the adventure story of the early church, which we have been following throughout this entire Easter season. Today’s passage shares the story of Paul in Corinth, residing with Priscilla and Aquila, who share his trade in tentmaking. While this is Paul’s occupation in Corinth, his more important work is to share the gospel message with Jews and Gentiles alike. Today’s passage ends with a note on Paul’s success: a synagogue official name Crispus came to believe in Jesus, as did many Corinthians who were baptized. The stories of Acts do not always end so tidily, which should make us appreciate this story all the more! Moreover, this story brings out theme of God’s saving power with its emphasis on baptism. Throughout Acts in many different geographical locations, baptism emerges as an important sign of conversion and belief in the Gospel – the beginning of salvation! Notably, baptism often involves an entire household (presumably children, servants, etc.). Today we hear that Crispus’ entire household was converted.
Memorial of Saint Justin, martyr
In recent years, we have had agnostics and even atheists join our RCIA process. They are encouraged to come as they are and participate with an open mind and a willingness to be guided by the Spirit. This past year, we had a candidate who grew up Southern Baptist although he was never baptized. Since then, he became an atheist, an agnostic and a Buddhist. Along the way, he met a Catholic woman and he decided to investigate the Catholic faith. At the beginning of our RCIA process, he still considered himself a Buddhist. This Easter, he was baptized Catholic. Rarely have I encountered such a learned young person who had explored so many theological points of view.
Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
I love reading the parts of the gospel where people meet Jesus and they "just know" that he is the one they've been looking for. Maybe that's because for most people in the Bible, as well as in our contemporary world, seeing Jesus for who he really is, is pretty complicated. The Pharisees and Sadducees sure don't recognize him; even his own disciples have a hard time seeing him sometimes. But in today's gospel lesson (Luke 1:39-56), Elizabeth, and her unborn baby, John the Baptist "just know" that this is Jesus.
Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter
In today's first reading from the Acts of the Apostles we encounter Paul and his companions filled with the Spirit of God and spreading the Good News of Jesus. Paul and his companions find welcome listeners among some women, and Lydia, who is one of these kind women receives baptism and invites them to stay at her home. Just yesterday, in the Sunday gospel reading, Jesus had promised that he would send an "advocate" to help his disciples. We see that promise being fulfilled in the life of the Church.
Sixth Sunday of Easter
During the early years of my spiritual journey, I used a very simple analogy to help me grow in my God-experience. I would often think my heart as my house. Like every other home, I would think of my heart as having a living room, a dining, a kitchen, bedrooms, a basement and even an attic. And in each of these rooms were closets where I stored things and sometimes even hide things that I did not want other people to see or know about. Talking about my heart as my house, it was easy to let Jesus into my living room and I would be happy if he just stayed there. But initially I had restrictions. It was as if I was saying, “Lord, please do not come into my bedroom. It is not always made up and clean. And for heaven’s sake, do not open the closets. You do not want to see the thing I collect. Of all things, do not turn on the channels on TV that I turn on, do not look around the room, or lift the mattress to see what is underneath.” It was as if the Lord and I could live under one roof but lead pretty independent lives. But sooner than later I realized that I couldn’t do that. Can’t mess with Jesus! Gradually I let him into my bedroom, into all the closets of my life. Felt much better because my life was much cleaner. But the Lord seemed dissatisfied even with that. “Lord what more can I do? Is there something more?” There came a day when I wrote my house to his name. My house, my home, my heart, my life was no longer mine but the Lord’s. This analogy helped me take my relationship with God to the next level.
Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter
There are several interesting elements in today’s three Readings that are worth noting, all of which link in some way to the Christian concept of discipleship.
In our First Reading, St. Paul encounters Timothy and decides to take him as a traveling companion. Timothy is himself both Jew and Gentile, having a Jewish mother (which is the general requirement for membership in the Jewish community) and a Gentile father. Through his parentage, Timothy seems to represent the Church of this period, which is growing community of both Jews and Gentiles. St. Paul, who will elsewhere argue vehemently against the need for Gentile Christians to become Jews, ends up having Timothy circumcised. This strange decision is presumably reached so that there will be no doubt about Timothy’s status within the Covenant, so that Timothy will be accepted by those to whom he is called to serve as a messenger. As these disciples travel about relaying the decisions of the Council of Jerusalem (that were reached in the previous chapter), the faith of the Christian community grows. The overriding theme of the First Reading, however, is following the lead of the Holy Spirit. According to Acts of the Apostles, Paul and Timothy intend to travel through one region and preach the Gospel only to be “prevented by the Holy Spirit” from doing so. Instead of allowing them to go where they have determined they should go, the Holy Spirit guides these disciples to preach to the people of Macedonia. They receive a vision, which is not necessarily the vision that they wanted, and begin to recognize that they are called in a different way than they have originally supposed. This does not mean that they will never make it to these other regions; it only means that they have other work to do that they must accomplish first.
Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Evangelist Billy Graham once said, "Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion - it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ." I think he's got it right - I find I'm constantly being converted and I'm never done converting. One of the ways I'm being converted is in how I understand love. I think I'm learning, over a lifetime, what it means to love other people and to be loved by other people and of course, scriptures like the ones we've read today help in that conversion.
Memorial of Saint Philip Neri, priest
In this 5th week of Easter, we are continuing to follow the adventures of the early Church and to muse on some of the conflicts and problems that they encountered in trying to figure out how to be Christians. This task became particularly difficult when it came to negotiating the acceptance of the Gentiles into this new faith. After all, although faith in Jesus was new, it was really a fulfillment of a very old faith – the Jewish faith, and the Gentiles as a group didn’t belong to the Jewish faith in any proper sense (although there were individuals who converted to Judaism).
Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter
You may have heard it said by some non mainline Christians, “We belong to a Bible based Church”. And in fact they do. In today’s reading we witness the early church that pre-exists scripture being written. These show the Bible as a product of Church, not vice versa. Unlike the circular debate of the chicken and the egg, there can be no dissension on the order here.
Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter
This week I'm reading a book about a family - including teenagers - that decided to experiment with turning off their cell phones, computers, video games and other gadgets for a year. Whenever they needed to type something, they would arrange their schedule so they could use the computers at work, the library, or school. They learned to deal with boredom by becoming more creative. They learned that life could be a bit more still than they had been used to. At the end of the year, they picked up their technology again - but also made some rules that helped them keep some of the spirit of their year "off" - like having a tech-free day (Sunday) and having meals together without cell phones or other gadgets. They liked the balance they achieved of having the technology when they needed it, but also of connecting with the local people in their lives as much, or more than, the online people.