A MOTHERLY LOVE

Sixth Sunday of Easter      Year B            Nativity Parish        Deacon John W. McMullen

A MOTHERLY LOVE

Most of you may recall the recent tornado that destroyed Henryville, Indiana. Stephanie Decker, a mother of two, was at home when her husband texted her that a tornado was bearing down on their neighbor-hood. Stephanie took her 8 year old son and 5 year old daughter and huddled in the basement.


She covered them with a comforter and then shielded her children with her own body to prevent debris from landing on them when the twister hit the house. As the house disintegrated, wreckage broke seven of her ribs and two steel beams severed her legs. She couldn’t move. The storm continued to ravage her home until the tornado collapsed the house around her and her children. Her actions saved her children, but when she was taken to the hospital, both of her legs had to be amputated – one just below the knee, the other just above it. 

There is no greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. 

Today in America, we celebrate Mother’s Day.  And May is the Month of the Blessed Mother Mary, for whom all Christians can call Mother.

But Mother’s Day can be a painful time too, especially for the childless and mothers who have lost a child by miscarriage or in childbirth, and those mothers who have grieved the death of one of their children, God comforts you, for He knows the depths of your loss and grief, and be assured of our prayer and love. 

For most of us here we are thankful for our mothers, and other women and mothers in our lives: grandmothers, aunts, co-workers, or neighbors who have been mothers-figures, or adoptive mothers or step-mothers.  And what of the women of faith and courage who inspire us, our “faith-mothers” like Sister Sharon, or Sister Jean, or any of the many religious sisters and faithful Christian women who have influenced us and loved us and served us for so long almost with no thanks. There is no greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.

One mother named Tilly said, “The love that a mother feels for her children can't be defined by words. Few mothers give their lives for their children by dying for them, but most mothers do daily die to themselves in order to give so much.” Another mother, Helen, said: “A mother’s love is like that of God’s love, for we give our love willingly and abundantly without expecting anything in return… In fact we give in hope that our children will realize that love is unconditional.” There is no greater love. 

Jesus reminds us that God loves us unconditionally just like mothers who love their children despite their faults. Mothers often say they never thought they could love another person as they love their child. And yet with each new child, they feel their love expand.

Yet nothing can compare with the love of God; in fact it is almost impossible to comprehend. Yet this is the love we called to participate in. Just as God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him, when a woman gives birth or nurtures another person, she is giving new life to the world. 

Jesus even compared his deep love for his people to that of mother bird; “As a mother hen longs to gather her chicks under her wings, so I long to gather you to myself.” Jesus knows the depths of love and the pain that often accompanies a mother’s love. There is no greater love than this than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 

And though we call God “Father”, we may take the mystery of God for granted, and forget that God cares tenderly for his children like a mother. The Scriptures reveal God’s tenderness in images of motherhood.

“In the Psalms God is compared to a nursing mother, God forms men and women in the womb, God carries the Chosen People like a mother carrying her children in her womb, giving birth to them in the Land of  Promise.”

And just as mothers carry their children in their womb and nourish them with their own body and blood, and after giving birth, the mother’s breast feed their children, St. Julian of Norwich wrote: “Jesus, [our beloved Mother] feeds us with himself…”  (Julian of Norwich, 14^th century).

There is no greater love than this. 

St. Thomas Aquinas employed the image of the pelican for Christ in his hymn Adoro te. The Pelican was seen as a figure of Christ’s motherly love in the Eucharist.  Centuries ago, people believed that the mother pelican fed her own flesh to her offspring. That is why on the top of some very elaborate altar pieces, such as St. Boniface in Evansville or the Old Cathedral in Vincennes, there is a pelican with a bleeding heart, feeding its offspring. Now, even though science has shown that this is a myth, the image of the mother pelican still reminds Catholics of Jesus feeding us with his Flesh and Blood in the Eucharist so that we might have life. In the gift of the Holy Eucharist we encounter the self-emptying and self-giving of Christ, like a loving mother.

