Daily Retreat 05/01/07

2007 May 1 Tue: Easter Weekday/ Joseph the Worker
Gn 1:26--2:3 or Col 3:14-15.17.23-24/Ps 89(90)/Mt 13:54-58.

May Day - Mary Day, and the Liturgical Labor Day

The first day of May is dedicated to the honor of Mary (whom the whole beautiful month of May salutes) and her husband, St. Joseph the carpenter.  For many years, parishes have celebrated the traditional "May Crowning" of a statue of Mary, either on this day, or another convenient day early in the month.  More recently, partly in response to the Communist toast of the working class on the 1st day of May, the Church also has established this day as a feast in honor of St. Joseph the Worker, to expound authentic Church teaching on the dignity of human labor.

Both the possible choices for the first reading situate human labor in the context of God's divine plan.   The Psalm petitions God to "confirm the work of our hands," and the Gospel reminds us of God continued to sanctify human labor by appointing Joseph the worker as the foster father of Jesus.

Since each of us has work to do, today, and for the rest of our lives, rather than complaining of the burden that at times it can be, we need to capture the spirit of St. Joseph the Worker and the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of May, whose labors of love were always fruitful works in God's plan of salvation.

Daily Retreat 04/30/07

2007 Apr 30 Mon: Easter Weekday/ Pius V, pp, r
Acts 11: 1-18/ Ps 41(42): 2-3; 43: 3-4/ Jn 10: 1-10

From today's readings:  "God has then granted life-giving repentance to the Gentiles too....  I will go in to the altar of God, the God of my gladness and joy....  Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep...."

The Gate

Not content with just reading an excerpt from Chapter Ten of John on  "Good Shepherd Sunday," the Church looks more in depth this week at the Lord's extended metaphor about the sheepfold and the Good Shepherd.  Interestingly, Jesus also calls Himself, not just the Shepherd, but also the "gate for the sheep.... 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 might have life and have it more abundantly!"  

In general, gates are designed to keep bad things out, and good things in.  Gates are positioned front and center (or at least the main gates are), allowing for clear access and optimal visibility.  So Jesus is the gate to Truth, because in His teaching, He always took care to be clear and accessible, so that by following Him, everyone could be enclosed in the fullness of truth and virtue, and keep sin and error out!

But instead of entering through the Gate of Christ to the fullness of Truth, some claim to have access to Truth through stealth or occult means, or some secret "back door."  Such people may even study a sampling of Christ's teachings, and then somehow presume that they know better than Jesus, or, at least that they know better than the Body of Christ, which is the Church!

Others, unwilling to enter the fullness of the Truth, attempt to just sit on the fence.   Even if they profess to recognize Jesus as the source of Truth, they hedge on a full commitment when it comes to leaving behind ALL sin and error which, as Jesus insists, has no place in the Christian sheepfold.

Still others, finding the Gate of Christ solidly shut to their own misconstrued ideas of Truth, futilely attempt to undermine the solid wall of Christ's teachings.

But remember, there's a reason for every gate - it was erected specifically to keep the bad out, and the good in, and so that when one is ready to enter, one doesn't have to steal in furtively, or sit on the fence, or dig through dirt in vainly attempting to undermine the whole wall.

True, on the day of our baptism, all of us Christians decided to enter fully the Gate of Christ.  But ultimately, we're not locked in - every temptation is a crisis which forces us to either re-commit to stay in Christ's sheepfold by following His lead, or to go off on our own, to our own peril!  

The Good Shepherd stands as the Gate, first calling His sheep lovingly by name to stay close by Him, then clearly warning those who start to stray.  But still, some sheep insist on rejecting Christ's voice, running away from Him and thereby tragically treating the Good Shepherd and Guardian of souls like a stranger!  Yet elsewhere in the Gospels, Jesus insisted that He diligently seeks out even those sheep who have strayed....

So, there's a few questions for you and me today: Where are we grazing in relation to the Gate of Christ?  Are we fully in His flock, entirely out of it, or just trying to sit on the fence?  Do we recognize Him as the one Gate to the fullness of Truth, or are we yet looking for an easier way?  Do we follow the Good Shepherd obediently, or have we decided to fend for ourselves by going in a direction He's warned us not to take?  Are we sheep that have finally found the Good Shepherd because He indeed has sought us and found us?  Or are we sheep still even partially straying, perilously exposing ourselves to wolves and thieves who steal and slaughter and destroy -  lost sheep, while the whole found flock is praying, and Jesus Himself stands ready to open to the fullness of Truth and complete safety, because as He said, "I am the gate. Whoever enters through Me will be saved...."

Daily Retreat 04/29/07

2007 Apr 29 SUN: FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
Acts 13: 14. 43-52/ Ps 99(100): 1-2. 3. 5/ Rv 7: 9. 14b-17/ Jn 10: 27-30

From today's readings:  "All who were destined for eternal life came to believe, and the word of the Lord continued to spread through the whole region....  We are His people, the sheep of His flock....  The Lamb, who is in the center of the throne, will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes....  My sheep hear My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. "

The Good Shepherd

The fourth Sunday of Easter is known as "Good Shepherd" Sunday, because the Gospel reading always is taken from the section in chapter 10 of St. John's Gospel, in which verses Jesus develops the metaphor of Himself as the Good Shepherd.  The psalm takes up this imagery as well.

Paradoxically, Jesus is not just Shepherd, but also the Lamb of God.   The second reading includes 2 of the 28 times in the Book of Revelation in which Jesus is referred to as the Lamb.

As Shepherd He leads us Himself, and feeds us.  As Lamb, He feeds us Himself, and leads us!
Jesus our Good Shepherd said: "My sheep hear My voice; I know them, and they follow Me!"
Follow Him where?  To the Heavenly banquet!  Jesus, the Lamb sacrificed for the salvation of the world, feeds us with His own Eucharistic flesh, and leads us where?  As the Apocalypse mentions,
"For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes!"

Our Shepherd, and our Lamb.  Happy, blessed are we who are part of His flock.  Happy, blessed are we whom the Shepherd leads to the Banquet of the Lamb!

Daily Retreat 04/28/07

2007 Apr 28 Sat: Easter Weekday / Peter Chanel, p, r, ms, mt/ Louis Mary de Montfort, p
Acts 9: 31-42/ Ps 115(116): 12-13. 14-15. 16-17/ Jn 6: 60-69

From today's readings:  "The Church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace....  O LORD, I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your handmaid....  "

Can You Accept a Hard Saying?

