After 40 days of Lent preparing, after celebrating all of Holy Week including the final three days of the Triduum, we come today to this day, Easter Sunday.
And it’s good that on this day, the Churches are generally packed because what we remember on this day is really the foundation of our faith. For today we remember and proclaim Jesus’ Ressurrection.
The other days, especially during the Christmas Season, then the days during Lent and Holy Week are important. But it all comes down to this day.
And we’re told in the Gospel Readings that we hear today and during the whole of the Octave of Easter which now follows, that the Disciples themselves had difficulty believing it. Yet there was Jesus, risen from the dead, assuring us that even Death does not have the Final Word.
Why did it have to be so complicated? Why did it have to take so long? If you were here for the Easter Vigil, last night, you would have heard Reading after beautiful Reading, how long it took from the Fall soon after Creation, through the calling of Abraham, the Exodus, the Prophets up until the time of Jesus. And yet it seemed to have to be this way -- and we remember it in a way that every kid who’s ever put a cloth over his head to act as a shepherd in a Christian play would remember it – so that we would both believe and remember it all of our lives.
We don’t necessarily need the hope of the Resurrection every day, but there are times when we do need it. And so it is good that we learn to remember it in the way that we hear it proclaimed today. It was confusing, it was dramatic, and the first disciples eventually came to believe it, experience it to be true. Our faith lives may be the same at times as well.
But let us give thanks to God and our parents/grandparents or whoever gave us our faith that we’ve received it. Because with it we can now pass through anything, console anyone and look toward a future that does not end in death or failure but ends with God.
So let us give thanks for that and let us bring this message that not even the Death is the End to those who need this hope now. God is with us, God is always with us, and may we never fear what is in front of us, because in the end, we will be with a God who loves us, forever.
Happy Easter to you all!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
April 22, 2011 - Good Friday - God's Love for Us
Readings - http://www.usccb.org/nab/042211.shtml
Today we are celebrating the second day of the Triduum in which recall the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ. And every year we approach these days differently. Each year, we arrive at this celebration, this commemoration a year older and hopefully a year more mature. And perhaps because this year today, Good Friday, was so dark - it started raining at noon and continued until about three - it seemed that even Heaven and Earth were weeping on this day, this year, here in Chicago. ...
Okay, how does this day, Good Friday, strike me this year? Perhaps what impressed me most this year was the reading we read the end of the Via Crucis in Spanish that we celebrated here each Friday evening during Lent.
Then we would here a passage from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans in which Paul pointed out that there are only few people would be willing to give their lives for someone else, but if it involved someone "good" perhaps one could find people who’d be willing to sacrifice their lives for that person. But St. Paul noted that Christ showed of his love for all of us by giving his life for us, even though we didn’t deserve it, even though we were still sinners, still weakened by sin. And this really struck me this year.
When Jesus came here, became incarnate, became one of us, and then walked with us, we believe that he did so to show us that God is concerned about us and wants be part of our lives. Today on this day when we remember Jesus' Death on the Cross, we remember just how much Jesus loved us, just how far he’d go to continue to accompany us ... up until our own death, AND HE DID THIS EVEN THOUGH WE DIDN’T / DON’T DESERVE THIS, didn’t/don’t deserve such kindness or support.
But that is exactly what we remember today, God’s love for us, and His to accompany us even when we don’t deserve it, even when we’d perhaps prefer to be alone in our sadness or difficulty. And we are invited to respond to this kindness.
So this let us _give thanks_ to God who came here to look for us, and who after finding us wants to walk with us throughout our whole lives -- in good times and in bad – and even when perhaps we don’t we don’t even want him to.
Why does God do this? He does this because he loves us. We are his children and he wants to be part of our lives so that we can be part of His life, and be part of it forever.
So especially on this day, when we remember Jesus’ death for us, let us give thanks to a God who loves us so much. Amen.
Today we are celebrating the second day of the Triduum in which recall the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ. And every year we approach these days differently. Each year, we arrive at this celebration, this commemoration a year older and hopefully a year more mature. And perhaps because this year today, Good Friday, was so dark - it started raining at noon and continued until about three - it seemed that even Heaven and Earth were weeping on this day, this year, here in Chicago. ...
Okay, how does this day, Good Friday, strike me this year? Perhaps what impressed me most this year was the reading we read the end of the Via Crucis in Spanish that we celebrated here each Friday evening during Lent.
