Octave of Easter -C

2^nd Sunday of Easter C

Readings: Acts 5:12‑16  Revelation 1:9‑19  John 20:19‑31

            During the Easter season the Church celebrates the life giving effects of Jesus' resurrection.  Today's readings proclaim the power of resurrection faith in the early Christian communities who were often called to live in a hostile world.  In gratitude for their example we sing the words of the responsorial psalm: "Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,/ his love is  everlasting" (Ps 118).

            Throughout the Sundays of Easter the first reading is taken  from Luke's Acts of the Apostles which recounts the work of the Holy Spirit in spreading faith in the resurrection through the  apostles' witness "in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).  Today's reading is one of Luke's idyllic summaries of the life of the early Jerusalem community (see also 2:42‑47 and 4:33‑35).  In this Sunday's selection Luke stresses the "many signs and wonders" worked by "the hands of the disciples" through the power of the risen Lord.  Responses to these wonders are divided.   While the people hold the apostles in high esteem, outside persecutors from the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:1‑22; 5:17‑42) are afraid to join them when they gather in Solomon's Portico.  But believers flock to the apostles in great numbers, bringing their sick and those troubled by unclean spirits.  Acts affirms that because the apostles, like Peter, share in Jesus' healing power the gospel will triumph, despite official opposition from the Sanhedrin.

            Throughout this Easter season the second reading will be taken from the Book of Revelation, an apocalyptic work written by the elder John for seven persecuted churches in Asia Minor at the end of the first century A.D. (see Revelation 2‑3).  This Sunday's reading is John's commissioning vision, modeled on the calls of the prophets in the Old Testament (see Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 1‑3). In the call Christ assures John and the seven churches that because of his resurrection he has triumphed over the dominion of Death and Hades.  Christ appears as the glorified Son of Man in the midst of seven golden lamp stands, holding seven stars in his right hand, and with a sharp two edged sword issuing from his mouth.  John learns that the seven stars are the seven angels who protect the seven churches symbolized by the lamp stands.  Overwhelmed by the vision, John falls at the feet of the glorified Son of Man, but then Jesus consoles him: “There is nothing to fear.  I am the First and the Last and the One who lives. Once I was dead but now I live forever and ever. I hold the keys of death and the nether world.”  (1:17‑18)

            The Gospel is John’s account of two distinct resurrection appearances by Jesus: one on the first day of the week to the disciples, with Thomas missing, and a second  one week later when Thomas was with them.  In the first appearance Jesus is fulfilling the promises he made to the disciples in the farewell discourse at the Last Supper (chs 13‑17).  He gives them the gift of "peace" and the Holy Spirit/Paraclete as he sends them into the world, just as he was sent by the Father.  The gift of the Spirit enables them to forgive one another's sins. The appearance to Thomas addresses the initial readers and us, who have not had the privilege of seeing the glorified Jesus but must believe on the testimony of others.  When Thomas hears that the other apostles have seen the Lord, he insists that he will not believe unless he sees and touches the risen Jesus for himself.  “I'll never believe it without probing the nail‑prints in his hands, without putting my finger in the nail‑marks and my hand into his side.”  But when Thomas sees the glorified Jesus, he is transformed from an unbeliever, who must see and touch physical signs, to a believer, who confesses Jesus as “My Lord and my God.”  Jesus' concluding words praise the believing readers of the gospel, those who have believed on the testimony of others, without having seen. "You (Thomas) became a believer because you saw me.  Blest are they who have not seen and have believed."  

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday A B C

Readings: Acts 10:33-43    Colossians 3:1-4   John 20:1-9

    The readings for Easter express extraordinary joy over Jesus' triumphant resurrection from the dead and confidently exhort us to a new life based on faith in God's victory over sin and death.  We may all rejoice in singing the refrain of the Easter Psalm: "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad" (Ps 118).

    Peter's sermon in the Acts reading proclaims the universal significance of Jesus' resurrection which brings the good news of God's forgiving love into the whole world.  Peter begins the mission to the Gentiles by announcing the salvation God has wrought in Jesus to the household of Cornelius, a God-fearing Roman centurion. Beginning with the baptism of John, God anointed Jesus with his Spirit to do good and heal those who were in the grip of the devil.  Although Jesus was put to death in Jerusalem by "being hanged on a tree," God raised him on the third day and made him manifest to the chosen witnesses who ate and drank with him (see Luke 24).  Now Peter fulfills Jesus' command to witness to what he has seen (Lk 24:48; Acts 1:8,22) by testifying that Jesus is the one ordained by God to judge the living and the dead, and that in his name forgiveness of sins is available to all.  

