Good morning students! Last Saturday, a number of our students made their 1st Holy Communion, and it was a beautiful day. For the first time, they came up, and received Jesus, and now they can whenever they attend Mass. At 1st Communion there was a little quiz, right? We asked questions like, when does the bread and wine change into the Body of Christ, and they said at the Consecration; when the priest says: ‘This is my Body,’ This is my Blood.’ The students even remembered the big word, which means the substance of bread and wine is changed, and that is Transubstantiation: there is a real change in substance. I asked them how long one must fast before Communion, and that is 1 hour: no food or drink. Except water.
.
We read in the gospel today, Jesus tells us that the Holy Eucharist is truly himself; it is really he, living, alive, and loving us. In those days, there were some people who said: ‘This is a hard saying, I cannot believe it!’ Those people stopped walking with Jesus. But his disciples believed, they trusted him.
.
You know, at Mass, there are often extra Hosts consecrated, these too are the Body of Christ – so where do we keep these, so that these hosts can be given to someone, or taken to the sick? In the Tabernacle. At St. John’s we always keep a veil on it, that shows that it is very holy, because it is the Body of Christ in there.
.
One time, Pope John Paul II, who is now a saint, he was visiting the United States, and when the Pope visited St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore – a seminary is where young men go to prepare to become priests – well, before the Pope went in, there was a special security team who went in first to check the building – remember, the Pope was once shot, and so they had to be careful that no bad people were hiding in there.
The police used specially trained dogs to sniff out the building looking for any persons that might be hiding in there. These dogs are trained to find people in disasters and under collapsed buildings, or anywhere a person might be hiding.
.
The dogs moved up and down the hallways, sniffing around; sniffing in the library, and in the dinning room, looking for any hidden persons. Then the dogs were taken into the chapel; they sniffed around all the pews, and under them – no persons. But then the dogs went up to the front, and they started whining and barking and starring at – the tabernacle! Because they had found a Person there. Who? Jesus.
.
But Jesus is not a dangerous Person, he is a loving Person. And so the Pope entered the building and with the seminarians, he knelt down before the tabernacle, and they prayed and spoke to Jesus.
.
We ourselves adore Jesus who is there, that’s why we genuflect on our right knee upon entering a church or leaving. And we love this dear Jesus very much, especially when we receive him at Holy Communion.
Friends in Christ, this week we’re reading in the gospel, John chapt. 6: The famous Bread of Life Discourse. It is here, in which Our Lord really teaches us about the Holy Eucharist. Having miraculously multiplied the loaves, to feed thousands, he then begins to speak of another kind of miraculous bread, which will also feed the multitudes. ‘I am the living bread come down from heaven, whoever eats this bread will live forever.’
.
He will tell the people that they must eat his flesh; that if they do, they will live forever. Many left him, because of this teaching. ‘This is a hard saying,’ they said. And they left. But the apostles, though not understanding this mystery, they trusted. And he would show them what he meant at the Last Supper.
.
This belief in the Holy Eucharist therefore, goes back to the very beginning, it is part of the True Faith. Around the year 180AD, St. Irenaeus of Lyon would himself write about this ‘Bread from heaven.'[i] Irenaeus, who learned from Polycarp who knew John the Apostle – he says: ‘When the chalice we mix and the bread we bake receive the word of God, the Eucharistic elements become the Body and blood of Christ, by which our bodies live and grow.’
.
He says, since our flesh is nourished by the Lord’s own body and blood, we too are capable of receiving the gift of eternal life. St. Irenaeus then beautifully adds: ‘The grain of wheat falls into the ground and decays, only to be raised up again by the Spirit of God’ – into wheat. Then, when the wheat-made-into-bread receives the word of God (at Holy Mass), it becomes the Eucharist which is the body and blood of Christ.
.
So too our bodies, which have been nourished by the Eucharist, will be buried in the earth and decay; but they will rise again, for the Word of God will raise them up in glory.
[i] The following is adapted from Irenaeus’ treatise against heresies found in the Office of the Roman Breviary, Thursday, the 3rd Week of Easter.
Friends in Christ, in a study published in Psychological Science, it was shown that men often judge a woman as more attractive when they believe that their peers find that woman attractive. According to the study’s author, this theory of conformity shows that people are not concealing their own preferences, they have actually aligned their minds with the others.'[i]
.
To us who are not psychologists, it is surprising how easily people will follow the crowd. People who do not base their life on firm convictions and beliefs, will easily follow whatever is the “in thing.” Today, many people who grew up Catholic, easily go along with whatever the latest trend is, even if it is against the teachings of the Church.
.
A stunning example of this is the almost over-night conformity to the supposed ‘gay-marriage’ idea. But there are many other examples. The devil often uses this power of ‘group think’, to lead many astray. It is explained probably best by this psychological theory of conformity. It’s not that people hide their true idea on the subject just to get along; it is that they have literally been convinced, not by logic, but merely because their friends and the media tell them.
.
We read today in the Acts of the Apostles, of the first persecution against the Church. ‘There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria.’ The teachings of those first Christians did not fit in with the ideas of the majority: ‘What you believe is not acceptable!’, they said. ‘And entering house after house they dragged out men and women, and handed them over for imprisonment.’
.
Since the very beginning of the Church, this has been the reality. Many people will accept whatever the world says for today, but those who live for Christ, who actually have convictions and Faith – they will never go along with the latest trend of the day.
.
At times, the ideas of the world are not far off from ours, and this is when society is somewhat Christian. We had that for a while – then it was easy to coast along as a Catholic. But those days are over. To be a follower of Jesus means being different. But we must have a merciful heart toward the weak, who easily fall for the latest trends. As St. Paul said, we must help those who are weak in faith.[ii]
[i] Scientific American, Aug 25, 2011
[ii] See Romans 14:1
Friends in Christ, in the 1st century AD, the luxurious living of ancient Roman society was unparalleled. Roman banquets featured a selection of anything you wanted, wild boar, oysters, pheasant, deer; and they included exquisite and expensive delicacies such as peacock brains and nightingale tongues. Guests would often eat while reclining, while slaves swept away discarded bones and olive pits. It was commonplace for the rich to spend 10’s of thousands of dollars on these banquets.
.
Pliny the Elder, in his writings from that period, describes the excessive lavishness of the people, but he believed that the terrible fires that occurred in Rome were punishment for this lifestyle. ‘In great buildings and in everything else, he says, the rest of the world has been outdone by us Romans. It was reported that a Roman lady who was married at that time, wore a robe so richly jeweled that it would cost today the equivalent of 17million dollars.
.
‘There was a reason for all of this, and the reason was dissatisfaction; a hunger that nothing could satisfy.’ So says William Barclay, in his commentary on John. People who are hungry inside, who can’t find meaning to life, they seek out anything that can give a thrill or a new pleasure in life. But it’s always for earthly things, things that are temporary.
.
Today in the Gospel, the crowd seeks out Jesus, trying to find out where he went. Why? Because he had multiplied a few loaves to feed 5000 families. ‘You are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled,’ he says. They wanted a bread king, who could produce food for them, so that they wouldn’t have to work, but that’s not why he came. Our Lord wants the people to see that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. ‘Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life.’
.
There are two kinds of hunger: there is a physical hunger, but there is also a spiritual hunger, which the pleasures of this world will never satisfy. A person can be a billionaire, but still have an unsatisfied longing, an incompleteness in this life. Not only Jesus’ miracle of the loaves should convince us, but his resurrection from the dead should convince us. No THING, nothing – can save us from death. But Jesus has proven that he is the WAY. He is the way to a New Life, which is stronger than death.