Then we would here a passage from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans in which Paul pointed out that there are only few people would be willing to give their lives for someone else, but if it involved someone "good" perhaps one could find people who’d be willing to sacrifice their lives for that person. But St. Paul noted that Christ showed of his love for all of us by giving his life for us, even though we didn’t deserve it, even though we were still sinners, still weakened by sin. And this really struck me this year.
When Jesus came here, became incarnate, became one of us, and then walked with us, we believe that he did so to show us that God is concerned about us and wants be part of our lives. Today on this day when we remember Jesus' Death on the Cross, we remember just how much Jesus loved us, just how far he’d go to continue to accompany us ... up until our own death, AND HE DID THIS EVEN THOUGH WE DIDN’T / DON’T DESERVE THIS, didn’t/don’t deserve such kindness or support.
But that is exactly what we remember today, God’s love for us, and His to accompany us even when we don’t deserve it, even when we’d perhaps prefer to be alone in our sadness or difficulty. And we are invited to respond to this kindness.
So this let us _give thanks_ to God who came here to look for us, and who after finding us wants to walk with us throughout our whole lives -- in good times and in bad – and even when perhaps we don’t we don’t even want him to.
Why does God do this? He does this because he loves us. We are his children and he wants to be part of our lives so that we can be part of His life, and be part of it forever.
So especially on this day, when we remember Jesus’ death for us, let us give thanks to a God who loves us so much. Amen.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Apr 21, 2011 - Holy Thursday - Feast of the Lord's Supper - Remembering the Last Suppers of our Lives
Readings - http://www.usccb.org/nab/042111a.shtml
Today we begin the celebration of the Triduum, the highest days of our Liturgical Year, and if you’re at all like us here at the office at Annunciata, it may feel that these celebrations have somehow "snuck-up on us" this year. (We were talking about this at the Rectory this year). Perhaps it’s because on one hand, Lent came so late this year. Perhaps it’s because it’s been unseasonably cold and rainy during this past week and so it just doesn’t feel like Easter should be upon us. BUT HERE IT IS.
And perhaps this is good, because it is a reminder that Life happens to us. It has its own pace and we aren’t completely in control of it. Sometimes we’re ready to celebrate something or something to happen. Sometimes we don’t really appreciate that it is coming until it is upon us.
On Holy Thursday, this the first night of the Triduum, we remember Jesus’ Last Supper. And it should be noted that the Passover in which context the Last Supper was celebrated, was instituted as a _happy occasion_, a celebration of _something new_ and _something good_ about to take place ... the imminent freedom of the People of Israel from slavery.
Yet, this celebration of a happy event, gets a new twist in Jesus using the occasion to celebrate his Last Supper. To be sure, he institutes a reminder for us, the Eucharist, which we use to remember this evening every Sunday, indeed every day, that we gather to celebrate the Eucharist. However, there is an obvious sadness to this feast that we commemorate on this evening, Holy Thursday.
Yet this certainly becomes part of our experience as we pass through life – and we are called to remember on this day the various "Last Suppers" that we’ve had in our own lives with family and friends, when perhaps we sensed or knew it was a "Last" of some sort (like Jesus did on this evening) or when perhaps we did not really know it was going to be a "Last" of some sort (like the Apostles). Many times we celebrate these and Christmas holidays not appreciating that this was going to be the last time we were going to celebrate it with particular people important to our lives. Sometimes we "kind of sense this" and other times, we don’t really have a clue" until we are "looking back."
It is this image of the various "last suppers" of our lives that would be valuable to take from the Liturgy this evening, and then to appreciate the people around us, because we do not know if next year they (or we) may be around ...
*****
Now this is only the First Night of the Triduum. Tommorrow, we will be celebrating Good Friday with the Liturgy of the Passion and Death of our Lord. On Saturday night and Sunday we will be celebrating Christ’s resurrection.
So this night does not remain in isolation.
However, let us though stay in this night tonight and appreciate the "lasts" in our lives, knowing that Christ is with us in those moments and always leading us then toward "something new."
Let us have a blessed Holy Thursday and a Blessed Triduum this year ...
Today we begin the celebration of the Triduum, the highest days of our Liturgical Year, and if you’re at all like us here at the office at Annunciata, it may feel that these celebrations have somehow "snuck-up on us" this year. (We were talking about this at the Rectory this year). Perhaps it’s because on one hand, Lent came so late this year. Perhaps it’s because it’s been unseasonably cold and rainy during this past week and so it just doesn’t feel like Easter should be upon us. BUT HERE IT IS.