    In the reading from the Letter to the Colossians Paul exhorts them to live out the consequences of the resurrection.  They have been raised up in company with Christ and are now to set their hearts on "the higher realms," rather than "on things of earth."   In Colossians 3:5-17 Paul contrast these two ways of living.  "The things of the earth" to which the Christian has died are fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness (3:5-9).  "The things above" are compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and forgiveness (3:10-17) which are to mark the Christian community's renewed Easter life.

    In the Easter Gospel, John emphasizes the initial "darkness" and consternation over the discovery of the empty tomb and contrasts it with the faith of the beloved disciple who believes in Jesus' resurrection and return to the Father simply on the basis of the sign of the empty tomb.  When Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb "while it was still dark," she discovers the stone has been rolled away, but she meets no angels to interpret its significance as in the other Gospels.  Instead, she thinks that the body has been stolen and runs to tell Simon Peter and the disciple "whom Jesus loved."  When they race to the tomb, the beloved disciple arrives first, but he defers to Simon Peter, who enters the tomb and observes the wrappings on the ground and the piece of cloth which had covered Jesus' head.  We are not told Peter's reaction, although 20:9 reminds us: "Remember, as yet they did not understand the Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead."  In contrast to Peter, when the beloved disciple enters the tomb, we are told very simply, "He saw and believed."  This belief is based on Jesus' words to the disciples in the farewell discourse at the Last Supper where he announced:                      

        "You heard me tell you, 'I am going away and I will come

        back to you.'  If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am 

        going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I.  And now, 

        I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens 

    you may believe." (John 14:28-29)

For the beloved disciple, the empty tomb is enough of a sign to believe that Jesus has fulfilled his promise.  On this Easter feast, we are called to rejoice in faith with the beloved disciple that Jesus has indeed both returned to the Father and come back to dwell with us believers.

Palm/Passion Sunday

Passion (Palm) Sunday C

Palm Gospel: Luke 19:28-40

Readings: Isaiah 50:4-7   Philippians 2:6-11  Luke 22:14-23:56

The readings for Passion Sunday begin the celebration of the Paschal mystery with a moving presentation of the Lukan Jesus who comes to Jerusalem as a humble Messiah, offering the peace of God’s reign. When he is rejected by the Jewish authorities, he heroically fulfills his destiny to die in Jerusalem in order to enter his heavenly glory as God’s Messiah.  The liturgy for Passion Sunday both challenges us with the cost of a life of Christian discipleship and consoles us with the assurance of the triumph of the loving forgiveness of God’s reign.  In hope, let us sing in the words of the responsorial psalm: “I will proclaim your name,/ in the midst of the assembly I will praise you:/ ‘You who fear the Lord, praise him;/ all you descendants of Jacob, give glory to him .’”  (Ps 22:23-24).

Luke’s version of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem continues several themes that have dominated his gospel.  This is the completion of Jesus’ long journey to Jerusalem (9:51-19:44), in which he has instructed his disciples on God’s merciful forgiveness as a way of salvation open to all and has repeatedly warned them of his impending rejection by the religious authorities in Jerusalem and their own forthcoming persecution for the gospel’s sake.  Throughout Luke’s Gospel the response to Jesus has been divided.  Outcasts have received his healing miracles and teachings as the liberating arrival of the messianic age, “the mighty works” of God.  The self-righteous, powerful and rich (often symbolized by the Pharisees) have rejected him as a threat to their narrowly defined and self-serving understanding of God’s way (see, for example, 7:36-52).  This divided response persists in Jesus’ climactic entrance into Jerusalem.  He comes as the peaceful, humble Messiah, spoken of in the book of Zechariah (9:9), by riding a donkey’s colt, rather than the warhorse of a militaristic Messiah.  As such, he is received joyfully by the whole multitude of disciples in the words of Ps 118:25, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord,” to which Luke adds, in words that recall the angels’ greeting to the humble shepherds on the hills of Bethlehem, “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest” (see 2:14).  When the Pharisees ask Jesus to rebuke his disciples for acclaiming him as Messiah, Jesus rejoins: “If they were to keep silence, I tell you the very stones would cry out.”

