The Pastor’s Reflections

The night before he died, Jesus opened his heart to his disciples. He spoke of his love for them, and assured them that he would not leave them orphans. What a strange term to use. To understand why Jesus chose this image we have to gaze into our own hearts. There’s a powerful message in his choice of that word.

When Jesus told his disciples that he would not leave them orphans, he was not only trying to reassure them of his continual presence; he was introducing a new way of life to them. But before they could grasp his teaching, they would experience the loss, the powerlessness, and the emptiness of an orphan.

At that same Supper, he gave them a new commandment that would be the key to their restoration and healing. “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you should also love one another. This is sacrificial love! This love can’t be constrained by space and time. This is love that will be experienced over and over again “whenever two or three are gathered together” in his name.

The Last Supper was also Jesus’ First Supper because it was at this meal that he gifted them with the Eucharist. He will be present with them not only as the Lord of the supper, but also as their friend who lays down his life for them. At each Eucharist they will know, without any doubt, that he will never break the bond of friendship with them. At each Eucharist, he lays down his life for them and offers himself as the Lamb of God.

Whenever we celebrate the Eucharist, he opens the gates of paradise for us, gives us the strength to love sacrificially as he did, and reveals himself to us “in the breaking of the bread.”

We’re not orphans. We’re his disciples – we love each other as he has loved us.

The Pastor’s Reflections

The passage we’ll be contemplating is taken from John’s lengthy account of the Last Supper. Here’s what took place immediately before.

During the meal Jesus had shocked the group by assuming the role of a slave by washing their feet telling them that they were to follow his example and wash each other’s feet. He followed this prophetic action by announcing that one of them would betray him. The group was deeply shaken by the announcement but failed to recognize that Jesus was referring to Judas who suddenly left the assembly, fading into the darkness outside.

With his departure Jesus began a heart-felt discourse by announcing, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. (John 13:31) But he followed up this dazzling announcement with a disconcerting statement. “My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. (John 13:31). Even the new commandment he announced to them seemed to contain a dark element predicting his departure from them. “As I have loved you, so you also should love.” (John 13:34) Finally, Jesus shocked the group by predicting Peter’s betrayal.

The disciples must have been terribly confused by this series of statements. Jesus spoke of his glorification. This would certainly have been something they wanted to hear. They were hoping that, as the Messiah, he would usher in Israel’s golden age of independence and political superiority. But then why would he speak of leaving them? His call to love as he loved must have had an ominous ring to it. Again, he said that he would be leaving them. His final prediction that Peter would betray him must have shaken, not only Peter, but also the entire group. An absolutely beautiful passage follows as chapter 14 begins. Here, we’ll begin our reflection.

The scene is still the Last Supper. Jesus begins by consoling his little group of disciples. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.” (John 14:1) He knows what the future holds for him and his disciples. He’ll be killed, and they’ll descend into spiritual chaos and disillusionment. He knows that they’re men who have a deep faith in God, but they mustn’t allow his death to shake their faith in him. His death will soon be opening a new world to them. He knows that the future will bring hardship and persecution for them. Their faith has to remain strong. So he gives them a vision of the future.

“In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?” (John 14:2)

Consider the bombshells that Jesus dropped on them. “One of you will betray me!” “Peter, before the cock crows you will betray me three times!” “I will be with you only a little while longer.” They couldn’t put all this together at the time, but the upcoming events would bring reality to his words. Judas will betray him, and later hang himself. Peter will indeed betray him three times. Jesus will be crucified. All of them will panic and go into hiding after his death.

In spite of the betrayals, the misunderstandings, and even the lack of faith they would experience, Jesus promised to prepare a place for them. He was assuring them that they would indeed enter glory with him. At the time they couldn’t possibly have understood what he was saying. They were interpreting his prediction in a political sense. They thought each of them would be rewarded with a political appointment in the Kingdom he would establish.

During the time after his death they would begin to understand the meaning of this discourse; but at the time they were confused by what Jesus was telling them. So he continued teaching. “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way.” (John 14:3-4a) The wonderful doubter, Thomas, then spoke up, reflecting the feeling of the entire group. “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” (John 14:4b)

It’s clear, isn’t it? Thomas was speaking for all of us “who have not seen and yet believe.” John 20:29). It might seem challenging to truly believe that God has a special place prepared for each one of us. We might feel unworthy of Jesus’ promise. We may feel that “the way” to one of the special dwelling places in God’s house is difficult to discover, and ever more difficult to travel. The Lord’s answer to Thomas’ question seems just as difficult to understand. “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

In order to understand this passage keep in mind that very dark days are coming for the disciples. They will be crippled by their fears, the fact of their betrayals and their lack of faith. Also keep in mind that wonderful day, when, after the resurrection, Jesus will appear to the disciples and address two of them in a specific and pointed way. He will command Thomas to “not be unbelieving.” (John 20:27b) He will ask Peter three times “Do you love me?” (John 21:16) What was Jesus doing? He was healing them by focusing on their weakest points. Thomas had to let go of the mental prejudice that blocked his faith. Peter had to confront, and go beyond, his triple denial of knowing Jesus.