And perhaps this is good, because it is a reminder that Life happens to us. It has its own pace and we aren’t completely in control of it. Sometimes we’re ready to celebrate something or something to happen. Sometimes we don’t really appreciate that it is coming until it is upon us.
On Holy Thursday, this the first night of the Triduum, we remember Jesus’ Last Supper. And it should be noted that the Passover in which context the Last Supper was celebrated, was instituted as a _happy occasion_, a celebration of _something new_ and _something good_ about to take place ... the imminent freedom of the People of Israel from slavery.
Yet, this celebration of a happy event, gets a new twist in Jesus using the occasion to celebrate his Last Supper. To be sure, he institutes a reminder for us, the Eucharist, which we use to remember this evening every Sunday, indeed every day, that we gather to celebrate the Eucharist. However, there is an obvious sadness to this feast that we commemorate on this evening, Holy Thursday.
Yet this certainly becomes part of our experience as we pass through life – and we are called to remember on this day the various "Last Suppers" that we’ve had in our own lives with family and friends, when perhaps we sensed or knew it was a "Last" of some sort (like Jesus did on this evening) or when perhaps we did not really know it was going to be a "Last" of some sort (like the Apostles). Many times we celebrate these and Christmas holidays not appreciating that this was going to be the last time we were going to celebrate it with particular people important to our lives. Sometimes we "kind of sense this" and other times, we don’t really have a clue" until we are "looking back."
It is this image of the various "last suppers" of our lives that would be valuable to take from the Liturgy this evening, and then to appreciate the people around us, because we do not know if next year they (or we) may be around ...
*****
Now this is only the First Night of the Triduum. Tommorrow, we will be celebrating Good Friday with the Liturgy of the Passion and Death of our Lord. On Saturday night and Sunday we will be celebrating Christ’s resurrection.
So this night does not remain in isolation.
However, let us though stay in this night tonight and appreciate the "lasts" in our lives, knowing that Christ is with us in those moments and always leading us then toward "something new."
Let us have a blessed Holy Thursday and a Blessed Triduum this year ...
Monday, April 18, 2011
April 17, 2011 - Palm Sunday - Let us Have a Blessed Holy Week
Readings - http://www.usccb.org/nab/041711.shtml
Today after 5 weeks of Lent, we come to the beginning of Holy Week with our celebration of Palm Sunday. This is a week in which each year the Liturgy asks us lift ourselves out of the Ordinary / day-to-day to contemplate the great mysteries of our faith.
Today, we remember Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem after an active ministry outside, beginning in Galilee and proceeding then through the hill country of Judea, Samaria, Jericho and finally to Jerusalem. We also proclaim the Passion, this year according to Matthew to remind us of the other events that will follow during this week.
On Thursday, we will be remembering the Feast of the Last Supper where Jesus left us with two mandates; the first, the celebration of the Eucharist which we do each Sunday, indeed each day, during the year; the second, the washing of feet, we do only that one evening a year, reminding us of Jesus’ call to minister to others in our following of him. At the end of the Mass, we will process out with the Blessed Sacrament and then be given the opportunity to keep vigil with him until midnight remembering Jesus’ time in prayer in the Garden of Gethsamane on the night he was betrayed.
On Friday, we will remember the Lord’s Passion in a Special Liturgy in which we will ask each of you participating to come forward and reverence the Cross of Jesus that set us free. We will also pray on behalf all the people of the world.
On Saturday, we will celebrate the Easter Vigil, in which we will recall key passages in our Salvation History, from our Creation, to the Fall, to the Exodus, to the Prophets, ending finally with the Proclamation of the Resurrection of Jesus. We will baptize and initiate adults into our faith who have been preparing for this moment for the better part of the yaer.
Finally on Sunday, we will celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection, renew our baptismal promises and seek then to celebrate the joy and the promise of Easter throughout the rest of the Easter season and throughout the rest of the year.
Parents and Grandparents, I ask you to find a way during this week to make this week special for your children and grandchildren. Teach them what we celebrate this week and why. These are dramatic days. And this is a week, offered to us each year, to deepen our commitment to God.
Most of our lives are lived in the mundane day-to-day. Yet this is a week that is offered to us to be special. Let us make it so. God bless you all and may you have a blessed Holy Week.
Today after 5 weeks of Lent, we come to the beginning of Holy Week with our celebration of Palm Sunday. This is a week in which each year the Liturgy asks us lift ourselves out of the Ordinary / day-to-day to contemplate the great mysteries of our faith.