At the Last Supper, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, "Take and eat - this is My Body!"  And similarly, taking up a chalice of wine, Jesus instructed, "Take and drink - this is My Blood!"  And He commanded His disciples to "Do this in memory of Me!"

At the Last Supper, what did Jesus give His disciples - His Body and His Blood, or just a morsel of bread and a sip of wine?  For nearly 2000 years, the Catholic Church has unswervingly maintained that the divine words of Christ were surely efficacious, for reality always necessarily conforms to His divine commands.   Thus, in spite of the manifest impossibility, when He unequivocally ordered, "Lazarus, come forth!"  a dead man was instantaneously changed into a living man, in order for reality to comply with the word of the Lord.  So, there can be no doubts about what happened when the mouth of the Lord declared, "This is My Body....  This is My Blood!"   At that instant, reality again obeyed the command of divinity, and so, despite the apparent impossibility, the lowly bread miraculously became the Body of Christ, and the common wine was likewise transubstantiated into the Blood of Christ.

Exactly one year before the marvelously acquiescent reality of that Last Supper, Jesus taught His disciples thoroughly so that they wouldn't miss the miracle - in Chapter Six of the Gospel of St. John, the Bread of Life discourse, Jesus insisted, "I am the Bread of Life....  The Bread that I will give is My Flesh for the life of the world....  He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has life eternal.... My Flesh is real food, and My Blood is real drink."  These are hard sayings, but every faithful disciple is conformed, as is reality itself, in order to accept the word of the Lord!

Daily Retreat 04/27/07

2007 Apr 27 Fri: Easter Weekday
Acts 9: 1-20/ Ps 116(117): 1bc. 2/ Jn 6: 52-59

From today's readings:  "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?...  Go out to all the world and tell the Good News....  Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you do not have life within you...."

How Can He?
 
Of all the hard sayings Jesus unveils in His Bread of Life discourse (Chapter Six of the Gospel of St. John), the most scandalous was His shocking climax:  the Bread of Life, of which He spoke, was His very flesh for the life of the world!
 
So, it's no wonder that the Jews were flabbergasted and quarreled about His incredible claim!  Had our Lord  merely been speaking metaphorically, allegorically, or figuratively, He certainly would have realized His obligation to clarify the natural misunderstanding that had arisen among His listeners.  
 
But instead of apologizing for stretching the poetic license, Jesus reconfirms the literalism of His words, insisting "My Flesh is true food, and My Blood is true drink."  And the Bread of Life is not just intended as some exotic gourmet intended only for the elite, for "unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you do not have life within you."  
 
How can this Man give us His Flesh to eat?  For those who don't believe in His divinity, the words of Jesus will forever be spit out as tasteless hyperbole.  But for those who recognize Jesus as the true Son of God, for those who eat His Body and drink His Blood, the Lord's words of life are joyfully digested as the recipe for the Bread of Life, the Eucharist, the true Bread come down from Heaven, having within it all sweetness!

Daily Retreat 04/26/07

2007 Apr 26 Thu: Easter Weekday
Acts 8: 26-40/ Ps 65(66): 8-9. 16-17. 20/ Jn 6: 44-51

From today's readings:  "Do you understand what you are reading?...  Blessed be God who refused me not my prayer or His kindness!...  I am the living Bread that came down from Heaven; whoever eats this Bread will live forever; and the Bread that I will give is My Flesh for the life of the world!"

Christ's Flesh for the Life of the World

The Lord's Bread of Life Discourse in John 6 has a formidably steep progression of divine Eucharistic teaching.  Starting with just the crowd's renewed physical appetite, Jesus adeptly leads them to ponder how to start working for the Food that remains unto life eternal.  When the crowd first reminisces about the magnificent miracle of manna in the desert, Jesus suggests that He is leading up to something even greater than that, even linking belief in Him with eternal life, and resurrection on the last day.

But the crowd, which had initially been eagerly devouring all His words, suddenly started to choke on them, and have trouble stomaching how such a full meal deal could be cooked up by just Jesus.  And so they began gnawing and grumbling at His words.   But rather than apologetically deboning His earlier servings,  Jesus actually piles on an even meatier helping, favorably contrasting His "Bread of Life" recipe with the manna of old which, however miraculous and nutritive, nonetheless simply couldn't starve off death.   In contrast, Jesus is prepared to fill the plate with so much more, saying "I AM the living Bread that came down from Heaven; whoever eats this Bread will live forever; and the Bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world!"

Daily Retreat 04/25/07

2007 Apr 25 Wed: Mark, ev F
1 Pt 5: 5b-14/ Ps 88(89): 2-3. 6-7. 16-17/ Mk 16: 15-20

From today's readings:  "The God of all grace who called you to His eternal glory through Christ Jesus will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little....  Blessed the people who know the joyful shout....  Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature...."

Mark His Word

Our God is alive and active in our lives - certainly all of us have experienced His blessings and His presence. But we probably take for granted much of what we know about Him - Holy Scripture reminds us about the Salvation History that began long before our time.

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Mark. His Gospel is the shortest, and probably the earliest written. The Gospel passage in the lectionary  today recall Christ's great commissioning of His  Apostles at the end of His time on earth, but in  order to grasp the full significance of that  moment, it's important to read Mark's whole Gospel  to understand those final words.

If you've never sat down and read a whole book  of the Bible, St. Mark's Gospel is a great place  to start, especially since it is featured in this year's Sunday lectionary cycle.  The sixteen chapters can be read in just  an hour or two, and by reading the whole Gospel,  one is able to connect the teachings and actions of  Christ throughout His whole life and make them a  part of our whole lives!

Daily Retreat 04/24/07

2007 Apr 24 Tue: Easter Weekday/ Fidelis of Sigmaringen, p, mt
Acts 7: 51 -- 8: 1a/ Ps 30(31): 3cd-4. 6 and 7b and 8a. 17 and 21ab/ Jn 6: 30-35

From today's readings:  "Lord, do not hold this sin against them....  Into Your hands I commend my spirit; You will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God....  Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven - My Father gives you the true Bread from Heaven."

Bread of Life

After the multiplication of the loaves, the crowds chased after Jesus in hopes of another free meal.  When Jesus then explained that they should work for imperishable food, and explicitly linked that with belief in Him, the crowds grew excited, and challenged Him to match the miracle of the manna, when the Israelites were given a steady supply of bread from Heaven for forty years.

