Sunday, April 24, 2016

Overturning Tables and Loving One Another

My church is celebrating First Holy Communions this month.  Since we have a relatively smaller church, each mass has about 10 children receive their first Eucharist.  This goes on for about 3 weeks or so.  

I must admit, these masses bring out the best in me, and, unfortunately, the worst in me. 

On the bright side, seeing these little children of God receiving Christ for the first time is such a beautiful, and promising, thing.

On the other hand, events like these fill the church with lots of visitors.  Visitors who park their cars in fire lanes or the middle of our exits so they can make a quick getaway as soon as Mass ends.  Visitors who talk so loudly before mass that the congregation cannot hear the greeter (who is using a microphone) welcome everyone.  Visitors who do not show any kind of respect for the Eucharist, other than getting close enough to it so they can take a photo.

This frustrates me.  

Part of me thanks God for bringing these people to Mass to begin with.  And I often pray that some of them return based on their experience.  

The other part wonders what Jesus would do in these situations.  

Would He "overturn the tables", as He did in Jerusalem, and tell them that His Father's House should be a House of Prayer?

Or would he softly remind me of what He said in today's Gospel, namely that we should love each other as He loves us?

What do you think?

God Bless you.

Sunday, April 10, 2016

A Detail about Peter's "Rehabilitation" That You Might Not Have Noticed

This week's Gospel from John is a favorite.   

The Risen Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him three times - a beautiful scene to counter the Apostle's denial just days earlier.  

We've heard this reading many, many times before.  But there is a small, yet significant, detail in John's writing that I just learned this weekend.

When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with a fish on it and bread.

John made it a point to note the kind of fire that Jesus had set up. 

Do you know the only other time in the entire Bible that a charcoal fire appears?

Peter's denial of Christ.

And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold and they warmed themselves.  And Peter stood with them and warmed himself.

What a beautiful detail.  Jesus has returned Peter to the sight - and even the smell - of the event that wounded him so badly.  

And thus, while Our Rock left the first charcoal fire in shame, he leaves the second one a healed Shepherd.  


God Bless you.


Sunday, April 3, 2016

Desertion and Second Chances

Firstly, I hope you all had a very Blessed Easter, and enjoyed the great Hope that comes with the Resurrection.

When I looked back at this year's Holy week, one thought kept hounding me over and over again.  

Desertion.  

I kept thinking about how beautiful the first Palm Sunday must have been - with crowds of people making this wonderful gesture with branches to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem.  Yes, Jesus must have had His death weighing on his mind as he rode into the city, but at that moment, there were so many willing to be near Him ... to be with Him.  It must have been so joyous.

That feeling, of course, departed rather quickly on Holy Thursday as I really contemplated what it must have felt like for Our Savior when all of his Apostles scattered during His arrest and torture.  It was clear that Jesus allowed Himself to feel our human emotions while He was with us, and having your friends leave you in your greatest time of need must have hurt on some level.  

Imagine for a minute, if you were being arrested for a crime you didn't commit.  If the police dragged you past your closest friends, asking if anyone could vouch for you, or even knew you.  Imagine watching as those friends ran away ... or worse ... told the police they had no idea who you were.  If we are being honest with ourselves, we'd be in utter shock. And it would hurt.  A lot.  It is almost impossible to imagine no one sticking up for us, right?

In fact, sometimes I wonder what was more painful for Christ, the physical torture or watching his friends leave Him, deny Him, and then ignore everything He told them.  

I've shared with you before that I enjoy watching Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ during Holy Week because it helps me appreciate the physical suffering that Jesus endured for us.  But this year, I couldn't help but focus on this other pain He persevered through.  

I must admit, it upset me to think about that.  

But not nearly as much as when I broke out another kind of torture device ... the mirror.  

Realizing that there have been times in my life where I did not stand by Jesus made my solemn thoughts even worse. 

Luckily, the Prince of Peace gives us all second, third, and millionth chances to make it right and follow Him!
  

God Bless you.