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Today’s readings

Well, today’s Gospel reading is an exact repeat of the Gospel we had for the Feast of Sts. Philip and James, which was just two days ago. That’s the kind of coincidence that happens on the church calendar sometimes. So I’m not going to say much about the Gospel today. Instead, I want to pick up on the last line of the first reading. Just to refresh our memories, that line was: “The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.”

That’s an amazing line considering what happened to them earlier in the reading. The Jews showed them violent abuse and completely and vehemently contradicted their testimony to the Gospel. So they turned to the Gentiles who received the Message with great joy, but were later incited by some prominent Jews to expel them from their territory. When we look at that kind of situation, it has to strike us that joy is the last thing these men could possibly be filled with, right?

Yet that’s what happened. They were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. That’s the way joy works. It’s not something conditioned by the external events of a person’s life. Joy is not a feeling. Joy, instead, is a direct result of the disciple’s decision to give their life to Christ and to follow his way. Joy does not mean that the disciple won’t experience sadness or even hard times. I can fully attest to that in these days myself. But joy does mean that the disciple will never give in to the sadness or the hard times because all those things have been made new in Christ.

Christ is the source of our true joy. We disciples must choose to live lives of joy and remain unaffected by the world and the events of our lives. We choose joy because we know the One who is our Salvation.

Today’s readings

The last two days, the Gospel has overlapped by one verse, John 14:6. It appeared at the beginning of yesterday’s Gospel reading, and at the beginning of today’s:

“I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”

To me, this has always been a rather clear and uncompromising statement. How can a person come to the Father? Only through Jesus Christ, who is not just a way, a truth and one possible life, but rather the way, the truth, and the life, without whom no one can come to the reward of knowing God the Father, the one who created us for himself. This statement is Gospel, so we are called to believe in it, but it is one of those Gospel statements that is, well, a little troubling.

Because sometimes we would rather not make waves. Hey, anything you do is okay as long as you’re a good person. And aren’t all religions going for the same thing anyway? Well, that’s not what we’re hearing this morning, is it? St. Paul was pretty clear on this in today’s first reading from Acts, too. Listen to the end of his declaration one more time:

“We ourselves are proclaiming this good news to you
that what God promised our fathers
he has brought to fulfillment for us, their children, by raising up Jesus,
as it is written in the second psalm,
You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.”

Speaking to the Jews at Antioch, Paul makes it clear that Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophets, even if the Jews at Jerusalem had Jesus put to death. Jesus alone is the one of whom prophets and psalmists have spoken, and we are now called upon to accept that truth.

As troubling as this Gospel may be, we have to look at it and come to terms with it, because it is the core of the Gospel faith. If Jesus isn’t the one way to the Father and to eternal life, then we could pick a faith that’s a lot easier. We could stay home and pray to trees and try to be as nice as we can to everyone. But the Gospel demands a lot more than that. It demands that we recognize Jesus as the one truth, and his way – which, let’s face it, is the Way of the Cross – is the one way, and his life of service and love is the only life there is. And if that’s true, we all have to be proclaimers of the Gospel so that this troubled world might be converted.

Today’s readings

A little over three weeks ago, we heard of the Twelve, gathered with Jesus in the upper room, celebrating the Passover for the last time together. Jesus tells them that he must suffer and die, and Peter proclaims on behalf of all of them, that they would suffer and die with him if necessary. But, of course, when the rubber meets the road, they all scatter. Peter himself says not once or twice, but three times that he is not only not one of them, but that he has never heard of the man, this man who had been his friend for three years.

Now the crucifixion is history and Jesus has risen from the dead, and the Eleven have no idea what to do. So they go back to their former way of life. They’ve given up, they are dejected and broken and it seems like their last three years have been wasted. So they take up what they knew best: fishing. Only, that doesn’t go so well for them either. They have caught nothing all night long, these men who grew up knowing how to fish and had made their living on it.

To these men who have completely failed at everything now, Jesus comes and helps them reel in a catch large enough to be a vision of the men and women they will gather in for the Lord in the future. They share a meal and are fortified for the mission ahead. They are healed and lifted up and given strength to do what they’ve been created for. Even Peter gets not just one or two chances, but three chances to proclaim his love for his friend, this man he had denied three times just three weeks ago.

To all of us who have messed up in life, all of us wounded disciples who have been confused and dejected and disillusioned and have even denied our Lord, these Eleven show us great promise. Our Jesus is a Lord of second chances. And even third chances. Our God never gives up on us, even if he has to catch us in a net with 152 other fish.

Today’s readings

There’s that old kitschy question, “If you were arrested and accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” As we’ve been hearing in our first reading ever since Easter began, that question is becoming a real source of anxiety for the Apostles. The Acts of the Apostles tells us of a group of Apostles who have been fortified by their experience of the Risen Lord and have finally come to enough of an understanding of the Gospel that they can really preach it with all their heart and soul and strength. The problem with that is that when they preach that way, it attracts the attention of the Jewish authorities, the very people who put Jesus to death. And now they are seeking the opportunity to put the Apostles to death also.

Hearing today’s Gospel, Jesus is speaking early on in his life and ministry. We see that, even early on, Jesus was warning his disciples that testifying to the Truth is going to come with a cost. They may not be believed, but those who do believe will have the great gift of eternal life. He says: “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.”

It’s easy enough for me to tell you that we are all expected to preach the Gospel, all of us who have been baptized and saved and redeemed by the blood of our Lord. It’s easy enough for you to enthusiastically take up that call and preach the Gospel in what you say but even more in what you do. But when the rubber meets the road, and there is a cost to it, will we remain faithful? Will we preach the word when it puts us at odds with family members, or threatens our professional standing or prospects for advancement at work? Will we preach the word when it is inconvenient, or when we are tested in our faith? The Apostles came to know that that was exactly what they were called to do, and now it is up to us.

We must be able to say with Peter, “We must obey God rather than men.” We must have the courage to testify to the truth of the Gospel at all times, even when it’s hard, knowing that as the Psalmist tells us today, “The Lord hears the cry of the poor.”

Today’s readings

One of the great things about being Catholic, I think, is the celebration of Easter. We do it up right, and keep doing it for fifty days! In fact, just yesterday we completed our celebration of Easter Day, which lasts for eight full days. It certainly makes sense to us that the joy of our salvation should be celebrated with great festivity, and we shouldn’t be so eager to toss the lilies out of the church (even if I am allergic to them)!

Today we begin the second phase of our Easter celebration. Having completed the Octave of Easter, we now begin the preparation for the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the first Apostles, and later to each Christian. We have in our Gospel today the emergence of the interesting figure of Nicodemus. He was a Jew, and one of the Pharisees. But he found Jesus and his message compelling, so a few times in John’s Gospel we get to hear from Nicodemus. Even though the rest of the Pharisees flat out rejected Jesus, Nicodemus knew that he couldn’t reject him so quickly. There was something to this Jesus, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it. As far as we know, he never fully, publicly accepted Jesus, but he took many steps on the way.

Today Nicodemus and Jesus speak about being born again, born of the Spirit. This for us is a process of accepting the Gospel in faith, and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit and then living as a people reborn. Although we can point to our Confirmation day, and even the day of our Baptism as days when we received the Holy Spirit, the process of accepting the Gospel in faith and living as a people reborn in the Spirit is one that takes the rest of our lives. What we celebrate with joy today is that we are on that journey. Because of the Resurrection of Our Lord and his gift of the Holy Spirit, we can now live according to the Spirit’s direction in our lives, confident that that Holy Spirit will give us the gifts and courage to do what we are called to do. The Apostles did that in today’s first reading, and now we must do the same.

Today’s readings

I’m always curious what brings people to Mass on the Second Sunday of Easter. We had crowds of people here last Sunday, as you know, but things this Sunday are, perhaps a bit unfortunately, back to normal. The Easter duty is done, and most people go back to their normal Sunday routines, whatever they may be. But many of us still gather for worship this morning. What is it that brings us here today?

Maybe our motives are grand ones. We can’t get enough of the Word of God and his Real Presence in the Eucharist. Maybe we need to be together with the community in order for our faith to make sense and our life to be on trace. Maybe we know that our presence in the worshipping community isn’t just about us, but rather about all of us being together, that there would be no community without all of us present. Maybe you came to one of my Masses last Sunday and were struck with awe at the inspiring words I preached!

But maybe our motives aren’t quite so lofty. Maybe, at some level, we’re here because of fear. Fear that our lives aren’t going the way we’d like them to. Fear that family problems are not getting resolved. Fear that our jobs are unfulfilling or our relationships are in disarray. Fear that our lives are empty spiritually, and we don’t know where to find our Lord. Fear that missing Mass will lead us to hell. Fear that if we don’t get to Mass our parents will be angry. Fear that if we don’t get out we’ll be lonely. I think if we’re honest, there’s a little fear in all of us, and at some level, that fear leads us here.

And if you find that’s the case for you, you have ten patron saints locked up in that room. They too had a great deal of fear. Fear that they too might be led to the cross by the same people who took Jesus there. There was certainly some reality to that fear, and I think we can all understand it. But I also think it’s significant to realize that the Eleven, all of whom lived closely with Jesus for three years, were not yet able to overcome their fears and pursue the mission of Jesus. Instead, they gather in a locked room, mourning their friend, confused about the empty tomb and stories of his appearances, and fearful for their own lives. We whose lives are filled with fear at times definitely have the Apostles as our kindred spirits.