Instead of turning down the challenge, Jesus ups the ante with a triple contrast: "Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but My Father [who] gives you the true bread from Heaven!"

While the Jews certainly believed in the one true God, their experience of Him was mainly mediated by Moses, the man who was rightly revered as their great liberator, leader,  and lawgiver.  Even though it was recognized that almighty God Himself is the actual Liberator, Leader, and Lawgiver who worked through His servant Moses, in common parlance, God's words and works were often attributed to Moses.  Now, there's nothing wrong in itself with that practice within common sense limits- even Jesus spoke this way at times, e.g., Mark 7:10, when He quoted one of God's commandments, saying, "For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother....' " But when Jesus insists here (John 6:32) that "it was not Moses...but My Father...," He is deliberately contrasting the mediated experience of God through Moses and the Old Testament with the more immediate experience of God in the New Covenant.

The contrast continues, as Jesus reminisces about Moses with the past (the verb gave), but vividly presents the current work of the Heavenly Father in the present (the verb gives).  And while not denying the miraculous nature of that desert manna which was justifiably recognized as "bread from Heaven," Jesus insists that His present discourse is about a new, more veritably celestial Food which He Himself authenticates as "the true Bread from Heaven," that "comes down from Heaven, and gives life to the world!"

Well, that certainly excites the crowd, so that they plead, "Sir, give us this bread always!"  But, the true Bread from Heaven is then revealed as not just a treasured token, or memorial mouthful, or suitable souvenir of any sort, for Jesus explains and identifies, "I AM the Bread of Life -  whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst!"

Lord, give us this Bread always!

Daily Retreat 04/23/07

2007 Apr 23 Mon: Easter Weekday/ George, mt/ Adalbert, bp, mt
Acts 6: 8-15/ Ps 118(119): 23-24. 26-27. 29-30/ Jn 6: 22-29

From today's readings:  "Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people....  Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!...  Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you...."

Witness and Testimony

The word "martyr" is used for St. Stephen and all those who die in loyally testifying to their faith, but originally, the word simply meant "witness."  Because those who die in persecutions are the supreme witnesses of the Faith, the term "martyr" gradually came to refer primarily to these who lay down their lives as the ultimate testimony of their true love for God and His Church.

However, there was a reason that the early martyrs suffered death:  generally, they were the most outspoken and zealous in proclaiming the Faith with their lives, before they were called to proclaim it with their deaths!  This is certainly true in Stephen's case, as Scripture records, he  "was working great wonders and signs among the people.... [And his opponents] could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke."

In other words, all of us need to be martyrs, loyal "witnesses" to the Faith!  While few, if any, of us will be called to the glorious vocation of literally dying for our faith, all of us are called to stand tall in living and giving testimony to the Faith for which the martyrs died!

Daily Retreat 04/22/07

2007 Apr 22 SUN: THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER
Acts 5: 27-32. 40b-41/ Ps 29(30): 2. 4. 5-6. 11-12. 13 (2a)/ Rv 5: 11-14/ Jn 21: 1-19

From today's readings:  "We must obey God rather than men....  I will praise You, Lord, for You have rescued me....  Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing....  Simon, son of John, do you love Me?"

Making Amends

Peter's threefold denial of Christ on the night of His Passion must have weighed so heavily on his heart - the Gospels record (Luke 22:62), how, after the rooster crowed, and Peter remembered Christ's prediction, he regretted his words and wept bitterly.  Surely, he would have wished with all his might that he had never said such words of denial, and you and I probably have at least some inkling of his anguish, because we can think of words of our own which we wish we had never spoken!

The Gospels do not indicate that Peter had the gumption to take the first step and apologize to Jesus.  In fact, there's no record of any of the apostles telling their resurrected Lord how sorry they were for abandoning Him during His Passion.  Jesus, however, did not stand aloof and wait for them to apologize - instead, He took the initiative, and appeared to them, and then even gently elicited a threefold affirmation from Peter of his love, thereby helping Peter make amends for his threefold denial.

You and I are like Peter, because we've said things we wish we hadn't said, but we're also like Jesus, because people have spoken words to us, or about us, which wounded with the sharpness of betrayal and denial.  Like Peter, we need to make amends to the best of our ability for any cruel or disloyal words, and Jesus will gently but firmly help us to take the initiative in doing this.  Likewise, even though wounded pride would have us forever waiting aloof for those who have hurt us to make the first move toward reconciliation, following Jesus, the more Christ-like attitude is to magnanimously provide an opportunity for bitter words to be buried with better words.

Daily Retreat 04/21/07

2007 Apr 21 Sat: Easter Weekday/ Anselm, bp, r, dr
Acts 6: 1-7/ Ps 32(33): 1-2. 4-5. 18-19/ Jn 6: 16-21

From today's readings:  " The word of God continued to spread, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly....  Lord, let Your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in You....  It is I - Do not be afraid!"

Why Walking on Water?

Chapter Six of the Gospel of St. John is best known for the Lord's "Bread of Life" discourse, His profound preparatory Eucharistic teachings, which will be covered in the daily gospel readings throughout next week, although the continuity will be partly interrupted with assigned lectionary  readings on the feast of St. Mark on Wednesday.

But two miracles in Chapter Six precede and lead up to the Bread of Life discourse - first, the Multiplication of the Loaves (cf. yesterday's gospel), and then the eerie incident of Jesus Walking on the Sea (today's gospel).

Often, clear parenthetical explanations are provided in the gospels about Jesus' words and actions, so that we, the readers, are sure to get the main points.  But other times, such as the gospel passage today, the evangelists' terse accounts clearly leave the reader wondering: why?  how?  what's the meaning here?    

But, in fact, those lingering queries are not due to sloppy, incomplete reporting - instead, they reflect skillful pedagogy!  Because, by intentionally leaving unanswered questions, Jesus (and the evangelists) deliberately put the apostles (and, us, the readers) in an investigative, reflective frame of mind, and that is something essential for embarking next into the profundities of the Bread of Life discourse!

Daily Retreat 04/20/07

2007 Apr 20 Fri: Easter Weekday
Acts 5: 34-42/ Ps 26(27): 1. 4. 13-14/ Jn 6: 1-15

From today's readings:  "And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the Christ, Jesus....  The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?...  The Jewish feast of Passover was near...."