Friends in the risen Christ, in the first reading today, the people are amazed at the miracle done by St. Peter, in curing the lame man. He asks, why are you amazed? And then he explains to them who is Jesus Christ. Finally he says to the crowd: ‘You put to death, the Author of Life.’
.
– The Author of Life –
This is an astonishing thing – Jesus is God, the Creator of all – yet he became Man, joined himself to the human race; he suffered death. We say in the Creed each Sunday: that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; he is eternally begotten. He is God from God, Light from Light. Just as a candle flame comes from another candle, a flame just like the original, no less in its light. Jesus is ‘God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God.’ He is not made, but is of the same substance as the Father – Divinity. The same substance, ‘Consubstantial.’
.
Yet, Jesus united his Divinity to our humanity; he suffered, died and was buried and on the third day rose again. This is the marvelous Easter event: God has walked our walk, lived our life, and even more wondrous, he died our death. But he took into that grave not only one body, but his entire Person, the Mystical Body, the Church. and we have been raised with him he has opened the path to heaven for us. Jesus says, ‘this resurrection of the body will happen to you too. Be part of the resurrection of the just; follow me.’
.
I was with a lady today who is completely blind. As we spoke, I told her about the beautiful flowers in the Church for Easter, and that just to smell them, is to think of heaven. ‘In the resurrection, I said, you’ll have your sight back. – ‘Yes, she said. And how beautiful it will be.’
.
We say each Sunday: I believe in the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. This is the Faith. And it makes life worth living.
Friends in Christ, it is not uncommon to hear stories about ‘when you meet St. Peter at the pearly gates of heaven.’ Where does this idea of Peter at the Pearly Gates come from? Well, it is from the Book of Revelation.
.
In Relvelation, heaven is described as a heavenly city. The streets are made of gold, and the foundation of the city is made of precious gems. Then it says: each gate of the city is made out of an enormous pearl. So there you have it: the gates of heaven are made out of pearls!
.
So who has the key to get into these gates of heaven? If we recall, Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom, ‘You are Peter and on this rock I build my church, and I give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.’ We have this image of Peter with the keys to the Pearly Gates.
.
The first reading today brings to mind a similar symbol. A crippled man is lying at the beautiful gate of the temple, he is begging. Now the temple is a symbol for heaven. And this man begging outside, he is a symbol for us sinners desiring entry into heaven. ‘Seeing Peter and John at the gate, he asked for alms. Peter, gazing upon him said, silver and gold I have not; but what I have, I give thee: ‘In the name of Jesus Christ, arise and walk!; And taking him by the hand he raised him up, and immediately he began to walk, and went with them through the beautiful gates, leaping and praising God. He went into heaven.
.
This man is us: lost sinners begging for help. Peter represents the Church, who brings the saving power of Christ to us. Freed from our sins, we leap with joy because now the gates of heaven are open to us. This image may be an old one, but it is still a vivid image of heaven which is helpful to us.
.
Just yesterday I was talking with the children in school about the temple. The Holiest part represented heaven, and it had a special curtain blocking the way in. But when Jesus died on the cross, the curtain was torn in two. What does that represent, I asked them? ‘Oh, that’s easy said one boy, it means that the gates of heaven are now open.’ And that’s exactly right.
Friends in Christ, when I was young, I enjoyed reading about the Great Houdini, maybe you’ve heard of him. He was an escape artist, and he would put himself into incredibly difficult situations from which few people could escape; One of the most famous stunts that he performed 3 different times was called ‘Buried Alive.’ He was buried, without a casket, in a pit of earth six feet deep. As minutes passed, the nervous crowed would hold their breath, wondering if he would get out of it in time. On one occasion, as he dug his way up to the surface he nearly didn’t make it. When his hand finally broke through the ground he fell unconscious and had to be pulled from the grave by his assistants. He wrote in his diary that that escape was “very dangerous.” Why did he do these things? Because of the excitement and overwhelming surprise people felt when he succeeded.
