This week’s memory verse: Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all. — 2 Thessalonians 3:16
Pray the Week: Lord Jesus, Your great signs and wonders fill my life. I often stand unaware of their presence. Grant that by Your peace I may see all that You do for me and live in dedication to You. Amen.
Many signs and wonders were done among the people at the hands of the apostles.
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
We all may have heard of the term ‘shock and awe.’ That term first emerged as a military strategy based on the use of overwhelming power and spectacular displays of force to paralyze the enemy’s perception of the battlefield and destroy their will to fight. While as a concept, the term and strategy had been around for some time, it came into the public lexicon during the Gulf Wars against Iraq.
We might perceive the day of the resurrection and its following week as a time of shock and awe. The overwhelming power of God was fully on display as the resurrected Jesus appeared to His followers over and over. God’s might was spectacularly displayed.
We would all like to think that if we were there we would get it, understand. But, that’s unlikely.
In the first hours after the resurrection Mary Magdalene understood. John the Apostle got it. The disciples on the road to Emmaus had their eyes opened and Simon Peter finally understood. The rest, well, it took them time.
As we proceed through this season of joy, we will arrive at that moment when Jesus is taken up into heaven, the Ascension. Even there, some of the Apostles did not believe. Scripture records in Matthew 28:17: When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.
Jesus had appeared over and over, He ate and drank with them, built a campfire, helped them with their catch, and repeatedly offered them peace.
My brothers and sisters, it is ok to be like Thomas, like the others who still doubted. The problem comes when we persist in doubt and when doubt turns sour.
Jesus’ direction is very clear. It starts with the peace He gives us, a peace beyond the absence of conflict. It is a grace of peace that allows us to stand in the midst of conflict and still be at peace – because we have Jesus. So let us take Jesus’ command to heart: do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
This week’s memory verse: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead — 1 Peter 1:3
Pray the Week: Lord Jesus, I see the empty tomb and it fills me with hope. As You prevailed upon the disciples to remain with them, so prevail on me to always hold You close to me and live by Your Father’s vision for me. Amen.
He saw and believed.
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Today we encounter the greatest image ever, the empty tomb.
That image is the one, beyond the cross, that God wants us to remember most.
God envisioned that empty tomb for us. It is our hope, it is our comfort. Most importantly it is our assurance, the vision God has for us resurrected and with Him forever.
On that Easter morning, Jesus encounters His faithful in varieties of ways. He greets Mary Magdalene as the Gardener. He walks with the disciples on the Road to Emmaus. He enters the upper room. In each encounter we see God’s image of how life should be, lived with Jesus’ resurrected reality and in the family of faith. There is truly nothing better than to be loved to the extent God loves us.
We concluded on Palm Sunday by remembering the totality of God’s gift of love, great grace, restoration, and His amazing promise. Today we see the reality of that fulfilled promise at the empty tomb. As the Apostle John did, let us see and believe it.
“I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”
This evening, as on this evening about 2022 years ago, we gather around the table of the Lord. We take time to commemorate the great things He instituted for our benefit.
In the washing of the Apostle’s feet, Jesus instituted the sacrament of penance. As Jesus washed their feet before they gathered around the table, so we too do the same, engage in the Sacrament of Penance at the beginning of every Holy Mass.
At the table Jesus not only celebrates the annual Jewish Passover meal but He more importantly reconfigured the sacrifice and consumption of the Passover lamb around His own passion and death. He institutes a new Passover memorial. Jesus identifies Himself as the new Passover Lamb Who will be sacrificed for the redemption of the new Israel in a new exodus.
We have the privilege of living in this new exodus. We are headed across the dessert of this earthly life to God’s eternal kingdom.
As with the Israelites in the dessert, our journey to the Kingdom is a protected journey. As God went with the Israelites as a pillar of fire and pillar of cloud. This dual theophany (manifestation of God) guided the Israelites through the desert during the Exodus from Egypt. The pillar of cloud provided a visible guide for the Israelites during the day, while the pillar of fire lit their way by night.
The pillars of cloud and fire are first mentioned in Exodus 13, shortly after Moses leads the Israelites out of their captivity in Egypt. When Pharaoh brought his army in pursuit of the Israelites the pillar of cloud intervened to keep the army from approaching during the night. The pillar positioned itself behind the Israelites, casting light upon their camp while leaving the Egyptian army in darkness.
As I mentioned, we have protection, and it is a far better protection than a pillar of fire and cloud. We have a lasting memorial in Jesus’ body and blood, His real physical presence with us always. The dessert of life is a far better place with the assurance and protection we have in Jesus’ eternal presence.
