Category Archives: Weekdays

Friends in the Lord,

in these Octave days of Easter, the many, beautiful flowers in the Church, and that lovely smell – can’t help but make us think of heaven, of Paradise.

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What will heaven be like? Well, it’s a whole new heaven and earth, that’s what the Catechism says: a totally renewed cosmos. Heaven also means the resurrection of our bodies, like Jesus.  Christ did not rise from the dead in his glorified body for his own sake – he rose for our sake – he shows us our destiny. ‘The hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs shall hear the voice of the Son of God. And they who have done good shall come forth unto resurrection of life….

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An older woman, a practicing Catholic, thought that this is a strange thing: that we would rise in our physical bodies, and walk around in Paradise. She was shocked to hear that this is a dogma of our Faith, one of THE most important beliefs. But she liked it!

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Our destiny is not to be some kind of floating, disembodied soul. Today we see, that when Jesus came to the apostles in his resurrected body – they thought they were seeing a ghost. They could not accept that Jesus was bodily alive.

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The Lord’s reaction?  Why do questions still arise in your hearts?!! What is wrong with you?! Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I. Touch me and see, because a spirit – a soul – does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.

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To prove it to them more, Christ took some baked fish and ate it in front of them.   Souls do not eat food.

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An angel is pure spirit, but we will not be angels, we are a different species: human. Human beings are body and soul. A soul is not a complete human being.

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True, our soul separates from our body at death. How long will we wait ‘till the resurrection?  What will be our experience of time? We don’t know. Perhaps the time will seem very short.

But however long the wait, we will not be disappointed.

Friends in Christ,

today we read of those two disciples walking the road to Emmaus. They encounter Jesus, whom at first they do not recognize until the ‘Breaking of the Bread.’ This phrase is used in scripture to signify the Mass: ‘The Breaking of the Bread’ – it occurs in numerous places.

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At the Last Supper Christ gave us the first Mass. Here, on the road to Emmaus, St. Luke gives us a sort of image of the Mass.

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There are two main parts of the Mass: the liturgy of the word, and the liturgy of the Eucharist. St. Luke illustrates this by the way he tells the events at Emmaus. We see that first Jesus explains the scriptures to them, showing them everything in the scriptures that refer to himself. So here we see an image of the Liturgy of the word, just as we are doing now, explaining the scriptures.

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Then the Breaking of the Bread, and all the code words for the Sacred Liturgy are here: He took, blessed, broke, and gave it to them. So, the Liturgy of the Eucharist. And notice that once they have the Eucharist, once they have the Body of the Lord before them, Jesus disappears. Christ is saying: you don’t need to see me now, I am present with you now sacramentally; and as he said: I will be with you all days, even until the end of the world.

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What is, this Holy Mass, which Our Lord has left us? Here is what the great theologian, Nicholas Gihr says:

‘On the cross, Christ obtained the price of the Redemption of the world. At Holy Mass this Eternal Sacrifice is made present in time, that this Treasure of grace may be applied to us. On the Cross the Fountain of eternal redemption was opened, and from our altars, It pours forth It’s streams to the thirsty children of God.

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Consecrating the Sacred Host and the Chalice, the priest’s words produce the Mystical Immolation – the separation of Christ’s Body and Blood. Then, having announced the death of Christ, it is time to proclaim his Resurrection. A part of the Sacred Host is placed into the chalice, reuniting the Body and Blood of the Lord, a sign of resurrection. And in Holy Communion, our bodies and souls mingle with our Beloved Savior.

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Our Lord commissioned that these Mysteries of Eternal Life be unceasingly offered, and this we do, in all the churches of the universe until the end of time.

Friends in Christ,

today in the gospel, we revisit that wondrous scene at the tomb; Mary Magdalene is there, the sinner who has been forgiven. We see that angels are there:  “And as she wept, bending down, she saw two angels in white.”

