Divine Mercy Sunday - Peace Be With You!_042819

Deacon Tom Writes

“Peace Be With You!”

Second Sunday of Easter (or Sunday of Divine Mercy), Year C

Today on the Octave of Easter we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. It is the eighth day after Jesus’ triumphant victory over death, the reason for our wholehearted joy today. It is fitting for us to reflect on God’s unconditional and constant love for us on this day set aside in honor the Divine Mercy for it is through God’s Mercy we were redeemed by the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.

We read today about the life of Jesus’ Apostles and the early days of the church. They weren’t looking to establish a religion to rival their Jewish faith. They had no such grandiose plans to create a massive organization. What they wanted to do was spread the word about all they had seen and heard. They had to keep Jesus’ story alive. And, to this end they were very successful, as we read today, “…the people esteemed them” as they worked signs and wonders among them. The Apostles were sharing the powers that they had received from the Holy Spirit, “On the evening of that first day of the week”. Enlivened by the Holy Spirit they left the room they had locked themselves in and fearlessly began to proclaim the Gospel, the Good News that God’s reign had begun. And the people were eager to hear that Good News, for not only were “…great numbers of men and woman were added to them”, but also, “…the sick and those disturbed by unclean spirits … were all cured”. And so it began!

Today we ask ourselves in what ways God has shown us his mercy and reflect on the many ways God’s Mercy has touched our lives. We may recall the words with which Jesus greeted His Apostles as we begin our contemplation, “Peace be with you”. It is so fitting for us to call to mind the peace of Christ for most of are desperate for God’s peace, a peace the world cannot give. In the shadow of the Christ’s rising from the dead all Christians desire to be filled with his gentle spirit and humble heart. After all, we’re no different than those people who heard the Apostles and followed them. They were looking for inner peace within themselves, peace in their families and neighbors, and in the world around them; they too were eager to ease their troubled hearts and be connected with inner peace of the risen Lord. Don’t we all? 

As we bask in these “Glory Days” of Easter, let’s strive to find little ways to bring God’s peace into our lives and the lives of our family and friends around us. Because we have experienced God’s love and mercy, let’s pass it on to those who may be carrying heavy burdens or who may be getting beaten down by the challenges they face so they too may experience the precious Gift of God’s peace, one single facet of the infinite Mercy God desires to share with all his children. 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Easter Sunday - Nonsense_042119

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Nonsense”

Easter Sunday, The Resurrection of the Lord , The Mass of Easter Day, Year C

For many people the story of that first Easter morning is sheer nonsense. Even the Apostles didn’t believe it at first when the women told them they had seen Jesus.  And the passage of time hasn’t made believing any easier. As a matter of fact, the dawning of the age of cynicism and the challenges of living in a materialistic society are formidable obstacles to having any faith in anything today, let alone belief in the resurrection of the dead.

Let’s face it we all have doubts!  We all have a little bit of “Thomas” in us, the Thomas who would not believe until he put his hands into the wounds where the nails had been. Thomas was lucky; he was able to see with his own eyes. But we fall into that “blessed” category, as in, “Blessed are they who have not seen and have believed”.   

Many people of our day have abandoned their faith completely. Others are “casual worshipers” whose faith is a matter of convenience. We seem to have lost that excitement, the awesome bewilderment of what lies in store for those who believe in Jesus, who, by His Resurrection, tells us that one-day we too will rise from the dead.  It really does seem too good to be true.

Our journey of faith is a gradual one. We grow a little at a time; we mature in our faith slowly. A prayerful spirit, a generous heart, charitable words and deeds deepen our faith and peal away our skepticism and disbelief and Jesus becomes real to us. When Jesus is a part of our lives, when we know that He lives, we experience today’s remarkable story with excitement and joy knowing with absolute certainty that Jesus is not to be found among the dead. And, although it sounds like nonsense, for those who believe, death will not get the last word. For we were all created to live in the kingdom where Jesus, the firstborn from the dead, will reign forever.  

Happy Easter!