There is no greater love than this.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church attest to the beauty of the this metaphor of God as Mother: God's parental tenderness can also be expressed by the image of motherhood. But we know that human parents can disfigure both the face of fatherhood and motherhood. We ought therefore to recall that God is GOD…[but] no one is father as God is Father (CCC 239). 

God is love. And God gives love freely. It is a love that can completely transform us. For love is patient, love is kind, it believes, it hopes, it protects, it trusts, it perseveres and endures! God is love and  God shows no partiality! 

If we live in God, then God will live in us; and since God is love, then love will dwell within us. And we who are Christian and have been baptized INTO Christ, share in the divine nature, and because of that we can live out the divine love as God does and as Christ did and continues to do so.

Jesus said: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete.” There is no greater love. [So may we rejoice in his love and joy this day and every day]. 

But Jesus doesn’t let us off easy. We are to share his love and mercy and joy with one another, no matter who they are or what they’ve done. Remember what He said: “This I command you: love one another." We pray for the grace and the strength to love one another as he has loved each of us.

There is no greater love than this.

Surrender to a Peace that the World Cannot Give

Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter - Year B

[The Readings of the day are Acts 9; 1 John 3:18-24; and Gospel of John, 15:1-8]

We all likely know the story of St. Paul’s encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus. It was not simply a conversion, but a total surrender! A flash of light rendered him completely blind and Paul heard the voice of Jesus say: Be my disciple.

But now Paul is in real trouble. He was Christian enemy number one; the nemesis to the early Jesus movement, but now also considered a heretic and traitor to Judaism.

So when he shows up in Jerusalem supposedly a disciple, we can understand the fear and anxiety of the church. After all, he was the one responsible for St. Stephen’s martyrdom.

Paul is an exile. He’s been proclaiming Jesus as Lord, but now he is in trouble for it, not only from the Pharisees and Jewish religious establishment, but now he is being held suspect by the Church, or at least the leaders, the early bishops we might say, and even Pope Peter.

Fear can truly arrest people. New ideas scare folks. Many people fear change. People are often suspicious of newcomers. It could be a fear of different language, different cultural backgrounds, or even a fear of others who become knowledgeable in matters of faith.

There are those who have great insecurity when people think and pray and even do theology differently or, dare I say, fight poverty and economic injustice. We know there are those who would like have us keep our faith in the sanctuary and not challenge the social, economic, and/or political order, yet we are called to forge ahead with the full gospel.

So how is Paul going to join the Church community? Who will help him convince the leaders that he really is one of them?

He meets Barnabas!

Barnabas was of the Jewish priestly class, a Sadducee, who had come to believe in the Resurrection of Jesus. Now this in itself is amazing because the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead! But Barnabas was filled with the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit blew away all his old fears, fired his faith, and gave him the wisdom to proclaim the Good News of Christ!

And in Luke’s account, Barnabas not only believes in Christ, but he believes Paul’s story. And it is Barnabas that took charge of Paul and brought him to the other apostles. Barnabas is risking it all and surrenders his reputation for Paul’s sake. Barnabas loses himself all for the newcomer Paul, a former enemy of the faith. And when he does, the disciples receive Paul as their own.

But only because of Barnabas!

It took a Barnabas to bring the disciples and Paul together. 

Barnabas was a nickname. Bar-nabas means “child of encouragement’ or “child of Consolation”. Each of us are called to be encouragers, consolers, encouraging one another in the faith, in love, in charity, in hope!

But, more trouble came for Paul when he spoke with and debated with the Hellenists, the Greeks. They tried to kill him!

 There is a risk in discipleship. It is dangerous being a prophet, it’s dangerous being church!  

It may remind us of Dorothy Day of the Catholic Worker.  Dorothy was willing to risk her reputation for the sake of the gospel. She was not seen as a “good” Catholic by many in the church because of her subversive ministry to the despised, the powerless, downtrodden, and praying for and working for social and economic justice and peace.