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Jesus is there, although at first he is not recognized by Mary, and interestingly, he addresses her as ‘Woman.’ ‘Woman, why do you weep?’ The sacred text also tells us that she thought Jesus was the gardener; so it was in a garden, and in fact earlier St. John tells us that the tomb was ‘in a garden.’

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Now if we think hard, we see that these facts are clues; When writing this gospel, St. John did not have to include these bits of information, but he did. He put it down this way so that if we ponder this scene, of Jesus and a ‘Woman’ in a garden, we will immediately think of the garden of Eden, where there was a Man and a Woman.

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If we recall, when Adam and Eve were cast out of Eden, an angel was placed at the entrance to guard it, to block the way, we were blocked from Paradise. So we see here in the scene of the resurrection, also angels – but they are not blocking anything because the way is now open for us to Paradise.

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In 1 Corinthians St. Paul says, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. So the way that this resurrection scene is written, St. John is intentionally trying to teach us that Jesus is the New Adam, as St. Paul also says.

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Christ is the perfect Man, and he is one of us, he is our brother. He has done what Adam and no one of us could do, and that is, atone for our sins, and save us from death, and hell. The New Adam has won the victory for us, and given us the hope of immortality.

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St. Paul says, ‘Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall all indeed rise, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet; for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall rise incorruptible and we shall be changed. For this corruptible body must put on incorruption and this mortal body must put on immortality.

Friends in the Risen Lord,

today we are in the beautiful Octave of Easter, in which each day is celebrated as a ‘Little Easter.’

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On the 1^st Easter morning, when the women went to the tomb to anoint the Lord, they instead found that an angel had rolled the stone away from the tomb, and were told: ‘Do not be afraid. Jesus has risen.’

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We read today that as they were on their return, Jesus met them, and spoke to them.

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We notice three things from these events: First, the women were exhorted by the angel to BELIEVE, to have faith. The Lord’s resurrection, after such a brutal and final death – his resurrection surely felt too good to be true. The angel told them that Jesus had risen AS HE SAID he would. Christ’s promises are gold, we can trust his promises. He has resurrected, he promises us, that if follow him as his disciples, we will do the same. So we are urged to have Faith.

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The 2^nd thing we notice, is that when they meet Jesus, he urges them to SHARE this Good News. ‘Go tell my brethren,’ he said. The Gospel must be shared. God has made these promises to us of the glorious, resurrected life ahead if we follow in Jesus way; it is imperative that we share this faith with our family, friends, co-workers – everyone that God puts in our path. And we often know in our conscience, when the Lord has put someone in our path.

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There is a 3^rd thing we can notice also today. When Jesus meets the women it says that he ‘greeted them.’ Some translations say, he said ‘Hail.’ This is the Greek word Χαίρετε, which was the normal word for greeting someone. But the literal meaning of the word is ‘Rejoice!’ That is what we do this week, during this Easter Octave, rejoice. And when we think of all that Jesus has done for us, how can we not rejoice?

Beloved in Jesus Christ,

today is Good Friday. It is ‘Good,’ because it is the day that the Son of God has died for our sins.

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We have just heard the events of the Passion read from Holy Scripture. We will Venerate the Cross, and we will receive Holy Communion – the Hosts that were consecrated last night will be brought out for us, to receive today.

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But notice, today there will be no Consecration; you will not hear the priest say, ‘This is My Body, this is my Blood.’ There will be no chalice; you will not hear the Eucharistic prayer said by the priest.

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So many would say, ‘then this is not a Mass.’ But let’s note something. This priest here, is wearing a chasuble, it is required. The chasuble is ONLY worn by a priest when he is at Mass, not for a prayer service. So what gives? Are we still at the Mass from last night or something?

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At the time of Our Lord, the Passover was celebrated by sacrificing a lamb, and then the meal which included 4 cups of wine. The 1^st cup was offered, then a 2^nd, then the Cup of Blessing said over the Lamb; a hymn is sung, and finally the 4^th cup, the cup of consummation, completed the Passover.

