John 11:45-56 The Plan

John 11:45-56 The Plan

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Two thousand years ago, a group of highly intelligent men got together and planned a murder. It would require the coordinated efforts of various rival factions from within the nation, and the assistance of enemy forces occupying it. The saying goes, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

A traitor would need to be found within the enemy’s inner circle. The chain is as strong as its weakest link. One had to be found. There had to be at least one that was prideful and vain and therefore easily manipulated. Of course there was one who was weak in conscience and extremely strong headed. There always has to be one. One who considers themselves as having been bruised, scared and hurt; yet unwilling to admit that they themselves have scared, bruised and hurt so many by their sarcasm, hypocrisy, and downright lies. The authorities would never go to him: to risky. After all, the Lord was still loved and appreciated by many. The entire plan could be a wash, scrapped, if they picked the wrong man. No, this person would have to come to them, to the Chief, the boss, and lay it all out - all his hatred, bitterness and resentment towards The Target. They knew fallen human nature very well; they lived it on a daily basis! They knew that one of them, one of his disciples, would eventually seek his own pitiful interests above the interests of goodness, righteousness and holiness.

Still, they must have been shocked when they saw the traitor approach them for the first time. I am sure they were at first speechless to see who it was. It was not a disciple; it was one of the Twelve; one from His inner circle. But of course! After all, who would know better than anyone else the target’s humanity? Who else would have seen him exhausted, hungry or even sick and begin to doubt his divinity? Of course it would be one of the Twelve that would spill, spew and vomit his guts and tell them all that they wanted to hear. Regardless of their pleasure in having found their traitor the Chief must have asked himself, "Why in the world would The Target have accepted this person? Why in the world would he have agreed to take this person in his inner circle? He should never have accepted him in the first place! We know the answer. We know why the Lord would have taken someone like this guy in the first place. It was all out of love.

Now, all that was required was a sign and the right moment. A network of spies, manipulators, and deceitful men had been gathered, groomed and highly encouraged to testify against The Target. Collaboration in their stories was a top priority, but not a show stopper. It couldn’t all be perfect; otherwise, someone might suspect that it had been a setup; that it had all been planned. We now know that it was all planned, not from evil men (surprise), but from the God who can take evil and transform it into Good. The Chief priest had prophesized without even knowing it.

Those who plot will end up (along with their victim) very lonely. But their endings couldn't be more different. The Lord will rise. These men will never see daylight again. The conspirators have expired.

O Lord, may I never fall in this trap, of wishing harm upon my enemies, upon those who hurt me. May I never seek the death of the sinner, but rather their conversion. Amen.

John 10:31-42 Picking Up Stones

John 10:31-42 Picking Up Stones

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I believe in the veracity of the Gospels because I can honestly relate to the hatred that is expressed in them! I can see how people are so quick to judge, to condemn and to kill with their words and actions. I know how we are capable of ignoring the 99% of good in someone and fixating ourselves on the 1%. We can say and do the right things 99% of the time, but we will always be remembered for that one time we did not. The objectivity of failure is clear for all to see, but the affect, the ramifications of failure depends significantly upon the health and well-being of the recipient, and that subjective reality is not so clear for all to see.

“The Jews picked up stones.” Why? To throw them at Jesus. Why? To kill him! Why? Because of the good works that he performed and the words that he spoke. But most of all, because of who He is.

Yes. The Lord performed miracles – MIRACLES! No one else had ever performed miracles. Not a single Pharisee, or scribe, or priest or elder. Not even St. John the Baptist (“John performed no sign, but everything John said about this man was true”). Only Jesus was able to change the deadly course of nature, of history, of life.

The Jews wanted to stone Jesus because He spoke like no other. He spoke in a way that held the attention of all who had ears and wished – begged - to understand. Jesus spoke in a way that had authority. The Lord spoke a sublime and illuminating word that the Pharisees and scribes could never do! Jesus spoke without notes. We know that every word traveled from the Father in Heaven and through the Lord’s heart and soul.

But in the end, his enemies picked up stones to kill him because he made himself God and they could not prove him wrong! “You, a man, are making yourself God.” Their minds could not accept this fact because the hardness of their hearts. St. Augustine tells us how to get to faith: “Believe and then seek to understand.” Has the Lord not shown us, over and over again, that we must first believe and then we will see? Well, the Pharisees could not prove him wrong because He was right. You cannot prove that someone does not exist when they exist. Does God exist? Yes, and He is Jesus! And Jesus is living proof of the Father and the Holy Spirit.

There is so much good in Jesus. In fact, it’s all good. But the Jews have their minds fixated on the 1% that is questionable. And it is questionable only because they are in sin. Yes, they are the ones that have covered their eyes to His miracles. They have repeatedly ignored His words and disgusted themselves with his love! They are the ones that have made themselves better than their gods by twisting the truth and setting traps. But the Lord continues to walk in peace, eluding them by walking in their midst’s and escaping from their power.