Here’s a suggestion to personalize this passage. Make a confession. There’s no need to run to the confessional. Just be brave and open your heart. Confess everything. Don’t worry about logic or precision. Let go and spill out your guts. List the things that bring you shame. Innumerate your fears, and your spiritual conflicts. Say what you’re sorry for. Think of the people you’ve hurt, and the friends you’ve betrayed. Take as much time as you need. Lay every negative thing you can possibly imagine at the feet of Jesus. Weep if tears boil up.

Then, rest for a bit before going back to the passage. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.” No matter what you said. No matter how negative you’ve been about yourself. There’s still a dwelling place for you in the Father’s house. If you have any doubts about that recall Saint Paul’s witness. Remember, he instigated and approved of the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. “I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

Take a leap of faith, and bravely open your heart to God. There’s no need to edit anything about your life. Jesus assured each and every one of us that there is always a place waiting for us. If we trust in his promise, he’ll always be our way, the road leading to that special place. If we open our lives to him, we’ll experience the liberation of our spirit, and see a glimpse of the glory awaiting us. We’ll discover the truth of God’s unconditional love for us. We’ll walk “out of the darkness into his wonderful light!” (1 Peter 2:9b)

The Pastor’s Reflections

Before we reflect on two important sayings of Jesus, we need to review the incident that preceded this passage. Jesus had healed a man who had been born blind. The Pharisees immediately involved themselves in the incident. They twice interrogated the man who had been healed, and even questioned his parents in an attempt to discredit Jesus. They accused him of being a sinner because he cured the man on the Sabbath. They had previously spread the word among the people that anyone who said that Jesus was the Messiah would be excommunicated from the Jewish community. At the end of the account the religious authorities followed up on their threat and dismissed the man from the synagogue.

Jesus found the man he had healed. He was still in the area. The Pharisees were keeping a watch on him but Jesus found a private moment and declared to him that he was indeed the Messiah. He then spoke loudly enough for the Pharisees to hear. “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see might become blind.” (John 9:39) Jesus then addressed the people who had been listening. This is the passage for our reflection.

“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter the sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.” (John10:1) In Israel’s past, several prophets had criticized the leadership of the religious leaders, “the shepherds of Israel.” Jesus built on their image, simultaneously condemning the Pharisees as unworthy shepherds, and prophesying about himself.

Building upon the image of the shepherd, Jesus presented a picture that was familiar to his audience. Towns had a communal pen for the shepherds of the area. Each evening they would herd their flocks into the sheepfold. In the morning each shepherd would come by and call to his sheep who would immediately respond to his voice, separate themselves from the others, and follow him out to pasture.

“Whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep…the sheep hear his voice as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out…he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow the voice of a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” (John 10:3-5)

The case Jesus was making was clear to everyone, including the Pharisees. The people were listening to Jesus, and calling themselves his disciples. They found his message compassionate and liberating. He spoke of God as their Abba, daddy, who loved them. The Pharisees based religion on scrupulous adherence to the law. Jesus condemned them for it because they had corrupted religion, turning it into a lifeless multitude of do’s and don’ts. “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to carry, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they do not lift a finger to remove them.” (Matthew 23:4) Jesus immediately continued developing this image of the shepherd. In towns, the communal sheep pen was secured by a strong door during the night. In the summertime, however, the shepherds spent the nights outdoors in the fields. Scattered through the countryside were other communal pens. These didn’t have a door, however. So the shepherd slept in the opening to the pen. A robber or wild animal would have to walk over him to get to the sheep. The “good shepherd” was a noble man willing to put his life on the line for his sheep. “Amen, amen, I say to you. I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy. I came so that they may have life and have it more abundantly.” (John 7-10)

Jesus held himself up for comparison with the Pharisees. He was the good shepherd willing to lay down his life for the sheep. The Pharisees were thieves who stole the religion of Israel. They destroyed the religion of Israel by removing its heart and replacing it with lifeless laws. These laws effectively shackled the people. The Pharisees made the people slaves of the law. Jesus offered them the life and the freedom of the children of God.

All of us can benefit from contemplating Jesus’ two profound statements: “I am the sheep gate,” and “I am the good shepherd. I lay down my life for the sheep.” Jesus has called each of us to a life of loving service, clergy and laity, each in our own way. It isn’t easy. Each day we have to lay down our lives for one another. Each day we have to resist the temptation of glorifying ourselves. Each day we have to wash each other’s feet in loving service.