Church Chews on John 6

Most Catholics and many other Christians recognize Lent as the penitential season of 40 days leading up to Church's celebration of Easter.  And while everyone knows about Easter Sunday itself,  far fewer people are familiar with Easter as a proper festive season stretching seven full weeks from the Sunday of the Lord's Resurrection all the way to the day of Pentecost, the descent of the Holy Spirit on the nascent Church, the fiftieth day of celebrating Christ's Easter victory.

As always, the lectionary Scriptures set the meditative tone for the Easter season.  To recall and be inspired by the Easter transformation of the first disciples, the Church reads through essentially the entire book Acts of the Apostles.  This is obviously noted in the weekday readings, but even the first reading on Sundays (normally taken from the Old Testament) also comes from the Acts throughout Eastertide.  

During the initial week of this season, the Gospel readings first logically cycle through each evangelist's account of the Resurrection, but starting in the second week of Easter, the lectionary returns to a number of pre-Resurrection discourses of Christ found only in the Gospel of John. These Gospel passages, which the Church thus considers anew, are among the most mystic teachings of the Lord, since none of them can be properly understood without the light of Easter faith.

So, for instance, the Gospel readings this week have been from chapter 3 (of John), the Lord's introductory teachings on the baptismal re-birth of water and the Holy Spirit.  Then today, the lectionary presents the entrée of John 6, one of the most crucial chapters in the entire Bible, since it provides us with the best taste of the topic which Jesus Himself saw fit to patiently preach about in savory details exactly one year before His Passion.  So, open your Bibles to John 6, and let's carefully chew on every word to insure that not even a fragment of the Lord's loaves goes to waste....

Daily Retreat 04/19/07

2007 Apr 19 Thu: Easter Weekday
Acts 5: 27-33/ Ps 33(34): 2 and 9. 17-18. 19-20/ Jn 3: 31-36

From today's readings:  "We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him....  Many are the troubles of the just man, but out of them all the LORD delivers him....  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him."

Obey God, rather than men!

By now, we are familiar with the pattern found throughout the Acts of the Apostles: time and time again, the disciples suffer persecution or other obstacles in spreading the faith, but nonetheless, they always find a way to proclaim the Gospel with zeal and boldness.  Yesterday, sacred scripture recounted the miraculous release of the apostles from prison, which enabled them to overcome that formidable barrier, and as soon as they were free, they returned to public proclamation of the good news (Acts 5:20-21).  Today, Holy Writ relates how the Apostles were again dragged before the Sanhedrin, and again stood their ground ("We must obey God rather than men!") in the face of the gag order imposed by the Jewish leaders (cf. 4:13-31, and  reflection on April 17).

The Apostles insist that Jesus was exalted by God "as Leader and Savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins."  Once again, that central focus of Christ's ministry is stressed: His call to repentance and discipleship for the forgiveness of sins!  This crucial aspect must never be lost or overshadowed by other dimensions of living out our faith, and since now the proclamation of the Gospel at this time has been entrusted to you and me, with our words, and more importantly, with our deeds, we must give faithful Christian witness in the face of whatever obstacle or persecution we account, for we too "must obey God rather than men!"

Daily Retreat 04/18/07

2007 Apr 18 Wed: Easter Weekday
Acts 5: 17-26/ Ps 33(34): 2-3. 4-5. 6-7. 8-9/ Jn 3: 16-21

From today's readings:  "Go and take your place in the temple area, and tell the people everything about this life....  The Lord hears the cry of the poor....  God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life."

WARNING - You can't lie to God!

The Sunday lectionary readings are on a three year cycle, and the daily readings are on a two year cycle, and together, that makes for a pretty good tour of scripture over the course of those years, but even so, not every verse of the Bible is included in the lectionary.  While almost the entire Acts of the Apostles is covered in the daily readings after Easter, if you've been following the daily readings in your Bible, you probably noted that the first verses of chapter 5 of the Acts have been skipped over, including vv. 1-12 (which I invite you to read now!), the unsettling incident with Ananias and Sapphira.  This husband and wife sold a piece of property, but unlike Barnabas (cf. Acts 4:32-37), the deceptive couple only contributed a part of the proceeds, even though they feigned that they had given all.  Because they lied to the Holy Spirit, they were struck dead on the spot!

If one focuses on the harshness and immediacy of their punishment, the point can easily be missed, which is probably why these verses are omitted from the lectionary.  But the central message here certainly IS NOT that God instantly strikes dead anyone who steps out of line (in which case, none of us would be around to read this!), nor was the issue about Ananias' and Sapphira's limited generosity (cf. v. 4).  Rather, their sin was in their lie to the Holy Spirit (v. 3).  God, of course, cannot be deceived, so anyone who deliberately attempts to do so (as Ananias and Sapphira tried) is revealing a fundamental lack of faith in God as God!  After all, if a person thinks he can ever fool God, that's the same as saying the person thinks he's smarter than God, and if that could be the case, the person wouldn't need God at all!

Mark Twain reflected on this same insight in Huckleberry Finn, although from a different angle.  The lead character, the unsophisticated boy Huck Finn, finds himself helping Jim, a runaway slave, to make good his escape.  Haunted by the social mores of the ante-bellum south, which maintained that turning in the runaway was the right thing to do, Huck thinks it's his duty to ask God for strength to betray his friend Jim, but he ultimately shies away from petitioning God's help to do something that his conscience forbids, concluding in chapter 31, "You can't pray a lie!"

Let the example of Ananias and Sapphira serve as an urgent warning to every one of us: You can't fool God, and you can't pray a lie - those who try to do so are seeking death by dismantling the very basis of their own faith!

Daily Retreat 04/17/07

2007 Apr 17 Tue: Easter Weekday
Acts 4: 32-37/ Ps 92(93): 1ab. 1cd-2. 5/ Jn 3: 7b-15

From today's readings:  "The community of believers was of one heart and mind....  The Lord is king; He is robed in majesty....  You must be born from above...."

Benchmark of Community Life

The Christian faith is founded upon personal relationships of love with the Lord Jesus Christ, but one's relationship with Christ develops, not in isolation, but in the context of the network of all relationships with Christ, which is the Church.   So, don't skim over the weighty verses of the first reading, since they outline healthy characteristics to look for which give witness to a healthy community life in the Church.

