The Pastor’s Reflections

It was that unique time before dawn, that very still, very quiet darkness. Sometimes, it’s eerie.

Sometimes, it’s awesome. Mary was part of the darkness. Her mind was filled with the images, the cross, the blood, the suffering.

Something was so wrong. The stone covering the tomb entrance had been pushed aside. The tomb was open. It was empty. She ran back to the group, frantic.

“They’ve taken the Lord from the tomb and we don’t know where they put him.” John and Peter followed her back to the tomb. They all ran. Peter trailed behind.

Why did they follow her back to his tomb? Jesus had been plotted against and killed. They were his followers. They knew there were plots against them. They were hiding in a tomb of their own, but there was something compelling in Mary’s frightened declaration. They left their tomb, and followed Mary to his.

John and Simon Peter ran together for a bit, but John was so much younger. He quickly moved ahead. He was already peering into the tomb when Simon Peter arrived. Out of deference he didn’t enter.

Simon Peter squatted down and entered. Like a detective, he studied what little was in there. The tiny room was just big enough to fit in. The bed-like shelf where the body had laid was clear except for the shroud and two linen bands that had bound Jesus’ hands and feet. They were folded up at one end of the shelf. The cloth that had covered his head was rolled up at the opposite end. There were no signs of pilfering here, no signs of desecration. Whatever happened here was methodical and peaceful. He put his hand to his mouth and wondered.

John came in behind him. Something happened to him the second he entered. He felt he had entered a sacred chamber. Tears welled up in his eyes. Something happened here, something beyond logic. The old man and the young man were silent.

They left the tomb and returned to the city in silence. Mary remained behind weeping as she stood before the empty tomb.

This is the story we tell, today. We have to wait another seven days before we hear the other things that happened that day – that Easter Sunday. Why are we made to wait?

We need time to discern who we are. Are we Mary, overwhelmed by the darkness that never seems to go away? Are we Simon Peter, still not sure about it all? Are we John seeing heaven for the first time?

We need time to realize that the dawn has come. We need time to believe in the impossible. We need time to see a new heaven and a new earth.

The Pastor’s Reflections

Palm Sunday begins the Christian High Holy Days, seven days of prayer, reflection and remembering. Holy Week is a spiritual pilgrimage by which we experience the events we remember. We’re not to be distracted from the events of this week, so we cover the statues in the church to help us focus on Jesus. I encourage you to gather with the community this year to experience these, as our Jewish brothers and sisters would describe them, Days of Awe.

PALM SUNDAY

The drama begins. Two Gospel passages are read today. At the very beginning of Mass, we remember Jesus’ spectacular entrance into the city of Jerusalem. We gather outside the church in the vestibule, carry the same palm branches the people carried that day, and walk in procession into the church, symbolically, Jerusalem.

But a shadow quickly comes over this short celebration. We listen to the first scripture reading, the prayer of Isaiah’s Suffering Servant. “I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. The Lord is my help, therefore I shall not be disgraced.”

For a moment, light pours over Isaiah’s prayer as we read the second scripture from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. “At the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!”

Then, we read the Passion. We eat with Jesus at his last supper, join him in the garden of olives, witness his arrest and trial, and walk with

him to the cross. Palm Sunday sets us on the path we’ll walk with Jesus for the next six days.

Lord, by your cross and resurrection you have set us free. You are the savior of the world.

MONDAY

Isaiah’s prophecy is meant to remind us of Jesus’ mission. “I, the Lord, have called you for the victory of justice. I have grasped you by the hand. I formed you and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.”

In the gospel, Mary, Martha and Lazarus host a dinner for Jesus. Mary pours perfumed oil over Jesus’ feet while Judas protests that the expensive oil could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus’ response to Judas is a prophecy. “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

TUESDAY

Isaiah’s prophecy seems to speak directly to Jesus. “It is too little for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel. I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

We sit at the table of the last supper as we read today’s gospel. “Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified, ‘Amen. Amen. I say to you, one of you will betray me.’” Judas gets up from the table and walks out into the darkness of the night.

WEDNESDAY

The passion of Jesus is drawing near. We repeat Isaiah’s prophecy of the Suffering Servant. “I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard. My face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. The Lord God is my help therefore I am not disgraced.”

The gospel reports to us. “One of the Twelve who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?’ They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.”

HOLY THURSDAY

Everything focuses on the Eucharist today. The first scripture reading from the book of Exodus recalls the fall of manna, the bread rained down from heaven that sustained the Jewish people during their forty-year journey to the promised land. This is the prophecy of the Eucharist to come.

In the second reading, Paul reminds the Corinthians of the mystery he shared with them. “I received from the Lord what I handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.’”

John gives us the details of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples at his last supper with them. This greatest of his teachings pleads with us, “Do this in remembrance of me.”

GOOD FRIDAY

This is the Day of Awe, the most sacred day of our year. Are any of us worthy to approach the cross of the Son of God? Aware of the sins we

commit against each other, aware of the sins nations commit against other nations, aware of our need for redemption, we kneel in silence. The celebrant, not even worthy to kneel, prostrates himself before the mystery of the Crucified Lord. There’s no greater love than the love we feel today.

Lord, by your cross and resurrection you have set us free. You are the Savior of the world.

HOLY SATURDAY

I invite you once again to join the community in the celebration of Holy Week, our High Holy Days. The homily that follows is meant to spark your reflection and prayer.

From an ancient Holy Saturday Homily

Something strange is happening – there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh, and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began, God has died in the flesh and hell trembles in fear.

He has gone in search of our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives, Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him, Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried to everyone: “The Lord be with you all.” Christ answered him: “And with your Spirit.” He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now, by my own authority, command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all you who are in darkness to be enlightened, all

2 who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to wake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise up from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who are created in my own image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated.

For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is in the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For your sake, who left a garden, I was betrayed in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.

See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore you to the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.

I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that turned against you.

Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity

JEREMIAH 31:31-34 | HEBREWS 5:7-9 | JOHN 12:20-33

The Pastor’s Reflections

The gospel begins in a very interesting way. Some Greeks came to worship at the temple during the Passover feast. They asked Philip if they could speak with Jesus. They were in the court of the Gentiles – the only area in the temple where non-Jews could enter. This is the court that Jesus “cleansed” when he first began his ministry. Perhaps these Greeks knew of the incident and wanted to check Jesus out. Perhaps, they heard of the healings he had performed. Remember this “cleansing of the temple” was an act that intimated that Jesus was the Messiah. We’re not told if Jesus met with these Greeks, but what we do learn is what was on Jesus’ mind at that moment. He was thinking about the conclusion of his mission. He was thinking about his death. “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”

Those listening to him would not have understood immediately what he was saying. They would have thought of the prophecy of Daniel where the term “Son of Man” refers to a Messiah who would liberate Israel and inaugurate a golden age for the Jewish people. The term “Son of Man” would have gotten their attention instantly. Was Jesus actually saying that he was Daniel’s Son of Man? Was Jesus announcing that he was ready to mobilize an army to bring the Roman occupation to an end?

Their flash of excitement and hope lasted but a second. Jesus hit them with two sayings that redefined the Son of Man. “Amen. Amen. I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies it produces much fruit.” The Son of Man is supposed to be a conquering hero! What’s this

image of death all about?

Jesus then hit them with the second saying. “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world, will preserve it for eternal life.” More death talk! The disciples must have been reeling. Jesus then spoke a prayer so that they could hear his inmost thoughts. “I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.”

But it wasn’t enough for Jesus to let his disciples hear his prayer; he let them hear the Father’s response. In a voice that sounded like thunder, they heard, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

The Father gave witness to Jesus by blessing all that he had done and all he was about to do. The glory of his ministry was to be crowned with the glory of the cross. Again, Jesus shared his thoughts with the disciples. “Now is the time of judgment on this world, now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”

This passage is given to us as a prelude to Holy Week. Next Sunday is Palm Sunday when we’ll read the Passion according to Mark. The image of the cross will tower over us throughout Holy Week. We mustn’t fear it; we mustn’t run away from it like the young man in Mark’s Passion who, when Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane, ran away from the scene. While the cross gives witness to God’s unconditional love, it simultaneously pleads with us to die like the grain of wheat so that we might be reborn to a new and resurrected life.

2 CHRONICLES 36:14-16, 19-23 | EPHESIANS 2:4-10 | JOHN 3:14-21

The Pastor’s Reflections

The gospel, this fourth Sunday of Lent, has a number of important points that need to be pointed out before we reflect on the passage.

Jesus is speaking with Nicodemus who was secretly coming to him under the cover of darkness. He was secretive because he was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, the court of elders that condemned Jesus to death. He had tried to intervene but failed. Nicodemus is struggling to understand Jesus – struggling to know him. He’s trying to bring light into his mind and heart.

In John’s gospel there is a continual struggle between good and evil, darkness and light. This meeting with Nicodemus is powerful by its very nature because Nicodemus is slowly emerging the darkness. He’s in conversation with the Light himself.

Jesus pronounces a prophecy. “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so

that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” He’s foretelling his crucifixion. Jesus is telling Nicodemus that by looking into the darkness of his crucifixion, his mind and heart will be healed, liberated. Looking at the cross and believing in him, he’ll see the Light.

The cross will testify that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that everyone who believes in him might not perish, but might have eternal life.” Nicodemus will remain a secret disciple until the day of Jesus’ death. Quite openly he assists Joseph of Arimathea in Jesus’ burial. He brings an enormous amount of myrrh and aloes – one hundred pounds, enough for the burial of a king.

During this Lenten time, we’re invited to join Nicodemus as he gazes on the crucified King. To ponder God’s love for us, to wash ourselves in the water and blood that flow from Christ’s heart. To be reborn into the Light.

EXODUS 20:1-20 | 1 CORINTHIANS 1:12-35 | JOHN 2:13-25

The Pastor’s Reflections

On the first Sunday of Lent we read the account of Jesus’ time of testing in the desert. It was an important time for Jesus to focus his mind and spirit before he began his ministry. When the forty days of testing were over he announced his mission. “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.”

The second Sunday of Lent witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus when the Father anointed and strengthened him for the conclusion of his mission. His acceptance of the cross was the fulfillment of the messianic prophecies of future redemption, and sealed a new covenant with humankind – in his blood. The passage concluded with Jesus referring to his resurrection – a concept the disciples didn’t understand.

The third week of Lent we read the account of Jesus’ cleansing of the temple. This prophetic act is most important. We need a bit of explanation to understand what’s going on here.

The temple was vast with several segregated ‘courts’ or places for prayer within it. At the entrance was the court of the gentiles. The court of the women was next, and the court of the Israelites (men) followed. The last area was the court of the priests. The cleansing of the temple took place in the court of the gentiles.

The court of the gentiles was the only place in the temple where non-Jews were allowed entrance. However, this court had evolved into a marketplace where animals needed for the sacrifices could be bought. These animals had to be approved by the priests who would inspect them. They had to be without blemish to be offered to God.

Two lambs had to be sacrificed every day, but on feast days, festivals and various occasions, many more were sacrificed. Mary and Joseph, for example, offered two turtle doves on the occasion of Jesus’ circumcision. This part of the temple was filled with animals, people haggling over the prices, money changers exchanging Roman coins for temple currency. Simply put, the place was loud, dirty and crowded.

What Jesus did that day in the temple was a prophetic act that pointed to Isaiah’s prophecy. “My house shall be called a house of prayer for the nations (gentiles).” The Jews saw themselves as separated from “the nations.” They were God’s chosen people. When the messiah came, “the nations” would submit to him and the Jewish people would rule over them and a golden age for Israel would begin.

Jesus was not the messiah they expected. By this prophetic act he was knocking down the walls that separated the Jews from the world. He was inviting the world into the kingdom of God. This kingdom would not house God in a temple built of stone. In this kingdom God would dwell in the human heart and its citizens would be bound by love, not race.

This Sunday we would do well to think about Jesus’ prophetic act. What is it saying to us, today. What do we understand by the prophecy: “My house shall be a house of prayer for the nations (everybody.”) What part can I play in continuing Jesus’ mission to announce that “The kingdom of God is at hand?”