The first reading for this Sunday is very well known. It’s a description of the early Christian community. Here are the major points. They devoted themselves to the teachings of Jesus as presented by the Apostles. They lived a communal life, and some even sold their possessions donating the proceeds to support the greater community. Sill connected to its Jewish roots, they continued to go to the Temple every day for prayer. In addition, they met in each other’s homes to celebrate the Sunday Eucharist. Their way of life attracted many who joyfully joined them. I point this out because I want to connect it to the Gospel passage for today, another very well-known passage – the story of doubting Thomas.

Thomas’s story begins on the Sunday of the resurrection. A group of disciples have gone into hiding in a rented space in Jerusalem. They’re afraid that the Jewish authorities might be looking to arrest them. Suddenly, Jesus appears. They’re shocked and frightened but Jesus reassures them and wishes the Shalom, peace, perfect peace. He shows them the wounds of his crucifixion. This is no ghost. This is Jesus – for real. He even performs a ritual with them. He goes up to each of them, embraces them and breathes on them. In that breath he shares his Spirit with them and then commissions them. “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them.”

This is powerful stuff! Jesus is telling them to take up his ministry! Later that day, one of the

disciples, Thomas, shows up. Of course, everybody is excited and relates all that Jesus did and said to them. Thomas interprets the moment as mass hysteria. He doesn’t want any part of this. “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

The following Sunday the group is once again assembled and Thomas is with them. Jesus appears just as he appeared the Sunday before and immediately invites Thomas to touch his wounds. Without any more hesitation Thomas makes a profession of faith. “My Lord and my God.”

John, the Gospel writer, leaves the scene and directly addresses you and me. “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

This account of the resurrection is a warning and an invitation. A warning? If you’re searching for the risen Lord, you won’t be able find him on your own. An invitation? Look for the Christian community, it is anointed by Christ who breathed his Spirit into it. They pray together, support one another and celebrate the Eucharist together.

You’re invited to hear his voice in the testimonies of the faithful and in the Scriptures we read. You’re invited to gain your strength by partaking of the bread of life. You’re invited to continue your faith journey with the community of faith – with the community that has not yet seen but has believed.

The first reading for this Sunday is very well known. It’s a description of the early Christian community. Here are the major points. They devoted themselves to the teachings of Jesus as presented by the Apostles. They lived a communal life, and some even sold their possessions donating the proceeds to support the greater community. Sill connected to its Jewish roots, they continued to go to the Temple every day for prayer. In addition, they met in each other’s homes to celebrate the Sunday Eucharist. Their way of life attracted many who joyfully joined them. I point this out because I want to connect it to the Gospel passage for today, another very well-known passage – the story of doubting Thomas.

Thomas’s story begins on the Sunday of the resurrection. A group of disciples have gone into hiding in a rented space in Jerusalem. They’re afraid that the Jewish authorities might be looking to arrest them. Suddenly, Jesus appears. They’re shocked and frightened but Jesus reassures them and wishes the Shalom, peace, perfect peace. He shows them the wounds of his crucifixion. This is no ghost. This is Jesus – for real. He even performs a ritual with them. He goes up to each of them, embraces them and breathes on them. In that breath he shares his Spirit with them and then commissions them. “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them.”

This is powerful stuff! Jesus is telling them to take up his ministry! Later that day, one of the

disciples, Thomas, shows up. Of course, everybody is excited and relates all that Jesus did and said to them. Thomas interprets the moment as mass hysteria. He doesn’t want any part of this. “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

The following Sunday the group is once again assembled and Thomas is with them. Jesus appears just as he appeared the Sunday before and immediately invites Thomas to touch his wounds. Without any more hesitation Thomas makes a profession of faith. “My Lord and my God.”

John, the Gospel writer, leaves the scene and directly addresses you and me. “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

This account of the resurrection is a warning and an invitation. A warning? If you’re searching for the risen Lord, you won’t be able find him on your own. An invitation? Look for the Christian community, it is anointed by Christ who breathed his Spirit into it. They pray together, support one another and celebrate the Eucharist together.

You’re invited to hear his voice in the testimonies of the faithful and in the Scriptures we read. You’re invited to gain your strength by partaking of the bread of life. You’re invited to continue your faith journey with the community of faith – with the community that has not yet seen but has believed.

The Easter gospel invites us, as a community, to travel back in time to a garden that’s just a short distance outside the walls of Jerusalem. We’re standing in the predawn darkness, but we can see that there’s a tomb there. It’s cool and very quiet. Jerusalem is just beginning to wake up. It’s Sunday and the work week will soon begin.

In the distance we see a woman making her way down the hill to the garden. She goes directly to the tomb and sees that it’s open. The quiet is broken by her sudden cry. As she looks into the tomb her cry becomes a heartwrenching wail. She turns, runs back up the hill and disappears through the city gates. We listen as her cries gradually fade. We turn our gaze back to the empty tomb just as the pink rays of dawn appear along the horizon. We can see a bit more now. There are some burial clothes neatly folded and resting on the shelf where a body would have been placed. The cloth used to wrap the face was rolled up and not with the others. Again, there’s movement at the city gate. The same woman is returning. She has two men with her. They’re running, the woman is first followed by a young man. The other man lags behind them.

The young man and the woman arrive first. The woman is still crying. The young man stands beside her. They stand outside the tomb watching the other man, who’s elderly, hurry toward them. He goes directly to the tomb and looks in. For a long moment he studies the shadowy tomb. The moment he moves away the young man looks in. He looks for only a moment. He turns around. His face catches the morning light. He’s smiling yet there are tears running down his cheeks. No one says a word. The two men leave the tomb in silence. The woman, still weeping, remains. The scene ends here.

There’s so much more to this account, but the Church only gives us this one scene to think about today. Who are these people? What are we to make of this scene?

This is the beginning of the story of the resurrection of Jesus in John’s gospel. The woman is Mary Magdalene. Jesus cleansed her of seven demons. She became his fervent disciple and even supported him during his mission. Loyal to the end, she stood at the foot of the cross keeping vigil as he died. The young man is the apostle John. It’s his account of the event that we’re reading today. Simon Peter is the older man who was given the title “rock” by Jesus.

Mary loved Jesus deeply. She came to the tomb blinded by her tears and overwhelmed by her sorrow. The young man, John, looked into the tomb and believed that Jesus had transcended; Jesus was the Christ. The elderly Peter, was puzzled by the empty tomb. He returned to Jerusalem wondering what had happened there.

Through this short gospel passage the Church is focusing the attention of her children on the empty tomb. These three people represent us – all of us looking into the tomb. We respond in different ways.

Mary looked into the tomb and saw only darkness. She was blinded by her personal loss. Mary was stuck in time. She knew Jesus and she loved him but now he was gone and she was in deepest mourning. Unlike John who “saw and believed” Mary was blinded by her sorrow. She wasn’t yet ready to see the transcendent Jesus, the Christ.

John, the mystic, looked into the tomb and realized that Jesus wasn’t dead. The burial clothes were neatly folded. The stone was casually rolled away. It was obvious that death had no power over him. Jesus had stepped out of the constriction of time and space. He had conquered the cruelty of the world. He was the universal Christ. He would be present until the end of time.

Peter left the tomb wondering “what rising from the dead meant.” He knew Jesus was no longer in the tomb. No one stole his body; the condition of the tomb gave no evidence of that. If he had risen from the dead where was he now?

Mary, John and Peter represent all of us. Some of us, like Mary, are good, dedicated people. We love deeply. We aspire to follow Jesus and his teachings but, somehow, we can’t see beyond the cruelty of the world and we can’t overcome our fear of death.

Some of us, like Peter, are slow to understand. Believing is a long and difficult process. It involves not only our minds but our hearts.

John represents the Church, those believers who, from the day they looked into the empty tomb, have proclaimed Jesus Lord, resurrected and with us, feeding us with his very life at the Eucharistic table. John represents the Church who throughout the centuries “sees and believes.”

This account of the resurrection will continue. In the next scene Jesus will speak Mary’s name. She’ll see him, recognize him and fall at his feet to worship him. She’ll come to be remembered as the first witness to the resurrection. In another scene, Jesus will ask Peter three times if he loves him. Each yes will heal his heart. Healed, he’ll join the resurrected Christ in shepherding the Christian community until the day he himself will be crucified.

The empty tomb is a challenge to our faith. It forces us to ask what “rising from the dead means.” Each of us is Mary. Each of us is Peter. We listen to hear him call our names. We assure him that we love him. We gather with the Church at the empty tomb. In chorus we whisper, “My Lord and my God.”

PALM SUNDAY

Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday and ends with the Easter Vigil which is celebrated after sundown. Throughout these sacred days the Church gathers many poignant scriptures to assist us in our contemplation of the Paschal Mystery – Jesus’ Passover from life through death to resurrected life. The events from Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem until the morning of his resurrection are celebrated as a sacred drama. We’re there, one might say. We walk with the people as they place their cloaks along the route Jesus will take. We wave palm branches and sing to the King as he enters Jerusalem. We observe the events of his betrayal. We allow him to wash our feet. We eat the Last Supper with him. We weep before his cross. We stand in silent awe before his tomb. We barely breathe as we wait for the sun to rise on the morning of the resurrection.

A brief commentary for each day follows. I hope you find my reflections a helpful tool for you to journey through the events of Holy Week on your own. I suggest you read all the scriptures listed for each day.

PALM SUNDAY Gospel for the Procession with Palms Matthew 21:1-11

It is a time of great caution. The religious leaders are looking for an opportunity to arrest Jesus. He made an arrangement with a secret disciple to obtain a donkey for his entrance into Jerusalem. He tells two of his disciples to go to the nearby village to procure it. “This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled. Say to daughter Zion, ‘Behold, your king comes to you, meek and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’’” (Zechariah 9:9)

The people shout acclamations that acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah. “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Jesus allows them to publicly proclaim him as the Messiah knowing full well the consequence of this decision. The people are welcoming Jesus as a military leader, but he enters Jerusalem humbly riding on a donkey. He enters as the Suffering Servant.

Readings for the Mass Isaiah 50:4-7, Philippians 2:6-11, Matthew 26:14 – 27:66

The prophet Isaiah presents us with a picture of the Suffering Servant – the Messiah. “I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked at my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.” (Isaiah 50:6)

Paul delivers an instruction to us through his letter to the Philippians. “Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped at. Rather, he humbled himself, taking the form of a slave. Coming in human likeness, and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

We read the Passion according to Matthew today. He presents the death of Jesus as a cosmic event an eclipse darkens the world – the earth quakes. Creation responds to the death of its King. I suggest that you keep this in mind as you read the Passion. The account ends with the Roman centurion’s testimony declaring that even the Gentile world acknowledges Jesus as the anointed Messiah. “The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus feared greatly when they saw the earthquake and all that was happening, and they said, ‘Truly, this was the Son of God.’”

MONDAY OF HOLY WEEK Isaiah 42:1-7, John 12:1-11

Isaiah presents his vision of the Messiah and defines his mission. “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my Spirit. He shall bring forth justice to the nations.”

John’s account sets the stage for Jesus’ eventual arrest. “Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was…The large crowd found out that he was there and came, not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too, because many were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him.”

During the meal Mary anointed Jesus with costly perfumed oil. Judas protested at the extravagance claiming that the oil could have been sold and given to the poor. John adds a comment that Judas “said this not because he cared for the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions.” Jesus’ response to Judas was simple and prophetic: “Let her keep this for the day of my burial.”

TUESDAY OF HOLY WEEK (Spy Tuesday)

Isaiah 49:1-6, John 13:21-33, 36-38

Isaiah proclaims the Messiah once again. This time he calls out to all the Gentiles. “Here me, O islands, listen, O distant peoples.” He again articulates the mission of the Messiah. “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

John presents the moment at the Last Supper when Jesus acknowledges Judas as the betrayer. Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus wasdeeply troubled and testified, “Amen, Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me…It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it.’ So, Judas took the morsel and left at once. And it was night.” The powers of darkness are gathering. The great conflict is drawing near. As the day of his arrest and execution draws near, John adds, at this point in his narrative, an interpretation of Jesus’ death. “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.” John even titles the Passion section of his Gospel, “The Book of Glory.” I suggest spending some time reflecting on the death of Jesus as his glorification. It will be a good preparation for the reading of the Passion according to John on Good Friday.

WEDNESDAY OF HOLY WEEK

Isaiah 50:4-9a, Matthew 26:14-25

Isaiah speaks a prophecy to us that assures us that God will vindicate his suffering Messiah. “The Lord God is my help, therefore I shall not be disgraced…See, the Lord God is my help; who will prove me wrong?”

Matthew lets us witness the moment Judas betrays Jesus to the religious leaders. “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.’” In the Old Testament account of Jacob and his twelve sons (Genesis 37:136), Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers for twenty pieces of silver – the price of a slave. The story foreshadows Jesus sold by one of his closest disciples. Even though they sold him into slavery Joseph saved his brothers when they came to Egypt seeking food during a terrible drought. Jesus will offer salvation not only to those who handed him over but to anyone who comes to him.

HOLY THURSDAY Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper

Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14 ,1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 13:1-15

This is a solemn, mystical evening. The liturgy focuses on the very heart of Christianity, the Eucharist. We begin our reflection by reading the account of the night of the Passover from the Book of Exodus.

We are left with a powerful image to ponder – the death of the Passover Lamb and its blood saving the people of Israel. John’s Gospel pays particular attention to the Passover Lamb connecting it to the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Jesus, the Christ.