First, "the community of believers was of one heart and mind," that is, unity of faith, since one's faith is dependent on the cooperation of heart and mind.   Second, "no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common," that is, commitment to sharing all blessings, in recognition that they all come from God, and are given for the common good.  Third, "with great power, the Apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus," that is, zealous focus on Christ's Resurrection, which is the Holy Spirit's mainspring of Christian evangelization.  Finally, "great grace was accorded them all," that is, visible, outward signs of Christ's presence sanctified their lives.

Now, we can use these characteristics as criteria for guiding our efforts to build up the Church. All our ideas and programs and work, to be considered Christian, must truly contribute to unity of faith, must foster commitment to sharing all blessings, must highlight the zealous focus on Christ's Resurrection, and must incorporate sacramental sanctification.

Daily Retreat 04/16/07

2007 Apr 16 Mon: Easter Weekday
Acts 4: 23-31/ Ps 2: 1-3. 4-7a. 7b-9/ Jn 3: 1-8

From today's readings:  "As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness....  Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord....  The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit...."

Speak the Word of God with Boldness

At the Easter Vigil in my parish a few years ago, an 8-year-old Hispanic boy (providentially named Jesús) was among those baptized.   Before receiving the sacrament, he and the other elect were asked to profess their faith by giving a response ("I do!") to fundamental questions about the Christian faith, such as "Do you reject sin?" "Do you believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth?"  etc.

Before the mass, I explained to Jesús and the others why these questions would be asked, and how important was their enthusiastic response.   Little Jesús really took it seriously - each time I asked a question, he thundered back "I DO!" with all his might, and with a glowing grin on his face which attested to his share of true Easter joy.  After the baptisms, the Easter Vigil rite calls for the renewal of everyone's baptism promises, so I posed the same questions to the whole congregation, and inspired by that boy's whole-hearted responses, everyone in the church joined in echoing passionate answers of "I DO!"

That boldness of faith expression is meant to be the norm, not the exception!  The Acts of the Apostles testifies to the boldness of the preaching and profession of faith by early believers.  The place where they were gathered shook, not because of the mere volume of their prayers, but because their enthusiastic faith resonated perfectly with the mighty wind of the Holy Spirit, and the prayers which we raise together every day of the Lord can, and ought to, thunder with the same mighty Spirit!

Daily Retreat 04/15/07

2007 Apr 15 SUN: SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER
Acts 5: 12-16/ Ps 118: 2-4. 13-15. 22-24/ Rv 1: 9-11a. 12-13. 17-19/ Jn 20: 19-31

From today's readings:  "Many signs and wonders were done among the people at the hands of the apostles....  Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love is everlasting....  I was caught up in spirit on the Lord's day ....  Receive the Holy Spirit - whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained...."

The Sacrament of Peace

It's interesting how well it was driven into my head (growing up in a Catholic family, attending Catholic schools) that Holy Thursday was such an important day: Jesus instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist and He established the Sacrament of the Priesthood that holy night.  But it wasn't until I got older and was reading a bit of the Bible by myself when I realized:  just a couple of days later – Easter Sunday –  He gave His Church another sacrament:   the Sacrament of Confession, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or my favorite name for it, the "Sacrament of Peace!" Because Jesus introduced this sacrament with the Easter greeting "Peace be with you!"  that's the name that He gave to that sacrament, saying, in effect, "This is how I am going to have My peace be with you," breathing on the apostles and saying, "Receive the Holy Spirit: whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven! Whose sins you hold bound are held bound!"

When we turn to Jesus in the Sacrament of Peace, the Sacrament of Penance, we say, "You know, Lord, there's all kinds if things that are taking away the peace that You gave me – my own sins take away peace! But sometimes, it's the sins of others which I resent, and they eat into me – they take away the peace that You gave me! Other times, it's just the problems of my life that I am faced with and seem so overwhelming...." All of that is matter for us to bring to the Sacrament of Peace and say "Lord, You gave me that gift of peace, and now, confiding in Your Divine Mercy, I lay at your feet these things that have taken that peace away. Renew Your peace within me!"

Renew, Lord, Your peace within us! Jesus has given His Church the marvelous sacrament of His peace and Divine Mercy – let us all turn to Him to receive so great a gift!

Daily Retreat 04/14/07

2007 Apr 14 Sat: Easter Saturday
Acts 4: 13-21/ Ps 117(118): 1 and 14-15ab. 16-18. 19-21/ Mk 16: 9-15

From today’s readings:  “Observing the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving them to be uneducated, ordinary men, the leaders, elders, and scribes were amazed, and they recognized them as the companions of Jesus....  Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever....  Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature!”

The Unsettling Effect of the Good News

The Gospel either brings comfort (which it is meant to do!) or consternation (when it is resisted and rejected).  The Sanhedrin members could not explain the compelling zeal of Peter and John and they could not deny the miraculous cure worked through them.  What, then, could they do?  Either they could welcome the good news, or stubbornly reject it and try to ignore or smother it.

So they ordered Peter and John “not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.”  Such an approach was not only futile, it was infantile - how could anyone resent the healing of a lame man and the proclamation of the good news of Christ’s resurrection?

Now in countries which boast of their guarantee of freedom of speech, the very idea of such a crude gag order seems remote, and yet, more subtle sinister forces are resurrecting the Sanhedrin’s strategy!  While it’s not illegal to speak or teach in the name of Jesus, restrictions on public display and influence of Christian faith continue to increase, at the same time that legal restraints against obscenities and atrocities continue to decrease!   And it certainly is seen as uncouth to stand firm in Gospel convictions (as the Apostles did) in the face of powerful and popular opposition, and those who do so continue to be dismissed, like Peter and John were, as “uneducated, ordinary men.”

But the Good News cannot be ignored or smothered by overt or covert gag operations - you and I, and all other Christians standing in Peter’s and John’s shoes today, need to make the same courageous stand and reply, “Whether it is right in the sight of God for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges - It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard,” namely, the power and presence and comfort of our resurrected Lord!

Daily Retreat 04/13/07

2007 Apr 13 Fri: Easter Friday
Acts 4: 1-12/ Ps 117(118): 1-2 and 4. 22-24. 25-27a/ Jn 21: 1-14

From today’s readings:  “There is no salvation through anyone else....  The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone....  This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to His disciples after being raised from the dead.”

Jesus, Savior, Source of Salvation

“There is no salvation in anyone else, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we are to be saved!”  In Acts 4:12, Peter’s claim of the unique and universal vocation of Jesus (whose very Name means “God saves”, cf. Matt 1:21), in one of the boldest tenets of our Christian faith, and the urgency of this assertion has inspired the heroic sacrifices of missionaries and martyrs.