Her bishop said to her, “Dorothy, there are those who say you and your companions are destroying the church.”

To which she replied: “I thought we were being the church.”

[And today there may be certain voices in the church who simply want parishioners who pray, pay, and obey, but we are called to be more than Catholic bobble-heads!

Our faith must be a lived reality, following Jesus Christ as a way of life!  

So we have an inkling of why some religious people wanted to kill Paul. To the religious establishment, he was not only ruining Judaism, but he was ruining the Christian Way. He was breaking boundaries, even allowing women leaders and Gentiles to become followers of Christ.

In Paul’s letters he called certain women his fellow laborers and co-workers in the gospel. There were those who were very critical of his allowing women leadership positions in the Church. And [my wife said], don’t think the women were just darning the apostles’ socks or carrying their well-water either.

We only have to think of the thousands of religious sisters  and lay Catholic women who are workers in the vineyard, teaching, comforting the sick and dying, prisoners, and assisting the immigrant, the hungry, the forgotten and the hopeless.

Really, it all began with Mary of Nazareth, who proclaimed: “Let it be done to me according to your Word!”

And later it was Mary Magdalene took the message of the 

Resurrection of Christ to the fearful apostles hiding behind locked doors in the all important upper room where all theological decisions were being made!

[Or just one example among many, I could tell the story of St. Catherine of Siena – a doctor of the Church – who helped restore the church’s unity, but alas, that would be another homily.]

Suffice it to say, in the Christian community women were leaders. 

As they are still today.

As for St. Paul, after the Greeks tried to kill him, the disciples send him to Tarsus, his home, where he could process his entire experience. Sort of a retreat of sorts. Paul's faith and ideas were a real challenge to Peter and the boys.

But what is so interesting in the first reading is that despite all the fear surrounding Paul and the desire to kill him, Luke immediately tells us that THE CHURCH WAS AT PEACE. Peace? 

Really? The Church was at peace. How??? 

How can there be peace with so much distrust, fear, insecurity, and suspicion?

Where would this peace come from? How can there be peace?

Luke tells us it was “with the consolation of the Holy Spirit.”

St. John tells us in his gospel that there is a peace that only Christ Jesus can give.

So how can we as individuals and as a church community be at peace? 

Well, what did Barnabas do?

Barnabas took the time to listen. He listened to Paul’s story. Barnabas made himself vulnerable. Barnabas surrendered his own concerns for the concern of another. Barnabas reconciled Paul with the church. Barnabas did not judge Paul.

Barnabas let go of himself…

And WHAT BARNABAS DID WE ARE CALLED TO DO.

For to be at peace is to be in Christ.

And Barnabas had found that peace.

And Barnabas shared that peace with Peter and Paul and all the church.

Because, you see, Barnabas was rooted in the vine of Christ.

You and I are called to be the Barnabases in others’ people lives.

Yes, there is a risk in ministry, yet Barnabas’ example shows us that to be church means to be at peace even amidst conflicts and differences.

With such encouraging words, can we imagine the great things the Lord will do through us, his weak human instruments, if we would but trust in Christ, being fruitful branches of Christ, wherever we are, and to whomever we encounter, regardless what some may say?!

Christ promises us that he will remain in us if we remain in him!

We hear the Word and take it in, and allow it to form us, and then when we approach this altar and receive the Eucharist, Christ will dwell within us in an intimate way, so that we might be Christ to one another.

As St. Paul wrote: “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.”

So, we pray, O Lord, make us your branches like Barnabas to be your message of mercy to everyone we meet, to those who think they have no one, and let them know that there is a living Church community they can call home, where they can be tended to and nourished and allowed to grow.

O God, give us the courage to risk all and be like Barnabas, children of encouragement – to one another – and to a fearful world – that we might lead others to that peace which is beyond all our understanding and is found in you alone. Amen.

Go, humble flock and reach where the brave Shepherd has gone before!

Go, humble flock and reach where 

the brave Shepherd has gone before!

The Good Shepherd window at the Old Cathedral in Vincennes, Indiana. Photo by John William McMullen.

 Fourth Sunday of Easter (Year B) 2012         

 

Today’s first reading finds Saints Peter and John in big trouble for performing a good deed, indeed a miracle, in the Name of Jesus on a Sabbath.

Peter and John saw a beggar in need and in the Name above all Names, the Name of Jesus, they healed him and told him to “rise and walk”. How dare them do such a thing without consulting all the proper religious authorities – and to do such a thing on a Sabbath!

Human beings were created to observe the Sabbath, the authorities said to Jesus. But Jesus said the Sabbath was created for human beings! So Jesus knows what that rejection is like. He was forever in trouble with the religious leaders for healing on the Sabbath.

Peter and John are now in the same trouble as was Jesus the good shepherd.

What is so amazing is not so much the miracle as the hard-heartedness and narrow-mindedness of those who are angry that the crippled man can now walk!

Just like the original shepherd, the shepherds Peter and John, are in trouble for living the gospel message. The church is often criticized for its work with the poor and marginalized.

Some people often only regard the church as the pope and bishops. But we know that the church is far greater than simply the men in who called to be our shepherds.

Yes, the pope and bishops are to shepherd us, and have Jesus as the Good Shepherd as their model to follow, and we are obliged to hear their voice and follow their example.

The good shepherd is one who knows his sheep, protects them, defends them, cares for them, and is willing to lay down his life for them. This is the kind of shepherd the faithful recognize as a servant-leader.

Christ formed the Church as His Living Body on earth and the Soul of the Body of the Church is the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit urges us on to love as Christ loves! Our faith is about authentic relationship with God and with one another.

Our faith in Christ is far more than following a list of rules and knowing what NOT to do. As one of my students said of a fellow teacher: “She is really good at telling me what I cannot to do, but why doesn’t she focus on what I can do? Or let me know when I am doing well?”

We all long for authentic Christian lives as examples to follow. But when we see some Christians more concerned with outward appearances than with the gospel, more concerned about rules than about love and mercy, more concerned with law than about justice, I can see why some people have become disillusioned with the Church or religion.

If a church community ceases to be the living presence of Jesus to a weary world, then it can become an obstacle to faith in Jesus.

So when we gather as church, as the body of Christ, the church as the visible presence of Jesus in the world.

And if we are living that reality, then the Church must be like her Lord, human and vulnerable as was Jesus the Good Shepherd when he humbled himself to share in our humanity. Jesus was rejected and cast away, crucified as a common criminal. In fact he laid down his life in death so that you and I might live!

Yet today we are called to allow ourselves to be shepherded by the Good Shepherd who was rejected.

But most people in Jesus’ day would say that there was no such thing as a good shepherd. They smelled bad, many were thieves, and would run off at the first sign of a wolf or predator, leaving their sheep vulnerable to attack. In other words, they were the outcasts of all outcasts in society. 

But recall that the angels first appeared to the shepherds at Jesus’ birth, he who would be the Lamb of God, so it is an appropriate metaphor, and therefore we cannot so easily dismiss the shepherd image.

Jesus was cast off, but he insists: “I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.”

Perhaps we think it beneath our dignity to be called sheep, yet Jesus himself humbled himself to share in our humanity and is called the Lamb of God. The last time I checked, a lamb is a sheep. And now he is the Good Shepherd. We are in good hands as His sheep.

We stand for human life. We stand for the underdog. We stand with the vulnerable. We stand for the powerless, the voiceless, the downtrodden, and, yes, we even stand with those who get themselves into terrible situations, for Jesus came to seek and to save what was lost!

There are no disposable stray sheep for the Good Shepherd and so it must be that way for the Church! If we are God's children, and we know that we shall be like him, then each of us must be prepared to shepherd souls into the pasture of God’s Kingdom.

There are no prodigal sons or daughters so far gone that we write them off as losses, there are no lost sheep that we can write off as losses for tax purposes! Christ died and rose for each and every member of the human family!