Friends we ourselves will one day be 6 feet under, but our own resurrection will not be dangerous or require any effort, like that of Houdini. Here in the Octave of Easter, we are pondering the Lord’s resurrection, which makes possible our own. Jesus will raise us from the dead effortlessly, because for God, all is easy.
Sometimes when I am at the graveside for a deceased person, and the casket is being lowered into the ground, and everyone is crying, I have sometimes thought that God is slowly preparing for the greatest day of the world – better than anything Houdini ever did.
People die of all kinds of things, sometimes terrible things; sickness, so much sadness and grief. Many feel that they will never see their loved ones again – in some ways, its like all the worried and fearful people watching the Houdini stunts. But when he emerges safe and sound, everyone cheers and gasps in joy, and they forget all of the worry. The more difficult and fearsome the predicament, the more joyful the surprise is felt when he emerges alive…..
Well, this is something like what God is preparing for us; We question the Lord often: ‘Why Lord? Why this suffering, why death, why this and why that….? But Jesus had told his disciples,’ You are sorrowful now, but you will see me again, and on that day you will rejoice.’ (John 16:22)
I think that the day of our resurrection, will be a day of unparalleled surprise, and joy; and it will take an eternity to thank God for everything.
Good Friday
‘And Pilate said, I find no case against this man. Do you want me to release Barabbas or Jesus? And they shouted, ‘We want Barabbas!’
Beloved in Christ, today is Good Friday. Today I wish to ask you about this man, Barabbas. Barabbas was a man who had done evil, he was deserving of death. He knew it, and everyone knew it. Yet somehow, he gets set free from the debt he owes for his crimes, and Jesus dies in his place.
Now this should sound familiar. We ourselves were in the prison of our sins; we owe a debt we cannot pay, we deserve eternal death; But Jesus pays the debt for us, with his life. ‘I will bring your prisoners forth from the prison,’ says the prophet Zechariah (9:11-12), ‘Return, O prisoners of hope.’
We know that the entire world was in the bondage of the devil. And we know, that when we are in sin, we are slaves, we are addicts to evil, we are in bondage and in prison with Barabbas.
Who is Barabbas? He is every one who is guilty of rebellion against God. He is each person who has sinned. He is us, that lonely, hopeless figure in jail, waiting with fear for the penalty he knows he deserves. That night, he hardly slept; the horror of crucifixion weighing on him: ‘O unhappy man that I am! Who will deliver me from the fear of this death?’ (Rom 7:24)
Barabbas, was awakened to the noise in the Praetorium. Looking through the prison bars – he wonders, what is going on out there. He hears voices; one heated and angry, the other – good, and kind, and – serene.
‘Are you, or are you not the king of the Jews? Your own people have delivered you to me. What have you done????!!!!! Who area you?!’
– ‘My kingdom is not of this world.
Barabbas wonders; ‘Who is this? this man is surely innocent. I know I am guilty, but Jesus: Where is your kingdom? I would like to be in your kingdom. But I am a sinful man, who deserves to die for his crimes.
And Pilate said: ‘You have a custom that I should release someone to you at Passover. ‘Do you wish that I release the One called the Christ – or Barabbas?’
‘Or Barabbas!!?’ I do not deserve to be released. And they shouted: ‘Release Barabbas!! The Christ must die. And so the exchange is made. The innocent dies, that the guilty might go free. ‘I’m free!! I’m free!’ – –
yes Barabbas, we are free. St. Paul says, ‘God has demonstrated his love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom 5:8)
When he exchanged his life for him, do you think Barabbas loved Jesus? Do you think he was grateful? St. Alphonsus says, if a friend of ours or a relative died in our place – so that we may live, how could we live without loving that person.[i]
Jesus wanted to die for us. He did not die for servants or slaves, he died for his children. We are sons and daughters of God,[ii] we are sons of Our Father. It is no coincidence, that the name Barabbas means, ‘Son of the Father.’ Barabbas is us.
‘No greater love has a man than that he lay down his life for his friend. How can we repay Jesus for dying on the cross for us? We have to give him our life.
[i] St. Alphonsus, Preparation for Death, p. 342.
[ii] Romans 8:15 you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”
Friends in Christ, today is Spy Wednesday, the day that the spy, Judas, went out to betray Jesus. Judas is a tragic figure for sure, in the plan of salvation, but he was only a pawn of the devil. The real battle here, is between Christ and Satan, and this will be played out in the coming days.
An artist once painted the famous Merode alterpiece in Belgium, and featured in this painting is St. Joseph. St. Joseph in the scriptures, is a symbol for God the Father. And in this painting, St. Joseph, who is a carpenter – who works in wood, he is depicted as making a special mouse-trap. He is making this mousetrap out of wood – to catch the Mouse. Who is the ‘Mouse that he will catch? It is the devil. And so Joseph, or really, God the Father, is making a trap to catch the Mouse.
St. Augustine says this: ‘What is this trap, made by a Carpenter – who works in wood? ‘God’s Trap for the devil is the Cross. And who is the bait, placed on the Trap? It is Jesus. He himself becomes the bait. As St. Anselm says, Jesus is the ‘sweet bait, by which He will catch the devil.
You see, the devil made a big mistake, in his thirst for power he became reckless. Onto an innocent man, he put the sins and the evil of the entire world – the grossest injustice of all; he could not resist the opportunity of cruelty; onto an innocent man, he put all sin, but – a man over whom he had no authority. (because Jesus had never sinned) Satan was outsmarted; he took the bait: hook, line, and sinker.
At the death of Christ, the devil jumped for joy. ‘I’ve won! ‘The Christ is beaten, and these slaves are mine forever.’ But he had made a big mistake. On Easter morn, that stone is rolled back – ‘What is this, says Satan?’ ‘Something is wrong.’ And the angel says: He is risen!! And that word rings in the devil’s head: ‘Risen? That’s impossible? He was brutally crucified, I saw to that! ‘Risen? Then I have lost. I have been defeated.
‘Yes says Jesus. You have lost. Sin, and death, and you, have been conquered. Now give me what I want! –
What do you want? He wants us. Give me now, my children!! All of them!
And as it is written… ‘The great dragon was cast down, the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who leads astray the whole world; and he was cast down, and I heard a loud voice in heaven say, ‘Now has come the salvation, and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of Christ; for the accuser has been cast down. And they overcame him through the blood of the Lamb.
These are the Mysteries of which we are about to partake. It is our salvation.
And Peter said to him, “Master, where are you going?”
Friends in Christ, Where is Jesus going? Where is he going? He is going to die for us. Jesus has been born into the world, he has grown up through all the struggles of human existence; he has taught for 3 years in his public life, he instructed his Apostles, he gave the Holy Mass for the Church, and now he goes to die for us.
St. Alphonsus says,[i] to redeem us, it would have been sufficient for Jesus to shed a single drop of his blood, or shed one tear, or even offer a single prayer; a prayer offered by a Divine Person would be of infinite value, certainly sufficient for the salvation of the whole world.” St. John Chrysostom says however, ‘what was sufficient for the redemption was not sufficient for the immense love which God has for us.’ He wished to do more.
Jesus Christ led a life full of sorrows; he suffered a death –a most painful one, full of humiliations, all in order to make us know the infinite love he has for us. As St. Alphonsus also says, if a friend of ours or a relative died for us – in our place – that we might live, what greater proof could be given of love, than this.
Before Christ came down from heaven, people might have doubted whether he tenderly loved them; but it should be impossible to not love him, after he was nailed to a tree for you.
If the most distasteful person on earth had done for you what Jesus Christ has done, how could we live without loving that person?
[i] Much of this is adapted from St. Alphonsus, Preparation for Death, p. 342.