The Old Testament reading is the third servant song from Second Isaiah which gives an autobiographical report of the servant’s tireless commitment to speaking a rousing word to the “weary” exiles who think that their Lord is powerless to save them from their Babylonian captors.  Because of his confidence that the Lord is his help, the prophet, like Jesus in the garden scene in Luke’s passion story, has had the courage not to turn back from his wearisome task, even though it involves suffering and rejection.

Paul’s magnificent hymn to the self-emptying Christ in Philippians continues the imagery of God’s victory over sin through humble service.  In the context of exhorting the Philippians to give up selfish and petty jealousy (2:1-5), Paul uses this early Christian hymn to establish the foundation for the Christian life of selfless love.  The pattern, established in Jesus, of death to self and resurrection through God’s power is to mark the life of the community.  Christ, in contrast to his antitype Adam, did not grasp at being godlike, but, like the suffering servant in Second Isaiah, took the form of a servant and emptied himself by becoming fully human, even to the point of obediently accepting the degradation of death on a cross.  God responded to this act of self-emptying love by exalting Jesus, like the glorious Son of Man in Daniel 7, and bestowing on him lordship over the cosmos, so that at his name all beings in the universe might acknowledge him as Lord and Messiah.

Luke’s passion has several unique elements that continue the themes introduced by the other readings.  Jesus’ last supper features speeches anticipate his future messianic glory beyond the imminent suffering and at the same time warn the apostles that the model for their lives must be humble service after his example.  Jesus begins the meal by announcing to the apostles his great desire to have this last Passover with them before he suffers because he will not eat and drink with them again until the kingdom of God comes (22:14-18).  After Jesus has given bread as his body “which is given for you” and the cup of wine “which is poured out for you in a new covenant in my blood,” the apostles ironically have an argument over who will betray Jesus and who is the greatest.  Jesus has to teach them that their behavior should not be modeled on Gentile kings who exercise lordship but on servants who wait on table, and ultimately on him who is among them as one who serves (22:19-27).  Only after they have continued with him in his trials, will they eat and drink at his table in the kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (22:28-30).

Luke’s treatment of the garden scene (22:31-62) stresses both Jesus’ submission to his Father’s will and the way the disciples are to respond in similar trials.  He warns the apostles that they are about to enter an hour of crisis when he, like the servant in Second Isaiah (53:12), will be “reckoned with transgressors.”  They are taught to pray that they may have the strength to do the Father’s will and not enter into temptation (22:39-46), and if they are illegally seized as criminals, they are not to respond with vengeance but instead are to follow the lead of Jesus who healed the ear of the slave of the high priest (22:47-53).

The handling of Peter’s denial reminds the disciples that a lapse of courage in such a trial need not be an occasion for despair.  In foretelling Simon’s threefold denial, Jesus assures him that he has already prayed for him that his faith not fail and that he will be able to turn again and strengthen his brethren (22:31-34). When the denial occurs, Jesus is still in the courtyard.  He turns and looks at Peter so that he remembers these words (22:54-62).  In this context Peter’s weeping is a sign of repentance that will lead to his courageous preaching about the resurrection in Acts (see Acts 2, etc.).

In his accounts of the Jewish and Roman trials (22:66-23:25), Luke goes to great lengths to stress Jesus’ innocence of false charges brought by the Jewish leaders before the Roman procurator, Pilate.  The charge that Jesus forbade tribute to Caesar (23:2) is contradicted by an earlier incident in Jesus’ Jerusalem ministry (22:19-26), and three times Pilate declares before the Jewish authorities that he finds Jesus guilty of no crime (23:4,14,22).  Luke has a hearing before Herod (23:6-12), who also finds Jesus innocent of the charges brought against him (23:15).  At the crucifixion both the penitent thief and the Roman centurion attest to Jesus innocence or righteousness (23:40-41,47).  Luke is warning his readers that though they may be innocent of crimes against the Roman state, they still face the prospect of martyrdom for following the way of Jesus (see Acts 22-26).

Luke’s presentation of the events at the cross shows Jesus living out the ideals he taught during his ministry.  Luke makes Jesus’ death the model of a martyr’s death which will then be followed by Stephen (see Acts 7).  As he carries his cross, Jesus selflessly continues his prophetic ministry by warning the lamenting women of Jerusalem, “Do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children . . .” (23:26-31).  At the crucifixion he prays to his Father for the forgiveness of his persecutors, as he had taught (23:34; see 6:27-36; 11:4), and he offers to the penitent thief the assuring promise of God’s salvation (23:35-41; see 7:36-52).  At his death Jesus rejects for the last time the temptation to be a miracle-working Messiah who saves himself from death on a cross (23:35-41; see 4:1-12) and prays the confident words of trust in Ps 31:5, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.”  A mission is thus accomplished that first began with the descent of God’s Spirit on him at his baptism (3:21-22).