In the second scripture reading Paul instructs us. “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 memory of me.’ In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This is the cup of the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in memory of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.” Paul is reminding us that when we celebrate the Eucharist we enter the eternal moment of redemption. In a mystical union with Christ our gathering redeems the world. We then re-enact the Lord washing the feet of his disciples. “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, so you should do.” Jesus is inviting us to eat his body and drink his blood to ratify the new covenant God is offering. The Eucharist also calls us to empty ourselves, as he did, by assuming the character of a slave, by devoting our lives to others. At the close of the liturgy the clergy process with the Bread of Life to the repository where it remains for the silent veneration of the faithful. Returning to the altar, they strip it of cloths and candles. The church is darkened. We begin to contemplate the death of the Lord. This evening, I suggest that before you retire for the night you light a candle, take some simple bread and a glass of wine, and keep it near you as you slowly and reflectively read these three scriptures. Open your heart to the Lamb that redeemed us.

GOOD FRIDAY OF THE LORD’S PASSION

Isaiah 52:13- 53:12, Hebrews 4:16-16, 5:7-9, John 18:1 – 19:42

The service begins in silence with the celebrant, clothed in red, the color of martyrdom, prostrating himself before the altar. He rises and calls the congregation to order praying, “Remember your mercies, Lord, and with your eternal protection sanctify your servants for whom Christ, your Son, by shedding his blood, established the Paschal Mystery.” We then listen to Isaiah’s prophecy of the Suffering Servant. “It was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured while we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole. By his stripes we are healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, each one following his own way; but the Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all.”

2 The passage from the Letter to the Hebrews that follows ponders Jesus’ role as “the High Priest who became the source of eternal salvation.” On this Good Friday the Church encourages to “confidently approach the throne of grace.” For a second time this week we read an account of the Passion. Today we read the Passion according to John. We ponder the death of the Messiah through a pivotal image. “One soldier thrust a lance into his side and immediately blood and water flowed out.” From the side of the new Adam, the new Eve is born – the Church born of blood and water.

On Good Friday we enter the mystery of our redemption. We recall our baptism through which we have been washed in the blood of the sacrificial Lamb. Today I suggest you light a candle. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your meditation and then slowly and reflectively read the Passion of John. Take your time; ponder the images. End with the prayer, “Lord, by your cross and resurrection you have set us free. You are the Savior of the world.”

HOLY SATURDAY Easter Vigil

VIGIL READINGS Genesis 1:1-22, Genesis 22:1-18, Exodus 14:15-15:1, Isaiah 54:5-14, Isaiah 55:1-11, Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4, Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28

We begin this sacred night vigil by lighting a fire that recalls Jesus ‘declaration: “I have come to set fire on the earth.” (Luke 12:49) From that fire we light the Paschal Candle and our own candles thereby saying that we will participate in this mission of Christ.

The first reading, Genesis 1:1-22, is the account of the creation of the world in seven days. Tonight, we’re celebrating the creation of a new world, a world redeemed and reborn through the blood of Christ.

We move on to read Genesis 22:1-18. In this account God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. For us, it is a prophetic text. Abraham asked Isaac to carry the wood for his own sacrifice. We recall Jesus carrying the cross to Calvary. “We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.”

The passage from Exodus tells the story of Israel’s deliverance. We recall the blood of the lamb that freed the Jewish people. On this holy night we celebrate Christ’s Passover from life through death to resurrected life, and the blood he shed to bring new life to the world.

Isaiah 54 speaks of our new relationship with God. “The One who has become your husband is your Maker; his name is the Lord of Hosts; your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, called God of all the earth. The Lord calls you back, like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, a wife married in youth and then

cast off, says your God. For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great tenderness I will take you back.”

Isaiah 55 invites us to “come to the water. “The water of rebirth awaits the catechumens, those who are to be baptized. Tonight, we remind ourselves of our own rebirth through baptism into the Paschal Mystery of Christ.

The Prophet Baruch calls us to return to divine Wisdom. “Return, O Jacob, and receive her (Wisdom), walk by her light toward splendor.” Finally, the Prophet Ezekiel ends the vigil with tremendous words of hope. “I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities.” “I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts.” “You shall be my people, and I will be your God.”

THE MASS BEGINS

MASS READINGS Romans 6: 3-11, Matthew 28:1-10

In this passage from his letter to the Romans Paul teaches us. “Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death. We were indeed buried with him through baptism into his death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life.” Finally, after 40 days of suppressing the Alleluia, we sing the Easter Alleluia and read Matthew’s account of the resurrection of Jesus.

Matthew’s account of the resurrection is great cosmic proclamation. There is an earthquake as an angel, dressed in clothing as bright as lightning, removes the great stone from the entrance of the tomb. The women who have gathered there are told not to be afraid because the crucified has been raised. Suddenly, Jesus appeared to them and reiterated what the angel said, “Do not be afraid.” This resurrection message needs to be repeated a third time today as we support each other during this time of global upheaval. “DO NOT BE AFRAID!” Peace be with you.

The account of the death and resurrection of Lazarus is, I believe, one of the darkest moments in the Gospel of John. We’re told several things in the first few sentences. Lazarus and his two sisters were personal friends of Jesus. Their home in Bethany was his home away from home. Jesus loved them. Word was sent to Jesus that Lazarus was ill. We can presume that the sisters wanted Jesus to come back to Bethany because they feared for Lazarus’ life.

For two days Jesus made the decision to stay put. When he finally announced to the disciples that he would return to Bethany they protested because the last time he was there, a hostile group tried to stone him. Jesus then announced that “our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him.” Here we begin to enter the darkness with Jesus. Lazarus was dead and had already been laid in the tomb.

When he finally got to Bethany it was clear that Martha and Mary felt that he had abandoned them in their hour of need. When Martha greeted him at the gate of the town she told him quite bluntly, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would never have died.” When Mary came out to see him, she threw herself on the ground weeping, repeating what her sister had said. When Mary left the house to meet Jesus the townsfolk who were sitting shivah with her followed. They, too, were weeping loudly.

In Lazarus’ death Jesus was most certainly foreseeing his own death that would take place during the nearing feast of Passover. The sadness and hopelessness of Mary, Martha and the people gathering around him seemed to have overwhelmed him. “He became perturbed and deeply troubled.” When he came to the tomb he broke into tears. Many of the mourners criticized him. “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?”

John’s Gospel doesn’t include Jesus’ agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. Instead, he places it here, in Bethany. With a command Jesus reached into the darkness engulfing the world around him.

“Take the stone away!” Martha immediately protested. “Lord, by now he will smell: this is the fourth day since he died.”

“The one he loved” has been in the tomb four days. This detail was meant to emphasize the finality of Lazarus’ death. Jewish tradition held that the soul hovered around the body for three days. His soul had most certainly entered the world of shadows.

Jesus prayed aloud to his Father – he prayed that everyone around him would believe that he was sent by God. Then he cried out – a cry so intense that it pierced the walls of death. “Lazarus! Come out!”

Try to picture what happened next. “The dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with strip of material, and a cloth over his face.” Picture it! How would he come out with hands and feet tied and blinded by a veil over his face? I can only picture him squirming out of the entrance of the tomb – headfirst. At Jesus command, Lazarus was born again!

I can’t stop my reflection here. I’m compelled to move ahead to John’s account of the burial of Jesus. “They took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, following the Jewish burial custom. At the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in this garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been buried.” This description is so similar to Lazarus’ burial and yet so radically different.

Jesus’ body was carried to the garden of Adam’s sin – the sin that brought death into the world. But….Jesus was put into “a new tomb.” No one had ever been buried in this tomb. Adam and all his descendants had been buried in tombs just like Lazarus’. The tomb sealed Adam in the kingdom of shadows. But now…. Jesus, the new Adam, was buried in a new tomb, one in which no one had ever been buried before. This new tomb was the doorway to the Kingdom of God.

Recall what Jesus taught. “I am the door. Anyone who enters through me will be safe; and will go in and out and find pasture.” Remember what Jesus told Lazarus’ sister, Martha. “I am the resurrection. Anyone who believes in me, even though they die, they will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Every account of the resurrection of Jesus dwells on the image of the empty tomb. We’re invited to stand before it and to listen to the words of Jesus. “In all truth I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born through water and the Spirit.”

Today, I invite you to clothe yourself in faith. Stand before the empty tomb, the garden tomb in which Jesus was buried. In prayer, listen for him to cry out your name. Listen! “Be unbound! Be set free!”

The story of the man born blind begins innocuously. Walking along the road on a Sabbath day, Jesus and his disciples passed a man who had been blind from birth. Some of the disciples asked a question. “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Most of us raise similar questions when we see a child or adult who was born with a severe physical challenge. We don’t usually ask who sinned, but we might ask, “Why did God allow this to happen?” In Jesus’ day illness was viewed as a punishment from God for a sin. Poverty was viewed in the same way.

Jesus’ answer was simple; nobody sinned. Good answer. But he added, “It is so that the works of God may be made visible through him.” They must have just begun processing the statement when Jesus threw them totally off track with what must have seemed like a non -sequitur. “We have to do the work of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.” Then Jesus gave an even more confusing statement. “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” With that statement the conversation ended.

Jesus went over to the blind man, spit on the ground, made some mud, and rubbed it on the blind man’s eyes. He then told him to go to the pool of Siloam and wash. He did as he was instructed and returned able to see!

Can you imagine the joy the man experienced? But his joy was to be quickly frustrated because some people who knew him began to argue about him. Some recognized him as the blind beggar they had known, but others, incredulous, said he just looked like him. They listened to the story of his healing and asked him where they might find Jesus. He told them that he didn’t know. His answer frustrated them even more so they took him to the Pharisees who immediately politicized the healing and condemned Jesus for having broken the Sabbath rest. They asked the blind man what he had to say about Jesus. His answer infuriated them. “He is a prophet.”

