A prayer for the people of Oklahoma

As our sisters and brothers deal with the agonizing aftermath of a devastating twister in Oklahoma, may the memory of a storm on the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:35-41) be an occasion to experience Jesus’ peace and comfort.

SCRIPTURE

“He hushed the storm to silence, the waves of the sea were stilled!” Click for full Psalm.

COLLECT

(This prayer is taken from The Roman Missal, “Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions, #37:  For an End to Storms”)

O God, to Whose commands
all the elements give obedience,
we humbly entreat You,
that the stilling of fearsome storms
may turn a powerful menace
into an occasion for us to praise You.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, One God,
for ever and ever.

Pray also for the first responders and all involved in locating and rescuing trapped people. If you desire to help with a donation, here is a link to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.

Pentecost 2013

ANTIPHON

The love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Spirit of God dwelling with us, alleluia. (Romans 5:5).

COLLECT

O God,
Who by the mystery of today’s great feast
sanctify Your whole Church in every people and nation,
pour out, we pray, the gifts of the Holy Spirit
across the face of the earth
and, with the Divine grace that was at work
when the Gospel was first proclaimed,
fill now once more the hearts of believers.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (click for full Psalm)

Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. Alleluia! (Psalm 104: 30).

SCRIPTURE EXCERPT (click for all readings)

“On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked,
where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them,
“Peace be with you (εἰρήνη ὑμῖν, eirene humin).”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again,
“Peace be with you (εἰρήνη ὑμῖν, eirene humin).
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained (John 20:19-23).”

REFLECTION

What comes to mind when you hear the word peace? Tranquility? Calmness? A serene mind and ‘quiet’ stomach? Absence of conflict, violence and/or war? The list, no doubt, can go on and on and each word or phrase offers insight into a facet of peace. Both history and contemporary life suggest an elusive quality about peace – we appear to work for peace yet if it happens, it seems to vanish quickly. Even our bodies work for peace (biologically termed homeostasis) in which all bodily processes and operations are ‘standing with each other in balance.’ Yet here again, each of us knows well that such a balance is often temporary.

So what are we to make of Jesus’ address, “Peace be with you”?

As with any of Jesus’ words or action, we must begin any study firmly rooted in the world of His day. As a devout practicing Jewish man, Jesus knew His Tradition well particularly in voicing shalom (peace, εἰρήνη eirene in the Gospel) in the Torah and in the Psalms. Biblically, shalom is about “well being” particularly when it comes to the material necessities of life (recall an earlier post describing salvation from a Hebrew perspective: ‘land that is wide, broad and spacious: so wide, so broad and so spacious that it provides all needed resources to live life). Shalom described the condition wherein all the needed resources for life existed in balance: the right amount of farmable land, a sufficient quantity of food and a proper supply of safe drinking water. When all of these (and other) necessities existed AND existed in balance among each other for the good of living, the condition (or state-of-being) of shalom enveloped life. While a number of cultures in the Ancient Near East would have shared some of this understanding of shalom, the Hebrew people knew that such a condition existed only as God’s gift to them. While they knew there was work involved to bring about and maintain the condition of shalom, no amount of work could bring such a condition into existence if God did not first provide the necessary means for shalom.

With the passing of time, many in Israel viewed shalom in a more political way. Shalom embodied a more immediate concern of ‘absence of conflict,’ particularly with another country. Like many of her contemporaries, Israel knew that when she was not engaged in war with another, prosperity often grew and changed the landscape of life for the better. Yet many of the Prophets reminded Israel of her greater call to live the covenant with God-Who-Is-One. Prophetic shalom instructed Israel that while cessation of conflict is good, there is much more to God’s peace than a practical prosperity. A shalom ‘beyond this world’ soon linked with Israel’s Messianic hopes and dreams to the point that the Messiah would eventually be called “He-Who-is-our-shalom.”

In bestowing peace upon the disciples with His address to them, Jesus brings the disciples into a new realm or way of living. The breathing of the Holy Spirit onto and into them not only recalls the “mighty wind sweeping over the waters (Genesis)” at Creation’s birth, but signals an entirely new creation. Imbued with the Holy Spirit, the disciples are drawn more deeply into Trinitarian life and love resulting in being equipped with the necessities for mission, and also to live in a state of “well-being” that unleashes new life, new order, new beauty and new harmony of the Holy Spirit because Jesus is risen and sits now at the right hand of the Father!

Easter, the Seventh Sunday

ANTIPHON

O Lord, hear my voice, for I have called to You; of You my heart has spoken: Seek His Face; hide not Your Face from me, alleluia. (Psalm 27: 7-9).