            In contrast to the religious leaders and soldiers who ironically taunt Jesus by challenging him to save himself, several characters respond appropriately to Jesus’ saving death.  The good criminal, aware of his sins and recognizing the Messiah, asks to be remembered by Jesus when he enters his kingdom.  The Roman centurion, witnessing Jesus’ death and hearing his trustful words, praises God and says, “Certainly this was a righteous man!”  The crowds, who had gathered to witness the spectacle, when they see what had taken place, return to their home, “beating their breasts.”  The faithful women, who have been with Jesus since Galilee (8:1-3), witness the death and burial so that they return after the Sabbath with spices and ointments.  Finally, Joseph of Arimathea, “a good and righteous man, who though a member of the Sanhedrin, had not agreed to their plan and action” to hand Jesus over to the Romans, is described by Luke as “waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God.”  He has the courage to go to Pilate and ask for the body of Jesus and bury him in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid. 

Lent VC

5^th Sunday of Lent C

Readings Isaiah 43:16‑21  Philippians 3:8‑14  John 8:1‑11

            As we make a sincere effort to turn from sin during the Lenten season, God's grace offers undreamt possibilities for new life.  In today's readings Second Isaiah, Paul, and Jesus speak of new beginnings for those once trapped in sin or self-righteousness.  Let us celebrate the new life beyond sin in the words of the responsorial psalm: "The Lord has done great things for us;/ we are filled with joy" (Ps 126).

            In the first reading Second Isaiah announces that the Lord is about to lead the Jewish exiles home from Babylon in a magnificent new exodus.  The same Lord who opened a way in the sea and "snuffed out" the Pharaoh's "chariots and horsemen" will now liberate the exiles from the mighty power of Babylon.  In fact, the exiles are commanded to forget the wonders of the past, so magnificent will this “new thing" be. "Remember not the events of the past,/ the things of long ago consider not;/ see, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" (Isa 43:18‑19).  This new deed includes a wondrous journey home through the wilderness filled with life giving waters.  All is done so that the Israelites may witness to the Lord by announcing his praise, the very thing they do in the verses of the responsorial psalm. “When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage,/ it seemed like a dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter,/ on our lips there were songs.  (Ps 126:1‑2)

            In the Epistle Paul testifies to the Philippians, who were tempted to adopt a righteousness based on the observance of the Jewish law, that he himself has forfeited such righteousness and accounts it as "rubbish" in comparison to the justice which comes through faith in Christ.  In contrast to the old human righteousness which rests on our paltry observance of the law and inevitably leads to self-righteousness, this new righteousness "has its origin in God and is based on faith."  It involves "knowing Christ" by sharing in the pattern of his suffering and death, but also being strengthened by "the power flowing from his resurrection."  This righteousness through faith in what God has done in Christ gives the believer a hope which Paul describes as a runner straining for the finish line.  Because he has been freed from the burden of the past and "grasped by Christ," he can say: "I run toward the prize to which God calls me‑‑ life on high in Christ Jesus."

            The Gospel selection from John also shows Jesus offering a new life that transcends self-righteousness centered on the law.   Using a woman caught in the act of adultery, the scribes and Pharisees attempt to trap Jesus into condemning her to be stoned, something mandated by Jewish law (see Lev 20:10; Deut 22:23‑24), but forbidden by the Romans, who according to John did not allow the Jews to carry out the death penalty in cases where their law required it (see John 18:31).  At first, Jesus delays by simply bending down and tracing on the ground with his finger.  When the scribes and Pharisees persist in asking Jesus to render a judgment on the case, he challenges them with the words: “Let the man among you who has no sin be the first to cast a stone at her.”   Confronted by their own sins, the crowd drifts away, beginning with the elders. 

            Jesus then offers the woman, who had simply been a legal case example for the elders, a new lease on life.  Suddenly alone with Jesus, she appears superior to her accusers in that she has not condemned another.  Jesus simply asks, “Woman, where did they all disappear to?  Has not one condemned you?”  When she humbly replies, “No one, sir,” Jesus sends her on her way with an assurance of forgiveness and a command to turn from sin and begin life anew. "Nor do I condemn you.  You may go. But from now on, avoid this sin." Our Lenten observance is moving toward its goal when we act on these same words.