Then they called in his parents. This is a tense and very sad part of the man’s story. The religious leaders had previously circulated a threat among the population that any followers of Jesus would be excommunicated from the synagogue. This meant segregation from

the Jewish population, and the forfeiture of the Jewish exemption of offering incense to the Roman Emperor. This was a serious threat. The blind man’s parents broke under the threat and abandoned their son. When asked about the healing they told the Pharisees “We do not know how he sees now, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age, he can speak for himself.”

The Pharisees called the blind man in again and began a second interrogation. Aggravated by their hounding, the blind man lashed out at them. “Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” With that, they pronounced him a sinner, threw him out of the synagogue and excommunicated him.

The conclusion of the story adds a wonderful dimension. When Jesus heard of the man’s excommunication he tracked him down to ask him a question. “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man must have looked at him with puzzlement and fascination.

He had been sitting by the roadside begging, as he always did, when this man Jesus came over to him and initiated his cure. He was blind from the moment of his birth, but in a few short minutes a healer put mud on his eyes, he washed in the Pool of Siloam, and could see the light of the sun for the first time. He could see the people along the road. He could see his parents!

But that same day, his parents abandoned him and he was removed from the safety net of the Jewish community. He could see, but he was alone. Jesus’ question offered him hope. “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

Was this man, this prophet, the messiah? “Who is he, sir, that I might believe in him.” He looked into Jesus’ eyes. “You have seen him, the one speaking to you is he.” His response came from the depth of his heart. “I do believe.” And he worshiped him. At that moment the once blind beggar saw the Kingdom of God and hope filled his heart.

Like the moral at the conclusion of a Medieval Miracle Play Jesus gave an explanation of what had happened. “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind.”

The blind man represents each of us. Now and then God’s healing hand touches us. We’re asked to respond to that touch – to go to the Pool of Siloam – to wash the spiritual cataracts from our eyes. This may happen to the convert who is seeking God and a deeper life. This may happen to the believer whose faith has become insipid. It may happen to the person who is reeling from a trauma or personal tragedy. It may happen to the person who has simply lost the way.

This story of the man born blind reassures us that God is reaching out to heal us. When we respond to that gesture we will be healed. We’ll see the world differently and enjoy a more intimate experience of God. The story is also telling us that our healing doesn’t exempt up from the tribulations of life. The story is asking us to say yes to God’s healing so that we can bring the light and hope we have received to a blind world.

The whole thing started when Jesus asked a woman for a drink of water. It was high noon. The sun was intense. Jesus was tired. His disciples left him there alone so that they could buy provisions in the little town nearby. After a bit of time, a woman came to draw water. He didn’t have a bucket so he asked her to give him some water. She wasn’t nice at all. She snapped at him. “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink!?” A simple request ignited a long-standing hostility – Jews and Samaritans hated each other. He responded to her in a very strange way. “If you knew who I was you’d ask me for ‘living-water,’ and I would lead you to the spring of eternal life.”

Things got stranger. He asked her to call her husband. When she said she had none, he proceeded to tell her all about her life and the husbands she’d had. The reason she came alone to the well during the hottest time of the day was to avoid the other women of the town who were probably hostile towards her because of her life.

She gasped. “You’re a prophet!” But she quickly jumped back to the old antagonism. “You Jews condemned us for building our own temple.” He gently told her that a day was coming when every-

one’s heart would be a temple, and then everyone would worship in spirit and truth.

Every time he spoke, something within her was consoled, something was healed She didn’t feel so isolated, so unwanted, so unacceptable. She got chills. Looking straight into his eyes she said, “When the Messiah comes, he’ll teach us everything.” Could her hunch about this man be correct? He returned her gaze. “I am he.” She gasped.

His disciples returned at that very moment. She left him and ran back to town to tell everyone that she had found the Messiah. They returned with her and, when they saw him, believed what she had told them. They opened their hearts to him, “You’re the savior of the world!”

Today we share this story with our catechumens, the men and women who will be baptized and brought into the Church at Easter. They’ve been longing for that same “living water.” By sharing the woman’s story with them today, we’re sharing our own stories as well. In our own way each of us met him during the heat of the day as we were searching, either consciously or subconsciously, for living water.

In our personal reflection today, let’s call to mind how we met him. What were the circumstances? Who were the people or events that led us to discover him? What spiritual blocks were removed so that we could let him into our lives? Even though we’ve been baptized we’re still searching for him. Every day is an opportunity to meet him in the heat of that day. Every day we have an opportunity to listen to his words of consolation and healing. Every day we can open our hearts to him. Every day we can point those who are thirsty to the well of living water, Jesus Christ.