COLLECT

Graciously hear our supplications, O Lord,
so that we, who believe that the
Savior of the human race is with you in your glory,
may experience, as he promised,
until the end of the world,
his abiding presence among us.
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (click for full Psalm)

The Lord is king, the most high over all the earth. Alleluia! (Psalm 97: 1).

SCRIPTURE EXCERPT (click for all readings)

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
“Holy Father, I pray not only for them,
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.
And I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me,
that they may be brought to perfection as one,
(ἵνα ὦσιν τετελειωμένοι εἰς ἕν, hina osin teteleiomenoi eis en)
that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.
Father, they are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
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. (John 17:20-26)”

REFLECTION

‘The Week of Easter’ – the 7 Sundays of Easter – always draw to a close on the Seventh Easter with an excerpt from some part of Jesus’ ‘High Priestly Prayer.’ Each of these Easter Sundays has marked a particular aspect of the new creation of Jesus’ resurrection and the transforming power that Jesus, Who is Resurrection and Life, has unleashed in the universe to make all things new in His Father. As God the Creator rested on the seventh day of Creation, the One Who makes all things new rests on Easter 7 by defining the action of that rest: oneness with His Father. But as far as Jesus is concerned, nothing is ever about Him. As the One Who came to serve and not be served, His life is about drawing us as His disciples into the marvelous life He shares with His Father in the love of the Holy Spirit.

While one may get ‘caught up’ in the “I in You, You in me” sayings throughout the prayer, it is vital to recall what is looming on the horizon: the Cross. At the conclusion of the prayer, Jesus will go out across the Kidron valley to a garden and be arrested. He knew what was coming and yet entered deeply into prayer with His Father for us!

Of the petitions woven through the entire Prayer, similar to that of the Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew 6, Jesus prays, “that they may be brought to perfection as one.” The Greek word τετελειωμένοι (teteleiomenoi) is translated here as “perfection.” The word is well worth examining this Sunday as ‘ideas of perfection’ often get us humans into quite a bit of trouble in the quest for the ever elusive ‘perfection.’ τελειόω (teleioo) is a Greek verb that means ‘to complete in a broad manner.’ In early Greek, τελειόω (teleioo) conveyed a sense ‘to accomplish’ or ‘to finish.’ This use of τελειόω (teleioo) often had a particular task in view that was clearly identified and one engaged in a series of steps or actions to bring a desired ‘end’ to the task. Gradually another ‘sense’ of τελειόω (teleioo) evolved epsecially when applied to human life, notably growth in the ‘life of virtue.’ “Accomplish” and “finish,” associated more often with specific tasks, became ‘being complete for living’ when dealing with aspects of human life.

So how is τελειόω (teleioo) to be understood in the context of Jesus’ prayer in John 17? Minimally, “perfection” is NOT attaining or obtaining something or some level and calling it quits. Minimally, “perfection” is NOT establishing a particular goal, setting a series of outcomes and then objectively assessing it through a properly devised rubric and congratulating oneself on meeting the goal or goals. Minimally, Christian “perfection” IS being given all necessary gifts to live radically the oneness of the Father. This flows directly from what Jesus did and said: “I have given them the glory you gave Me.” The question here is not ‘what’ is glory; rather ‘Who’? Saint Gregory of Nyssa’s words from his “Homilies on the Song of Songs” are worth pondering: “In giving “all power” to his disciples by his blessing, in his prayer here to the Father he grants many other favors to those who are holy. And he adds this, which is the crown of all blessings, that in all the diversity of life’s decisions they should never be divided greatly in their choice of the good. And so he prays that all “may be one,” united in a single good so that linked “in the bond of peace,” as the apostle says, through “the unity of the [Holy] Spirit,” all might become “one body and one spirit,” through the “one hope” to which they have all been called. But it would be better here if we would quote the actual words of the Gospel. “That they all may be one,” he says, “as you, Father, are in me, and I in you; that they also may be one in us.” Now the bond of this unity is glory, and no one who would consider seriously the Lord’s words would deny that this glory is the Holy Spirit. For he says, “The glory that you have given me, I have given to them.” He gave his disciples this glory when he said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” And he himself received this glory when he put on human nature, though he had indeed always possessed it since before the beginning of the world. And now that his human nature has been glorified by the Spirit, this participation in the glory of the Spirit is communicated to all who are united with him, beginning with his disciples.”

Easter, the Sixth Sunday

ANTIPHON

Proclaim a joyful sound and let it be heard; proclaim to the ends of the earth: The Lord has freed His people, alleluia. (Psalm 33: 5-6).