Deacon Tom

Palm Sunday - Even The Stones Will Cry Out!_041419

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Even The Stones Will Cry Out”

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, Year C

The tide of public opinion can change quickly. But the tide of public opinion is often nothing more than the collective mindset of the crowd that happens to gather at the moment. Today the crowd gathers to welcome Jesus and to sing his praises. Why not? He has a good reputation. He speaks kind words. He does good things. He even challenges the religious leaders. Word of his good adventures has spread throughout the land. He is a healer, worker of miracles and an advocate for the poor and disheartened. To some he is a prophet; to others he is the Messiah; to the religious authorities, he is a big problem!

Word spreads of his arrival in the city to celebrate Passover with his friends and many turn out to welcome him. The people are in a festive mood and they greet Jesus waving their palm branches and raising a chorus of “Hosanna”, for somehow they recognize the presence of God in their midst. As the spirit of hope fills the air, the Pharisees, the ones for whom Jesus is a problem, tell him to, “Rebuke your disciples”. They could not tolerate to see the adulations the people were placing upon him. But Jesus responds, “If they were to keep quiet, I tell you, the very stones would cry out”.

What a difference a few days can make. As Jesus stands before Pilate, the Pharisees don’t appeal to Jesus to control his disciples; instead they’re fueling the crowd’s ignorance, stirring them up to advance their agenda – to get rid of the thorn in their side, Jesus. The finger pointing, the false accusations, the skillful manipulation of the emotions of the crowd work in their favor and Jesus is condemned to death. The only spirit at work in the crowd on that day is the hardness of heart that, to this day, continues to blind many to God’s presence in their lives.

Our scripture readings today help us to see Jesus as both the hope for and the scourge of our world. For believers Jesus is the, “Way, the truth, and the life”. For others Jesus is a hindrance, an obstacle to living a life unchecked, unrestrained by any moral or ethical code. With Jesus out of the way, there are no restrictions to living a self-absorbed, it’s all about me, taking care of number one lifestyle. Any good that one may do in this state is done solely because it gives one individual pleasure, a sense of feeling good. There is no sense of any common good, let alone any awareness of belonging to the “Mystical Body of Christ”.

I suspect that many of the people in the crowd on Good Friday were also there to greet Jesus on Palm Sunday. Today we have a chance to imagine what we would have done if we were present at these two remarkably different events. Better yet, we can look into our lives and see what crowds we side with today. Being champions of the poor, the alienated, the marginalized and the abused is the best way to let our hosannas rise above the crowd around us.

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

Fifth Sunday of Lent - Old Problem - New Solution_040719

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Old Problem – New Solution ”

Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year C

The language in today’s readings tells us how much the Lord does on our behalf… “The Lord… opens… ways in the sea / paths in mighty waters.” … “The Lord does something new”.  The Responsorial Psalm proclaims, “The Lord is doing great things for us, we are filled with joy”.

In today’s gospel, Jesus had another difficult encounter with the scribes and the Pharisees. They bring a woman who, witnesses say, committed adultery. They want Jesus’ opinion on whether they should put her to death. It’s a trick question and Jesus is aware of their insincerity. So, offering no opinion of His own as to the merits of the Mosaic Law, He simply tells the authorities and crowd that had gathered earlier to hear Him teach, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Jesus avoids their trap and sets their heads, and ours, spinning.  Not surprisingly, Jesus had no takers. When everyone has left, Jesus is alone with the woman. The exchange between them is profound. “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir”. Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and from now on do not sin any more.”

The new approach to the old problem of “sin” that Jesus demonstrates today is the way of compassion. It is subtle yet profound. Jesus knows that the woman before Him is frightened and ashamed. She may have even preferred death by stoning than the public humiliation she was suffering. Yet Christ does not condemn her for her sin, quote her the citation from Leviticus she was guilty of violating; He does not accuse or blames or point the finger. What He does do is to encourage her to go and sin no more. He gives her a new beginning, a fresh start.

What a grace! What a new way to fix a persistent problem. What an experience of freedom… What an experience to make our own the remainder of this Lent, to humbly place ourselves before God so that He can take away our sins and our shame…and give us a fresh start by raising us to new life with Him this Easter!

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom