Holy Thursday

Today's Readings

"Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ" (cf. 1 Cor. 10:16)... "How shall I make a return to the LORD for all the good he has done for me? The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the LORD." (Psalm 116: 12-13)

This night is more special than any other night, for on this night, the angel of death has passed over us, as we unite as one people of God, fed by the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, to become disciples who feed, and care for all the world!

Tonight, the Truth of our past is played out in the Exodus story of God's people, combined with the miracle of the present, here at the Eucharistic Feast of the Lord, so as to set up the promise for the future, which is life everlasting!  

This is the beginning of the Easter Triduum, 

and this is Holy Thursday.

It is the night that we gather in communion with the Passover Meal celebrated by Christ in the Last Supper.  This "blessing cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ" (cf. 1 Cor. 10:16), and it is also a communion with our Hebrew brothers and sisters, God's chosen people, who led the way for all of us through the desert and into the promised land!  Tonight we unite with untold thousands of generations who have praised the Lord for His good deeds, and sought His cup of salvation!  Tonight, we share not only a meal, but a task calling on us to serve in the example of Jesus' Washing of the Feet, for he says, "As I have done for you, so you must do." (John 13: 15)  

So let us begin as one!  

One people of God... 

One Body in Christ!

Oh, I can't resist...

"One love, one heart... Give thanks and praise to the Lord, 

and [we] will feel alright!" (Mr. Bob Marley)

What's Up With Galilee?

Today's Readings

So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did you not bring him?” The guards answered, “Never before has anyone spoken like this man.” So the Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed.” Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them, “Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing?” They answered and said to him,  “You are not from Galilee also, are you? Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”  - John 7: 45-52

The opperative question for today is an important one to ask as we progress on our Way through the rest of our Lenten Journey... What's wrong with Galilee?  I stand aside and let the following resources offer some perspective:

Galilee
Catholic Encyclopedia (New Advent)
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06341c.htm

"From Jesus to the Christ"
A PBS - Frontline Special
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/portrait/galilee.html

Christ is YELLING!

Today's Readings

"But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, he himself also went up, not openly but as it were in secret.,,, Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ?"              - John 7: 10,26

If Christ were in the room, would you recognize Him?  As we continue to get to know Pope Francis, we have been thrown into an opportunity to reconsider how we view the "poor".  With the Holy Father leading the way, we are being treated to a perspective which advocates that each man, woman and child truly matters, no matter the status, and no matter which side of the street they are on... All are loved by God!

In today's Gospel, Jesus has to make the decision to visit the Temple in disguise, as folks were trying to kill him.  He avoided arrest, and no one laid a hand upon him "because his hour had not yet come." (John 7:30)  Many questioned whether it was him or not, and even though he spoke openly, no one seemed to truly recognize him, so Jesus YELLED OUT!  "You know me, and also know where I am from." (John 7:28)  And you can fill in the rest... Why are you not seeing me, and accepting me?  Why are you not walking with me, or seeking to do the will of the One who sent me?

Dare I say, Christ continues to YELL at the top of his voice, in the lives of the poor, and in the faces of the children!  Mother Teresa said that "each one of them is Jesus in disguise."  The Gospel speaks directly to us when it asks, "Could the authorities [that is you and me, and our expert opinions on all things religious, political, and such] have realized that he is the Christ?" (John 7:26)

Pope Francis spoke to this challenge in his first homily on Thursday, March 14, 2013, calling on us to recognize that Christ is indeed in our midst, calling on us to walk, build and profess his holy name.  He said, "The same Peter who confessed Jesus Christ, says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. I will follow you, but let us not speak of the Cross. This has nothing to do with it.” He says, “I’ll follow you on other ways, that do not include the Cross.” When we walk without the Cross, when we build without the Cross, and when we profess Christ without the Cross, we are not disciples of the Lord. We are worldly, we are bishops, priests, cardinals, Popes, but not disciples of the Lord."

This definitive challenge to the Church (that means you and me) declares that we are to recognize the face of Christ, and be ready to help carry the burden for all who need his love.  To not recognize him, as we all are prone to do, or not do the job that needs to be done in his name, makes us the ignorant authority!  So Christ continues to YELL into our ears, "You know me, and also where I am from!" (John 7:28)  LET'S GET TO WORK!