Picking up stones and throwing them at others is something we learned to do as children, most likely by watching our friends or parents doing it to others. The Lord never picked up a stone. If he had, he would have turned it into bread. Let us ask the Lord for the grace to drop the grudges, anger and bitterness we hold onto and to convert our stony hearts to hearts made of flesh.

John 8:51-59 The Father Glorifies Me

John 8:51-59 The Father Glorifies Me

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The Lord of All was accused by men to be possessed. And what possessed them to say such a thing? That they themselves had become possessed by their possessions! The Jewish prelates and the Roman authorities had a vested interest in keeping the peace, subduing the criticisms, and maintaining the status quo. Christ blows all of that out of the water! Those who maintain that Christ was just a man are forced to admit that he was the greatest man. Those of us who know him for who he is must admit that He alone is the sacrificial lamb! Not only did the Lord come to serve, but he came to be served up!

This is what we do. We serve and are carved up; and what is left-over is very little. The feast is on us!

“If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing.” I am a good man. I’ve given my life to the Lord and I serve him twenty-four hours a day. I work hard – work long hours and for a small stipend. I give it my all. I give it my best. I am well liked and appreciated. I am loved by many.

I can say whatever I want. But in the end, if I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing. It is really not what I say about myself, or even what others say about me. It is what my Father in heaven will say to me!

Recently, I participated in a freshman retreat over at All Saints parish. While I was preparing for my talk, I walked through the halls and noticed some art work from Pre-K3 students. They must have been asked to draw self-portraits. Of course you can imagine what they looked like and what I saw - creatures from the bottom of the sea, amoebas, and other single-celled creatures from another era or age. Their self-portraits did not at all represent their true portrait or image. These kids were asked to do something they could not do. I understand the lesson, but then I got to thinking of teenagers. How many of them look in the mirror and see what no one else sees: ugliness, shortness, fatness. Many, too many, are disappointed at what they see. But they do not see what is truly there – what is real. They suffer from shortsightedness and an illness in their imagination. As adults, it only gets worse because we wait for others to tell us how good we look or how wonderful we are. So many prizes, awards, titles and certificates are given out every single year! But the praises and the acclaims are long in coming and in the end we make up our own, if we even bother doing so. The tragedy is this: The last person we ever seek an opinion from is the one we should have asked from the very beginning, the one who is from the very beginning. The one whose image and likeness I reflect. The question should always be, “How does God see me?”

“It is my Father who glorifies me!” I can attempt to draw my own portrait, but it will always come up short. I can look at myself in the mirror, but it will never reflect the soul, will and heart of the unique individual that stands before the telling glass! I can seek the affirmation of others by what I wear or by what I succeed in doing, but I will never fully comprehend the mystery of who I am until I allow the great I AM to reflect his image and likeness upon me. When that day comes, the Father will rejoice! “For the Father rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.”

John 8:31-42 Set Free

John 8:31-42 Set Free

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As children, we learned that lying would get us into trouble. As adults, we know that telling the truth can do the same thing!

The Lord told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. He got into big trouble because of it, because “there was no room for his word among men.” Déjà vu! At the beginning of his life, there was no room, anywhere, for the Lord. Now, near the end of his life, there is no room for The Word among the hearts of men. The Lord could not deny himself. Nor could he ever deny the one who sent him. Can I deny who I am? Yes, only with a lie. Can I deny the one who has given me life or loved me with a patience that is unknown to man and earth? Can I deny the one who has set me free by guiding me so gently through life’s volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, tsunamis and heat waves? Yes, I can, and only because I am so darn stubborn and continue to be a slave to sin.

Recently, I had an encounter with a man who had been poisoned with Christian Fundamentalism or radical Protestantism. Everything I said to him, he protested; even to the point of leaving behind his common sense. He was arguing with me, asking me where in the Bible the rosary was. I told him, “You mean the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory be?” I then proceeded to show him where each verse was located. He would not have anything to do with it. So, I asked him where in the Bible was the word Trinity? He told me the meaning was there. But I reminded him the word wasn’t, and therefore, according to his logic it should not be used, just like the rosary. Then the subject turned to Mary. Poor Mary, always getting a bum rap from her children! Just like so many moms today with their children! He insisted that Mary was just a vessel, a means to an end. I looked at him and said, “Why don’t you say that to your mom.” “Hey mom, just want to let you know that you are really just a tool, an instrument, a vessel to me and nothing more?” Of course he wouldn’t. He doesn’t want to get hit! It is very frightening how someone can argue with you with the bible in their hands and their brain back home! I reminded him, “Do you think that Jesus did not do whatever his mother asked him to do? Do you think that Jesus did not love his mother, with a child’s love, all his life? Do you really think that Jesus would not have taken, as God, the utmost care of his mother after she fell asleep? Do you really think she is dead and waiting the resurrection of body and soul?” End of conversation.

How lonely the Lord must have felt. How insidious the conversations must have been for him with the Pharisees and scribes, and, at times, with even his own apostles!

“If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jesus. Truth. Light. All three go together. They can never be separated: I am who I am. There is no dividing him up, like the Holy Trinity, like our common family.

Lord, set me free from the snares of the devil, from the hunter’s snares, from a darkness that can envelope my heart, mind and soul. Set me free from the evil that haunts me of my past sins; that distorts and damages my faith, hope and love in you! Set me free from those who wish me harm, who dig a pit for me, who push me away and wish away my very existence. Lord, set me free and hold me tight in your truth and light. Amen.

John 8:21-30 I AM

John 8:21-30 I AM

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I am the resurrection…I am the way, the truth and the life…I am the vine…I am the good Shepherd…I AM.

Our Lord has revealed himself to the world. He is not just a great man, an amazing prophet, or an incredible miracle worker. He is my Lord and Savior, my God, my all, my purpose and being, the beginning and end of my life and faith journey. He is who I am called to be.

Jesus is God, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He is the God of fulfilled promises, of everlasting love, of undivided unity. He is the God of Moses: “I am who I am.” There is no division, no conflict, no hesitation or doubts. There are no mountains he cannot overcome; no seas to deep to walk across, no tombs too secure to open up. He lives the way he breathes – peacefully, easily, comfortably. He is present and alive in the richest, deepest, and most profound-est way. And we have been created in his image and likeness. I have been called to be in him, with him and through him in heart, mind, body and soul as he shares his body, blood, soul and divinity with me. This goes beyond all explanations, all scientific theories, all mysteries! It is love beyond all imagining. It is love divine, a love that endures all things.

I am because He IS. I am a gift from God, a love gift, a present (here I am!), a flower in God’s amazing garden. Though I am fragile and small, I survive the winds and rains, the raging storms, the solar winds, the gigantic black holes of loss and loneliness. I can because I am His, I belong to him and I shall return to Him.

O how I searched for happiness in all the hidden places. I left behind my faith, my values, my morals, my principles and my dignity in search for love, thinking that love would hide itself. “Late have I loved you, O beauty so ancient and new! Late have I loved you. Behold, you were within me and I out of myself, and there I searched for you.” (St. Augustine, Confessions)

The Lord reveals who He is: The great I AM. He reveals to me who I am: his beloved child. Love amazing! Love divine! I will never know who I am unless I know who He is. No wonder the first and greatest commandment is, “Love God above all things.” Can this love be commanded? Does God need my little love? Is he so full of himself that he needs my love? No, but I do need his love. For this reason, if I do not acquiesce to the first commandment, then I will never be able to follow the second great commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself. Other than love, what do the two have in common? The first commandment reminds me of who God is. If I know and love him, then I will be forced to love myself, and if I love myself, then I can love my neighbor. The two go together like brother and sister even though they are water and oil. The Lord knows how to bind, fuse and bring together, like Father and child, like family.

Lord, here I am. Take me; love me; embrace me; support me; encourage me; heal me; strengthen me; believe in me, and love me till we are one again. AMEN.

John 8:1-11 Judged By Men

John 8:1-11 Judged By Men

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No one likes to be used. And yet, we are more than capable of using another human being as a scapegoat, a pawn, or to set an enduring example. Hitler, Stalin, Margaret Sanger, Jack Kevorkian, etc… are but a few of the master builders of the architects of the Culture of Death. These men and women were inspired by philosophers and pseudo-scientists such as Nietzsche, Darwin, Haeckel, Marx, Comte, Sartre and Freud. The list will only get longer as the family bond continues to fall apart and scientists (social, medical, political, military) insist on replacing our beloved Supreme Being with one of their own. They really believe they know better. Talk to one and you will see.

John Paul II would often state that “Man cannot be an object. He is always the subject.” He cannot be a means to an end, regardless of how beneficial the end (goal) is. His dignity, his worth, his value must be respected and preserved. In our world in which we are constantly re-defining our most valued gifts: gender, marriage, life, death, etc… we run the risk of throwing humanity under the bus. If nothing is sacred (given value from above), then it can be stepped on, thrown away and/or ripped apart.

The latest fight appears to be that of the term gender. The United Nations is debating, pushed on by Western nations, the definition of gender. They wish to include everything under the sun; that is, everything man made or “science made”. The Vatican and many under-developed nations, abused and used by powerful western nations for years, are against the proposal. The Church makes its arguments clear: “gender should never be reduced to someone’s sexuality or sexual tendency.” There are only two genders: man and woman.

In today’s Gospel, we are reminded of how we can and should treat others. This unknown woman, caught in the very act of adultery, is no longer a woman; she is, in the eyes of Pharisees and scribes, simply a prostitute. She no longer has the right to be called a woman. How in the world she was caught in “the very act” leaves me wondering about who was the “peeping Pharisee.” It reminds me of Suzanna’s accusers, men of authority, hiding in the bushes and watching her with lustful eyes (cf. Dn 13:1-62). Regardless, she is thrown in front of the Lord - not to be judged by the Lord, but to be used by them in order to trap the Lord. He doesn’t fall for it. They have abused their power, abused their religion and God with their fake piety and false sense of concern for the Law. The Lord goes after them! If anyone should be stoned, it should be them!

On the other hand, we should be very careful not to fall into the temptation of canonizing this woman. She has committed adultery now and in the past. She has ruined marriages and families. But there is something very beautiful about her. She is not kicking and screaming, nor is she throwing insults and injury towards her persecutors. Instead, she is silent, ashamed. She does not love herself and is convinced that she is getting what she deserves. She is need of compassion before conversion. For this reason, the Lord does not just let her go. He tells her, “I do not condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”

The Lord came into the world to give back the sinner their identity; to put a face on us, and to call us by name. We no longer have to be reduced to our sins or be known only by our sins. We can be known for who we truly are (children of God), and who we can truly be (Saints).

Let us ask the Lord to straighten us up, lift us up and help us on our way towards Him. We shall arrive! Each day is a new step towards our God, one day at a time.

Like the Aztec gods, the Lord wants our hearts, but without our death! "I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways!" (Ez 33:11)

John 11:1-45 I Am The Resurrection

John 11:1-45 I Am The Resurrection

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Do you believe?

21 year old Zack Dunlap was pronounced dead November 19^th, 2007 following a four-wheel accident that left him brain dead. Doctors spoke to his family in regards to organ donation. They agreed. Shortly after, Zach’s grandmother approached her grandson’s bed, knelt down, and said, “Lord, I have never asked for a miracle. Today, I am asking one from you.” Suddenly, the young man began to twitch and tug at the arms. To this day, the doctors have no explanation. Three years later, Zach has fully recovered. The family credits it all to prayer. So would I.

What is the fastest way to grow up? To embrace your cross and die to yourself. Last night, I went to see the movie Of Gods and Men, the true story of seven Trappist monks executed by Algerian Islamic terrorists. Their throats had been slit; their bodies never found. Loved by the community that surrounded the monastery, it was a national loss. These men lived the vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and silence in the strictest sense. They knew (they had been warned in many ways), their lives were in danger. They could have left, but they did not. Through the long wait they suffered as a community and as individuals. Some had doubts of faith; others, their family to think about back home. They loved life, they did not despise it. They did not choose to die, but they accepted and embraced death out of love for God, neighbor and even the “friend of their final moment”.

This morning’s Gospel reminds us of the drama of life: life, friendship, death and resurrection. The Lord waited four days to return to Judea. He could have come sooner but he chose to wait and this was the Lord’s friend! Seven Trappist monks, who lived a faithful life serving the Lord were executed, and some punk kid from Oklahoma came back from the dead. So what is going on? St. Theresa of Avila reminds us of how the Lord treats his friends: he allows them to imitate him. She replies, “No wonder you have so few friends.” Life, friendship, death and resurrection all play into God's amazing plans, but the prerequisites for all who wish to rise remains the same: Am I close to the Lord? Does he have my heart? Do I believe in Him?

St. John is not interested at all in describing the Lord's power to raise someone from the dead. He does not think like we do. Christ’s miracles are not just physical. They are physical, spiritual, and psychological signs of conversion. They are pointers to something higher than the surface. We are to dig deeper or rise higher than we ever imagined into our life . Lazarus comes forth, out of the tomb, with his body still wrapped and his face still covered in bandages. Why? Because he will need them again. One day, he will return to the grave. The time of the final judgment has not arrived. This is not the end of the world. This is a sign, a tiny little speck, or a precursor of God’s amazing grace and love for us. What happened to Lazarus, friend and faithful follower of Jesus Christ, will happen to us. WE SHALL RISE FROM THE DEAD! But we must first believe and experience the Way of The Cross.

Why does the Lord demand faith? Why does he want us to believe in Him? Why is belief so important for a God so omnipotent? Belief means a way of life! The Lord calls us to believe; that is, to live like Him.

In all the above cases, we see the close knit correlation of the great mysteries of life, friendship, death and resurrection. All four are related to one another in a mysterious and very real way. We shall all graduate, either to eternal life or eternal death. Not a single one of us will remain stagnant.

“I have promised, and I will do it, says the Lord.” (Ez 37:14)

Heavenly Father, at the end of each day you give us a new day to die to self and to rise with Christ. Quiet our fears and open our hearts so that we love you more each day. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.