JESUS IS VERY CHALLENGIING

 

There is a wise saying from the folklore that cautions us. “Never say anything about another person until you have walked a mile in their shoes.” 

 

The older you become (if you have learnt from the blows and bruises you received while trying to maneuver through life) the clearer you understand how hard life actually is for other people. You do not know how they almost collapsed when a relationship broke up, when they had to declare bankruptcy or when the lost an adult child through a drug overdose.

 

If you live into your eighties or nineties there will be many bruises of old battles fought, scars of failures and some limping from the accidents of life that literally blindsided you. Life takes a lot of energy and determination. There is never room to lie down and just give up.

 

This is where I want to say to everyone who claims to believe in God:  my experience of Jesus has been very challenging. This is not a feel-good religion that just aims to make all of us nice people who respect one another. God is no santy-claus god to drop goodies into our lives. 

 

We begin from the very heart of our God. This is the divinity who cares deeply about us humans. To name God is to stand together with God’s dynamic concern for humanity. This God is never indifferent to what happens on this earth.

 

Jesus is the incarnation of the living God. God is personal. God is touchable. God, in the life, teachings and actions of Jesus is very tangible. So many people  have not encountered the living God. They have not been challenged by the question of Jesus: who do you say I am?

 

The real Jesus is all about God wanting to transform the human heart. The plan of God is to move human beings  from living and working only for their own self-interest to living and working for the well-being of others. Jesus wants us to stop talking about ourselves and move out to feeding the hungry and binding up lonely wounds. This is not a feel-good religion but the challenge to become involved in the well-being of your fellow human being.

 

The wonderful consequence of living an authentic Christian religion is that the closer you draw towards your God, the closer you will draw toward your fellow human being. A heart that expands in love for God, is a heart that expands in love for the poor with their many faces.

 

I do not want anyone to ever think that “he’s the priest and religion  works well for him.” 

 

No, I am a fellow pilgrim and Jesus challenges my life to move from self-centeredness to compassion for others; from fear of dealing with some of the tough issues of life to embracing courage to look to the survival of the earth, to the struggles of so many others with drug/alcohol addictions and the burdens of old age. 

 

This Jesus is very challenging and I hope I meet up to the challenge!

 

 

 

 

 

 

SURVIVAL OF THE EARTH IS A SPIRITUAL ISSUE

 

Last Monday, April 8, we were blest with an eclipse of the sun. I hope that the thousands of people who were out had a wonderful experience of the moon moving over the sun for three minutes and some twenty seconds. It was an experience that they will never forget.

 

What a wonderful moment to celebrate and rejoice in creation. We are here to enjoy it. 

 

Thoughtful people, who are not afraid to tackle the hard questions of human existence, are painfully aware that the earth is entering into a time of global warming. It will not happen overnight but there is caution that the atmosphere will heat up the point where human beings may not be able to grow food on large parts of the earth. The ocean levels will rise and flood coastal cities (where a significant part of the human population lives).

 

We know the problem and it is us!  

 

All of humanity is challenged. Can we come together as the human race, change our consumption of fossil fuels and move into the life and climate-sustaining future. Every human being is challenged: will we cooperate and move into a surviving future or will we all perish together? 

 

The survival of the earth is a deeply spiritual problem.  How we live and what we value arises from our spiritual values. This challenges our Christian faith. 

 

We must go back into our roots to rediscover that in the very first chapter of the Bible we have the story of creation. It is told in terms of the seven days of creation which leads tohe believer to see that the seventh day as a day of joy o nthe part of God to rest, enjoy and be blest by the entire work of creation. Each day God stands back and recognizes how good creation is. 

 

This is where every believer needs to rediscover that the first act of revelation on the part of God is found in the book of creation. Every leaf, bug, cloud and potato plant reflects and is a share in the goodness and life of God. We need to rediscover how b lest every part of creation actually is. We need to reverence, respect and rejoice in every part of creation. We need to once again rediscover wonder for all parts of creation. 