So without Christ, there is no salvation!  Does this preclude the salvation of those who, through no fault of their own, do not believe in Christ?  The answer is delicate in nuance, for Jesus Himself insists that acceptance of His Gospel is crucial (e.g., Mk 16:16), but He also allows for invincible earthly ignorance in His discourse on the Last Judgment (cf. Matt 25:31–46).   Pope John Paul the Great explained it this way in Redemptoris Missio §10:

    The universality of salvation means that it is granted NOT ONLY to those who explicitly believe in Christ and have entered the Church. Since salvation is offered to all, it must be made concretely available to all! But it is clear that today, as in the past, many people do not have an opportunity to come to know or accept the gospel revelation or to enter the Church. The social and cultural conditions in which they live do not permit this, and frequently they have been brought up in other religious traditions. For such people salvation in Christ is accessible by virtue of a grace which, while having a mysterious relationship to the Church, does not make them formally part of the Church but enlightens them in a way which is accommodated to their spiritual and material situation. This grace comes from Christ; it is the result of his Sacrifice and is communicated by the Holy Spirit. It enables each person to attain salvation through his free cooperation.

In other words, all salvation truly comes through Christ, but He can certainly save even those who have never heard of Him, provided that they cooperate with His grace, which “enlightens them in a way which is accommodated to their spiritual and material situation.”  We might consider this analogy:  Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freed all the Confederate slaves, including those who possibly had never heard of him!  However, if a slave obstinately rejected the authority of President Lincoln to free him, the slave would tragically condemn himself to bondage.  Similarly, Christ presents Himself as the means of salvation for all (overtly, in Christianity and covertly, in other ways), but He cannot save those who freely reject whatever means He gives for salvation.

Daily Retreat 04/12/07

2007 Apr 12 Thu: Easter Thursday
Acts 3: 11-26/ Ps 8: 2ab and 5. 6-7. 8-9/ Lk 24: 35-48

From today’s readings:  “For you first, God raised up His servant and sent Him to bless you by turning each of you from your evil ways....  O Lord, our God, how wonderful Your Name in all the earth!...  Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in His Name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things!”

Thinking Things Through

Many find the Acts of the Apostles more difficult to read than the Gospels because of the spectacular speeches (particularly by Peter and Paul) which proffer profound insights about the implications of various aspects of Christian belief.  In other words, faith, which is an act of the will (to decide to believe in God), also implores, invites, and embraces the participation of the intellect - faith and reason are not opposed; rather, as Pope John Paul the Great remarked in the beginning of his encyclical Fides et Ratio, “Faith and reason are like two wings on which man’s spirit rises to the contemplation of truth!”

Thus, there’s much to be gained in thinking things through about our faith, and so, we should never just skim over scriptural texts that invite and implore us to take the time to embrace more fully, meditate and delve deeply into the mysteries of our faith.

So, here are just a few points to get you started: In the first verses of his speech (3:12-16), Peter contrasts the Israelites’ rejection of Christ with God’s exultation of Him.  This insight was not just meant for the first century Jews in Jerusalem - as is often brought up in Stations of the Cross meditations, our own sinful choices have echoed the disastrous decision of those who stood before Pilate and “denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released” instead.

Hence, in light of Christ’s second coming (“the times of universal restoration”), Peter next (v. 17-21) urges his listeners (and us, who are also “the children of the prophets and of the covenant”!) to “Repent, therefore, and be converted!”    And such is the fulfillment of God’s eternal plan of salvation (v. 22-26).  Peter implies that, with or without us, God pushes forward with this plan of salvation which is for the benefit of all, so it only makes sense to go along and share in the benefits of faith in Christ (such as the miraculous healing of the crippled man)!

Daily Retreat 04/11/07

2007 Apr 11 Wed: Easter Wednesday
Acts 3: 1-10/ Ps 104(105): 1-2. 3-4. 6-7. 8-9/ Lk 24: 13-35

From today’s readings:  “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk!...  Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord....   Were not our hearts burning within us while He spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”

What Do You Have to Give?

Peter and John found themselves in the situation of someone turning to them for charity when they had no money to give.  But rather than shrugging their shoulders and walking past the crippled man, they were filled with the truest charity, and so they gave the beggar what they had: faith in the Name of Jesus Christ!

In our own lives, there are many charitable causes (not to mention needy individuals!) that reach out to us for help.  When you and I truly share our faith with others and commit ourselves to praying for them, without a doubt, that is a much greater gift than merely writing a check to some charitable organization.

And yet, even a supremely generous commitment to pray for others in need is not meant to be an excuse for selfishness with our own blessings of time, talents, and treasure.  It’s a privilege and blessing for me to take the time every day to share my faith in Jesus Christ with you through these virtual retreat reflections, because, like Peter and John, I knew that this work would bring me “no silver nor gold,” but I joyfully jumped at the chance to freely give what I have: faith in the Name of Jesus Christ! 

Daily Retreat 04/10/07

2007 Apr 10 Tue: Easter Tuesday
Acts 2: 36-41/ Ps 32(33): 4-5. 18-19. 20 and 22/ Jn 20: 11-18

From today’s readings:  “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit....  May Your kindness, O LORD, be upon us who have put our hope in You....  I am going to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God....”

Save Yourself from this Corrupt Generation!

Peter’s speech on the day of Pentecost was an urgent exhortation, not just a shallow suggestion.  Even for those of us already baptized, the need to repent and be fully committed to our baptismal promises is a reminder we all have to act upon.  Peter’s description of the people of his day as a “corrupt generation” is certainly not an outlandish claim at this time as well.

That’s not to say though, that Peter fell into a “holier than thou” attitude - his assessment of the “corrupt generation” was just a matter of fact, and he recognized his own contribution to that corruption.  But he also welcomed the sacramental solution, and prescribed that for everyone who heard him.

Our own sins and selfishness has contributed to the corruption of this generation.  On our own, we don’t have what it takes to rectify our own messes, or those of others, but we do have the same sacramental solution offered to us, for “the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call.”

Daily Retreat 04/09/07

2007 Apr 9 Mon: Easter Monday
Acts 2: 14. 22-33/ Ps 15(16): 1-2a and 5. 7-8. 9-10. 11/ Mt 28: 8-15

From today’s readings:  “But God raised Him up, releasing Him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for Him to be held by it....  Because You will not abandon my soul to the nether world, nor will You suffer Your faithful one to undergo corruption....  Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce the news to His disciples....”

Acts of the Apostles

The Resurrection of Christ made a big difference in the lives of His apostles - they spent the rest of their lives telling the world the good news of the life of Jesus, His passion and death, His resurrection and ascension.

Those apostles set an example for you and me:  Easter has to be more than just an annual holiday - it’s meant to be a life-defining moment!  And so, during these fifty days of the Easter season (culminating in Pentecost), the Church has us read almost the entire Acts of the Apostles, precisely so that we can be inspired by their example of living out their Easter faith as we fulfill our baptismal promises by zealously living out our own Easter faith!

Daily Retreat 04/08/07

2007 Apr 8 SUN: EASTER SUNDAY. The Resurrection
Acts 10: 34a. 37-43/ Ps 117(118): 1-2. 16-17. 22-23/ Col 3: 1-4 or 1 Cor 5: 6b-8/ Jn 20: 1-9 or Lk 24: 13-35

Rejoice in the Risen Lord!

Last night’s Easter Vigil included the blessing and lighting of the great Easter Candle, which symbolizes the Light of Christ, which dispels the darkness of sin and death.  After the light illuminates all in the Church, the beautiful Exultet is sung, one of the most ancient and profound Easter hymns of joy and meditation on the mystery of our Easter celebration.


Exultet (Easter Proclamation)

Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels!
Exult, all creation around God's throne!

Jesus Christ, our King, is risen!
Sound the trumpet of salvation!

Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor,
radiant in the brightness of your King!
Christ has conquered! Glory fills you!
Darkness vanishes for ever!

Rejoice, O Mother Church! Exult in glory!
The risen Savior shines upon you!
Let this place resound with joy,
echoing the mighty song of all God's people!

It is truly right
that with full hearts and minds and voices
we should praise the unseen God, the all-powerful Father,
and His only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

For Christ has ransomed us with His blood,
and paid for us the price of Adam's sin to our eternal Father!

This is our passover feast,
when Christ, the true Lamb, is slain,
whose blood consecrates the homes of all believers.

This is the night when first You saved our fathers:
You freed the people of Israel from their slavery
and led them dry-shod through the sea.

This is the night when Christians everywhere,
washed clean of sin and freed from all defilement,
are restored to grace and grow together in holiness.

This is the night when Jesus Christ broke the chains of death
and rose triumphant from the grave.

Father, how wonderful Your care for us!
How boundless Your merciful love!
To ransom a slave, You gave away Your Son.

O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam,
which gained for us so great a Redeemer!

The power of this holy night dispels all evil, washes guilt away,
restores lost innocence, brings mourners joy.
Night truly blessed when Heaven is wedded to Earth
and man is reconciled with God!

Therefore, heavenly Father, in the joy of this night,
receive our evening sacrifice of praise, your Church's solemn offering.

Accept this Easter candle.
May it always dispel the darkness of this night!

May the Morning Star which never sets find this flame still burning:
Christ, that Morning Star, who came back from the dead,
and shed His peaceful light on all mankind,
Your Son who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.

Daily Retreat 04/07/07

2007 Apr 7 Sat: Holy Saturday/Easter Vigil
Gn 1:1--2:2/ Ps 103(104) or Ps 32(33)
Gn 22:1-18/ Ps 15(16)
Ex 14:15--15:1/ Ex 15 canticle
Is 54:5-14/ Ps 29(30)
Is 55:1-11/ Is 12 canticle
Bar 3:9-15.32--4:4/ Ps 18(19)
Ez 36:16-28/ Ps 41(42) or Ps 50(51)
Rom 6:3-11/ Ps 117(118)
Lk 24:1-12

In earlier times, the faithful would keep a sacred vigil throughout this
entire night, waiting for the dawn of the Easter resurrection. Now,
parishes are allowed to begin the Easter Vigil Mass anytime after
sundown. The Vigil begins with the lighting of the new Easter fire and
candle, then after the singing of the Exultet, a rich selection of
scripture readings follow.

These readings (indicated above) form a synopsis of salvation history to
the time of Christ, starting with Creation, continuing with the
liberation of the Exodus, and then the unfolding of the prophetic
promises of the Messiah.

Even if you don’t normally read the Bible, take the time tonight to read
through ALL these scripture passages as the ideal way to prayerfully
finish your preparation for Easter.

Daily Retreat 04/06/07

2007 Apr 6 Fri: Is 52: 13 -- 53: 12/ Ps 30(31): 2. 6. 12-13. 15-16. 17. 25/ Heb 4: 14-16; 5: 7-9/ Jn 18: 1 -- 19: 42

 

Isaiah’s Servant Songs

 

Isaiah is the greatest of the prophets. Certainly his book (with 66 chapters) is the longest prophetic book (in fact the longest book in the Bible except for the collection of Psalms), and he prophesied in such detail about the coming Messiah that St. Jerome asserted that Isaiah is almost more of an evangelist, a gospel writer, than a prophet!  

 

Not surprisingly, then, the words of Isaiah ring out regularly throughout the Church’s liturgical year - in fact, every single day of this Holy Week includes a reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah, and in particular, the four profound canticles of the Servant of the Lord.  The first of these is read on Monday, Is 42:1-7.  God the Father speaks in these words, describing the vocation and mission of His holy chosen one:

 

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,

Not crying out, not shouting, not making His voice heard in the street.

A bruised reed He shall not break, and a smoldering wick He shall not quench,

Until He establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait for His teaching.

 

Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spreads out the earth with its crops, Who gives breath to its people and spirit to those who walk on it: 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.

 

The second servant poem, Is 49:1-6, is read on Tuesday of Holy Week.   The prophesy is presented as a first person exposition from the lips of the Servant of the Lord Himself, describing the uniqueness of His election, the travails of His labors, and universal extent of His mission:

 

Hear Me, O islands, listen, O distant peoples. The LORD called Me from birth, from My mother's womb He gave Me My Name. He made of Me a sharp-edged sword and concealed Me in the shadow of His arm. He made Me a polished arrow, in His quiver He hid Me. You are My Servant, He said to Me, Israel, through whom I show My glory.