COLLECT

Grant, almighty God,
that we may celebrate with heartfelt devotion
these days of joy,
which we keep in honor of the risen Lord,
and that what we relieve in remembrance
we may always hold to in what we do.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (click for full Psalm)

O God, let all the nations praise you! (Psalm 67: 4).

SCRIPTURE EXCERPT (click for all readings)

“Jesus said to his disciples:
“Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make
(ποιησόμεθα, poiesometha) our dwelling (μονὴν, monen) with him.
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.

“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me tell you,
‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.” (John 14:23-29)”

REFLECTION

Gifts abound in this Easter Sunday Gospel proclamation: an Advocate Who will teach and remind, Peace that is different from the world’s peace, an absence of trouble and fear because the departing Jesus will return. Any one of these Gifts is cause for a lifetime of reflective gratitude expressed in living a life of loving, generous service; but all of them? Yes – and, more as well. The more is a Divine action (making) resulting in a new way of living for humanity (dwelling).

The Greek verb ποιέω (poieo), translated “make” in verse 23, has a wide variety of meanings including “to do,” “to bear,” “to give,” “to hold,” “to put,” and “to work” to name only a few – there are many more! In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures often abbreviated LXX), ποιέω (poieo) is used to translate the Hebrew verb בָּרָא (barah), “to create” which includes actions of ‘speaking’ reality into existence and ‘speaking’ a transforming word to chaos resulting in cosmos, order, harmony and beauty. “To create” would certainly be an appropriate rendering of ποιέω (poieo) in this Sunday’s proclamation given the ‘new creation’ motif woven throughout the Gospel according to Saint John. But there is another aspect of the Text that deserves attention that requires another Greek grammar lesson (ugh!).

In addition to verb forms that at time border on the incomprehensible, another challenge in learning Greek involves grammatical voice. Voice is the term used to describe the relationship of subject and verb, of doer and action. In English, voice is either active or passive. But Greek has another voice that English does not have: the middle voice. Put simply, the middle voice expresses a subject doing a particular action AND a further relationship between subject and action wherein the subject ‘continues’ the action as opposed to an action that is done and over with, a ‘one shot deal.’ The use of the middle voice indicates that the ‘subject’ is not leaving and the work the subject is doing will not be finished anytime soon.

Thus the “dwelling (μονὴν, monen)” that God the Father and Jesus ‘will create’ is forever an active, energizing ‘work in progress.’ μονή (mone), translated here as “dwelling,” expresses a particular place used as one’s residence, a place to stay. As a noun, μονή (mone) is related grammatically to the Greek verb μένω (meno, “to stay”), a verb that has deep meaning in the Johannine Text. For the Evangelist, μονή (mone) is not simply a convenient place to live. Both μονή (mone) and μένω (meno) often indicate the realm of Divine living that – in the case of Jesus and His re-creative work – extends an invitation to humanity. Yet what is so notable is that humanity does not go to the Divine abode, the Divine comes to humanity … AND remains creating an ever richer dwelling place within the lives of all who keep Jesus’ life-giving and life-changing word.

Easter, the Fourth Sunday

ANTIPHON

The merciful love of the Lord fills the earth; by the Word of the Lord the heavens were made, alleluia. (Psalm 33: 5-6).

COLLECT

Almighty ever-living God,
lead us to a share in the joys of heaven,
so that the humble flock
may reach where the brave Shepherd has gone before.
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever. Amen.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (click for full Psalm)

We are his people, the sheep of his flock. (Psalm 100: 3).

SCRIPTURE EXCERPT (click for all readings)

Jesus said: “My sheep hear (ἀκούουσιν, akouousin) my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one (John 10:27-30).”

REFLECTION

The Shepherd stands before us this Sunday teaching quite clearly what it means to be His disciple. Simply, Jesus pronounces a singular action that is the foundation of discipleship: LISTEN. Courtesy of a number of influences in culture, the American use of English notes a difference between the “act of hearing” and the “act of listening.” Hearing is often understood as a passive operation that may or may not involve attention, focus or consciousness on the part of the hearer. Listening is often understood as an active operation involving not only attention, focus and consciousness but also ‘being present to the person and the moment with one’s being.’ In this distinction, listening requires far more work and energy than hearing. It is not uncommon when 2 (or more) people are trying to iron out differences for one to say, “Darling, you’re not listening to me!” Only for the other to retort, “Sweetheart, I hear every word you are saying.”