In penance we are reconciled over and over and work to change what negatively affects us. We are spiritually healed and brought back. Jesus assures us of his mercy and compassion for us.
In the Holy Eucharist and in receiving His body and blood in communion Jesus remains in and with us. He is always present here, in the church where we may receive Him and adore Him, where we may just sit with Him and converse with Him is a very special and privileged way because He is truly physically present just as He was this night about 2022 years ago.
The worst part of life’s dessert, of our exodus journey, is feeling alone and abandoned. Like a child, we all feel afraid of that kind of solitude. Jesus Himself cried out from the cross when He experienced it: My God, My God, why have You abandoned me!?! Jesus did not and does not want that for any one of us. So, we have tonight, and the gifts of awesome assurance, gifts so we are never alone and always protected.
This week’s memory verse: But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. — Romans 6:22
Pray the Week: Lord Jesus, As I reflect on the troubles I have lived I am ashamed. Grant that I may perceive the great sacrifice You made to wash me clean and to make me beautiful in the Father’s eyes. Amen.
It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”; and when he had said this he breathed his last.
God uses imagery so we might clearly understand His intent for us, the picture He envisions for us. May God’s imagery help us to achieve the vision He has for us.
This week God provides more than just images, but rather a whole movie filled with a cast of characters illustrating exactly what Jesus came to save us from.
Brandon Lake appeared on the Grand Old Opry last night. He is a Christian artist and his song; Daddy’s DNA carries this refrain: ‘all I’ve given you is trouble all you’ve given me is grace.’
Certainly, true for each of us. In big and small ways.
Jesus came to solve those troubles we offer God and most particularly their consequences. As St. Paul reminds us In Romans 6:23: the consequence of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We could spend some time here recalling the big and small sins of all the characters in the Passion, we could see ourselves in those sins, think about the ways we have bought in to wrong, but let’s not do that.
Instead, let us focus on our Daddy’s DNA – the image of God that He has placed into each of us. Let us look to the beauty we have in God’s eyes and give thanks for what Jesus has done to make us beautiful. Let us further exhibit in worship and praise our gratitude for God’s outpouring of grace that renews us when we fail and fall, grace that restores our beauty.
All God gives us is love, great grace, restoration, and an amazing promise. All the proof we need of what God gives us is in our bibles and on that cross.
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This week’s memory verse: Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” — Acts 2:37
Pray the Week: Lord Jesus, I stand convicted before You, the Just Judge. Help me to perceive the outpouring of Your mercy amidst my guilt and help me not to fear. Grant that I may amend those things I am guilty of and sin no more. Amen.
Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”
God uses imagery so we might clearly understand His intent for us, the picture He envisions for us. May God’s imagery help us to achieve the vision He has for us.
This week God’s set of images call us to self-reflection and a merciful attitude toward all.
As many of you know, and occasionally see, I get emotional when I proclaim certain of the gospels. I mentioned this last week, and those who were at our Seniorate Lenten Retreat may have picked up on that as I led the Seven Last Words devotion.
We call this conviction. Conviction is the work of the Holy Spirit where an individual is confronted with what God sees. We face the guilt we know we have and realize we are unable to save ourselves. Further, we get overwhelmed as we consider our guilt in light of God’s tremendous mercy. His love overpowers the sentence we deserve.
In the Passion we see Jesus telling the good thief that he will be with Him in paradise. The good thief’s effort to seek forgiveness is enough for Jesus to welcome him. In the parable of the Prodigal, we see both sons’ sinfulness set aside by a father whose forgiveness and mercy is limitless. We see the image of our heavenly Father waiting for us as we return.
Today we see two sets of sinners standing before Jesus. The prostitute, obviously being manipulated as sex workers so often are, is used here to trap Jesus. That does not discount her sin, but it is minor compared to the allegedly righteous who brought her there. The others, they are masters of manipulation, deceit, and an inner anger that causes them to hate God Himself. A stark reminder that we must not judge.
Jesus attempts to break through. By ignoring the accusers, He points out His knowledge of their evil. In His mercy He attempts to convict them of their sin, but they will not accept that conviction. They merely walk away. What a loss!
For the woman Jesus does indeed break through. He doesn’t question or interrogate her. She does not make excuses. Rather, she accepts His mercy and His instruction: from now on do not sin any more.”
Over this Passiontide, listen and allow Jesus in. Then accept His mercy. Finally, like St. Paul, forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead.