Jn 13:16-20 When Old Meets New: Jesus!

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter
(Click here for readings)

When Jesus had washed the disciples' feet, he said to them:  "Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him...From now on I am telling you before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe that I AM."

Old and New.  It's hard to believe the God of the Old Testament is somehow related to the one in the New Testament.  But upon further review, we see some striking similarities, especially in the Passover and Exodus accounts.

Moses to Jesus.  Jesus is the New Moses.  He did what the old Moses could not do.  He freed us from the chains of sin and from the power of the devil.  He is the true Deliverer, the true Liberator.  Whereas Moses led his people to the Promised Land, Jesus leads all people to the real Promised Land:  Heaven.

lamb to Lamb.  At the start of their very long journey, the Jews were instructed by Moses to kill a spotless or unblemished one-year-old male lamb and consume its flesh.  Kind of weird, don't you think?  Why a lamb?  What did this poor creature ever do to desire such a horrible fate?  Why did some poor innocent little creature have to pay the ultimate price for the liberation of others?  I have a feeling the Jews never fully understood this, until Jesus appeared.  And maybe that's the point. 

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Here is the lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world" (Jn 1:29). 

Jesus is the true Lamb, who takes away the sins of the world.  He is the unblemished male victim - without sin and totally innocent - who is slaughtered for our sins and for our salvation. He did not deserve to die a death like this.  We did!  And that's an important point. 

There is a law, and the law is well known to all of us:  whoever commits a crime must be punished.  This is the law of justice.  But there is a greater law, and this law is not well known to us: whoever lays down their life for another, pays the price for the other.  This is the law of Love.

By Christ's blood we have been redeemed.

water to Water.  If the Jews had never passed through the Red Sea, then they would never have made it to the Promised Land.  God performed one of His greatest miracles ever, there.  He split the sea in two and allowed His people to cross.  In other words, He opened the gates wide open for His people to enter the Promised Land. 

Likewise, Jesus said:  "No one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit" (Jn 3:5).  Baptism opens the floodgates of graces to flow into our lives. It also opens up the gates to heaven.  We just need to Cross over.

i am who I am.   There is so much more that could be said.  Let me end with one final thought. 

Moses is great, but Jesus is the great I AM.  He is God.  He is our Lord and savior.  I am just an image and likeness of the great I AM.  Our lives are models of the great one, the great God, the one and only God.  What a relief it is to know that we can actually grow up, mature and become more and more like Him.  This is our hope.  This is our story.  It is found in both the Old and New Testaments. 

Jn 15:9-17 The World's Love and Christ's Love

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

(Click here for readings)

 

I have told you this so that my joy might be in you
and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.

Today's conventional wisdom concerning love declares that it is ultimately self-serving. No one loves another for the sake of that person; they love them because they have something to offer. People befriend those from whom they can profit in some way, and if those people cannot produce, they no longer deserve the title of friend. Even in a more intimate relationship, lovers often unite and part on the conditions of mutually satisfying one another's desires. In regards to family, many people fail to see why they should even have one, or stay in the one in which they were born; for the parents at the beginning, and the children at the end, the commitment of love does not justify the cost.

This rather cynical attitude towards love originates from a deeper point that people will maintain even more fervently: all people seek to maximize their own personal good. This means that people are not governed by principles, but by incentives. They do not act independently, but rather respond to possible benefits before them. If no benefits exist, then they do not make that choice. Acting rationally means doing what serves one's self-interest and avoiding what goes against one's self-interest. Thus, the majority of people pick their careers, their friends, their spouses, and even their church with the idea of acquiring various extrinsic and intrinsic goods; they do not necessarily make these decisions with the idea of being good themselves.

For this reason, we have become a society of salesmen and consumers. We advertise and make appeals to people's wants. Because incentives motivate people to action, we offer incentives for every request we make of another person. We appeal to people's ego, lust, greed, or vanity; and we expect people to do the same for us. This is the way the world works, and sages from Aristotle to Dale Carnegie have made this same observation on humanity's incurable selfishness. Many people will even argue that selflessness is an illusion, for even giving to the needy has the incentive of boosting one's ego or self-esteem.

To this argument, Jesus has an answer: Himself. He does not need anything, for He has everything already. He does not need an ego boost, for He is God. He stands in need of absolutely nothing, and yet he gives up everything and suffers everything. Incentives obviously do not motivate Jesus to suffer on the cross and give up His spirit, nor do they motivate him to do anything else in his ministry either. Love causes Jesus to act, nothing less. Jesus loves his friends and He loves his father. His love is pure, selfless, and infinite. It seeks the ultimate good of the other.

Thus, when He enjoins His disciples to love as He loved, he tells them to love selflessly, to love sacrificially. They must not seek incentives, but seek the good of the other. Although many people will simplistically assume that God will repay good deeds with a ticket to heaven, thus rendering charity a selfish action after all, Jesus says no such thing, here or anywhere else. When Jesus commands—as opposed to persuading—the disciples to love as He loved, they must love for God's sake, not their own. Incentives, even the incentive of a perfect union with God in heaven, cannot to guide them, for heaven itself is a gift of love, and is a state of love, not a mere incentive to do good deed. If they should truly befriend Jesus and live with Him in heaven, the disciples must abandon incentives altogether, learning to love and act purely and out of obedience to the Father as Jesus modeled for them.

Only in doing so, can an individual break the utilitarian pattern of pursuing incentives that determines people's behavior and keeps them, in a sense, enslaved. This does not come easily, if at all, for most of us, and Jesus does not pretend otherwise. He knows that this kind of selfless love will almost certainly lead to suffering and death: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” If they did not realize this before, the disciples now know that what awaits Jesus also awaits them. They will have to live for others and eventually die for others because the world operates on incentives, and love disrupts this system.

This selfless love of Christ overtaking the selfish love of the world is symbolized in the appointment of Matthias to replace Judas. Matthias walked with Jesus and learned to love like Jesus, first in his leadership as one of the Twelve and finally in his martyrdom—laying down his life for his friends—at Colchis. Judas, on learning of Jesus' intention to cast away all incentives and injunction to repent and love sacrificially, preferred to take the incentive and sell out the one he could have called his friend. He took the “realist” route of a scoundrel and thus “his encampment became desolate” and he committed suicide—laying down his life for himself.

In befriending Christ, Matthias experienced Christ's wonderful joy, the joy of doing good and loving freely. In betraying Christ, Judas forsook such joy and instead experienced the misery that accompanies self-interest. In honor of St. Matthias, let us follow his example, preaching the gospel to those who have not heard, or do not believe, so that they may not experience alienation and utterly rational despair of Judas.

 

 

This meditation was written by Benedict Augustine, an English teacher who works in the DFW area. He has taken on the pseudonym, Benedict Augustine, to honor his two favorite Catholic thinkers: St. Augustine and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

Jn 10:22-30 Speak Plainly

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter
(Click here for readings)

So the Jews gathered around [Jesus] and said to him, "How long are you going to keep us in suspense?  If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."

Religion still matters.  No matter what people say, religion still matters. 

Half way around the world, over two hundred girls are being held by a Nigerian born Islamic group known as "Boko Haram," which means "Western education is sinful."  Just recently they released a video showing a good number of them "converting" to Islam.  I am not at all impressed.  Not too long ago, I wrote a meditation describing how easy it is to convert to Islam.  Hence, their conversion is meaningless, but remarkable in how delusional the terrorists are, especially if they actually believe these young girls meant what they repeated under duress. 

Let's pray for their safe return, back to their parents and loved ones.

Now if you think that barbarities only happen "half way around the world," then think again. Just a few days ago we read how Harvard University, one of the most prestigious universities in America, allowed a bunch of atheists to masquerade as Satanists and make a mockery of Christian - but above all Catholic - beliefs.  Today, I am pleased to announce that the so-called "Black Mass" never took place.  It was cancelled after an avalanche of protests from students, faculty, staff, religious and secular leaders, and people of just good will and commonsense. 

Drew Foust, Harvard's President, was embarrassed at the entire affair.  In fact, she publically scolded the association for even considering such a hideous event and for hiding underneath the First Amendment (and "academic freedom") to defend religious bigotry.  Imagine for a moment if the Harvard Extension School had, for educational purposes and to exercise their constitutional rights, had invited KKK members to perform a Cross burning ceremony on campus.  I wonder what the world would have thought of that?  Do these people not see their own hypocrisy?  Do they actually think the world does not see their own hypocrisy?  Have atheists and intellectuals become so naïve? 


Tell us plainly.  As mean as Satanists are, at least they are honest and direct.  Like it or not, they tell everybody the way they think and the way they see things.  Politicians and intellectuals, on the other hand, have become experts in the use of euphemisms and Orwellianisms, and they are teaching our children - the next generation - their handy trade.   I find this more repulsive than highly opinionated or outspoken people.

Academia continues to insist on the use of politically correct (PC) speech in their statements in order to hide long standing (and sometimes seething) hatreds towards others.  However, not everyone is willing to play along and Harvard was caught in their lie, this time by the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.  

Now what makes users of PC speech so pitiful is that it forces them to walk a tightrope between lies, or fall into the depths of verbal meaninglessness. 

Satanists are not afraid to say or do whatever they want because they have nothing to lose.  They have already lost everything.  But most Americans are afraid to stand up and speak out.  In many ways, the First Amendment is dead.  Sure, you can say whatever you want, but it will be the last time you ever say it, especially if you're not part of the "what's-hip-this-year or decade or century."  If you're not in, then you're out.  You're job will be lost.  You're reputation, crucified.  You're livelihood, destroyed.

The spokesman for Satanists said something worth noting.  They said they will stage "their own Black Mass ceremony...to reaffirm their respect for the Satanic faith and to demonstrate that the most powerful response to offensive speech is to shame those who marginalize others..."

That's it!  They couldn't be any clearer: We hate those who hate you.  We take an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.  We shame those who shame you.

I love the Catholic response:  We will be having Eucharistic adoration this evening and will be praying for those who insult us. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that  Harvard President, Drew Faust, attended Eucharistic adoration.  Good for her.

I respect the Pharisees and scribes for asking Jesus to speak plainly:  "If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."  I don't respect the way they handled it:  Crucify Him!  Apparently, they weren't interested in the truth. 

I respect and love Jesus because He was clear and direct; and He was clear and direct because He had no fears.  He knows who He is and He knows who we are. 

"The Father and I are one." 

How clearer (and closer) can one get?

Jn 10:11-18 The Good Shepherd

Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter
(Click here for readings)

Jesus said: "I am the good shepherd.  A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them."

Harvard and Shame.  Harvard's satanic "black mass" will go on tonight, despite widespread condemnation from religious and secular leaders.

The New York-based "Satanic Temple" - which is not very satanic in belief, but definitely atheistic at heart - is putting on the show.  If you recall, this is the same organization that is currently seeking governmental approval to have their statute of the devil (surrounded by smiling children) put on display next to a monument of the Ten Commandments.  Talk about twisted!

This is all very shameful, but much more so for Harvard University, an institution known for academic excellence, not academic decadence.

Harvard President or "Good Shepherd" Drew Faust, in a statement, said it's "deeply regrettable" that the events organizer will proceed despite the fervent opposition by some local residents and students. 

One graduate student remarked: "I would find it interesting if they did something like this to the Koran or Torah." 

Two days ago, the magazine Harvard Crimson reported the following:

A petition opposing the event, organized by Matthew R. Menendez ’14, has, according to Menendez, received the signatures of 370 Harvard students and 100 alumni. The petition demands that the University prevent the event from taking place because it “offends all who have faith in Christ” and “promotes contempt for the Catholic faith.

The Harvard Chaplains, a group of religious and spiritual leaders who, according to their website, represent a diverse array of spiritual and religious practices, expressed concern about the event, which they said is a reenactment of a ritual that mocks foundational beliefs held by many Christians about the importance of Holy Communion.

“Just because something may be permissible does not make it right or good,” Reverend Luther Zeigler, President of the Harvard Chaplains, wrote in a statement to The Crimson on behalf of the Chaplains. “Whether or not these students are ‘entitled’ to express themselves through the ceremony of a ‘black mass’ as a matter of law or University policy is a distinct question from whether this is a healthy form of intellectual discourse or community life. We submit it is not.”

The Good Shepherd.  What makes Christ the Good Shepherd is more than just His fine words.  It is the fact that He is willing to spill His sweat, tears and blood for His sheep and for Truth.  Letters of protest are all fine and dandy, but protests are what we need right now.

Let's pray that Harvard's President, along with their chaplains, faculty, staff and students will take a stand with pen and protests and prevent these religious bigots from mocking Christians and all people of good will.

It's time to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Truth.

Jn 10:1-10 Jesus Strong!

Fourth Sunday of Easter
(Click here for readings)

Jesus said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber."

Peter stood up and raised his voice.  So much of what we say and do depends on what we are living.  What I have seen and heard with my own eyes and ears is that the darkest moments often create some of our greatest heroes.  They may have always had greatness in them, but it was tragedy or defeat that brought greatness out of them.  Ulysses S. Grant became a brilliant commander only after he was forced to.  Boston only became "Boston Strong" when faced with a terrorist attack. It's hard to believe but even harder to doubt that barbaric attacks often produce uplifting people and speeches, and release the chains of fear that grip and silence many of us.  As I was preparing for today's homily, a priest of days gone by came to mind.

The moment has arrived.  During the late evening of June 25th, 1954, Monsignor Juan Suciu, the Apostolic Administrator to Romania, was called into the headquarters of the Communist Party's main office in Bucharest.  He was given an ultimatum.  Either the Church must separate from Rome and the Holy Father, or its very existence would be threatened.

The next morning Monsignor Juan Suciu, speaking on behalf of the Holy Father, asked all the Churches throughout Romania to deliver this message.  He personally delivered his homily in Bucharest's Cathedral.  A short time later, he was reported missing.  It is believed he was killed by the secret police.

To this day, his body has never been located. 

These are the words that cost the life of Monsignor Juan Suciu.

The moment has arrived, the night of Holy Friday has descended on our Romanian Church in communion with Rome.  Now dear brothers, we will demonstrate weather or not we belong to Christ or to Judas, the traitor.

At last, Christ has allowed us to participate in his sacrifice for his Church.  Blessed are we if persecuted in his name.  Blessed are we if beaten for his Church.  Praised be God forever.

Never let your enemies fool you by their words, or committees, or bulletins, or any lie.  Be strong!  Stand firm.  Be steady in your faith.  Stand firm if they ask you to renounce the faith of our forefathers. 

Yes, they will threaten us, beat us and condemn us.  Don't be afraid!  God will  be with you and he will not let them tempt you beyond your strength.  The world is watching us.  Our moment has arrived.

Their exists but one Shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ and one flock, his Church, built on the Rock of Peter, the fisherman.  The force of the current and the suddenness of the storm pounds against the ship of the Church. 

Do not abandon ship, because you will succumb to the storm!

In contrary, our ship, the ship of the Church, will never sink.

And if another ship, another Church, asks you to jump to theirs, you should answer:  "My ship will never sink because the gates of hell will never prevail.  I will not abandon ship because I do not trust you.  You are a pirate, lost in sea, who will never reach the port of salvation."

Dear brothers, we are the witnesses to our faith, children of the Church of Christ in our beloved land and not children of Judas!  By our suffering and wounds we will bury our sins and entomb the enemies of our faith.  Fight the good fight for the faith, even as they arrest and chain you, just as so many millions of martyrs have suffered before us. 

Entering through the Gate.  What does this Gospel passage mean?  It can only mean one thing:  there are no short cuts to heaven.  "I never harmed anyone" is a short cut and no longer good enough for paradise.  Jesus is the new normal, the narrow Gate.  He is the Way, the Truth and the Life of our existence and of our salvation.  Only by following Him may I pass through the narrow gate to heaven. 

So it is no coincidence that the greatest man in the world spent the greatest amount of time with the lowliest of creatures.  It had to be this way, this narrow minded way.  "Boston Strong" is only true because of how the city endured hardship and suffering.  "Jesus Strong" is only true because of how the Lord endured tremendous suffering for us.  As St. Peter states: "When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly...By his wounds you have been healed.  For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls" (1Pt 2:24-25). 

If tragedy opens the gates to bravery, then faith opens the gates to love and forgiveness.

The Lord stood out when he stood up to the Pharisees and Romans, and stood with the frail and broken hearted.  His reputation only grew when he ate with sinners.  His fame spread life wild fire when he healed the broken hearted.  His appeal blew off the gates of hell when he forgave sinners.   

There comes a time in our lives when we need to stand up and stand out.  Our time has arrived.  Holy Friday has descended upon us.  Christians all over the world, especially in the United States, face ridicule, rejection and retaliation.  Now is the time to be "Christian Strong!"  There are no shortcuts.  There are no easy ways.  Only steadfast fidelity to Jesus points the Way to love and forgiveness.

This is more than a duty.  It is more than a career.  It is a vocation.

The tragic realities behind "Boston Strong" are no different in substance to the realities contained in "Christian Strong," which finds its depth and width in "Jesus Strong." 

Be Strong!  Be Jesus Strong!

Mother's Day.  P.S.  I would be amiss if I did not mention, in a very special way, the relevance of today's readings to all our moms this Mother's Day.  Day in and day out they imitate the Lord's love and fidelity.  When insulted, they return no insult; when they suffer, they do not threaten; instead, they continue to give and forgive.  Those who persevere till the very end deserve the title "Mothers Strong," which is the same as saying "Mary Strong," which is the same as saying "Jesus Strong."  They are all related by sweat, tears and blood.

Jn 6:52-59 The Bread Of Life and Love

Friday of the Third Week of Easter
(Click here for readings)

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within you."

What a great plan.  How does Jesus give us his Flesh to eat?  By tearing off a piece of unleavened bread.  What a nifty idea!  Of course, the Pharisees and scribes never imagined for a moment such a bloodless delivery of such a precious parcel. But then again, they had other things in mind, liking putting him to death on a cross. 

Unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of man and drink His Blood, you do not have life within you. 

We have a problem, and it's a big problem:  humans can't live forever.  We have the heart and brains for eternal life, but we don't have the right stuff to achieve it.  The Lord supplies it all: His humanity and divinity - His body, blood, soul and divinity. 

Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.

Since my very first communion, I have always understood how the Lord delivered His Flesh and Blood.  I never thought the Eucharist was just a symbol or a representation of His Body and Blood.  But for the longest time I never quite understood why the Lord delivered them in the first place.  Why is the Eucharist so important?

Then one day, while I was driving, I heard on tape a talk given by Dr. Scott Hahn on the Eucharist.  It blew my mind away.  His very simple explanation of the Eucharist was what I needed to hear. The Eucharist allows us to truly be blood brothers and sisters of the Lord, which means we share a common Father (God) and a common mother (Mary). 

God really is my Father, not just my adopted Father; and I am really His son, not just His adopted son.  I can truly call God my Father, for so indeed He is. 

Scandal of faith.  Not everyone accepted this (The Eucharist).  And throughout Christian history, many Protestant denominations have turned away from it. But it is surprising who did accept it:  Satanists.

"Then Satan entered into Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve" (Lk 22:3). 

After the Lord's discourse on the Eucharist, we read: "The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.  But there are some of you who do not believe."  Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him" (Jn. 6:64).

Satan loves to turn love on its head.  A kiss, rather than being a sign of affection, became the sign for betrayal; the Eucharist, rather than being a sign of unity and thanksgiving, became the sign of division and the last straw. 

Recently, a student association affiliated with Harvard University invited a Satanic group (The Satanic Temple) to celebrate a "Black Mass" for them.  The Harvard Extension School claims their purpose is strictly educational, not religious; and truth be said, this "satanic" group is not made up of Satanists but rather atheists. 

Regardless, the student association is pleading the First, and that free speech gives them the right to mock and insult Catholics and their beliefs.  I await to see if this student organization invites other hate groups as well, for "educational" purposes, that is.  I doubt it.  For satanists, as well as far too many atheists, tend to mock not only Catholics, but truth and freedom as well.

Let us pray in the words Peter gave to us:  "To whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God" (Jn 6:69).

Jn 6:44-51 Sharing The Good News

Thursday of the Third Week of Easter
(Click here for readings)

Jesus said to the crowds:  "...Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me."

It doesn't take much to become a Muslim.  The only thing required is the recitation of the Shahada or a short declaration of faith; which, by the way, is very brief indeed:  "La ilaha illallah, Muhammadur rasulullah."  This translates to "I testify that there is no other god but Allah, and Muhammad is God's prophet." By saying this, you become a Muslim.  Now of course, you must say it sincerely and with that intention in mind.

For an adult to become a Catholic, one is required to go through a two year period of discernment.  Classes are required.  Knowledge of the faith is mandatory.  And of course, the reception of the Sacraments is essential, especially baptism. 

Knowing all this, I was pleasantly surprised when I read there was a record number of people entering the Catholic Church this year in the Archdiocese of Washington.  [I'm sorry to say this, but my first thought at the news was reminiscent of something John the Baptist once said (Lk 3:7):  "You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?" 

Scary.

Well, the Archdiocese welcomed over 1,300 catechumens and candidates into the Church this past Easter.  The largest number in its history!  How blessed the Church in Washington must be to have so many politicians, lawyers and government employees!  Am I sounding sarcastic?  Sorry, I couldn't help myself.   

Even the Archdiocese of Boston - where the sex abuse scandals first broke - saw its largest number of new Catholics in over a decade, with over 650 coming into full communion with the Church.  A pleased Cardinal O'Malley blogged, "It was the largest group that we have had in recent memory and about 100 more than last year.  Perhaps it is the "Francis Effect.'  I do not know!" 

I'd like to take a guess, please?  I think the Francis Effect is simply the sweet aroma of God's grace that settles upon a humble, yet tenacious man, and permeates the Church and all that surrounds her.

What I find most remarkable in all of this is what people will go through to join the Church.  This is no easy step.  This is no easy step ladder.  Each step requires grace, discernment and hard work. 

It also requires some risk taking.

On March 9th 2014, just a few weeks before Easter, Ulf Ekman stood nervously before the congregation of the Word of Life church in Uppsala, Sweden.  Dressed in his Sunday best, the Swedish pastor looked out at the congregation of nearly 3,000 members and shared some shocking news with them.  The founder of one of Scandinavia's biggest Bible church and school was becoming a Catholic.

"I have something special to tell you....My wife and I have in recent days sensed the Lord's leading, urging us to join the Catholic Church.  This may seem a very radical step.  But we have great peace and great joy in this decision...

In a recent interview, he went on to say: "We need what the Lord has given to the Catholic Church to live fully as Christians."

Wow!  Talk about putting some pressure on yourself.  But isn't this what faith does to us?  Doesn't it put some pressure on our shoulders?

We all know what Jesus said:  "Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me."  But now we have to ask ourselves one simple question: "Does anyone who listens to us and learns from us go to Him?

If so, then that would make some great news.