I know how easy it is to drive around town and see people who look so haggard, so ragged; their face is blemished and they are missing teeth and we say “there’s another meth-head” or “there’s trouble.”

But Christ the Good Shepherd would have us say, “There is one of my least ones. There is one of my children, created in my image and likeness! Ah, he may look like a lump of coal, but he is a diamond in the rough. It is for you to go find him, not judge him.  Go, humble flock and reach where the brave Shepherd has gone before.

Or “There is one of my lost daughters of Eve. I know she looks like a slimy oyster, but within is a pearl of great price. Go seek the pearl, and do not judge. Go, humble flock and reach where the brave Shepherd has gone before.

God our Father, we are the sheep of your pasture, the sheep you have redeemed by your Precious Blood of the Lamb, of God, the True Lamb who has taken away the sins of our world; The Lamb, once slain, who lives forever, your Son Jesus Christ, the True Shepherd of our souls!

Lead us, Lord – no, compel us, Lord – to take your message of mercy to where no one else wants to go; to go out in search of the sheep who think they have no shepherd, the sheep who have lost their way; to the sheep who are in places and situations where they can no longer hear the Shepherd’s voice, and let them know that there is a Good Shepherd who has laid down his life for them, a good shepherd who wishes for them to come home to His pasture where He can tend to them and nourish them.

Go, humble flock and reach where the brave Shepherd has gone before!

STRENGTH FOR THE MOMENT

Lori Hogan's book STRENGTH FOR THE MOMENT (IMAGE Books, 2012) is a wonderful gift for those who minister to the aging, home-bound, and those in extended or hospice care, or anyone who will ever deal with aging parents or dying loved ones, or anyone who will ever deal with aging parents or anyone who will age or grow old and die.

Published by IMAGE Books, 2012

Lori Hogan’s collection of stories from people of different countries and cultures shows the common bonds that we all have with life, dying, and death. 

The author begins each set of reflections with an introduction based on her own thoughts and experiences, a scripture verse, a story from a caregiver, and closes with a prayer.
The fifty-two stories in this book are written by caregivers – spouses, daughters, sons, siblings, neighbors, strangers, and professional caregivers – and are based on their experiences dealing with those who are or were dying.

Among the stories that stand out for me are LuAnn Angelo’s account of her mother’s Alzheimer’s that caused her to descend into the state of a toddler and eventually an infant requiring diapers, where the daughter became her mother’s mother;

Steve Nooyen’s story of voluntarily caring for a stranger, Howie the Hoarder, and how Steve was challenged by Howie’s house, but gradually was able to see through the junk and encounter the real Howie who was a human person, capable of love and friendship;

Julie Hillmer’s struggle of moving her mother-in-law Marjory from one facility to another until finally she found the best home that met Marjory’s needs;

Jeanne Griffiths compassionate description of how she came to care for her mother, even to the point of bathing her, where a special intimacy is born out of that humbling experience of caring for someone in her most private and vulnerable moments;

Kay Shield’s heart-wrenching account of being blessed with Patrick, a special needs child, and her and her husband’s question of “why?” and “God, can I do this?” Particularly beautiful is how the two older brothers came to love Pat, even though he remains at the developmental stage of an infant. They helped dress, feed, and even change his diapers. 

One of the saddest parts of Kay’s story deals with a Mother’s Day Brunch for women with special needs children. Kay was relating to the women how her sons take responsibility to help parent Patrick, when one of the mothers said, “My children would never do anything to help their brother.” Many of the women nodded in agreement. Kay was shocked (as was I) but happy to realize what a blessing her sons are contributing to such a loving family that cares so much;

Marian Battersby’s story of how depression affects not only the person experiencing it, but also all of the caregivers to that person, and the courage and strength the Lord provides to all involved;

And finally Colette Hofelich’s point that even if one places a loved one in a facility, that it does not lessen one’s work load or responsibility to the loved one. On the contrary, one still remains a caregiver and requires visits and follow-up care, among the many other quotidian tasks.

Though I am a Permanent Deacon and chaplain, accustomed to visiting the sick, suffering, and dying, and my wife, Mary Grace, is a hospice and hospital chaplain, Hogan’s book convicted me to be truly present to those with whom I minister. 

It is said of Mother Teresa that when you were in her presence, you – and you alone – were the only person in the world to her. She was undistracted and was totally present to that person. 

This is a lost art today, especially with so many distractions: cell phones, texts, social networking sites, television, etcetera.

Hogan’s book and the collection of stories challenged me as son, cousin, nephew, father, Permanent Deacon, and teacher, to not only visit my own loved ones, parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, brothers and sisters, but to be truly present to others, and especially to seek reconciliation of those with whom we are estranged.

The fact that there are fifty-two stories makes this book a good bed-side reader for all of us – one story a week for one year.

Thank you, Lori, for such an insightful book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the above book for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

"Lord, I believe; help my unbelief"

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!

MERCY SUNDAY

My nephew Thomas recommended a book at our family Easter celebration. His pastor Jeff Kinkaid has recommended it to his congregation. The book is called YOU LOST ME by David Kinnaman. It's all about the 18-29 age group that have jumped ship, the church, that is. Many are spiritual, believe in God, but don't see the need for community or church, others have been burned or grew up being told that one cannot and can never doubt anything or else "you’re out." Where is the love and mercy of Jesus?

This weekend we will hear of Thomas the Apostle who absented himself from church community that first Sunday after Jesus’ Resurrection. Can you imagine the joy when the disciples encountered the Risen Christ Jesus?! And perhaps the sadness that Thomas missed him! Where was Thomas? Doing his taxes?  We do not know.

Anyway, Thomas refuses to believe the other disciples when they inform him that Christ Jesus has been raised. He says he won’t believe it until he himself can experience the risen crucified one for himself.

The following Sunday as the disciples are gathered for weekly worship, Jesus again appears to the community and Thomas is present. Thomas is greeted by Jesus with "Peace". Jesus doesn't scold him for his unbelief. Christ is not afraid of human doubts. He extends peace. Again, it is an opportunity for an invitation to faith, and Thomas exclaims: “My Lord and my God.”

Jesus then says, "Peace be with you."  "As the Father has sent me, so I send you."  And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."

Sound like we have some forgiving to do (Forgive as I have forgiven you) and then if we retain sins, then they are retained - and this affects us (just as much it does for those we do not forgive). And this being Mercy Sunday, let us pray we hearken to the Master's words: Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy (Mt 5.7).

People are most often tortured for their lack of forgiveness or willingness to forgive others their sins… often these people refuse to forgive others… even though they themselves have been forgiven or have asked forgiveness for the same kind of sins. Some (many?) experience physical ailments when they will not forgive or who hold grudges.

How many times did our Blessed Lord forgive someone who was physically crippled, paralyzed, withered, bent over, and when they were forgiven (we would hope they also then forgave any grievances) and then they got well.

(Do not confuse these with the exorcisms where a demon caused the illness, although I am sure demons enjoy it when we hold grudges or refuse to forgive, but that is a different topic).

So I imagine the early Christian community described by Luke in the Acts of the Apostles is an enormous response to the Lord's Mercy! Look at how those Christians love one another!  Real or imagined, the Church (Christianity) has an enormous PR problem. Real or imagined, the church is viewed as hypocritical, judgmental, and irrelevant by many.

Many of the 18-29 yr olds feel - real or imagined - that the Church left them behind, one said, the way church is done was "damaging my relationship with God." Another wrote "The church was not a safe place to ask questions or hospitable places to express doubts. 

Granted, we are not going to change the truth of the Gospel nor can we, but the question for us to wrestle with is how are we going to present the eternal truths of Christ and the church to a digitalized culture.