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When Jesus offers the Passover with his disciples at the Last Supper, what happens? In the Gospels, the 1^st cup of wine seems not to be mentioned. But St. Luke reports to us the 2nd cup, and then the 3rd cup – the cup of blessing. But no lamb is mentioned. I guess that’s because the Lamb is sitting there at the table, Christ is the Lamb, who will be sacrificed for us. Then the Scriptures tell us that a hymn was sung. Ok. Everything matches up with the Passover meal.

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But then there is supposed to be the 4^th cup of wine to conclude the Passover – the cup of consummation. But it is not mentioned. The 4^th and final cup of wine is not mentioned, and so it seems that the Passover has not actually concluded. We ARE told, that the Lord went to the Garden of Olives to pray, and there he said: ‘Father, if it is possible, let this CUP pass by me.’ So our Lord mentions a ‘Cup.’

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Then later, as Jesus is carrying the cross, soldiers offered him a cup of wine mixed with gall – there is another cup of wine – but Christ did not take it. If that was the 4^th cup of the Passover, well, he was not ready to end the Passover yet.

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But let’s note today what we read in the Holy Gospel: As Our Lord hung on that cross, he said: ‘I thirst.’ He is signaling for the 4th cup. ‘Now there was a vessel filled with common wine, so they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop, and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine he said, ‘It is finished.’ In my bible, the translation reads, ‘It is consummated.’

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So here is the mystery of the missing 4^th cup. Our Lord concludes the Passover sacrifice on the cross. The Lamb is now sacrificed, the Lamb of God.

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Last night, at the end of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, there was no dismissal; there was no final blessing – because Mass continues. We are still in Mass. Because what is Mass, really? It is both, the Lord’s Supper and the Sacrifice of the Cross. And while the Passover is complete, the resurrection still must come. And so, the Mass continues to Easter.

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The Blood of the Passover Lamb protected the people from the angel of death, but that was only a Type. The Blood of Jesus protects us from Eternal Death, and obtains for us the hope of our own resurrection, in the life of the world to come. Amen.

Beloved in Christ,

tonight is Holy Thursday. Here, we remember the Last Supper in which Jesus gave us the two sacraments of the Holy Mass, and the Priesthood.

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The Last Supper was the first Mass; it was there that Christ took bread and said, ‘This is my Body.’ And he took the chalice, ‘This is my Blood.’  This is what we call the Lord’s Supper, the Holy Mass, the Divine Liturgy, the Breaking of the Bread, the Holy Sacrifice – and we continue to faithfully do this down to the present day.

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If you read about the first Christians, you will see that they were doing exactly what we do; they believed exactly as we believe.  In the year 152 for example, Justin Martyr said: ‘We call this food Eucharist; and no one is permitted to partake of it except one who believes our teaching……Made into the Eucharist by the Eucharist prayer…. it is the flesh and blood of that Incarnate Jesus.’  So Jesus gives us the Mass.

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Also on this night, he gives us the Priesthood.

‘Do this,’ he told the Apostles – his first priests. ‘Do this in memory of me,’ keep doing it. And so we do.

‘Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven them.’ ‘He who hears you, hears me.’ Our Lord sent his priests to continue his work on earth, forgiving sins, baptizing, teaching, and most importantly, feeding his lambs with the Bread of Life, so that they can go to heaven.

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During the Last Supper, Christ knelt down and washed the feet of his Apostles; he did this to teach them, that they must be humble priests; we also re-live that on Holy Thursday, when those dressed as Apostles have their feet washed.

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After the Last Supper, Christ and is disciples left the Upper Room and went to pray at a Garden, the Garden of Gethsemane. There Our Lord saw all the sins and evils and horror that will ever happen, and he took it upon himself. It was so intense that he sweated blood through his skin; doctors say such a thing happens only under acute conditions of extreme stress. But even then, as Jesus prayed, his disciples fell asleep; ‘Could you not pray just one hour with me?’, he asked.

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Well, tonight at the end of Mass, our procession will follow Jesus, as we go to a garden. We will go to the Garden to pray with the Lord, to keep him company as he begins his journey to the Cross.

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These sacred days reveal the great love of Christ for us. St. Augustine says, that in order to captivate the hearts of men,[i] God has cast several darts of love into their hearts. He has given us the beautiful world, animals, forests, birds and seas – he has tried to lure us by many ways to love him.

Cardinal Hugo says, the sportsman keeps in reserve his best arrow for the last shot, in order to secure his prey; so did God keep Jesus in reserve until the fullness of time, and then he sent Him as a last arrow, to wound with love the hearts of men.

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[i] The Incarnation, Birth, and Infancy of Jesus Christ, p. 89-90

Friends in the Lord, in the Gospel today, we find ourselves with Christ at the Last Supper. The scripture scholar, Alfred Edershein, says, that the house where Christ had the Last Supper, is none other than the home of the parents of St. Mark! How can he claim this?

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Well, Jesus sends Peter and John to prepare for the Passover. He says: Go into the city to a certain man carrying a water pitcher; follow him, and he will show you the place for the Passover. Now that man with the water pitcher, he was very pleased to permit the Passover in his house. This tells us that he must have been a follower of Christ.

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Now why did Jesus do it this way?   – it was because he did not want to give away the location to Judas. He wanted to offer the First Mass – the Passover – in peace. So he probably told the rest of the Apostles the location of the Supper, just before it was to be, so that Judas would have no time to inform the authorities.

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During the Last Supper, Judas went out, and he went straight-away to the authorities to tell them where Christ was. But when he brought the soldiers to the house, they had already left for the Garden of Gethsemane. So they went to the Garden, Judas knew it was Jesus’ custom to go there.

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Ederschein then speculates that a young boy living in that house, whose father was a follower of Christ, must have heard all of this, and it being night time, he wrapped himself quickly with a cloth, and followed after to see what would happen.

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Now when Jesus was arrested, and the disciples fled, scripture says: ‘a certain young man was following him, having a linen cloth wrapped about his body, and they seized him, but leaving the linen cloth behind, he fled away from them naked. Most scholars believe that this boy was in fact St. Mark who eventually wrote the gospel.

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So the Last Supper must have been offered in St. Mark’s parent’s house.

The day Jesus sent them to prepare the Last Supper, he knew exactly what would happen. He knew Judas would betray him. He knew Peter would deny him, and he knew St. Mark would even give up his clothes, rather than himself have to suffer. Jesus knew all their failings and sins, and he knew ours. He could see them all. But he nevertheless continued, by his own choice, because he wanted to rescue us from our sins.

And when he had left, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.’

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The glory of Christ has arrived, and that glory is the cross.

As Judas left the Upper Room, Jesus knew exactly how the events of that night would unfold. The Cross was awaiting the Savior.

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In this life, if we look at history – we will see that glory always comes with sacrifice. In war, the glory is not so much to those who come home from war, rather, the glory is really given to those who laid down their lives, with the greatest courage.

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In daily life, if you wish to find someone who is sincere, who is wise, who is able to appreciate your struggle – you need to speak to someone who has suffered in life, who has been through a lot. Sacrifice leads to greatness.

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But embracing suffering, making sacrifices – this is not an end in itself. There is something supernatural, some type of power in sacrifice, that we know at some deep level. It is because sacrifices made willingly – well, these are, in a mysterious way, united to the Eternal Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, and somehow deep down, we know that doing something very difficult, because it is ‘the right thing to do’ – we know at some level that it will be rewarded, it will be to our glory.

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This week it becomes clear, that what we sense to be true, really is true. Our Lord will make the supreme act of sacrifice, greater than any that has ever been made – an explosion in history. Not because he suffered more than anyone physically, but because upon himself he literally took all the guilt of every person. His interior suffering is incomprehensible.

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Yet we see that this great act will be rewarded. Christ will be raised up and he will conquer death and sin and the devil, for all of us. This power comes from this infinite sacrifice.

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All of our own sacrifices and noble actions are united to that of Christ, in particular at Holy Mass. And this is why Jesus says to us, through the priest:  ‘Pray that my Sacrifice and yours, will be acceptable to God, the Almighty Father.’

And it is why we reply to Jesus: ‘May the Lord accept this Sacrifice at your hands, for the praise and glory of his name, for our good, and the good of all his holy Church.’

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Everything we have that is good is offered with Christ, for God’s glory.

Friends in Christ,

here at the beginning of Holy Week, we read in the Gospel of the events leading up to the Passover. Because of Passover and the great crowds going to the Feast,  it would have been difficult to find a place to stay in Jerusalem.  Lodging would be very hard to find.  

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Jesus therefore goes to Bethany, just outside the boundaries of Jerusalem; he goes to his friends’ home, the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.  It was there, that we see this scene played out, in which Mary anoints Jesus’ feet and wipes them with her long hair.  There is a tradition that believes this Mary to be Mary Magdalene, who once again anoints Jesus’ feet as she had when she was forgiven by the Lord. But this time, she does it to prepare him for his death.  

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At the time of Christ, no respectable woman would ever appear in public with her hair down. On the day a girl was married, her hair was bound up,  and she would never show it loose and flowing in public again.  Yet we see Mary, anointing Jesus’ feet and wiping them with her hair –  her love is so strong, that she doesn’t even think of what might be said of it, at all.  She is carried away by love. This is how people are when they are lost in love.  

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It was Jesus, whose mercy forgave her, and gave her a new life; in the same way, the hearts of Christians should also be this way.   

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The Venerable John Leonard one day saw Jesus appear to him as a hunter, passing through the woods with an arrow in his hand. ‘Lord, what are you doing?’, he asked.  Jesus answered, ‘I am hunting after hearts.’  

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St. Alphonsus says, ‘If Jesus gains our heart, we shall gain Jesus. And the advantage is all on our side.’  

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Origen says, if it be that Jesus Christ has given himself to each one,  what great thing will a man do if he give himself wholly to Jesus Christ?

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Our Lord shows us his love in this Holy Week, pouring out every drop of his blood for you and for me.  He wishes more than anything, to press us to his heart, but it is also necessary for us, like Mary Magdalene, to give our heart to Jesus.   

Friends in Christ,

a week from Saturday, we will celebrate the greatest Liturgy of the year, the Easter Vigil. The new fire will be blessed, just outside the church at dusk. And from the new fire, will be lit the Easter Candle. This Easter candle represents the Light of the World: Jesus, and as it is carried into the dark church, we will chant: ‘Lumen Christi!’ – Christ our light.

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This light, shining in the darkness, represents Jesus. He is risen, he has conquered the darkness of death. As father lights that Easter candle from the new fire, he says: ‘Christ yesterday and today, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega. All time belongs to him and all the ages.’

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Jesus Christ, in himself, is the meeting of time and eternity; the joining of heaven and earth, of God and Man. ‘Christ yesterday and today, the beginning and the End.’ As Our Lord walked the earth, he kept a certain shroud of mystery about his origin – for most of his life. But as his Passion nears, he begins to reveal more.

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In today’s Gospel he drops the bomb – the unvarnished truth. They said to him, ‘You claim to have seen Abraham, yet you are not even 50 years old!’ And he said: ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.’ This is the bombshell.

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Abraham at that time was long dead, and so he was in the ‘Limbo of the fathers,’ waiting with the others, for the gates of heaven to be opened. How could Jesus have seen him? He could have seen him if he sees the other world, if he’s been there, if he is – God. And this is what Christ proclaims, he uses the Divine Name: ‘Before Abraham came to be, I AM.’ Literally, before Abraham was made, I already existed.

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According to St. Augustine, Jesus said ‘before Abraham came to be,’ because Abraham was a creature – a man – created. He used the Divine Name: he said, ‘I AM,’ because the Son of God exists ‘Yesterday and today, he is the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega. All time belongs to him.’

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Jesus reveals that in himself, God has visited his people, and he has come to save us. To him be glory and power forever and ever.