Though I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent My strength, Yet My reward is with the LORD, My recompense is with My God. For now the LORD has spoken who formed Me as His Servant from the womb, That Jacob may be brought back to Him and Israel gathered to Him; And I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD, and My God is now My strength! It is too little, He says, 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.

The third Servant Canticle, Is 50:4-9a, is read on Palm Sunday, and Wednesday of Holy Week.  In these verses, the Servant of the Lord describes His mission of patient teaching and indomitable inspiration, even in spite of formidable opposition:

 

The Lord God has given Me a well-trained tongue, That I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them. Morning after morning He opens My ear that I may hear; And I have not rebelled, have not turned back. 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; I have set My face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame. He is near who upholds My right; if anyone wishes to oppose Me, let us appear together. Who disputes My right? Let him confront Me. See, the Lord GOD is My help; who will prove Me wrong?

 

On Holy Thursday in the morning, the Chrism Mass includes a familiar passage from Isaiah chapter 61, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me....”  Jesus Himself claimed those verses as the very manifesto of His mission when He proclaimed them in the synagogue of His hometown of Nazareth (Luke 4:16-21).

 

Then, today, Good Friday, the fourth and longest servant song: Isaiah 52:13-53:12.

 

See, My Servant shall prosper, He shall be raised high and greatly exalted. Even as many were amazed at Him-- so marred was His look beyond human semblance and His appearance beyond that of the sons of man-- so shall He startle many nations, because of Him, kings shall stand speechless; for those who have not been told shall see, those who have not heard shall ponder it.

 

Who would believe what we have heard? To whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up like a sapling before Him, like a shoot from the parched earth; there was in Him no stately bearing to make us look at Him, nor appearance that would attract us to Him. He was spurned and avoided by people, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, one of those from whom people hide their faces, spurned, and we held Him in no esteem.

Yet 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 were healed! We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; but the LORD laid upon Him the guilt of us all.

Though He was harshly treated, He submitted and opened not His mouth; like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, He was silent and opened not His mouth. Oppressed and condemned, He was taken away, and who would have thought any more of His destiny? When He was cut off from the land of the living, and smitten for the sin of His people, a grave was assigned Him among the wicked and a burial place with evildoers, though He had done no wrong nor spoken any falsehood. But the LORD was pleased to crush Him in infirmity.

If He gives His life as an offering for sin, He shall see His descendants in a long life, and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through Him.

Because of His affliction He shall see the light in fullness of days; through His suffering, My servant shall justify many, and their guilt He shall bear. Therefore I will give Him His portion among the great, and He shall divide the spoils with the mighty, because He surrendered Himself to death and was counted among the wicked; and He shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon for their offenses.

 

Ah - How accurately was this haunting, most improbable prophecy fulfilled on that Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion!  Truly, Isaiah is an evangelist, as well as prophet, and how blessed are those who have come to know the Suffering Servant in the songs!

Daily Retreat 04/05/07

2007 Apr 5 Thu: Chrism Mass: Is 61: 1-3a. 6a. 8b-9/ Ps 88(89): 21-22. 25. 27/ Rv 1: 5-8/ Lk 4: 16-21.
Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper: Ex 12: 1-8. 11-14/ Ps 115(116): 12-13. 15-16bc. 17-18/ Jn 13: 1-15

The New Covenant

Today, in the morning, priests gather with their bishop to celebrate the Chrism Mass with the whole people of God in the diocesan cathedral.  Recalling that “Christ” means “the Anointed One,” the bishop blesses the Oil of Salvation, Oil of the Sick, and the Sacred Chrism, all of which are used in the sacramental continuation of Christ’s mission, and so on this day, all priests also renew their own commitment to continue that mission.

In the evening, the faithful come together in their parish church for the renewed celebration of the Last Supper, when our Lord instituted the sacraments of the Eucharist and of Holy Orders, and gave His example of fraternal charity in service when He humbly washed His apostles’ feet.

At the end of Mass, the Eucharistic Real Presence of Jesus processes to a shrine of adoration, where all are invited to heed the plea He gave His apostles to join Him in prayer in the garden of Gethsemane.  This solemn adoration can continue even until Midnight, at which time it ends, symbolizing the arrest of Jesus.

Our Lord gives us Himself - let us take and eat!

Daily Retreat 04/04/07

2007 Apr 4 Wed: Wednesday of Holy Week
Is 50: 4-9a/ Ps 68(69): 8-10. 21-22. 31 and 33-34/ Mt 26: 14-25

From today’s readings:  “The Lord GOD is My help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set My face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame....  For the LORD hears the poor, and His own who are in bonds, He spurns not....  My appointed time draws near; in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with My disciples....”

The Triumphant Servant of the Lord

Christ’s victory over sin and death is the greatest triumph of all time, and yet, He was not at all gloatingly triumphant - rather, He meekly and lovingly endured all the injuries and insults of His Passion and Death for the sake of all who would turn to Him for salvation.

For Christ, remember, never set out to triumph over Caiphas and the Sanhedrin, Pilate and the Romans, for these were merely agents of the real Enemy whom Jesus came to vanquish.  All those who definitively align themselves with the Devil will ultimately share his fate of damnation, but among those who once ally themselves with Evil, some are providentially moved to repentance by the example of the Suffering Servant, Who conquered evil by refusing to return it when He said, “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.”

Daily Retreat 04/03/07

2007 Apr 3 Tue: Tuesday of Holy Week
Is 49: 1-6/ Ps 70(71): 1-2. 3-4a. 5ab-6ab. 15 and 17/ Jn 13: 21-33. 36-38

From today’s readings:  “ I will make You a light to the nations....  For You are my hope, O Lord....  Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray Me....”

Light to all the nations

When all the rest of the world was wallowing in the darkness of paganism, God chose the Israelites to be His own people, to whom He would entrust His revelation, both in the Old Testament, and the New Testament.  But the reading from Isaiah (the second “Servant Song”) explains how Jesus, God’s chosen Servant, had a mission, not just to the chosen people Israel, but also to the whole world, as the light to the nations, bringing salvation to the ends of the earth.

Jesus, of course, was aware of the universal dimension of His vocation - while He concentrated on preaching the Gospel first to His own Jewish people, He also gradually and deliberately spread the good news to all nations.

As we meditate anew on the events of Holy Week, we thank God for His universal plan of salvation, that the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ effects, not just the people of that past time and place, but also our lives in this time and place - it’s sobering to realize that only the Jewish people were the original beneficiaries of revelation, but because of Christ, we share that great gift!