Many want to do the faith and not be hearers only, many are spiritual and experience God, but feel disconnected to the institutional church and the "talking heads" (the authors words, not mine).  Disciples cannot be produced or made like consumer goods; they are hand-made, one at a time, one relationship at a time. NOTE that Jesus singled THOMAS out and called him to himself. It is a beautiful grace-filled scene. And Jesus didn't judge him. He simply called him to experience His wounds and to believe. Thomas exclaims “My Lord and My God.”

Faith formation is so needed. So many of our people are already halfway out the door, Christmas and Easter Christians only, and I can only imagine the kids who do not attend church regularly.

The Church cannot be an insular society that turns its back on the world and dwell in the "upper room". No, Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you,” and “Go make disciples....” It is an awesome task and a great privilege! But we cannot wait.

Our culture demands seemingly "mindless conformity in exchange for belonging," (David Kinnaman, the author of YOU LOST ME), but Jesus calls for a kingdom centered community.

I'll end with Kinnaman's research: He says there are three categories of those lost: the NOMADS, they walk away from the Church, but still consider themselves to be Christian; then are the PRODIGALS who lose faith and no longer consider themselves Christian; lastly are the EXILES who are still invested in their faith, but feel stuck between the church and the culture.

So when Luke relates in the ACTS of the APOSTLES that: "The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all. There was no needy person among them...." (Acts 4:32-35), now that is a Church we can believe in! But are we willing to BE CHURCH?

Oftentimes, those who doubt are the ones who truly want to believe. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!

In Mark 9:17-29, Jesus is approached by a man whose son was possessed by a demon: "Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit. Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so.” He said to them in reply, “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.” They brought the boy to him. And when he saw him, the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions. As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around and foam at the mouth.

Then he questioned his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” He replied, “Since childhood. It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”

Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!” Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out. He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, “He is dead!” But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up.

When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private, “Why could we not drive it out?” He said to them, “This kind can only come out through prayer and fasting.”

Let us pray and fast that all those who feel lost and alienated and have wandered away from Christ's church community may find Christ's merciful presence once again in his disciples, as Jesus has called us to be His Body here on earth.

May the Church of Christ be as Christ the Good Shepherd and mercifully seek and fnd the lost sheep and restore them to the fold.

Lord Jesus, have mercy on us!

Exult, let them exalt! The Easter Vigil Begins

Exult! Christ is Risen. Indeed He is Risen.

As He Said. Alleluia, Alleluia.

The Resurrection Window at the Old Cathedral in Vincennes, from my photos.

THE EXSULTET - THE EASTER PROCLAMATION

Exult, let them exult, the hosts of heaven,exult, let Angel ministers of God exult,
let the trumpet of salvation sound aloud our mighty King’s triumph!
Be glad, let earth be glad, as glory floods her,
ablaze with light from her eternal King,
let all corners of the earth be glad,
knowing an end to gloom and darkness.
Rejoice, let Mother Church also rejoice,
arrayed with the lighting of his glory,
let this holy building shake with joy,
filled with the mighty voices of the peoples.

(Therefore, dearest friends,
standing in the awesome glory of this holy light,
invoke with me, I ask you, the mercy of God almighty,
that he who has been pleased to number me, though unworthy, among the Levites, may pour into me his light unshadowed,
that I may sing this candle’s perfect praises.)

(V/: The Lord be with you.
R/: And with your spirit.)
V/: Lift up your hearts.
R/: We lift them up to the Lord.
V/: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
R/: It is right and just.

It is truly right and just,
with ardent love of mind and heart,
and with devoted service of our voice,
to acclaim our God invisible, the almighty Father,
and Jesus Christ, our Lord, his Son, his Only Begotten.
Who for our sake paid Adam’s debt to the eternal Father,
and pouring out his own dear Blood
wiped clean the record of our ancient sinfulness.
These then are the feasts of Passover,
in which is slain the Lamb, the one true Lamb,
whose Blood anoints the doorposts of believers.

This is the night, when once you led our forebears,
Israel’s children, from slavery in Egypt
and made them pass dry-shod through the Red Sea.
This is the night that with a pillar of fire banished the darkness of sin.