Saint Cyril of Alexandria noted: “The mark of Christ’s sheep is their willingness to hear and obey, just as disobedience is the mark of those who are not his. We take the word hear to imply obedience to what has been said. People who hear God are known by him. No one is entirely unknown by God, but to be known in this way is to become part of his family. Therefore, when Christ says, “I know mine,” he means I will receive them and give them a permanent mystical relationship with myself. It might be said that inasmuch as he has become man, he has made all human beings his relatives, since all are members of the same race. We are all united to Christ in a mystical relationship because of his incarnation. Yet those who do not preserve the likeness of his holiness are alienated from him. . . . “My sheep follow me,” says Christ. By a certain God-given grace, believers follow in the footsteps of Christ. No longer subject to the shadows of the law, they obey the commands of Christ and guided by his words rise through grace to his own dignity, for they are called “children of God.”11 When Christ ascends into heaven, they also follow him. Commentary on the Gospel of John”

The English translations of the Hebrew and Greek verbs use “to hear” and “to listen” interchangeably and as synonyms. When the Word of God commands one “to hear,” it is understood in the American English sense of “to listen.” This is an important point about the biblical verbs because one can miss the challenge and urgency of God’s Word. Examples of this abound in Sacred Scripture; Psalm 95 is a classic example, “Oh that you would hear His voice: do not harden your hearts.” Psalm 95 employs the Hebrew verb שָׁמַע (shama) and thereby expresses the necessity of taking Divine Wisdom and Instruction to heart in such a way that one’s thoughts, words and actions express Covenant living. But there is another reason that underscores the proper meaning of “to listen.”

Throughout the pages of the New Testament, building on the Covenant experience of the Old Testament (cf. Deuteronomy 6:4-9, שָׁמַע (shama) “Hear O Israel …”), the Greek verb ἀκούω (akouo) conveys the sense of attention, focus, consciousness and presence to the other. ἀκούω (akouo) also expresses the act of listening to the Word of God in the midst of the event. What this means is crucial for Christian living as it brings that element of “difference” to bear on the situation. Why the Christian is called “to listen” to the other person or persons - AND - fundamentally to listen to God, is that in the exchange of person-to-person, the Word of God can break into the situation! Imagine, Divine Wisdom invading our arguments and perhaps even being spoken by one who has managed to ‘press our buttons’ at the moment. Shocking, yes - and it makes so much sense when we consider this in the context of Christian life.

By virtue of Baptism, we are constituted priest, prophet and king. Baptism into the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus enables us to offer sacrifice to the Father (priest), speak on behalf of God (prophet) and have power over sin (king). The listening that Jesus prescribes this Sunday for the ailments of relational living go beyond the necessary attentiveness to the moment and the person. Listening, as far as Jesus is concerned, is the consciousness of the Word flooding the spaces of life with Divine Wisdom, Divine Life and Divine Love.

Prayers for all affected by the tragedy in Boston

As reports from Boston continue to unfold, may the words of Jesus offer comfort and peace.

SCRIPTURE

For you, O LORD, are my refuge. You have made the Most High your dwelling. (Psalm 91)

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light (Matthew 11:28-30).” 

COLLECT

(These prayers are taken from The Order of Christian Funerals)

For all who died
Lord our God,
You are always faithful and quick to show mercy.
Our brothers and sisters
were suddenly and violently taken from us.
Come swiftly to their aid,
have mercy on them,
and comfort their families and friends
by the power and protection of the Cross.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the Mourners
Father of Mercies and God of all consolation,
You pursue us with untiring love
and dispel the shadow of death
with the bright dawn of life.

Comfort Your families in their loss and sorrow.
Be our refuge and our strength, O Lord,
and lift us from the depth of grief
into the peace and light of Your presence.

Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
by dying has destroyed our death,
and by rising, restored our life.
Enable us therefore to press on toward Him,
so that, after our earthly course is run,
He may reunite us with those we love,
when every tear will be wiped away.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Easter, the Third Sunday

ANTIPHON

Cry out with joy to God, all the earth; O sing to the glory of His name. O render Him glorious praise, alleluia (Psalm 66: 1-2).

COLLECT

May Your people exult for ever, O God,
in renewed youthfulness of spirit, so that,
rejoicing now in the restored glory of our adoption,
we may look forward in confident hope
to the rejoicing of the day of resurrection.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever. Amen.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (click for full Psalm)

I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me. (Psalm 30: 2).

SCRIPTURE EXCERPT (click for all readings)

“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,
“Simon, son of John, do you love (ἀγαπᾷς, agapas) me more than these?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love (φιλῶ, philo) you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
He then said to Simon Peter a second time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love (ἀγαπᾷς, agapas) me?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love (φιλῶ, philo) you.”
Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
Jesus said to him the third time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love (φιλεῖς, phileis) me?”
Peter was distressed that Jesus had said to him a third time,
“Do you love (φιλεῖς, phileis) me?” and he said to him,
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love (φιλῶ, philo) you.””
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” (Gospel according to John 21:15-19)”

REFLECTION

What a question to ask after breakfast, “do you love me more than these?” As the account is presented, Simon Peter wastes no time in responding immediately to Jesus’ question with an emphatic, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Throughout the ages, many understand this dialogue as an act of mercy that Jesus extends to Peter: 3 times he denied Jesus, 3 times now he professes his love for Jesus. In Sermon 224, Saint Augustine notes: “Christ rose again in the flesh, and Peter rose in the spirit because, when Christ died in his passion, Peter died by his denial. Christ the Lord was raised from the dead, and out of his love he raised Peter. He questioned him about the love he was confessing and entrusted him with his sheep. After all, what benefit could Peter confer on Christ by the mere fact of his loving Christ? If Christ loves you, it is to your advantage, not Christ’s. And if you love Christ, it is to your advantage, not Christ’s. And yet Christ the Lord wanted to indicate how people ought to show that they love Christ. And he made it plain enough by entrusting him with his sheep. “Do you love me?” “I do.” “Feed my sheep.” All this once, all this a second time, all this a third time. Peter made no other reply than that he loved him. The Lord asked no other question but whether he loved him. When Peter answered, our Lord did nothing else but entrust his sheep to him.”

Looking at the Greek text of this event, it is quite interesting to note the use of the verbs ἀγαπάω (agapao) and φιλέω (phileo). In the Gospel according to Saint John, the verb ἀγαπάω is used to express Jesus’ love as unconditional, self-sacrificing, self-surrendering total gift of Self culminating in the Cross. φιλέω is the Greek verb that expresses love as the bond shared and experienced by friends. Thus as far as the Text is concerned, Jesus asks Peter in the first and second question, ‘do you love me with an unconditional, self-sacrificing, self-surrendering love?’ Peter’s response to both of those questions is, ‘Yes Lord, I love You as a friend.’ Jesus’ question to Peter a third time is different, ‘do you love me as a friend?’ Peter responds for a third time, ‘Yes Lord, I love you as a friend.’

Many centrist scripture scholars consider the Evangelist to use the verbs ἀγαπάω and φιλέω interchangeably as if they were synonyms. Fr Raymond Brown in his magisterial work on the Gospel of John contends that as far as Peter is concerned, he is ‘hearing’ Jesus ask him the same question 3 times, regardless of the distinction of the Greek verbs. A number of scholars note Peter’s “distress” at being asked a third time the ‘same’ question, supporting the view that Peter is hearing the same question 3 times. Yet the Sacred Text in its original, canonical Greek does employ distinct verbs for love. One might ponder whether or not Peter, at this point in his life, was ready and able ‘to hear’ ἀγαπάω? Perhaps where he was at that time in his life, φιλέω was not only what he ‘heard,’ but what he was capable of doing. When one examines other dialogues in the same Gospel, a similar pattern emerges. Nicodemus, for example, comes to Jesus “in the night,” an important Johannine image against the Light Who is Jesus. Jesus takes Nicodemus where he is at in life and we learn at the end of the Gospel, he assists in the care of Jesus’ burial. The woman of Samaria is another similar case. As Jesus met her at the well, He ‘met’ her where she was on the journey only to emerge at the end of the account as an evangelizer! In time, Peter does respond to Jesus with love that is ἀγαπάω ... and it is a lesson that is both comforting and challenging for each of us as Jesus’ present disciples to know that He certainly meets us where we are in life - and - He will never leave us where He found us.

Easter, the Second Sunday

ANTIPHON

Like newborn infants, you must long for the pure, spiritual milk, that in Him you may grow to salvation, alleluia! (1 Peter 2:2).

COLLECT

God of everlasting mercy, who in the very recurrence of the paschal feast kindle the faith of the people you have made your own, increase, we pray, the grace you have bestowed, that all may grasp and rightly understand in what font they have been washed, by whose Spirit they have been reborn, by whose Blood they have been redeemed. Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever. Amen.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (click for full Psalm)

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting. (Psalm 118: 1).

SCRIPTURE EXCERPT (click for all readings)

“I, John, your brother, who share with you
the distress, the kingdom,
and the endurance we have in Jesus,
found myself on the island called Patmos
because I proclaimed God’s word
and gave testimony to Jesus.
I was caught up in spirit on the Lord’s day
and heard behind me a voice
as loud as a trumpet, which said,
“Write on a scroll what you see.”
Then I turned to see whose voice
it was that spoke to me,
and when I turned, I saw seven gold lampstands
and in the midst of the lampstands
one like a son of man,
wearing an ankle-length robe,
with a gold sash around his chest.