 

Pope Francis in 2015 published an encyclical (official policy for the Church) ‘Laudato Si.’

It opens for all believers a new sense of compassion, cooperation and wonder for the earth, our common home. The teaching brings together our responsibility to care for the survival and thriving of ever y human being and our care for all parts of creation. This is not an either/or situation but a ‘together’ we must thrive.

 

Do not let any person who claims to believe in the divine off the hook. Ask them how they are working to preserve all of creation and helping all future generations of humanity to live, thrive and enjoy every aspect of creation. How are these people supporting and nourishing the future earth? How do they care for our common hone?

 

I hope you enjoyed the eclipse last Monday. May this event lift up your prayer in gratitude and wonder that we live in such a wonderful world.

 

 

 

MAY YOU BE THOMAS

 

Immediately after  Easter Sunday we are hit with Thomas (the doubting Thomas) who struggles with the reality of the risen Jesus. (Jh.  20, 19-31) This is not just one individual  but he stands for all the disciples of Jesus who struggled with the reality: they knew he was killed on the cross so how could he be alive now? As we listen and pray over this resurrection story, we know that this “is me!” I have doubts and struggles just like Thomas.

 

The power of this story is located in our own struggle to find the truth. It is not good enough for the women and disciples of the gospels to claim they have seen the risen Jesus. Now, each one of us must encounter the resurrected Jesus in our own space and time. Jesus must be risen for each one of us!

 

Wise people have taught us that you will only know a truth when you have grappled with the opposite. We have to rub against the opposite. There are people whom you find very difficult to get along with but once you know their story and some of the serious difficulties of their life you will get to appreciate them better. Just as a spark is generated when a piece of metal is struck against a flint will you get a spark to ignite your campfire. Striking opposites generates fire.

 

Thomas leaves no doubt where he stands. “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” (Jn. 20,25)

 

A week later Jesus appears among the disciples. He commands Thomas: “Thomas, put your finger here and see my  hands.  Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” (Jn. 2027)

 

We can feel the overpowering sense as Thomas recognizes the risen Jesus: “My Lord and my God.”

 

This appearance event tells us that struggle and doubt are part of the journey of faith. We may have hesitations about living into the reality of the risen Christ. We may have heard the story that Jesus is risen but we do not know what to make of it today.  In front of other believers who believe so firmly there may be guilt feelings that we cannot jump up and affirm  our faith so strongly.

 

It is healthy to struggle with the resurrection of Jesus. In the past we did not stress our need to walk with our people, supporting them as they seek to come to a mature and deeper faith. Somehow doubt and hesitation were regarded as a negative attitude toward Jesus Christ. Today ,we can see the importance that everyone struggles like Thomas to believe and live with the risen Christ.

 

Use your imagination and put yourselves into the shoes of Thomas. What fears do you have? What courage and new insights do you receive?

 

May your journey be like the journey of Thomas. May you come to a faith that is alive and moving as was that of Thomas after his struggles.

 

 

 

THE RESURRECTION IS CENTRAL TO OUR FAITH

 

This is Easter Sunday. This is the high point of our Holy Week celebrations. Christ has died! Christ is risen!

 

In Western Christianity (that is European, North and South American) we need to work had to keep the balance in our spirituality and our focus on the great act of salvation. Jesus truly gave his life as a sacrifice of service and love (bring all humanity to God) and the divine has broken through in the resurrection of Jesus. We must always have both together.

 

Through the past one thousand years the focus has been very strong on the humanity of Jesus. We can imagine his face, his body, his sufferings but we have serious difficulties imaging his resurrection. 

 

The devotion “the Way of the Cross” was always incomplete. We come to the end of the fourteenth station and the dead body of Jesus is placed in the tomb – and we are finished. We walk away. But half the mystery has been neglected! Our salvation is lived and manifested in the events of the resurrection of Jesus. We have always had difficulty getting handles on that one!

 

The resurrection of Jesus is always the revelation of the Son of God to the disciples. Each appearance is a theophany (to use the proper Biblical description).  A theophany is a direct experience of the living God. Each appearance is a revelation, a showing, a showing forth of the very Son of God. Jesus is the second person within the Trinity. The people of the Church must devote as much time and energy to the resurrection as they do to the moments of Jesus’ sufferings. 

 

The resurrection of Jesus is the divine action manifested among the disciples. Now they can see that everything that Jesus said and did was a manifestation of the very person and nature of God. The human Jesus is God in the flesh. What he taught and the miracles he worked are  God’s actions and teachings. Jesus, in all he did and said, is God’s revelation to the human race. 

 

But our celebration of Easter must never be a one day event. It happened on a definite night. It would be a deficit if we marked the Easter event and now lets go on with life. The opposite must now happen within our lives. Now, the resurrection of Jesus must happen in each believer. Each one of us must become the resurrection of Jesus. This happens through our life of prayer; our connection with the living God. This happens through our service to the poor with their many faces. It happens when we take time to walk with the friend who is undergoing cancer treatment. We walk beside them in support, friendship and encouragement. The resurrection must happen in our lifestyle.

 

Have a very happy Easter with your family and friends. But may Easter always be a door opening to a greater life in and with the risen Christ. May our lives be a manifestation of the Risen Christ, moving and active among us.

 

 

THE DONKEY IS PART OF HOLY WEEK

 

There is one character (Mk. 11,3)  that we overlook every holy week. It is the donkey: no name and now owner named either.

 

Jesus instructed the disciples to go into the village and borrow a colt/donkey. The disciples gave their word that the donkey would be returned.  There is a play on images here. 

 

The entry into Jerusalem, with Jesus riding the donkey, indicates that he is moving towards glory and success (i.e., the salvation on mankind on the cross and in the resurrection). There is a play on images here. In worldly terms a conquering emperor or general would ride in triumph (with lots of fanfare and publicity) on a white stallion to make clear to the defeated population that this was their new ruler who will run the government and tax them. This was always a political act and was always a display of power.

 

The play on images here is that Jesus now comes in triumph; this is God’s rule and time being established. Jesus is faithful to who and what God actually is. Jesus comes humble, riding a beast of burden; a work animal. He does not come to dominate but to give life and walk with the people. This is God walking with the people, with the little ones, to lift them up. As Jesus moves toward triumph and glory, he moves with humility and powerlessness. 

 

The donkey is the sign of how humble God actually is. There is no beating the population down and getting rich off their hard labor. The donkey is the exact opposite of how human beings act by dominating power over others. Jesus is the humble God who comes to life us up.

 

This Palm Sunday, walk beside Jesus on the donkey. Ask in your prayer and in your actions to grow to into  the heart of God. As you walk beside the donkey, ask to be humble and to see the value and importance of each human being. Ask to have a heart that respects and cherishes each human being just as the very heart of God sees and values each human being.

 

During the past two years we have been burdened by two very criminal and stupid wars. Countless innocent people have been killed and how many children have been killed through the invasion of Gaza? 

 

We must never be defeated by the evil of war and the destructive power of falling bombs.

Walk beside Jesus (and the donkey) to practice a life of non-violence. Seek by your actions to break the spiral of violence wherever it is possible. Be the bearer of peace and justice.

 

People may conclude that the problem of war is so great , that I, as one person cannot make a difference. While you are walking beside Jesus, may the Holy Spirit empower you to see that every act of respect that you bring to another human being is planting peace in this world. As one individual, you can make a difference.

 

Pay attention this year to the donkey. He carries a humble Jesus. He carries a God who has come to change humanity into greater goodness. 

 

Walking beside the donkey will make your sharing in the Easter mysteries very enlightening. You are being empowered to become more and more like Jesus: humble and lifting up the poor.

 

GOOD FRIDAY IS A NOW EVENT

 

 

As we draw close to the three day festival of Easter (March 28-31,2024),  we want to reflect on the implications of the cross of Jesus.

 

The cross is a very powerful symbol of the workings of God. It was here that Jesus gave of his life in faithful service and obedience to God the Father and to all human beings. From the very beginning Christians have interpreted this event as the sacrifice of the Suffering Servant who offered his life as a sacrifice of redemption for all people. It was in and through this religious sacrifice that we were redeemed; our sins were forgiven and we were joined to God.

 

But from the earliest times Christians have not seen the cross as limited only to a historical moment in Jerusalem. The sufferings of the cross continue to happen today. Good Friday is very much a now event.

 

Whenever one human being suffers at the hands of another human being, the cross of Jesus happens all over again. In our pain and suffering we also cry out for redemption. What we are doing is joining our sufferings with the sufferings of Jesus.

 

The first place we want to identify is the victims of war and civil conflict. Who cares about the destruction of the homes of the elderly and the working people when the bombs fall in the Ukraine? In Gaza? Does anyone measure the pain and suffering of the people who are short on food in these war -zones? 

 

Who measures the pain and tears that result from domestic abuse? No longer can this be buried  under the table as a family secret, but as a society we are demanding responsibility for the damage that was done in domestic suffering. The cross can be so real in our own homes.

 

From time to time ,family members will deposit their elderly parent in the nursing home and then only show up on rare occasions. Someone else will take care of our elderly parent. We do not inconvenience our lives. The pain of loneliness and abandonment are a cross of great suffering.

 

During the liturgy on Good Friday ,we are all invited to reverence the wood of the cross. This has always been very meaningful to our parishioners. Their body language indicates that this is a very holy moment. They touch the wood of the cross, but their hearts are being touched by the hand of Jesus. There is a true encounter between the believer and the suffering Jesus in these moments. 

 

As the reader, you can add many more examples of the cross of Jesus happening today in our world and in our province. When we make the link our reverence for the cross of Jesus during the Good Friday liturgy will deepen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YOUR GRANDCHILDREN WILL BE LONELY

 

Several years ago, after an all-day meeting, we went for a walk and decided to drop in for a treat at Starbuck’s. This was a fairly large restaurant. It was eight o’clock in the evening. I counted eight single adults, all sitting with a cup of coffee on their table and a book. Why so many singles on a weekday evening? 

 

This is Ottawa. Countless numbers of people, well educated, have found very good jobs in the service  of the Federal Government. Why are they  at  Starbucks, all alone?  Better to be around people than to be all alone in your apartment. Staring at the four walls is not reassuring. This is a sign of the loneliness in our society. but it is also a healthy manifestation of our human need to connect with others. 

 

In our modern economy we have to relocate; maybe several times, because of jobs and opportunities. There is an opportunity to advance yourself, in a job that suits you and that you find very fulfilling. You look forward to this new position. But you have to relocate and try to build up a new cadre of friendships. 

 

The reality of loneliness is manifested in our nursing homes. Every staff member will tell you sad stories about their residents who never have anyone come to visit them. The only social connections they have is with the staff. And the staff member whom the elder may connect with my find a higher paying position and move on. People all around in this nursing home and yet so lonely!

 

We are humans we need to be connected with others. There is the one or two long term friendships . But we all need many lesser connections such as co-workers, coffee friends, bowling teams members, cousins and just being able to interact with the people next door. 

 

When the medical people state that loneliness can be as harmful to your health as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day, no one questions whether or not this is true. We know that loneliness is very determinantal to human well-being. 

 

Here is where the local parish church community must do some serious reflection about how it tries to live our faith. Are  we a church where people come to do their Sunday mass, interact with almost no one else and leave unnoticed? Who notices if you are missing? 

Are we so tied up with doing the religious ritual correctly that we do not see the smile on the face of the other? 

 

In the past (over fifty years ago) the parish was also the focus of much of our social life. Our children played and interacted together. We knew almost everyone because we had washed dishes together or helped new-comers and refugees getting settled. We got to know each other and care about each other because we had learned to work and cooperate together. 

 

I would like to leave you with just one question: if a new comer arrives in town, will they first think, ‘I will go to church because they will welcome me’ or will they pick up their book and have a coffee, all alone, at Starbuck’s?