This is the night that even now, throughout the world,
sets Christian believers apart from worldly vices and from the gloom of sin, lending them to grace, and joining them to his holy ones.
This is the night when Christ broke the prison-bars of death,
and rose victorious from the underworld.
Our birth would have been no gain, had we not been redeemed.

O wonder of your humble care for us!
O love, O charity beyond all telling,
to ransom a slave you gave away your Son!
O truly necessary sin of Adam, destroyed completely by the Death of Christ!
O happy fault that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer!
O truly blessed night, worthy alone to know the time and hour
when Christ rose from the underworld!

This is the night of which it is written:
The night shall be as bright as day, dazzling is the night for me, and full of gladness.
The sanctifying power of this night dispels all wickedness,
washes faults away, restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to mourners, drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty.

On this, your night of grace, O holy Father,
accept this candle, a solemn offering,
the work of bees and of your servants’ hands,
an evening sacrifice of praise, this gift from your most holy Church.

But now we know the praises of this pillar,
which glowing fire ignites for God’s honour,
a fire into many flames divided,
yet never dimmed by sharing of its light,
for it is fed by melting wax,
drawn out by mother bees to build a torch so precious.

O truly blessed night,
when things of heaven are wed to those of earth,
and divine to the human.
Therefore, O Lord, we pray you that this candle,
hallowed to the honour of your name,
may persevere undimmed,
to overcome the darkness of this night.
Receive it as a pleasing fragrance,
and let it mingle with the lights of heaven.

May this flame be found still burning by the Morning Star:
the one Morning Star who never sets, Christ your Son,
who coming back from death’s domain
has shed his peaceful light on humanity
and lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen

Beloved by the Beloved

The Life of the Beloved Son of God has been spent in love of you and me.

The Crucifixion scene from the Old Cathedral in Vincennes, Indiana. from my photos.

It is Finished.
 

The Life of the Beloved Son of God has been spent in love of you and me.

God’ love is poured out in Jesus crucified.

In the crucifixion, Jesus’ life appears to be a horrible failure.

Hatred seems to have conquered love.

Yet on the Cross, Jesus crucifies all illusions of power:

He has crucified all of our false gods:

power

possessions,

pleasure,

and popularity.


-Powerless, his hands and feet were nailed to the wood of the cross; he is humbled and incapacitated.

-Poor and stripped down to nothing, he hangs alone upon the gibbet of the cross under a burning sun; all illusions of wealth and prosperity are crucified.

-Illusions of pleasure and luxury are crushed in the bloody, splintered cross. Writhing in pain, gasping for air, he feels no pleasure at all; in agony and torment, He has crucified the god of pleasure.

-Jesus is rejected by the crowds; from the cross he looks for his followers, but he is abandoned by almost all of his is disciples.

Standing at the foot of the cross were only his mother, Mary Magdalene, and the Apostle John, the beloved disciple, the youngest of the Apostles.


Disowned, he has lost all honor and dies the death of a criminal; and crucifies the god of popularity and fame on the Cross.
 

Yet He is the Beloved:

And we are the Beloved of God.
 
We recognize ourselves in the Man on the Cross:

-We are beloved in our powerlessness;

-We are Beloved in our lack of possessions; (we are not what we have or possess).

-We are beloved in our suffering and pain; (we are not defined by a life of luxury and pleasure).

-We are beloved in our dishonor and abandonment; (we are not determined by our popularity or by what others say about us);


The search to find happiness in the false gods of:

possessions, power, pleasure, and popularity is over.


It is finished.

We place our trust in Him now, at the cross, giving ourselves over to him , dying with him, allowing his death to put to death all those things that prevent us from rising to new life, so that we can be a new creation....finished with the old way of seeing and doing things... finished because we have had an encounter with the Beloved Son of God.

We see the Beloved lifted high upon the cross, with his arms outstretched embracing all of our pain, all of our suffering.

And in him we see ourselves. 

We are His Beloved.

The Life of the Beloved Son of God has been spent in love of you and me.