The truth is that, like the Apostles, it doesn’t matter what has gathered us here. The important thing is that at least we are here. At least in our fear we did not hide away and refuse to be brought into the light. Because there are many who have left us, aren’t there? Many have had enough of church scandals of sexual abuse and financial mismanagement and have decided to take their spiritual business elsewhere. Many have been hurt in all kinds of ways and have not found immediate healing in the Church. Many have been influenced by the allurements of the world and the false comforts of pop psychology and have given up on a religion that makes demands of them. Many have left us, but at least we are here, at least we have gathered, albeit in fear, albeit locked up in our own little rooms, but definitely in the path of our Lord who longs to be among us in our fear and to say, “Peace be with you.”

The peace that Jesus imparts is not just the absence of war or conflict in our lives. It is instead a real peace, a peace from the inside of us out. A peace that affects our body, mind and spirit. A peace that brings us into communion with one another and most especially with God for whom we were created and redeemed. The peace that the Ten had upon seeing their Risen Lord, the peace that Thomas had just one week later, is the same peace that our Risen Lord offers to all of us fearful disciples who gather together as a refuge against the storms and uncertainties of our own lives. That peace is a peace that invites us to reach out like Thomas did and touch our Lord as we receive his very Body and Blood in all his Divine Mercy.

That peace is not some passive greeting that rests upon us and goes no further. Whenever we are gifted with any blessing, it is never intended only for us. We who have been gifted and healed and transformed by the peace of our Risen Lord are called just like the Eleven to continue to write the story of Jesus so that others may see and believe. We now become the peace of Christ to reach out to a world that appears to be hopelessly un-peaceful. We must extend that peace by reaching out to touch those who are sick, or poor, or lonely, or despairing, or doubtful, or fearful, or grieving, or fallen away. Our own presence in and among our loved ones and in and among the world must be a presence that is rooted in the Risen Lord and steeped in his peace. We must be the ones who help a doubting world to no longer be unbelieving but believe.

We’ve been asked to do that today by reflecting on our own responsibility to continue the work of Christ through the Catholic ministries of our diocese. It would be easy, based on the doubt and fear that we all certainly must have these days as the result of scandal and mismanagement, to turn our back on this request. But doing that only turns our backs on those who come to Catholic Charities for assistance or counseling. Doing that turns our backs on those who turn to our diocese to prepare them for ministry as catechists or youth ministry leaders. Our parish benefits directly from these ministries, and we are called upon to support them.

Our parish also directly benefits from the ministry of the diocesan Vocation office. Your new associate, who looks something like me I’m told, was formed for five years at Mundelein Seminary which cost the diocese in excess of $150,000. I certainly hope he’s worth it! Seriously, I’d never have been able to pursue this vocation as a priest if I had to pay that myself. I am grateful to the people of this diocese for making that possible for me, and every single day I try to give back to this parish in gratitude for what I’ve been given.

We could certainly turn our backs on this request for whatever reason. We could let our fear or apathy or disbelief get in the way. But we who have been given so much through the peace of Christ are called upon to believe and make belief possible for every single person. Your support of the Catholic ministries appeal helps to make that happen.

We have come here today for all kinds of reasons. We may have come here in doubt and fear, but as we approach the Eucharist and receive the very Body and Blood of our Lord who invites us to reach out and touch him in all his brokenness and woundedness, as we go forth to love and serve the Lord this day, may we leave not in doubt and fear but instead in belief and peace.

Peace be with you.

Today’s readings

Every year about Easter time, there are news reports of archeological findings that point to the fact that Jesus did not rise from the dead. I personally think those are specifically timed to detract from the solemnity and the joy that Easter brings us. This year was no exception, with the claim that someone found the tomb of Jesus. Then the reaction from Evangelical preachers was that it didn’t matter if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, we’d all still believe anyway. That’s nonsense too.

If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, as St. Paul tells us, our faith is in vain. So the Resurrection is absolutely essential to our belief, and if someone really did find the tomb of Jesus with his bones in it, we’d be heartbroken. But they never have, and they never will. Even this recent so-called discovery has been disproved and exposed for the lie that it is. We still believe that Jesus rose from the dead.

Even if you don’t believe much of the other evidence, we can believe in the Resurrection, I think, because the disciples were willing to give their lives for it. They were slow to believe themselves, as today’s Gospel clearly shows us. But as the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles tells us, they did eventually believe and were willing to suffer the scorn of the Jews, mistreatment and torture, and for most of them, even a tortuous death. They wouldn’t do that for a lie. The Resurrection of Jesus is a fact that we can base our joy on, and we rejoice in that today, and every day as we celebrate the salvation that comes from our Lord Jesus Christ.