Today, we remember Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem after an active ministry outside, beginning in Galilee and proceeding then through the hill country of Judea, Samaria, Jericho and finally to Jerusalem. We also proclaim the Passion, this year according to Matthew to remind us of the other events that will follow during this week.
On Thursday, we will be remembering the Feast of the Last Supper where Jesus left us with two mandates; the first, the celebration of the Eucharist which we do each Sunday, indeed each day, during the year; the second, the washing of feet, we do only that one evening a year, reminding us of Jesus’ call to minister to others in our following of him. At the end of the Mass, we will process out with the Blessed Sacrament and then be given the opportunity to keep vigil with him until midnight remembering Jesus’ time in prayer in the Garden of Gethsamane on the night he was betrayed.
On Friday, we will remember the Lord’s Passion in a Special Liturgy in which we will ask each of you participating to come forward and reverence the Cross of Jesus that set us free. We will also pray on behalf all the people of the world.
On Saturday, we will celebrate the Easter Vigil, in which we will recall key passages in our Salvation History, from our Creation, to the Fall, to the Exodus, to the Prophets, ending finally with the Proclamation of the Resurrection of Jesus. We will baptize and initiate adults into our faith who have been preparing for this moment for the better part of the yaer.
Finally on Sunday, we will celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection, renew our baptismal promises and seek then to celebrate the joy and the promise of Easter throughout the rest of the Easter season and throughout the rest of the year.
Parents and Grandparents, I ask you to find a way during this week to make this week special for your children and grandchildren. Teach them what we celebrate this week and why. These are dramatic days. And this is a week, offered to us each year, to deepen our commitment to God.
Most of our lives are lived in the mundane day-to-day. Yet this is a week that is offered to us to be special. Let us make it so. God bless you all and may you have a blessed Holy Week.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Apr 10, 2011 - 5th Sun of Lent - Christ gives us New Life
Readings – http://www.usccb.org/nab/041011.shtml
We find ourselves at the 5th Sunday of Lent and during the last three Sundays of Lent, we hear various aspects of Jesus’ mission being progressively revealed.
On the 3rd Sunday of Lent we heard of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan Woman at the Well and we were reminded of Jesus’ reconciling mission. He reconciled the Samaritan Woman to God and then to her community. Indeed, this woman, who previously was so separated from her community that she was sneaking to the well for water (water that she needed to survive) at a time when she wouldn’t encounter anyone, ended up presenting Jesus to the whole community and through her the whole community was saved.
On the 4th Sunday of Lent we heard of Jesus healing the man born blind, reminding us here of both Jesus’ healing mission and, more importantly, of Jesus’ ability to illuminate all of us and give us direction, purpose in life.
Today, on the 5th Sunday of Lent, we hear of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, reminding us that Jesus is able to give New Life to us all.
Now here two things need to be said about both the miracles that we heard last Sunday and this Sunday:
First, we do have to believe that Jesus was capable of performing the miracles presented. After all, we remember Jesus as God and God _can do anything_ (which is pretty much the definition of God, or certainly part of the "job description" of God, that God can do _anything_). And so we have to believe that Jesus was able to perform the miracles that he hear him doing in the Gospel. However, secondly, we need to remember that Jesus was not merely a miracle-worker and that his miracles were best understood on a symbolic value where these miracles are capable of touching us all.
I say this because there were many people who were blind in Jesus’ time (and many who were "born blind") just as there are many people who are blind/born blind today. Jesus chose NOT to heal EVERY blind person. Instead, Jesus healed _only a few_, including _that particular man born blind_ and not many others. Why? Well it was probably because "blindness" is _not merely physical_. Most of us know people who live lwithout direction, who seem to living it BLIND. They don’t know what’s coming, they seems to crash repeatedly into obstacles that others see clearly, and again not merely physical obstacles but walls, constraints, traps, that exist in life. Jesus shows us through this miracle that he is able to "illuninate" / "give direction" (hope, peace, guidance) to even people who’ve "walked blindly through life" even from birth, thus saving them again from falling into needless problems and traps that perhaps others are able to see "from a mile away." Jesus is capable of doing this.
The same could be said of the Gospel reading from today. Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. He didn’t raise everybody from the dead during his life. He simply raised Lazarus, and then (obviously) _only for a time_ because Lazarus eventually died just like all of us will eventually die (leave this world) as well. There is no 2000+ year old Lazarus living out there in Bethany today. Yet, Jesus is able to give New Life to us all.
And I think we know people who are living today as if they were dead. Perhaps we ourselves have found ourselves in situations that we thought that our lives were over, or that we were in such a depression that we appeared to others or even to ourselves as being effectively dead. In this miracle, Jesus shows us that he is capable to give us new life, new hope even in the midst of tragedy, even in the midst of death.
***
Now, many of you know that I like movies. I even write about them now. But those of you here know that I generally keep away from using them as examples here in my homilies. I prefer to take examples from my life or life as I’ve observed it around me over the years. Today though, I do wish to take the other tack and actually use a recently released movie to make the point here. (I do this because here because going too personally into my life here may not be particularly helpful or appropriate _here_, even if I do certainly believe that Jesus gives us new life, AND that I probably would not be standing here if I did not _believe this to be true_ AND have not _experienced this to be true_ as well).
I say all this because this time I do really prefer to use a movie as an example. And the movie is the movie Soul Surfer that was just released in the theaters this weekend. I like it for all kinds of reasons, among them that the movie was explicitly Christian (though also _not_ particularly preachy about it).
It’s about a 13 year old girl who was growing up in rural Hawaii, really having quite a blessed life, living just off the beach, home schooled for a few hours each day and then spending the rest of the day surfing. What a wonderful way to be growing up! And she even had hopes of becoming a competitive surfer, having already won some junior championships.
Anyway, all that was ended or was certainly put on hold, when in an instant a shark came up while she was surfing one day and bit off one of her arms all the way to the shoulder. She was lucky to have survived at all.
And in an instant, her life was radically changed. And the movie was great at showing this. How does one butter a toast with only one arm? How does one squeeze orange juice? Even though the movie was largely about her surfing life, these basic changes and new obstacles in her life were shown quite well.
Well, needless to say this tragedy caused her difficulty, and yes, even as a 13 year old, she did reflect on it, asking her youth group minister, how could it be that THIS (the loss of her arm again all the way up to her shoulder so even a prosthesis was unworkable) could be "part of God’s plan." And the rest of the movie was about working out an answer.
Part of the answer came when she joined her when sometime later she joined her youth group in going to Thailand after tsunami there – and this again was a poignant trip for her and the rest of the group for the very same waves that gave them so much joy growing up in Hawaii had caused so much tragedy to the people in Thailand. How could this be?
And yet, without saying a word, the movie came to show the fundamental Christian belief that ANY situation, indeed ANY tragedy can become an invitation, that ANY situation, ANY tragedy can be redeemed.
The girl in this movie started to play with the kids giving them rides on her surf board bring smiles to faces and reaquainting them with the water that had caused them so much pain, in a new and happier way. She of course comes back and restarts her surfing career, etc, etc. But she also sees the water and indeed her purpose in a new way. She becane a hero to all kinds of kids who suffered similar tragedies and she started to see her surfing not merely in terms of competition but in terms of giving people, all people joy. What a great movie! And what a great message!
And it’s a message that we see here in the Gospel Reading as well.
Yes, there will be times when tragedy will send us "into a tomb" for a while. But as Christians, we have a faith that DOES FUNDAMENTALLY BELIEVE that EVERY TRAGEDY can be converted into something positive. Yes, every cloud has a silver lining and yes, "if Jesus closes one door, he (or Mary) opens a window as well." We are a people of hope, a people of New Life.
And we hear this today.
So let us reflect on this more this coming week, during our remaining time of lent. And let us hope to bring the message of these last weeks to others around us who may need to hear it: That God/Jesus can bring us back (reconcile us), that God/Jesus can bring us light and give us direction in life, and God/Jesus can always give us "New Life" even if we may feel at times as if we were already in the Grave. God gives us hope. And let’s then seek to pass it on.
We find ourselves at the 5th Sunday of Lent and during the last three Sundays of Lent, we hear various aspects of Jesus’ mission being progressively revealed.
On the 3rd Sunday of Lent we heard of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan Woman at the Well and we were reminded of Jesus’ reconciling mission. He reconciled the Samaritan Woman to God and then to her community. Indeed, this woman, who previously was so separated from her community that she was sneaking to the well for water (water that she needed to survive) at a time when she wouldn’t encounter anyone, ended up presenting Jesus to the whole community and through her the whole community was saved.
On the 4th Sunday of Lent we heard of Jesus healing the man born blind, reminding us here of both Jesus’ healing mission and, more importantly, of Jesus’ ability to illuminate all of us and give us direction, purpose in life.
Today, on the 5th Sunday of Lent, we hear of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, reminding us that Jesus is able to give New Life to us all.
Now here two things need to be said about both the miracles that we heard last Sunday and this Sunday:
First, we do have to believe that Jesus was capable of performing the miracles presented. After all, we remember Jesus as God and God _can do anything_ (which is pretty much the definition of God, or certainly part of the "job description" of God, that God can do _anything_). And so we have to believe that Jesus was able to perform the miracles that he hear him doing in the Gospel. However, secondly, we need to remember that Jesus was not merely a miracle-worker and that his miracles were best understood on a symbolic value where these miracles are capable of touching us all.
I say this because there were many people who were blind in Jesus’ time (and many who were "born blind") just as there are many people who are blind/born blind today. Jesus chose NOT to heal EVERY blind person. Instead, Jesus healed _only a few_, including _that particular man born blind_ and not many others. Why? Well it was probably because "blindness" is _not merely physical_. Most of us know people who live lwithout direction, who seem to living it BLIND. They don’t know what’s coming, they seems to crash repeatedly into obstacles that others see clearly, and again not merely physical obstacles but walls, constraints, traps, that exist in life. Jesus shows us through this miracle that he is able to "illuninate" / "give direction" (hope, peace, guidance) to even people who’ve "walked blindly through life" even from birth, thus saving them again from falling into needless problems and traps that perhaps others are able to see "from a mile away." Jesus is capable of doing this.
The same could be said of the Gospel reading from today. Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. He didn’t raise everybody from the dead during his life. He simply raised Lazarus, and then (obviously) _only for a time_ because Lazarus eventually died just like all of us will eventually die (leave this world) as well. There is no 2000+ year old Lazarus living out there in Bethany today. Yet, Jesus is able to give New Life to us all.
And I think we know people who are living today as if they were dead. Perhaps we ourselves have found ourselves in situations that we thought that our lives were over, or that we were in such a depression that we appeared to others or even to ourselves as being effectively dead. In this miracle, Jesus shows us that he is capable to give us new life, new hope even in the midst of tragedy, even in the midst of death.
***
Now, many of you know that I like movies. I even write about them now. But those of you here know that I generally keep away from using them as examples here in my homilies. I prefer to take examples from my life or life as I’ve observed it around me over the years. Today though, I do wish to take the other tack and actually use a recently released movie to make the point here. (I do this because here because going too personally into my life here may not be particularly helpful or appropriate _here_, even if I do certainly believe that Jesus gives us new life, AND that I probably would not be standing here if I did not _believe this to be true_ AND have not _experienced this to be true_ as well).
I say all this because this time I do really prefer to use a movie as an example. And the movie is the movie Soul Surfer that was just released in the theaters this weekend. I like it for all kinds of reasons, among them that the movie was explicitly Christian (though also _not_ particularly preachy about it).
It’s about a 13 year old girl who was growing up in rural Hawaii, really having quite a blessed life, living just off the beach, home schooled for a few hours each day and then spending the rest of the day surfing. What a wonderful way to be growing up! And she even had hopes of becoming a competitive surfer, having already won some junior championships.
Anyway, all that was ended or was certainly put on hold, when in an instant a shark came up while she was surfing one day and bit off one of her arms all the way to the shoulder. She was lucky to have survived at all.
And in an instant, her life was radically changed. And the movie was great at showing this. How does one butter a toast with only one arm? How does one squeeze orange juice? Even though the movie was largely about her surfing life, these basic changes and new obstacles in her life were shown quite well.
Well, needless to say this tragedy caused her difficulty, and yes, even as a 13 year old, she did reflect on it, asking her youth group minister, how could it be that THIS (the loss of her arm again all the way up to her shoulder so even a prosthesis was unworkable) could be "part of God’s plan." And the rest of the movie was about working out an answer.
Part of the answer came when she joined her when sometime later she joined her youth group in going to Thailand after tsunami there – and this again was a poignant trip for her and the rest of the group for the very same waves that gave them so much joy growing up in Hawaii had caused so much tragedy to the people in Thailand. How could this be?
And yet, without saying a word, the movie came to show the fundamental Christian belief that ANY situation, indeed ANY tragedy can become an invitation, that ANY situation, ANY tragedy can be redeemed.
The girl in this movie started to play with the kids giving them rides on her surf board bring smiles to faces and reaquainting them with the water that had caused them so much pain, in a new and happier way. She of course comes back and restarts her surfing career, etc, etc. But she also sees the water and indeed her purpose in a new way. She becane a hero to all kinds of kids who suffered similar tragedies and she started to see her surfing not merely in terms of competition but in terms of giving people, all people joy. What a great movie! And what a great message!
And it’s a message that we see here in the Gospel Reading as well.
Yes, there will be times when tragedy will send us "into a tomb" for a while. But as Christians, we have a faith that DOES FUNDAMENTALLY BELIEVE that EVERY TRAGEDY can be converted into something positive. Yes, every cloud has a silver lining and yes, "if Jesus closes one door, he (or Mary) opens a window as well." We are a people of hope, a people of New Life.
And we hear this today.
So let us reflect on this more this coming week, during our remaining time of lent. And let us hope to bring the message of these last weeks to others around us who may need to hear it: That God/Jesus can bring us back (reconcile us), that God/Jesus can bring us light and give us direction in life, and God/Jesus can always give us "New Life" even if we may feel at times as if we were already in the Grave. God gives us hope. And let’s then seek to pass it on.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Apr 3, 2011 - 4th Sun of Lent - Christ gives us Sight
Readings – http://www.usccb.org/nab/040311.shtml
During these Sundays between the 2nd Sunday of Lent and Palm Sunday, the Gospel Readings differ each year. This year, the Gospel Reading in each of these three Sundays reveals something of Jesus’ mission: Last Sunday, Jesus reconciled a Samaritan woman to both to God and her community. This Sunday, Jesus enlightens, gives sight, to a man born blind. Finally, next Sunday, Jesus gives new life to Lazarus, raising him from the dead.
Thus Jesus’ mission is one of reconciliation, reconciling us to God and to each other; one of healing and enlightenment; and one which offers us new life.
Today, we focus on Jesus’ mission of healing and enlightenment.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is presented by his disciples "a man born blind." But they present him to Jesus more as an object for a parlor game than a matter of concern. They ask him: "Who sinned? Whose fault is it, his or of his parents?"
Lest we judge the disciples too harshly, let’s remember that often enough we do the same. Often we get involved in ways that are more "gossipy" than helpful. We see a kid getting into trouble and we ask, is it him or is it his family? We see the victim of an accident and we "Ahh, if he didn’t drive so fast." We see people having trouble in marriages, or even having children with birth defects and we play the game "who’s fault is it?" It should be obvious that none of is particularly helpful but we do it anyway. And perhaps it would be useful ask why?
My sense is that it’s the result of believing that there are "good families" and "bad ones." Now one thing that I’ve certainly learned in my 12 years of being a priest is that there isn’t such a thing as a "good family" or a "bad" one. Almost every family has some redeeming values and almost every family has its problems. Often the difference between a "good family" and a "bad" one is the ability to hide problems. Plus even if one were blessed and of a "good family" what good is it, if the family doesn’t help others becoming an elitist island onto itself.
Jesus tells the disciples that this man was born blind not account of his or his family’s sins but rather "to manifest the glory of God." What a nice set of words and _absolutely true_. There is simply no situation, no accident, no tragedy which can not be redeemed. A tragedy gives us the opportunity to reorient our priorities. Someone in need offers us an opportunity help. Pope John Paul II famously wrote at one point that there will be no justice in our world until we come to see in the person in need an opportunity to respond with kindness. Jesus’ own death of course was redeemed by his resurrection... but we get ahead of ourselves.
Jesus heals the man born blind... and then again, a situation that is common to us. Sometimes we ourselves can feel that "no good deed goes unpunished." This poor man, born blind, is healed, and he pulled through the ringer. People start asking him "Hey, weren’t you the blind man who used to beg for money? (Were you ripping us off?)" He assures them that he was blind but was healed. Then the religious experts come in. "Hmmm. This guy healed you. It’s Saturday. It was against the law. You look like you could be 40 years old, but let’s talk to your parents..." So they humiliate him and talk to the parents. The parents don’t want to cause trouble and don’t want to embarrass him. So they send the Pharisees back to the son. They then declare him a sinner. Why? Because he didn’t fit their expectations and it began to really irritate them. And in the midst of all this, the formerly blind man begins to see better than those who could always see. Jesus doesn’t fit into the Pharisee’s religious scheme either. So they declare him a sinner as well rather than glorify God for healing the blind man.
The moral of the story becomes that Jesus can give sight to the blind and can give direction / illumination to all of us. But also then, if we reject God’s gifts and presence around us, that ourselves become blind, lose our way, lose our priorities.
I’ve said this many times at funerals. God is not going to care if we were famous or important or rich. What he is going to care about is that during our time here we learn to love one another, to forgive one another and ultimately put our faith in God.
Tragedies often help us to set our priorities straight. So rather than gossip around people who are lost, or have had a tragic past, let us really _see_ in them an opportunity to grow to come closer to God and come closer to what in fact God wants us to be.
We find ourselves in this time of Lent, and annual invitation to conversion. Let us use this time to see God’s presence around us and to change our hearts.
God bless you all.
During these Sundays between the 2nd Sunday of Lent and Palm Sunday, the Gospel Readings differ each year. This year, the Gospel Reading in each of these three Sundays reveals something of Jesus’ mission: Last Sunday, Jesus reconciled a Samaritan woman to both to God and her community. This Sunday, Jesus enlightens, gives sight, to a man born blind. Finally, next Sunday, Jesus gives new life to Lazarus, raising him from the dead.
Thus Jesus’ mission is one of reconciliation, reconciling us to God and to each other; one of healing and enlightenment; and one which offers us new life.
Today, we focus on Jesus’ mission of healing and enlightenment.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is presented by his disciples "a man born blind." But they present him to Jesus more as an object for a parlor game than a matter of concern. They ask him: "Who sinned? Whose fault is it, his or of his parents?"
Lest we judge the disciples too harshly, let’s remember that often enough we do the same. Often we get involved in ways that are more "gossipy" than helpful. We see a kid getting into trouble and we ask, is it him or is it his family? We see the victim of an accident and we "Ahh, if he didn’t drive so fast." We see people having trouble in marriages, or even having children with birth defects and we play the game "who’s fault is it?" It should be obvious that none of is particularly helpful but we do it anyway. And perhaps it would be useful ask why?
My sense is that it’s the result of believing that there are "good families" and "bad ones." Now one thing that I’ve certainly learned in my 12 years of being a priest is that there isn’t such a thing as a "good family" or a "bad" one. Almost every family has some redeeming values and almost every family has its problems. Often the difference between a "good family" and a "bad" one is the ability to hide problems. Plus even if one were blessed and of a "good family" what good is it, if the family doesn’t help others becoming an elitist island onto itself.
Jesus tells the disciples that this man was born blind not account of his or his family’s sins but rather "to manifest the glory of God." What a nice set of words and _absolutely true_. There is simply no situation, no accident, no tragedy which can not be redeemed. A tragedy gives us the opportunity to reorient our priorities. Someone in need offers us an opportunity help. Pope John Paul II famously wrote at one point that there will be no justice in our world until we come to see in the person in need an opportunity to respond with kindness. Jesus’ own death of course was redeemed by his resurrection... but we get ahead of ourselves.
Jesus heals the man born blind... and then again, a situation that is common to us. Sometimes we ourselves can feel that "no good deed goes unpunished." This poor man, born blind, is healed, and he pulled through the ringer. People start asking him "Hey, weren’t you the blind man who used to beg for money? (Were you ripping us off?)" He assures them that he was blind but was healed. Then the religious experts come in. "Hmmm. This guy healed you. It’s Saturday. It was against the law. You look like you could be 40 years old, but let’s talk to your parents..." So they humiliate him and talk to the parents. The parents don’t want to cause trouble and don’t want to embarrass him. So they send the Pharisees back to the son. They then declare him a sinner. Why? Because he didn’t fit their expectations and it began to really irritate them. And in the midst of all this, the formerly blind man begins to see better than those who could always see. Jesus doesn’t fit into the Pharisee’s religious scheme either. So they declare him a sinner as well rather than glorify God for healing the blind man.
The moral of the story becomes that Jesus can give sight to the blind and can give direction / illumination to all of us. But also then, if we reject God’s gifts and presence around us, that ourselves become blind, lose our way, lose our priorities.
I’ve said this many times at funerals. God is not going to care if we were famous or important or rich. What he is going to care about is that during our time here we learn to love one another, to forgive one another and ultimately put our faith in God.
Tragedies often help us to set our priorities straight. So rather than gossip around people who are lost, or have had a tragic past, let us really _see_ in them an opportunity to grow to come closer to God and come closer to what in fact God wants us to be.
We find ourselves in this time of Lent, and annual invitation to conversion. Let us use this time to see God’s presence around us and to change our hearts.
God bless you all.
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