When I caught sight of him, I fell down
at his feet as though dead.
He touched me with his right hand and said,
“Do not be afraid.
I am the first and the last, the one who lives.
Once I was dead,
but now I am alive forever and ever.
I hold the keys to death and the netherworld.
Write down, therefore, what you have seen,
and what is happening,
and what will happen afterwards. (Revleation 1:9-19)”

REFLECTION

In this present Cycle of Sunday Scriptures, we will listen each Sunday of Easter to a lesson from the Acts of the Apostles, the Book of Revelation and the Gospel according to Saint John. The ‘Sunday’ Word of God will form us as the proclamation of God’s Word ‘travels’ to the world stage of Rome in the Acts of the Apostles while offering hope in the midst of persecution (Book of Revelation) as Jesus, the new day of Creation, makes all things new in our midst (Gospel according to Saint John). The Acts of the Apostles and Gospel according to Saint John are also proclaimed, for the most part, during daily Mass in the Easter Season and the Book of Revelation is the principle source of Scripture for the Office of Readings in this Liturgical season. With such consistency in the proclamation of God’s Word, I think it helpful to explore 1 of these Books more thoroughly through the lens of the Sunday celebration. Hence over the course of these Easter Sundays, we will examine the Lord’s message to us from the Book of Revelation as it presents, among many insights, hope for the faithful whose connection to the Person Jesus undergoes a variety of tests, struggles and persecutions.

The apocalyptic Text proclaimed this Sunday is a shortened introduction to the Book of Revelation. We meet John on “the Lord’s Day” on the “island called Patmos,” a place where dissidents were banished to live out their days in silence. The introduction also draws us into one of Revelation’s more fascinating elements: visions. Throughout the Sacred Text the many visions are vivid and often troubling, capturing the imagination with all sorts of questions that ponder connections between the text and events of the biblical era as well as our own. While preachers and a host of people throughout the centuries have used (abused?) Revelation’s imagery for a variety of reasons, it is important to situate everything in the Text within a holistic context. Problems arise with any part of Scripture that is divorced from its context and Revelation is no different. ‘Keeping everything together’ is essential for a proper grasp of the salvific meaning of this apocalyptic Text.

In the vision before us this Sunday, John speaks of “seven gold lampstands,” a reference to 7 specific Churches that will be addressed individually. In both ancient and contemporary scholarship, many have asked, ‘why these Churches?’ Apringius of Beja, for example, writes in the sixth century: “We have already said that he addressed one church which exists during the time of the whole world, that is, from that time when he spoke to the consummation of the world. Since he now mentions the names of these churches specifically, let us see what meanings they have. . . . There is a mighty mystery in the names which we will examine and discuss to the extent that God allows. Ephesus means “my will” or “my plan.” Pergamum means “to him who divides their horns.” This refers either to the insolence of the powers of the air, or to the arrogance of the heretics. He writes to Thyatira, that is “enlightened.” This signifies that, after the expulsion of heretical pride and after the defeat of temptations from the powers of the air, the holy church is deserving of the light of righteousness. Sardis means the “beginning of beauty.” The church is seized by the sun of righteousness and is illumined by the light of truth, so that she might have the beginning of beauty, the Lord Jesus Christ, and might always shine in perpetual light. Philadelphia means “preserving devotion to the Lord.” After possessing the sun of righteousness, after the illumination of holiness, after the comeliness of holy beauty, the church rightly is devoted to the Lord and preserves herself by an inviolable observation of devotion. Laodicea means either “a tribe beloved of the Lord,” or, as some would have it, “a birth is expected.” Both are meaningful, for she who has merited the beauty of faith and the sun of righteousness and knows that through faith the Lord cleaves to her, might also be a tribe whom the Lord loves, who is both loved by the Lord and preserved by the Lord. (Tractate on the Apocalypse).” While one may debate the basis upon which Apringius ‘defines’ the meaning of each Church, a vast majority contend that the 7 gold lampstands is a way of speaking of the universal Church whose presence in the world is expressed through local communities.

That being said, the introductory vision is vital for a proper view of the visions, for in the midst of the 7 lampstands is the Person Jesus. His centrality in the Church and indeed in the midst of all reality is a consistent and significant message of the Apocalypse. His presence as the Risen Savior is the light against which the lives of the Churches and believers will be measured. As the Word unfolds on these Easter Sundays, the challenge will be to permit the light of Easter to shine in such a way that our ecclesial and individual lives are grounded in the security and peace that Jesus alone brings and gives to a waiting world.

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord

ANTIPHON

Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord, the King of Israel. Hosanna in the highest (Matthew 21: 9).

COLLECT

Almighty ever-living God,
Who as an example of humility for the human race
to follow caused our Savior
to take flesh and submit to the Cross,
graciously grant that we may heed His lesson
of patient suffering and so merit a share in his Resurrection.
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever. Amen.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (click for full Psalm)

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? (Psalm 22: 2).

SCRIPTURE EXCERPT (click for all readings)

“Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying,
“Are you not the Christ (ὁ χριστός, ho Christos)?
Save (σῶσον, soson) yourself and us.”
The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply,
“Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation?
And indeed, we have been condemned justly,
for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes,
but this man has done nothing criminal.”
Then he said,
“Jesus, remember (μνήσθητι, mnesthsti) me when you come into your kingdom.”
He replied to him,
“Amen, I say to you,
today you will be with me in Paradise. (Luke 23:39-43)””

REFLECTION

As the term synoptic expresses, there are certainly notable similarities among Mark, Matthew and Luke. From the start of His Public Ministry through His Passion, Death and Resurrection Mark, Matthew and Luke present the deeds and words of Jesus through the lens of a single or ‘one eye.’ The ‘other eye’ though sees differences among the 3 Evangelists that set each apart from one another and these differences can help offer a particular insight or two that draw each of us more deeply into the heart of the Paschal Mystery, more deeply into the very life of Jesus.

Saint Luke records the words and deeds of Jesus as a journey from Galilee to Jerusalem marked by moving moments of table fellowship, offering all who come to His table hospitality that nourishes and sustains body and soul while reconciling one to His Father and one another. When encountering Jesus at the table, “enemies speak to each other again, adversaries join hands and peoples seek to meet together.” In addition, at His table “hatred is overcome by love, revenge gives way to forgiveness and discord is changed to mutual respect (Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation II).” Even on the threshold of breathing His last breath, Jesus continuously offers His unique hospitality that reconciles each person with and to His Father as the ‘Good Thief’ marvelously discovered.

The irony of the episode is that the ‘other’ crucified man asks a question that gets to the heart of faith: “Are You not the Christ?” At face value the question is ambiguous, devoid of any attitude or disposition. It is the “rebuke” of the ‘Good Thief’ that colors the question and initiates a conversation that extends the promise of Paradise, ultimate act of hospitality. Saint Leo comments in Sermon 53: “Until now, one [thief] was the equal in all things of his companion. He was a robber on the roads and always a danger to the safety of people. Deserving the cross, he suddenly becomes a confessor of Christ…. “Remember me, Lord, when you enter into your kingdom.” … Then came the gift in which faith itself received a response. Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” This promise surpasses the human condition, because it did not come so much from the wood of a cross as from a throne of power. From that height, he gives a reward to faith. There he abolishes the debt of human transgression, because the “form of God” did not separate itself from the “form of a servant.” Even in the middle of this punishment, both the inviolable divinity and the suffering human nature preserved its own character and its own oneness.”

“In the middle of this punishment,” the plea “remember me?” The direct word of the ‘other thief’ appears on target: “Save yourself and us!” His word to Jesus is an imperative: short, blunt and to the point. σώζω (sozo), the Greek verb that means “to save,” “to deliver from danger to safety” or “to protect,” is the basis for the biblical experience of “salvation.” Is not the request for “salvation” a proper one, especially on the lips of a sinner seeking reconciliation from Jesus? Absolutely. But it seems (and ‘seems’ is extremely important here because human language can never express a limit to the Father’s mercy) that the ‘other thief’ has missed the point. He literally wants to be delivered from danger: suffering and death that will come from crucifixion. The ‘Good Thief’ wants to be “remembered,” a request that may sound odd to the western ear.

Steeped within the rich experience of Israel’s covenant relationship with God, “remembering” is a crucial response to the Covenant. zakar (זָכַר) is the Hebrew verb translated into English as “to remember.” For the Israelites, the act of “remembering” was far more than a neurological event of recalling a fact. zakar expresses “remembering” in the sense of ‘re-connecting,’ ‘re-joining,’ re-establishing.’ More than mental activity, zakar involves the whole person – body and soul – being ‘re-membered’ to a body. In a rather graphic way, zakar is the re-attaching of limbs that have been severed from the body. Once attached, the limbs ‘come to life’ and serve the needs of the whole. The ‘Good Thief’ is making the proper request – ‘graft me onto You, Jesus Who are the Christ.’ Even more remarkable is the additional meaning conveyed by the Greek verb μιμνήσκω (mimnesko). Translated here as “remember,” the Greek verb μιμνήσκω (mimnesko) not only reflects the Old Testament sense of zakar, it is also related to another Greek verb, very important in Johannine theology: μένω (meno). μένω (meno), meaning “to remain,” and expressing ‘abiding presence.’

Thus the Good Thief’s request is more than ‘spot-on,’ it expresses the very essence of Jesus’ ministry. His was and continues to be a work to ‘re-connect’ each of us with His Father in a way that the Divine Persons continuously abide within each person, animating and infusing each of us with such a life and love that our only way of living is gracious, charitable service to Our Lord and to one another. Eyes riveted on Jesus Christ crucified during this sacred time of Holy Week puts all of life in a proper perspective. With all that Jesus did for each one of us, how can I not sing and live, “Jesus – remember me when You come into Your Kingdom!”

Lent, Week 5. Sunday

The prayers, Readings and reflection offered here are for Lent 5, Year C.

ANTIPHON (click for full Psalm)

Give me justice, O God, and plead my cause against a nation that is faithless. From the deceitful and cunning rescue me, for You, O God, are my strength. (Psalm 43: 1-2).

COLLECT

By your help, we beseech you, Lord our God,
may we walk eagerly in that same charity
with which, out of love for the world,
Your Son handed himself over to death.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever. Amen.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (click for full Psalm)

The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy. (Psalm 126: 3).

SCRIPTURE EXCERPT (click for all readings)

“It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity, but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, I for my part do not consider myself to have taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward (ἐπεκτεινόμενος, epekteinomenos) to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:12-14).”

REFLECTION

Saint Paul had a special place in his heart for the Christians at Philippi. He could count on them for assistance in any endeavor throughout his missionary travel and ministry. In the Letter he encourages them to live humbly with lives focused always on the Person Jesus (2:6-11). Such living is balanced between extremes of legalism (beginning section of chapter 3) and hedonism (last part of chapter 3) with Jesus Himself the goal. In this Sunday’s proclamation, we listen to the middle section of chapter 3 in which Saint Paul views his own life as a response to what Jesus has already done. Jesus has taken hold of Paul and for Paul, the only response is one of continuous growth (straining forward) in the life of Jesus Christ.

Centuries after Saint Paul, a saintly bishop in the province of Cappadocia (modern day Turkey), Gregory of Nyssa, penned a number of works concerning the virtuous life (what we would call today spiritual living). Among his more famous works is The Life of Moses wherein Gregory grounded his entire theology in Saint Paul’s “staining forward” (epektasis) and presented Moses as a type or analogy of the entire spiritual life. Consider the following from The Life of Moses:

“The perfection of everything which can be measured by the senses is marked off by certain definite boundaries. Quantity, for example, admits both continuity and limitation. The person who looks at the number ten knows that its perfection consists in the fact that it has both a beginning and an end. But in the case of virtue we have learned from the Apostle that its one limit of perfection is the fact that it has no limit. For that divine Apostle, great and lofty in understanding, ever running the course of virtue, never ceased straining toward those things that are still to come. Coming to a stop in the race was not safe for him. Why? Because no Good has a limit in its own nature but is limited by the presence of its opposite, as life is limited by death and light by darkness. And every good thing generally ends with all those things which are perceived to be contrary to the good (I, 5).”

Later in the same work Gregory writes, “If nothing comes from above to hinder its upward thrust (for the nature of the Good attracts to itself those who look to it), the soul rises ever higher and will always make its flight yet higher – by its desire of the heavenly things straining ahead for what is still to come, as the Apostle says. Made to desire and not abandon the transcendent height by the things already attained, it makes its way upward without ceasing, ever through its prior accomplishments renewing its intensity for the flight. Activity directed toward virtue causes its capacity to grow through exertion; this kind of activity alone does not slacken its intensity by the effort, but increases it (II, 225, 226).”

These excerpts from Gregory’s work, with their emphasis on eternal progress, properly form an approach to living life with Jesus. His life is not grasped or taken. His life is given as gift and thereby received and done so graciously. The reception of Jesus is never a goal in-and-of-itself. It is not the conquering of bad habits and vices leading to personal, triumphant celebration. Rather as Saint Paul so keenly knew and Saint Gregory elaborated, the life of Jesus is a continuous response to His call, a ‘call up’ that is ever growing, deepening, and maturing.