2nd Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy)

 What does a world look like without Divine Mercy? It is not hard to see because all you need to do is to watch films. In them you see a world where evil is relentless and sin reigns. Individuals strive to redeem themselves from their past and still get no relief from the futility of existence. All one can hope to do is to postpone the inevitable dissolution and annihilation of death. For the rich and oppressive the opiate is not religion, as Karl Marx would have it as it is for the poor, it  is the thought that there is no judgment nor is there any accounting for what we have done in the flesh. yet, St Paul tells us: "For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil." (2 Cor 6: 10) In the Letter to the Hebrews we are told: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Heb 10: 31) Today's feast reassures us that the Lord Jesus, who suffered, died and was buried, is also risen and that his power is manifested most beautifully in his mercy. This is the mercy that redeems the whole of the world and is greater than any earthly power. Let us trust in him and let him speak to our hearts as he reassures us: "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living one. I was dead , but see, I am alive for ever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades." (Rev 1: 17-18)

Easter Vigil

 The Easter Vigil is the highlight of the liturgical year. I am always amazed that Catholics, who regard themselves as devout, can go willing through a Lord of the Rings movie but complain about the length of the Easter Vigil! The ceremony of light, the history of salvation, the baptism of catechumens, etc are all amazing experiences that plunge us deep into the heart of our faith and the salvation of the world. I encourage everyone to make the most of this opportunity and fully commit to engaging with it. To do so, together with the other rituals of the Easter Triduum, is to enact our deepest mystery and to affirm God's saving action in the world, not just in history, in this present moment and in my life to. As others enter the sacramental and full communion with the Catholic Church I can be reinvigorated in my own faith and filled with joy as the hope we share. 

Celebration of the Lord's Passion (Good Friday)

 This celebration is one of the most powerful in the liturgical calendar. It teases out, in detail, the significance of what we have as a living memorial at every Mass during the year. The Holy Eucharist is not just a meal! It is an anamnesis of the whole of Christ which includes his death on the Cross. This death was not accidental but a gift freely bestowed by God through his Son. The agony, blood and terror of the crucifixion must never blind us to the preeminence of thanksgiving and love that underpin the motivation for the gift and the marvelous fruits that arise from it. Let us also be mindful to fast so as to be more mindful of the sufferings of the Lord endured for us.

Mass of the Lord's Supper (Holy Thursday)

 This Mass has two major themes: sacrifice and service. The two cannot be separated. They are not merely historical events but present realities and living memories of cultic manifestations of divine activity. In the First Reading the Passover sacrifice is described as a "sign," "a day of remembrance," "a festival to the Lord" and a "perpetual ordinance." In the account, from the Second Reading, Jesus mentions twice that what is done is "in remembrance of me." This helps us to understand the significance of the washing of the feet and Jesus' words: "You call me teacher and Lord - and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you." (Jn 13: 13-15) Thus, every Eucharist involves sacrifice and service. Jesus washes our feet! He also asks us to imitate him in his humility, service and love. It is only when we start to serve one another in imitation of the Lord that we can have an insight into the depth of his love for us and the sacrifice that is offered when we conform ourselves to his self-giving. It must also be noted that this Mass does not conclude with a dismissal and blessing. Rather, it is of one piece with the Good Friday Commemoration of the Lord's Passion and the Easter Vigil and so the themes of each ceremony feed into and amplify the themes of the others. 

Passion (Palm) Sunday

 Today's feast a an excellent example of someone "going from hero to zero." Jesus is welcomed into Jerusalem by a festive crowd who continue to rejoice in the cleansing of the temple and Jesus' confrontations and victories over the Jewish authorities and the Pharisees. Then, by Friday of that same week Jesus has a crowd baying for his blood: "Crucify him!". It is apparent from his ministry that Jesus knew how to read character. He would have known that the welcome into Jerusalem was not going to last yet he went through the process of fulfilling prophecy nevertheless. Christians, the media and elsewhere, can be feted and at other times, more often, excoriated. Our job is not to seek public praise but to be loyal to the one who is the "pioneer" (Heb 2: 10) of our salvation. The story of his Passion is ultimately our story since where the head has gone the members will follow. St Paul exhorts the Philippians to identify with Christ and be formed by him: "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to he point of death, even death on a cross." (Phil 2: 5-8) The Church hopes that Catholics throughout the world have been formed by their Lenten journey so that they are brought to identify with their Lord and be of the same mind as him.

5th Sunday of Lent

 The vehemence of St Paul in the Second Reading today when he says "For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish," (Phil 3: 8) is surprising. This is even more so when we consider the original Greek meaning of the word "rubbish" is actually "human excrement"! The translator does not find it culturally acceptable to opt for that meaning since this will be read in churches around the world yet Paul, who is most likely dictating the letter, is clearly emotional and not observing social niceties. The key thing though is what has stirred such a repudiation of his former beliefs and life? St Paul says: "... in order that I my gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith." (Phil 3: 9) How much of my behaviour is motivated by a desire to vindicate of justify myself in the sight of others or of God? Do I still think that I can redeem myself? Can I be a good person by observing laws and doing my duty? Such attitudes are condemned by Jesus in the scribes and Pharisees. They think that by condemning the woman caught in adultery and confounding Jesus that they will be vindicated in their righteousness. Their hypocrisy is revealed by Jesus' statement: "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." (Jn 8: 7) The key thing in our Lenten journey is not what we do but how we acknowledge our sins and open ourselves to grace so that we may be true and humble servants of the Risen Lord in a society that does not believe in God or sin and thinks that thrhough science we can perfect ourselves. St John points out: "If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking the darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself  is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleans us of all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." (1 Jn 1: 6-10)

4th Sunday of Lent

 I am intrigued by the expression in the first reading: "Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt." (Josh 5: 9a) It reminds me of the question in the minds of the women as they went to the tomb of Jesus on the day of resurrection:  "Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb?" (Mk 16: 5) The entrance of the Israelites to the Promised Land is a form of resurrection as the people are brought back to life after the "death" of slavery and the hardships of the wilderness. In the Gospel we also get a sense of coming back to life: "But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and has been found." (Lk 15: 32) When we repent from sin and know God's forgiveness we return back to the kind of life that God's wants for us. The "death" that serious sin entails no longer has a hold on us. That we have been healed and reconciled doe not stop there. It impels us to share these gifts with others so that the stones which hold them in tombs of darkness, loneliness and fear are also rolled away: "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us." (2 Cor 5: 18-19)