"I listen to the wind, to the wind of my soul." - Cat Stevens

A.S.K.

Today's Readings

"Jesus said to his disciples: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." - Matthew 7: 7-8

ASK

• Take a second and bring God into mind and your heart...
• Take a deep breath and think...
• Take that deep thought and wonder...
• Take the spirit of that wondering, and...
• ASK

SEEK

• Make a plan to journey with God, day by day...
• Make the first step...
• Make a friend along the way...
• Make a commitment to keep on looking, and...
• SEEK

KNOCK

• Act on your impulse to try...
• Act on the urge to do...
• Act with the Lord in heart...
• Act with faith, hope, love and purpose, and...
• KNOCK

Make Straight the Path

St. John the Baptist

Advent 2011: Make Straight the Path

It's always been a mathematical truth that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.  If Advent is a journey, the it's fair to assume that this journey has a starting and an end point.  The starting point is usually relative to the person making this journey.  It can be from the lowest of the low points, where "life sucks", or it could begin from a very comfortable place where life isn't really that bad at all.  But with respect to Advent, the end point is always the coming of Christ, sent by God into a world that needs His love.  


The Prophet Isaiah promised that one would come to "make straight the crooked path" (Isaiah 11: 1-10) , and that promise would be fulfilled in Christ, the Son of the living God.  By applying the above principle of mathematics, that straight line, fulfilled in knowing Christ, becomes the shortest distance between us and God.


With that said, a disciple of Christ (the student of the Teacher) should always try to learn from, and BE as Christ IS for the world, hence becoming a "straight line", reducing the distance between the world and Christ.


I hope to be that "straight line" for all I meet, and I hope this Advent, you'd consider one or both of the options above by allowing Christ to shorten the distance between you and God, and you committing your life to shortening the distance between those you meet and Christ, who then will take of the rest!

Advent: Waiting on the World to Change

We know the song, and the tune popped into your head when you read the title... Now take a second to breathe in, and breathe out... Sing it in your heart and pray it on up... "We're waiting. Waiting on the world to change!"

I Am Not Worthy!

This is a series of Blogs and reposts from a Discussion Board from an Online Course on the Implementation of the New Catholic Roman Missal with Youth...

A Question posted for me to answer:
Greg, (in a presentation I hosted for the MTS Course on the New Roman Missal) you specifically stated that we were not to make the connection of the roof of our mouths with the response of “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof…” Recently, we had a priest in residence who gave several talks about the new translation in which he contradicted that. He said that our bodies are temples in which we receive the Lord. Our mouths are the point of entry, with the roofs of our temples being the roofs of our mouths. I thought that made so much sense. Any comments?

That is a great and challenging question, for the explanation given by Father is a beautiful one, and certainly does make sense. So let me say at the outset that I do not "disagree" with the beauty of the explanation, I just think that the nature of Eucharist within the Mass is to heal AND adore. It can't be stressed enough, especially to young people, just how awesome it is to have Christ truly present in the Eucharist. But the prayer spoken before the reception of Holy Communion states, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." This reference to the healing of the Centurion's servant (Luke 7: 1-10) focuses on the

reality that the Body of Christ heals those who seek Him.

"And Jesus went with them, but when he was only a short distance from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof. Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed. For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him and, turning, said to the crowd following him, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” Luke 7: 6-9

I would therefore maintain, that its primary purpose is not only recognize that Jesus is in our midst, but also to begin the healing of hearts so that the end of the Mass, as "we go forth to love and serve the world", we do so with a NEW HEART, and a new outlook on life. After all, that was the result of the Lord's visit with the Centurion.

With regards to the "roof" being of the mouth, or the Temple, or the Church in which we celebrate, I would maintain that we are fed by the Body of Christ as ONE Church, so the "personal" encounter with Christ in the Eucharist, while amazing, is not why one goes to Mass. WE, the People of God assemble to give praise and thanks to our God, and in turn are fed by His Word, His Body, and His Blood.

I hope this post doesn't get me in trouble, for I am not speaking as a highly educated expert in liturgy... Just a former YM who is excited (and opinionated) about how things are evolving. I have to add a disclaimer that my opinion on this matter was skewed by the workshop I attended at last year's NCCYM, where it seemed to be stressed that the liturgical purpose was as I've stated, but probably not adequately enough... "I'm not worthy!" :)